Brother Lou's Love Colony

July - "Jolly Mary" (1968)

2009-09-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

Just when you think the well has run dry, in steps English Psych-Pop band July. This is my current favorite track off their first album in 1968. While the album as a whole doesn't entirely thrill me, its' best moments are really amazing and fresh sounding. "Jolly Mary" is a bouncy little number with 90s sounding sampling interludes and 60s sounding vocal effects. Another gem from the Bubblegum Motherf**ker bootleg series.

Here's a nice video made by a fan:

Jackson 5 - "Looking Through The Window" (1972)

2009-09-11T15:00:00.001-07:00

Speaking of the Jackson 5, here's another discovery made via Casey Kasem. Not as catchy as their first batch of singles, but it's worth it for the opening alone (and that crispy rhythm guitar) Here's a clip of them performing on the Sonny and Cher comedy hour in 1972.

Foster Sylvers - "Misdemeanor" (1973)

2009-09-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

If you're like me (and you are), you wake up every Saturday and Sunday at 6am to drive 30 minutes and sit at a desk for 8 hours. Fortunately, this happens to give us a great excuse to be awake to listen to 102.9 (RDU) and Casey Kasem's top 40 from the 70s. A couple weeks ago they played the top 40 from 1973 I think, and that's where i first heard Foster Sylver's "Misdemeanor". Good story, eh?

It's an amazing song. Jackson 5-ish, but weirder. Love the bass, love the song, LOVE THE DRUMS. Great great great.

Drag History Month

2009-01-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

This video gets funnier with each viewing. Enjoy!

More Gay & Lesbian Video

Pale Saints - "Babymaker" & Matt Gurley

2008-11-17T23:07:00.000-08:00

I've been pretty into the Pale Saints lately...and specifically "Babymaker" off the Mrs. Dolphin compilation and In Ribbons LP (1992). The band was from England and was active during the late 80's/early 90's, though they didn't make much impact in the US at the time and are still criminally overlooked today. Re-issues of their albums and a compilation of unreleased tunes is LONG overdue, but until then we'll have to settle for their limited output and some amazing covers of their songs, like this one from Matt Gurley. Matt has tons of covers on his YouTube page (The Beatles, Hall & Oats, My Bloody Valentine, Magnetic Fields to name a few), which he overdubs with beautiful vocals, guitar, reverb, etc. Check him out now. Everything I've heard him do has been pretty close to brilliant: http://www.youtube.com/user/fooberdoobs.

Here's his version of Pale Saints "Babymaker":

Lil Wayne - "Mrs. Officer" (2008)

2008-11-09T15:32:00.000-08:00

I heard this song in a record store in Portland when the album first came out and totally fell in love. It's rare that i'll hear a song in a record store and push customers out of the way to run to the counter to ask the clerk who it is. But it happened. Anywho, I left Portland later that week and totally forgot the song existed. I heard it again on the radio yesterday and can't get it out of my head. Fun, catchy, brilliant, etc., etc.. I guess it's just been released as a single, so get ready for it to be everywhere, and get ready for me to not be able to listen to it anymore.

But for now, here it is. I was gonna put the official video up, but it's censored and totally disrupts the flow of the song, so here's just the album track sans video.

Levi Stubbs

2008-10-20T22:44:00.000-07:00

Levi Stubbs was the lead singer of Motown faves the Four Tops. I've always been a big fan of Levi and the group (and not just because we share a birthday) and was saddened to hear of his passing this past Friday after a long illness.

I discovered this live clip of the group performing one of my favorite FT songs, "7 Rooms of Gloom" from 1967. It's an interesting version, and Levi sounds amazing as usual.

The Image - "Red Rubber Ball" (1966)

2008-10-14T23:10:00.001-07:00

Apparently from a German TV show in 1966, this is a fun live version of The Cyrkle's "Red Rubber Ball". Tight as all get-out. I have no idea which "The Image" this is, but they're cute and put on a good show. A nice little snapshot of 1966. Check out the dancers!

Summer Snow - "Flying On The Ground" (1967)

2008-10-14T23:01:00.001-07:00

Another great YouTube find. This is a cover of a Neil Young song, originally recorded by Buffalo Springfield around 1967. This one actually rivals (and might actually beat out by a hair!) my favorite version of the song done by The Guess Who. (Interesting note: This single was produced by Dan Dalton, brother of Jack Dalton of Colours).

The Crossfires - "Making Love Is Fun" (1966)

2008-10-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

I was cruising YouTube for some new music and I stumbled upon this gem. I can;t seem to find any information on it, other than it was released in 1966, and possibly re-released in 1967. I also can't seem to find an compilations that it's featured on, which is kind of surprising considering how many 60's garage rock comps there are and what a great song it is.

This may or may not be the same Crossfires that eventually became The Turtles, but if this were really released in 1966, it's probably a whole different band all together. Regardless, it's a great tune, and thanks to the gent who posted it on YouTube!

Freestyle #3: Nice & Wild - "Diamond Girl" (1986), also featuring Stuart Murdoch

2008-10-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

I love it. And I love this video because it looks like someone said "Let's make an 80's video" and everyone had 5 minutes to rummage in a box fool of weird 80's clothes and put on a show. But it's authentic! Listen to the screams! Oh, diamond girls.

It's a booty shaker, for sure. AND fun to sing. The only thing I'm a little embarrassed about is the lyric "You fit right on my finger, I'm so proud to have me in you". Hi. Although with a name like 'Nice & Wild', I guess I can't expect Belle & Sebastian (though Stuart Murdoch should take note!).

And speaking of Stuart, here's his interview with a hat rack. He's kind of dreamy in it, actually...

Giorgio Moroder - "First Hand Experience In Second Hand Love" (1977)

2008-10-12T20:16:00.001-07:00

Who I CAN find information on is Mr. Giorgio Moroder, Italian producer extraordinaire. I first became aware of Moroder (once again) via the "Bubblegum Motherf**cker" bootleg series, which featured several of his more rock-n-roll-ish numbers from the mid to late 60's. After finding out he was behind a lot (if not all?) of Donna Summer's peak disco-era records, I decided to find out more about his records from the late 70's. And then I discovered "First Hand Experience In Second Hand Love" from his 1977 album "From Here To Eternity". I'm still delving into his stuff, but I can't get enough of this track, which I still can't believe was recorded in 1977.

Tony Ritchie

2008-10-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

What's been said about this 1960's British crooner that hasn't been said a million times? Nothing, apparently. Playing tight, catchy pop with an r&b slant, Ritchie had a handful of singles in the late 60's, some of which have appeared on recent psych compilations (the 'Fading Yellow' series, 'Best of Beacon Records', and the 'Bubblegum Motherf**ker' bootleg CD's). It's hard to find any information on him, or the extent of his recorded output, but at least the music that IS available is a great find. I'd post a picture, or something on YouTube, but of course there's nothing. So rummage through the internet and download as much from him as you can find. Anybody with info on Ritchie or the songs should feel free to post!

UPDATE: A fan has posted some homemade Tony Ritchie videos! Here's a fun little number:

UPDATE #2: I was cruising Youtube for some Tony Ritchie videos/info and found his son had posted a comment on one of the videos. So I sent him an email about his father and receieved this sad news:

"...Thanks for your interest in my Dad. Sadly, he passed away last year. He got out of the music business in the early eighties but previous to that he part owned "Youngblood Records", and was an in-house songwriter - writing songs for all sorts of artists all over Europe.

His biggest success was with "I've found my freedom" which he wrote for Mac and Katie Kissoon - this went gold, selling a million copies.

Nice to hear you enjoyed his music he would've loved that! "

So sad....

The Moon - Without Earth (1968)

2008-09-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

A sort of sister album to the Colours record out the same year, this is the first studio project release of Matthew Moore (who also does most of the songwriting), David Marks (ex Beach Boys), Larry Brown, and Drew Bennett aka The Moon. Matthew sings most of the songs (except for the two Colours covers, which David handles), and the music is highly inspired by the Beatles and a lot of other Bealtes-influenced Psych Pop from 1967-68. I tried to get into this a couple years ago when I was knee deep in my Beach Boys Smile phase, but it didn't do anything for me. I re-listened to it recently after I heard about the Colours connection (David Marks also plays on the second Colours album 'Atmpsophere' from 1969), and completely fell in love. Personal faves include "Faces", "Got To Be On My Way", and more recently "Pleasure".

David Marks was kind enough to answer some questions about his time in The Moon (and of course, several about Colours too):

-How did you meet Matthew Moore and form The Moon?

I was friends with Terry Hand, who was signed to White Whale as part of The Everpresent Fullness and Matt was signed to White Whale as a writer. One day Terry brought me over to Matt’s house and the 3 of us started a band. Terry was on the first song that we recorded, "Never Mind" and he immediately left and our producer, Larry Brown, became the drummer.

-Did The Moon tour at all or play any live shows? Or was it primarily conceived as a studio-only collaboration?

The Moon never did a public performance – not until 2007. But the Colours did a few live shows.

-What kind of music were you listening to at the time that was influencing you?

I was listening to The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Bach, Cream, Albert King, Gershwin, Brahms and big band jazz.

-Was The Moon taking up most of your time in 1967-1969 or were you recording with other groups? Were you doing music full time or were you working a full time job as well?

Personally - at the same time as the Moon, I was busy recording a blues album with Glenn Crocker, doing session work for Danny Moore, recording with the Colours, studying classical guitar with Mori Mizrahi, I was playing with Warren Zevon and taking a correspondence music course from the Berklee School of Music – where I later went. I didn’t have a job other than music because I had my Beach Boys royalties. None of the other guys had jobs either – The Moon was full-time for Matt and Larry was already on his way to becoming a successful engineer / producer and had been working with Davie Allen and the Arrows and Mike Curb.

-What was the process like recording Without Earth? Did it take a while? Were a lot of the songs written in the studio? Any memories of the recording session that stand out?

Matt wrote the songs on the piano – alone, either in the studio or at home and he wrote out charts for all of us, so the basics tracks didn’t take that long to record. What took a long time were the over-dubs, like percussion, or backing vocals. The strings and horns were added last and that went pretty fast. We virtually lived in the studio while we were recording and sometimes didn’t know if it was day or night or what day of the week it was…we were very serious but we also had fun joking around. It was a great, carefree time…we were only in our late teens and to have freedom to express ourselves creatively was something special.

-I saw on YouTube that there was recently a Moon reunion. Any future live shows planned?

We’ve talked about getting together and recording another album or playing some live dates, but we don’t have anything planned. You never know, I wouldn’t rule anything out.

-I love the two Dalton/Montgomery songs on Without Earth. Is that you singing them? Were you a fan? I assume the Colours record came out before Without Earth?

I did sing lead vocals on the Moon’s versions of "She’s on My Mind" and "Brother Lou". I’m not sure what versions came out first. I didn’t even know the Colours did those 2 songs. Robbie Edwards played guitar on the first Colours album.

-You played on the second Colours album Atmosphere. How did you become familiar with Colours? Any memories recording "Atmosphere" that you can share?

The connection with the Colours and the Moon was Matt’s brother Danny Moore. He produced the Colours and introduced us to Gary and Jack. My memory of the Atmosphere sessions was basically jamming over Gary and Jack’s songs and that they were both so funny that we were cracking up all the time. One day Jack dressed up like John Wayne, with the hat – he walked like him, talked like him and was looking to kick some ass. It was really funny.

-Ok, last question about Colours, just out of curiosity's sake: Who sings lead on "Angie", Dalton or Montgomery? (I love his voice!)

Montgomery. They did the Beatles thing where they shared writer’s credits but sang leads on the songs they wrote.

-I'm trying to get a good sense of what it was like in the 60's in California. What was the L.A. music scene like? Was there really a supportive "scene"? Any local bands that you remember being into that were big influences?

The late 60’s was approaching the end of an era where bands were still supported by labels while they were recording and getting their act together like Warren Zevon, Jackson Brown, Matthew Moore, The Turtles, etc and we all influenced each other.

-Was there an "underground" L.A. music scene? I know The Doors, The Byrds, The Mamas and Papas, The Association, etc. were recording in the area at the time and were popular. There were also some great studio albums being made by Gary Usher, Curt Boetcher, etc, which might not have been as well known nationally. Were any of those"studio only" albums like the Sagittarius records influences at the time for you or The Moon?

No. The last I heard from Gary Usher was "409" (Beach Boys song). I’ve never been into pop music - my influences came more from classical, jazz and blues.

-Are there any other records from the late 60's that you recommend I check out? Do you ever listen to a lot of older records nowadays or is it mostly contemporary stuff?

There was an album by Jack Bruce – the solo album by the bass player from Cream. I wasn’t really influenced by it, but I listened to that album more than any other record. I would also recommend Anna Montgomery’s Triple Seven CD – Anna is Gary’s daughter and this album is a memorial CD for him. It features some of his best work and songs she wrote about him. You can get it on CD Baby. I don’t really listen to music much anymore – my ears are usually tired after I finish recording and working on songs for shows. If I do listen, it’s usually old or something new by one of my friends.

-And did you ever get to go to Brother Lou's Love Colony?

I have no idea where Gary came up with that one!

(More info on David, his time in the Moon, The Beach Boys, and his other projects, go to http://www.davidleemarks.com)

(The Moon circa 1968, David is on the left)

Freestyle #2: Connie and Debbie Deb

2008-09-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

Connie (born Consuelo Piriz) was a Florida native with a couple of great Freestyle singles/albums from the mid 80s. Her best known is "Funky Little Beat", but my favorite is the Madonna-sound-a-like "Experience" from 1986. Connie is still recording and touring and can be reached via her Myspace page. Some of the songs she recorded were also recorded by fellow Sunnyview Records artist and Freestyle club singer Debbie Deb. (In fact, most of the material between both artists seems to have become interchangeable in recent years)...

Debbie Deb was born in NY and moved to Florida shortly after. Here's a brief history of her discovery and of "When I Hear Music" (told by her via her Myspace, much better than I ever could): "The Peaches Record Store on 167th. St. was Debbie’s home base for two years from which she would order records for the Disco station. It was here she got her first break in the business…a chance meeting with producer Pretty Tony. Tony told Debbie he liked “the way she talked” and asked if she could sing, and the answer was an unequivocal YES! The day following the record store meeting with Tony, she traveled to his studio to check things out. Upon entering the studio, the musical track for “When I Hear Music” was blaring from the studio speakers. Tony and Deb ended up writing the lyrics to “When I Hear Music”, and in a matter of hours, had the vocal tracks down."

It sounds like the record company she was with at the time (I'm assuming Sunnyview Records, home to some really great dance/rap acts of the 80's) took the typical route of jilting their artists out of royalties, and to make matters worse, actually replaced Debbie Deb for live shows. Fortunately, Debbie got her pay and continues to tour with other Freestyle artists from the 80s.

New Kids On The Block - "Please Don't Go Girl" Part 2

2008-09-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

So as I was watching/listening to "Please Don't Go Girl", I started to wonder what the New Kids did after Joey hit puberty. Did they lip-synch to it for the rest of their career? Did they drastically change the key of the song so Joey could sing it?

So I looked around youtube.com to see if I could find both a live version AND something that was recorded later in their career. I found this video, which wasn't too far into "the change", but far enough that it IS in a different key (his voice even cracks in some spots) It's a little weird to hear them sing live, but kind of entertaining (and they do their own choreography!) The best part has to be towards the end of the video when Joey accidentally instructs the audience to clap their hands (instead of waving them in the air) and a giggle-fest erupts in the middle of the song.

OK, I SWEAR this is my last NKOTB blog. Really.

New Kids On The Block - "Please Don't Go Girl" (1988)

2008-09-23T00:32:00.000-07:00

While I was watching all of these Apollo videos, I saw New Kids On The Block perform "Please Don't Go Girl" and was amazed that I actually liked the song. I was never a fan, but I can kinda see why this song started the whole NKOTB craze: 1)it's a great song, and 2)little joey is just adorable. (and still is!)

Freestyle #1: Exposé

2008-09-22T23:57:00.000-07:00

Growing up listening to pop music in the late 80s/early 90s, it was sometimes hard to distinguish from the onslaught of dance-pop acts and girl groups. At the time, the only ones I knew of by name was Janet Jackson (OK, she's not a girl group, but still...). As far as Exposé, The Cover Girls, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Company B, Sweet Sensation, Pajama Party, and Seduction....their music was everywhere at the time, but to me it was faceless pop music that came and went off the radio pretty quickly. I started looking up these songs/groups on the internet and discovered that a lot of the dance music from that period is now classified as "Freestyle" and was heavily influenced by the growing Latino cultures mostly in Miami and New York City. Who knew? I was only around 10 years old, so I had no idea.

So here's the first in a series of "re-introductions" to my faves of the brief period of time we'll call "80's Freestyle".

Exposé is one of my favorites. They had a #1 song with "Seasons Change" back in 1988, which I still have a hard time warming up to, but their faster songs (especially the ones sung by Jeanette Jurado) are fun as all whatnot (i.e. "Let Me Be The One" or "Come Go With Me"). Their best, "Point Of No Return", has Jeanette singing lead, and the video above is from a Showtime At The Apollo appearance from 1987.

Toffee

2008-09-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

And in particular "toffee nut".

I don't know why I love toffee and can't stand caramel; they're pretty much have the same ingredients, but are made slightly different. According to some random person who posted an entry on some random forum:

"Really, there is almost no difference between (toffee and caramel).

Correct, caramels usually have more dairy in them.

The major difference between the two candies is that the toffee is processed to a higher temperature than caramels. Not only does the higher temperature make the toffee harder than caramel, it helps create the distinctive toffee taste."

Whatever it is, I'm a toffee addict (butterscotch comes in at a close second though). I've started eating toffee nut mocha's, toffee chocolate brownies, heath bar and heath bar ice cream, and anything else i can get my hands on. It's amazing. And it's also amazing that Starbucks has chosen to discontinue its' line of toffee nut syrups (several years after getting rid of their toffee nut sprinkles). I don't know if that's true or not, but you can always go to the Starbucks Rumor Blog to get any updates. Or to bitch about Starbucks.

Also, if you're going to order a latte or mocha with toffee nut, PLEASE specify "toffee nut" and not just "toffee". I went to a local chain recently and after asking for a "latte with a shot of toffee", received none other than a latte with a shot of coffee. Blech.

Saag Paneer

2008-08-28T06:54:00.000-07:00

I never used to like Indian food. Never. Ever. Then one day I did. It's crazy how that happens. My favorite dish is "Saag Paneer", which apparently means "Cheese & Spinach". It's basically fried cheese with cream of spinach. At least that's what it tastes like! And let me tell you...it's the best food EVER, let alone the best Indian food ever. Throw on a side of white rice and some buttery Nan to sop it all up with, and man you've got yourself a stew going. So to speak.

I can't tell you how hard it is to find an appealing picture of Saag Paneer. But trust. It's amazing. I recommend ordering it at "A Taste Of India" in Durham NC, but mostly because that's the only place I've had it.

Shirley Temples

2008-08-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

I became reacquainted with shirley temples after ordering one at Lantern Restaurant in Chapel Hill last year. Theirs was garnished with mint, and had orange juice, ginger ale, grenadine and cherries and was THE best drink I had ever had (alcoholic or not). I've been pretty much throwing them back ever since. I recently upgraded to grenadine but I usually simplify the recipe at home by pouring maraschino cherry juice into a 12oz can of 7-Up. Same basic taste.

Thank you goes out to actress Shirley Temple and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel at Waikīkī in Honolulu, Hawaii (supposed inventors of the drink).

The Caravelles - "Don't Blow Your Cool" (1964)

2008-08-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

I first heard this song by The Caravelles several years ago on Spectropop Radio (via live365.com), and really haven't grown tired of it since. According to the interweb, The Caravelles (Lois Wilkinson and Andrea Simpson) were named after a french airliner and released 9 singles throughout the mid 60's. "Don't Blow Your Cool" was written by the group and features georgeous, cooing harmonies (the blueprint for most "twee" bands, especially The Softies), interesting chord structures and some great, echoey production. I lurve it.

Colours - Colours (1968)

2008-08-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

This is the first entry for Brother Lou's Love Colony, a blog all about things I (Brother Lou) love!! Music, TV, food, furniture...whatever! If it's lovable, then you might just see it on here.

I thought it'd make sense to dedicate my first blog entry on Colours, the band whose song is the namesake of this blog. I recently bought their self-titled 1968 LP at Offbeat Music in Durham NC for a mere $18! $18!! It's one of the few relics of the psychedelic era that for whatever reason has not been re-issued on CD yet, which is a shame because out of all of the garbage that was released in the late 60's, this is one of the few that's still listenable.

Colours was a quintet from California, at the core of which were songwriting duo Jack Dalton & Gary Montgomery, who had a couple singles out on Motown and White Whale Records earlier in the decade under different group names (one of which was "Dalton & Montgomery"). I could go on and on about the band, but instead I'll just tell you to write your Congress-person and BEG them to have Colours reissued on CD so everyone can hear. They have the power!

I was gonna post a link to "Brother Lou's Love Colony", but I have no idea how. But you DO get the album cover photo above. Enjoy!

**Update 9/13/08 - It worked....Colours is now available on CD (called "Love Heals: The Complete Recordings"), with several Dalton & Montgomery tracks, unreleased demos (!), and their entire 1969 album "Atmosphere" all on one friggin' CD. Go to Amazon and buy it ASAP.