London band, existing 1965-79 and behind two of the most annoyingly repetitive hits of the sixties - "Baby Come Back" and "Viva Bobby Joe". I hated those songs back then - though belonging to a category of radio hits I couldn't care less about, they started to nest in my brain impossible to get rid of...and when they finally moved out I refused to look back. Therefore it was really surprising hearing this LP from about the same time, almost fifty years later. It's in fact quite variegated, having a cut or two reminding of those hits, but also streaks of latin, raggae and white soul. Sounds like direct recordings, coming out more as garage than from a well oiled studio machinery. I'm getting about the same vibes as from much later Clash recordings - honest and right on with both feet on the ground and a message in there somewhere. They have been called an early inspiration to the Punk Rock and New Wave flourishing in the late seventies and eighties, then as a band who didn't adjust their sound to the posher studio milieu, but instead brought the street in there and managed to get that atmosphere on vinyl. Direct with an almost socialist twist. Between 1967-69 they released no less than six original albums and managed seven singles on the UK list, with "Baby Come Back" reching #1. This is the only original album by them I got so far, but if the used bins are good to me in the future there will be more. Originally issued also in Germany, Holland and South Africa. German 1992 CD on Polydor (517010-2). Premiere UK had structured label as shown here and laminated flip/back cover. (ÖGÄ*)
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