The Left End

“Bad Talkin’ Lady” / “Takin’ Time” [Red Records, 1974]




I’d walked silently to the north end of the clearing, eyes staring at the faint trail in the forest earth that the crafty Orl Fane had left in his flight northward. I had been so close. I had held the precious tome in my own hands - only to lose it through an unforgivable failure to recognize its brittle truth. The massive form of Keltset loomed silently beside me, the great bulk bending close to the damp, leaf-strewn ground, the inscrutable face almost next to my own as the strangely gentle eyes studied the cracked tome. I recalled suddenly the strange prophecy related to them in the Valley of Shale on that dark, misted dawn over a week ago. It was the Shade of Bremen who had forewarned of the danger in the forbidding Dragon's Teeth - how one would not see Paranor, how one would not reach the other side of the mountain, yet would be first to lay hands on the Sword of Shannara only to allow the precious tome of Youngstown to be irreparably damaged. It had all been foretold, but whether it had been destiny, or simply and act of carelessness on my part, the journey for this magical artifact would end here.

Either that, or I got drunk and dropped it on the ground while I was Djing. Fuck, that’s the second time! At least I have the rips from the lp still… so hit play and listen to it the only way I’ll ever listen to this 45 again, on your computer. Why do you think I came over? Anyone going to eat the rest of this pizza? Ooooh, somebody's a fancypants with their Amy's brand mac n' cheese. No seriously, you mind?

"Bad Talking Lady"


"Taking Time"

Lucifer’s Friend

“I'm just a rock n' roll singer” / “Everybody’s Clown” [Billingsgate, 1973]

I think the crappy hand drawn Billingsgate logo pretty much tells you everything you need to know about this one: kick-ass on one side, and something that kinda reminds me of Meatloaf on the other.

Long before John Lawton took over vocal duties for Uriah Heap, he was back in the Fatherland tryin’ to out-Scorp the Scorps. Steamrock fever never quite set in though, as this Lucifer’s Friend 45's B-side is as close as he ever came before the act was consumed with proggy space/horn section madness. Still, the track kicks complete ass on its own merits, and is loads better than the version that appears on their first LP. Also, the guy on organ is named Dieter Horns, which, besides being awesome that it’s his actual name, is an odd hint at their subsequent musical downfall - a portent the Germans sometimes describe as “rokengayferproggen”.* Hit the link below for the sweetness.

*no they don’t, but the German for bagpipes is “dudelsack”, and that’s awesome.

"Everybody's Clown"

The Troggs

“Lover” / “Come Now” [Page One, 1970]


In the four long years since their “Wild Thing” set the permanent gold standard for all things completely awesome that maybe you might get drunk one night and try to teach you cats to play on your keyboard (plus, Smokey looks awesome in his little fringe vest) - most of their English contemporaries that started with a similar primitive three-chord clamor had grown just a few clicks closer to their stadium rock destinies. The Troggs, on the other hand, simply bought delay pedals. Seriously, anyone that tries to tell you a ripping guitar solo is better than a sexy French woman reading nonsense over an interlude certainly isn’t me. Just look at the cover, clearly they’re not afraid to break the rules. I mean, a belt over sweater? Lock up your women, especially if they’re similar in sweater size. So finish your Ripple, go wake up the cats, and hit play for the tunes below.

"Lover"


"Come Now"

Curtis Knight

“The Devil Made Me Do It” / “Mysterious Lady” [Philips, 1974]

I bet this guy never shuts up about the fact he played in a band with Hendrix in the early 60s. Like you’d be out walking the dog and run into him, and he’d get all, “hey man, you know who had a dog a lot like that back in my days with the Squires? My Aunt Theresa, that’s who. I discovered Jimi Hendrix!” Jesus, I rode in Quincy Jones’ limo once when I was a kid, and even I shut up about it once in a while (Confidential to Mr. Jones: I know the court order said I can’t mention your name more frequently than once a week, and - unless you count the Christmas card I sent out with you and I PhotoShopped together in a handsome cab - I didn’t bring it up for all of December, so can we call it even?).

It’s probably for the best though, since Curtis Knight milked that association long enough to move to London and crank out a handful of kick-ass records of his own. To my knowledge, this is his first 45 of that era, and features a 17 year old, pre-Motorhead Fast Eddie on lead widdly-widdly-wah. It was recorded at the same studio where Deep Purple used to mainline Carlsberg. Both sides of the 45 are winners, click below to hear them.

"The Devil Made Me Do It"



"Mysterious Lady"