Tommy Adderley - I Just Don't Understand 7" CAN Chess, M-314 1964

Tommy Adderley was a baller. A merchant seaman from Birmingham (UK) who lobbed up in Wellington (NZ) in 1959 and proceeded to shag his way through both islands for the next 35 years.

One of his early 45s is this very cool, brooding, beat number, backed by Max Merritt & the Meteors. It came out in New Zealand and Australia on Viking 156.

Normie Rowe also did a pretty cool version of this track. I'm not sure which I prefer but I dig Brummie Tommy hamming up a Liverpool accent.

I also really dig this Canadian Chess black and silver label - very classy. The song was apparently a small hit in  both the USA and Canada, so much so that it got released on two different labels in Canada (see below).

You can hear it here. And if you'd like to read more about Tommy Adderley's antics browse pages from an oddly endearing book written by an admirer here, or buy it here.

Here's the other releases - on Mar Mar 314 from the USA (this label was a Chess subsidiary), and the other Canadian issue on Quality 1672.

Cicadas - That's What I Want 7" GER RCA Victor, 47-8339, 1964

Our first foreign picture sleeve, and it's Sydney's Cicadas who scored a German release of their first 7" in a sleeve. It was also released sleeveless in the USA (same catalogue no.) and Canada (57-3314).

A much covered song - this version is nice and beaty, with a strange, almost dub, intro. There's two other Australian versions. The best is a good, wyld reading by the Henchmen that wasn't released at the time and made it on to the Ugly Things CD. Tasmania's Kravats also did a slightly more subdued version.

The Cicadas had three more 7"s before moving to the UK and becoming the Gibsons.

Released in Australia on RCA 101552.

Jimmy Hannan - Beach Ball 7" USA Atlantic 45-2247, 1964

Yikes. Jimmy Hannan - big toothed, big haired TV show host as I remember him. Well he put out one ok surf record in early '64. I avoided this for years because, well, it's Jimmy Hannan, and how could a song about a beach ball be any good? On the second point the subject of the song is actually balls, you know - parties, soirees, gatherings - same subject as AC/DC's Big Balls, but set on a beach.

Anyway it's a pretty good example of Sydney surf from around that time, instrumentally kicks along really well - I don't actually know who the band is doing backing on this, though the Bee Gees are in there vocally somewhere. 

My source for all things Aussie surf is Stephen McParland's Waltzing The Plank, a pretty great compendium of info. My man Stephen makes the valid point that Jimmy could've Australianised the lyrics of this Jim McGuinn penned piece of Californiana.

Aussie release on Reg Grundy's RG label (RGK-557).