The Groove - The Wind / Play The Song 7" ITA Parlophone 4C006-80109, 1969

For me The Groove are a bit of a dull band. Skilled musicians, sure. Lots of feel, it's just their choice of musical styles doesn't excite me. In 1968 they moved to London and recorded a last 7" which was released by Parlophone in the UK (R5783) and Italy, in a sleeve.

As far as the A-side goes, I feel I have to paraphrase Forced Exposure's one line review of 7 Seconds New Wind LP, "Something is blowing here, but, uh, is it the wind?" All gags aside, it's one of those big London winter ballads - piano, choral voices, big vocals.

The flipside is more interesting - uptempo, Hammond driven, swinging London - not too bad.

Issued in Australia by Columbia (DO-8811).

After this the band morphed into Eureka Stockade and had a 7" released in the UK, Germany and Belgium.

Cherokees - It's Gonna Work out Fine 7" USA Gary GA 1001, 1965

I thought I'd closed the book on overseas Cherokees 7"s with their New Zealand 45. However it is pleasing that a year after I started this, obscure foreign issues are still popping up.

Prior to their run of seven singles on Go!!, The Cherokees had two 7"s and an LP on W&G label. This was their second release (W&G WG-S-2377).  It's Gonna Work Out Fine is a ballad, so we go to the B side for kicks. I've Got Something To Tell You is a decent beat track with good guitar flourishes, but the lyrics are lamesville, unfortunately. This one is written by Bill Martin and Tommy Scott. I can't figure out the vector by which it got to Melbourne but there seems to be another 1965 version by a Scottish Band, the Boston Dexters.

Oddly the songwriting credit for the A side on both the Australian issue and this one is to Senecel-Lee. Senecel should be Joe Seneca.

Ben Ghazi -  Saturn Music gives no clues either. We'll have to record an open verdict on this one.

M.P.D. Ltd EP NZL Salem XE3012, 1965

Previously we looked at the Cherokees 7" on the Salem label from New Zealand. M.P.D. Ltd also had two 7"s and this rare EP released on Salem.

The EP was originally issued in Australia as Go!! GEP1004 and contains the tracks Little Boy Sad / You Might As Well Forget Him // Lonely Boy / Lonesome Traveller. The Go!! version has a full colour version of this cover pic but I kind of like this black and blue design.

Lonesome Traveller only ever appeared at the time on these EPs, but, that's not really a reason to track it down, it's not much of a song. You Might As Well Forget Him did turn up on the flipside of their last single from 1967, Paper Doll.

Little Boy Sad and Lonely Boy were of course the band's first two singles and were huge hits. These were the two 7"s also released on Salem in NZ.

The Loved Ones EP FRA Festival FX 1528 M, 1967

This one's quite well known, but what a great sleeve. The photo is cool, though they do all look like they are leaning to the right.

So, typically great sleeve design, for which the French are justifiably famous. But I just noticed the typo - Everlovin' Man has become Ever Lovin'man. Apostrophes always throw graphic designers. Aujourd'hui we have a mid-word French variation.

W&G released The Loved Ones EP in Australia, this French version replacing Blueberry Hill by More Than Love.

Where do you classify The Loved Ones? The Loved One itself is prime punk for me, the rest is slightly off-kilter rhythm and blues and downkey oddities (The Loverly Car for example - bizarre).

Lastly, I should mention there's a French jukebox 7" pairing The Loved One and Everlovin' Man.

Merv Benton - Yield Not To Temptation 7" USA Marvel GHGA 401, 1965

Here's the American issue of Merv Benton's seventh single, and the only one to be released outside Australia. I suppose many find Merv to be a bit of a suited square - I don't mind some of his mid period gear and he did cover some unusual songs.

Backed by the Tamlas, this is a good, gutsy version of a Bobby Blue Bland track. On the plus side is the big sound, good vocals from Merv, cool organ, and handclaps. The jury is out, however, on the dollybird chorus providing backing vocals. As a device this can work: see for example some of Mike Furber's Kommotion stuff; or it can distract from an otherwise cool track - I'm thinking of Tony Barber's Wait By The Water. I'll give it a pass on this one, it's a little shrill for my ears.

Issued in Australia in a picture sleeve by W&G (WG-S-2432).

Cherokees - I've Gone Wild 7" NZL Salem XS115, 1967

I love a song with just two, two-line verses; then third verse - same as the first. But Melbourne's Cherokees' finest moment has so much more - rollicking punk rhythms, guitar (or rudimentary electronics, or theremin or something) freakouts, screams, plaintive pleading.

An old garage taxonomist once observed "if it mentions 'brain,' it's punk; and if it mentions 'mind,' it's psych". Here we have "Feel what you've done to my brain" and "Please let out of my mind", so I suppose we have punk/psych. No arguments here.

Regular Australian release on Go!!, here's the NZ issue on Salem who put out a handful of Go!! records there. Hear it on Ugly Things Volume 2.