Come See Me

Asked to submit a mix for the blog of a guitar website forum, or something like that, I picked out some guitar heavy tunes that I'd posted recently and stitched them together. Although a distinctly blokey affair -- I guess that goes with the territory -- and fairly brief, I'm happy with the results. It's like a podcast but without me irritatingly interrupting the flow every few songs.

mp3: Come See Me

The Moontrekkers - Night Of The Vampire
The Intrigues - The Belly Dancer
Howlin' Wolf - Killing Floor
Alpay - Seni Dileniyorum
Savage Grace - (All Along The) Watchtower
Jan Davis - Fugitive
The Rondels - Satan's Theme
The Kinks - Till The End Of The Day
The Pretty Things - Come See Me
Five By Five - Fire
The Hollywood Persuaders - Drums A-Go-Go
The Arrows - Blues Theme
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Diddy Wah Diddy

Have A Tequila

Billy Strange - Hava Tequila

Billy Strange's surf rock take on the Hebrew folk song Hava Nagila came out in 1966 and works incredibly well. As far as I know, Strange wasn't involved in the making of the happy hardcore track with the same name that had Dutch ravers jumping a couple of years ago.

A Fool In Love

Ike & Tina Turner - A Fool In Love

Quite a landmark recording this one. It's the first time the amazing voice of Tina Turner was committed to wax. Legend has it that when the singer that Ike had originally intended to sing A Fool In Love, a man, didn't show up, Tina (known as Little Ann at the time) stepped up. Pregnant with Ike's child, she delivered a belting performance. Her voice is fully formed and ready to conquer. This record came out in 1960 and was an instant hit.

Marvellous Stuff, That

The Marvelettes - I Want A Guy
The Marvelettes - Twistin' Postman

The A side here is Twistin' Postman which was the follow up to The Marvelettes' gigantic first single, Please Mr. Postman. A release which took Motown to the top of the pop charts for the first time way back in 1961. But whereas Twistin' Postman is, and sounds like, a transparent attempt to cash in on the success of their previous release by incorporating the Twist craze, albeit one with some neat hand-clapping, I Want A Guy still stands up strong. It's the song that The Supremes sang on their debut but I far prefer this version.

Is it a state of mind?

The Balloon Farm - A Question Of Temperature

Not too much to tell about today's tune. Recorded in 1967, it was the only hit for a group from New Jersey. It squarely fits the label Garage-Psych. And it's great.

Get Along

The Johnny Burnette Trio - The Train Kept A-Rollin'
The Johnny Burnette Trio - Honey Hush

From the moment it arrived this became one of my most treasured records. I don't know how much it's worth but I'm surprised it's not worth more. At my DJ nights I struggle to think of good reasons not to play both sides -- it's the very definition of a 'Great Double Sider'. The Johnny Burnette Trio, also known as The Rock and Roll Trio, were a tough group from Memphis who were around in the very early days of what's known as rockabilly. Recorded in Nashville mid 1956, these tunes are both covers but Johnny, Dorsey and Paul do their damnedest to own them.

You'll Be Mine

Howlin' Wolf - You'll Be Mine
Howlin' Wolf - Going Down Slow

Two of the best from the mighty Howlin' Wolf right here. Both were included in his truly seminal 1962 self-titled second album -- also known as The Rockin' Chair Album for some reason or another. You'll Be Mine, written by Willie Dixon, is upbeat and more threatening than sweet when growled repeatedly by the Wolf. With a spoken introduction from Dixon but from the pen of St. Louis Jimmy Oden, the often covered Going Down Slow is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a slow blues.

Rage Against The Machine

Janet Greene - Fascist Threat
Janet Greene - Commie Lies

A pretty weird record this one. I found it in Melbourne on my last trip home and I'd love to know the story of how it came to be there. With a title like 'Fascist Threat and Commie Lies' I couldn't really leave it behind. A little research reveals that Janet Greene was recruited by Dr. Fred Schwarz of the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade to be a sort of anti-Joan Baez. Classic. Fascist Threat is a calypso, Commie Lies straight ahead tepid folk. These really have to be heard to be believed.

Dostlar

Edip Akbayram Dostlar - Kolum Nerden Aldin Zinciri

Edip Akbayram and his band Dostlar (which translates in English to Friends) released this heavy, progressive sounding Turkish funk track in 1975. The title translates to something about 'arms' and 'chains' but I can't quite figure out what it all means. Fighting words such as those, however, do indicate that a political message could be firmly nestled within the monster fuzz and mammoth drums. That would make sense as Akbayram was apparently banned by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation in 1976 for his leftist activism. The good news being that I believe he is still musically and politically active to this day.

Lambaya Puf De

Baris Manco - Lambaya Puf De

This was the first record I bought in Istanbul after being lead to a great record spot by a friendly ex-Brooklyn record store proprietor now living in Turkey -- a top tip if you're ever seeking old vinyl in Istanbul, look for books.

Baris Manco was a big Turkish star who composed, recorded and released many songs. He attended the same Galatasaray school as Fikret Kizilok, probably around the same time Don and Frank were sharing study notes over in California. No translation is needed to know that in 1973, with Lambaya Puf De, Baris was bringing sexy back.

Galatasaray Folk

Fikret Kizilok - Yumma Gozun Kor Gibi

Here's some more music I picked up whilst in Istanbul, this one is more folky than the last. Unfortunately I can't shed much light on either Fikret Kizilok or Yumma Gozun Kor Gibi. According to his Wikipedia entry Kizilok went to the famous Galatasaray High School, which was very close to where I stayed. This song is obviously quite emotional but I have no idea what it's about. It was released in 1970.

Diddy A-Go-Go

Don't call it a comeback. I've been quiet but I've been here. Regular visitors to this site will recognise all of these here tunes as ones that I've featured in the last couple of months but look at what I've done. Niftily like, I've packaged them all together and added a smidgen of my (far from) dulcet tones. Voilà the Diddy A-Go-Go podcast.

mp3: Diddy A-Go-Go

The Kinks - Till The End Of The Day
Howlin' Wolf - Killing Floor
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - Diddy Wah Diddy
Jan Davis - Fugitive
The Rondels - Satan's Theme
The Gamblers - Moon Dawg!
The Hollywood Persuaders - Drums A-Go-Go
The Arrows - Blue's Theme
The Nashville Teens - All Along The Watchtower
Five By Five - Fire
The Pretty Things - Come See Me
The Champs - Beatnik

Alpay Nazikioğlu

Alpay - Seni Dileniyorum
Alpay - Yekte

So, yours truly was recently in Turkey. Although I managed a brief jaunt to the ancient and beautiful South East, I spent most of my time in the boisterous metropolis of Istanbul. While there, aware of its fertile eastern influenced progressive rock ground, I decided to do some digging. My knowledge of Turkish music is beggarly at best but with some guidance and some luck, I found some gems.

Today's 45 comes from 1973 and both sides are typical of the delightfully fuzzy Anatolian sounds that I was seeking. It's because of the Yonca label's resemblance to the Vertigo swirl that I selected this record from the pile I was rummaging through -- a similarity I have a hunch is no coincidence. Upon first listen, Seni Dileniyorum seemed familiar, so it has possibly popped up on a compilation or mix at some point. I'll feature some more of my finds in the coming weeks.