"...Earth Breaking...Back
Shaking...Do The Philly Dog..."
The fifth album by
Californian Vocal Group THE OLYMPICS on Mirwood Records went largely unnoticed
in the winter of 1966 despite being a killer mixture of Soul Dancers and
Motownesque interpretations of their own Vocal Group/R&B Oldies. Their
debut 45 "Western Movies" in August 1958 on Demon 1508 (a No. 8 Pop
smash) and the June 1963 minor charting of "The Bounce" at No. 40
(Tri Disc 106) along with four whole albums (three on Arvee Records and one on
Tri Disc Records) was long since past. But perhaps that 'Vocal Group' tag
simply wouldn't shake off and explains why such a good Soul album saw so little
chart action despite Mirwood releasing six singles across 1966 and 1967 to
support the LP.
It has of course garnished
the interest of collectors subsequently when they hear its superb string of
club killers. The fabulous dancer "Baby, Do The Philly Dog" released
October 1966 on Mirwood 5523 has subsequently become something of a Northern
Soul monster - and Jon Savage included "Secret Agents" from the album
on his October 2015 double-CD thesis "1966: The Year The Decade
Exploded" – another cool talcum powder shaker. The three guys on the cover
are WALTER WARD, EDDIE LEWIS and MACK STARR. Original band member Charles Fizer
had been killed during a race riot in August 1965 aged only 25. "Something
Old, Something New" does what it says on the tin – it’s a mixture of old
hits like "Hully Gully" and "The Bounce" re-recorded for
the 1966 marketplace. The whole damn thing is good too - and I'm not the only
one to think so (apart from Ace). KGFJ Radio Disc Jockey JIM RANDOLPH wants the
'happening listener' to 'groove on' in his excitable liner notes on the rear
cover – and frankly who are we to go dim on Jim. Here are the Western Movies
baby...
UK and Europe released December
2006 - "Something Old, Something New" by THE OLYMPICS on Ace/Kent
CDHP 018 (Barcode 029667025126) is a straightforward reissue of their 1966 LP
onto CD. This Remaster is part of Ace Records 'Hip Pocket Series' of CD Reissues (see
list below) and plays outs as follows (28:13 minutes)
1. Western Movies
2. Hully Gully
3. Big Boy Pete
4. Shimmy Like Kate
5. Dance By The Light Of The
Moon
6. The Bounce
7. Mine Exclusively [Side 2]
8. Baby, Do The Philly Dog
9. The Duck
10. Secret Agents
11. We Go Together, Pretty
Baby
12. I'll Do A Little Bit
More
Tracks 1 to 12 are their
fifth album "Something Old, Something New" - released December 1966
in the USA on Mirwood MW 7003 (Mono) and Mirwood MWS-7003 (Stereo) – the STEREO
mix is used for the CD.
The 5" card sleeve
repros the original and rare American Mirwood Records LP with some basic
(boxed) reissue notes on the rear sleeve. There's also an inner sleeve (unusual
for these 'Hip Pocket' reissues which shows the Stereo Label of Mirwood MWS
7003). It looks and feels nice. NICK ROBBINS – a long time Audio Engineer
associated with Ace, Edsel and Esoteric - did the remastering. Ace always use
the real tapes and the Audio here is fabulous – full of that Sixties atmosphere
– the instruments and production kept so sweet. The CD label lists tracks and
writer credits and it's mid-price - so available for less than six quid in most
places.
The whole 'Hip Pocket'
series is designed to ape those 4" multi-track mini records (played at 33
1/3) put out in the USA between 1967 and 1969 as a way for fans to get the
music in a 'handy and portable' way (they issued about 60 titles). As you can
see from the list below – most of these albums are either obscurities - or overlooked
classics Ace feel you should pay attention to. Genres stretch from 50ts Jazz
(Chuck Higgins) to Blues Piano and Vocals (Roosevelt Sykes and Hadda Brooks) to
70ts Metal (Motorhead) to Punk (Radio Stars) and 60ts Garage & Psych
(Sonics and Zombies) and beyond...
They give it the gunshot
beginning too on the remake of 1958's "Western Movies" - a cool
mid-tempo beginning (not quite as good as the original some might say but
close). We get almost New Orleans R&B with "(Baby Hully Gully)" -
another well-recorded driving remake that feels very 'now'. Someone sings a
deep 'yeah' throughout the catchy "Big Boy Pete" while "Shimmy
Like Kate" feels like 'Voo it, Voo it' R&B shimmy-shaker. The upbeat
and be-stringed "Dance By The Light Of The Moon" is a first slip-up -
a cheesy version with a vocal you can barely make out. Better is the Ray
Charles pumping piano of "The Bounce" - a great dancer that Mirwood
put out as an A-side (Mirwood 5525) with "The Duck" on the flip-side.
Amazing it didn't chart.
If you jump immediately to
Side 2 and play "Mine Exclusively", "Baby, Do The Philly
Dog" and "The Duck" in a row - you'd think you'd stumbled on a
great Soulful Motown album - handclaps - driving drums - girly backing vocals
complimenting that guttural lead vocal. "Secret Agents" name-checks
some of the day's obsessions - spies, agents, the FBI and Walter Cronkite - and
is another Motownesque driver (it was the B-side to "Mine
Exclusively" on Mirwood 5513). You'd swear H-D-H was conducting Marvin
Gaye for "Baby Don't You Do It" as you listen to the relentless dance
groove of the fab "We Go Together (Pretty Baby)". Mirwood thought it
such a winner that they used it for the first 45 from the LP (Mirwood 5504)
with the superb "Secret Agents" on the flip - what a winner - but
again no chart action. It ends on another dancefloor pacer - "I'll Do A
Little Bit More" - a tune where the singer worries about a 'muscle bound
man holding your hand in the back seat of a car' so he's going to have to up
his game and do a little bit more...
A fabulous little
Soul/Dancer album then and a very cool CD reissue.
"...Gotta have it! Got
to have your love!" - The Olympics declare on "I'll Do A Little Bit
More". Got to have it - I agree...
Titles in Ace Records Mid-Price 'Hip Pocket' CD Series are:
1. DONALD AUSTIN – Crazy Legs (Ace/Westbound CDHP 016, Dec 2006)
2. THE BISHOPS – Cross Cuts (Ace/Chiswick CDWIKM 256, June 2005)
3. HADDA BROOKS – Femme Fatale (Ace CDCHM 1129, Nov 2006)
4. THE CHAMPS – Go, Champs, Go! (Ace CDCHM 1126, Sep 2006)
5. THE DAMNED – Machine Gun Etiquette (Ace/Chiswick CDHP 027, July 2007)
6. THE ESCALATORS [ex Meteors] – Moving Staircases (Ace CDHP 017, Dec 2006)
7. THE EVERLY BROTHERS – The Everly Brothers (Ace CDCHM 1127, Sep 2006)
8. FUNKADELIC – Maggot Brain (Ace/Westbound CDHP 030, Aug 2007)
9. CHUCK HIGGINS – Pachucko Hop (Ace CDHP 024, April 2007)
10. B. B. KING – The Jungle (Ace/Kent CDHP 031, Nov 2007)
11. JOHNNY MOPED – Cycledelic (Ace/Chiswick CDHP 029, Oct 2007)
12. JACKIE LEE – The Duck (Ace/Kent CDHP 032, Dec 2010)
13. LONNIE MACK – The Wham Of That Memphis Man! (Ace CDCHM 1134, Nov 2006)
14. MOTORHEAD – Motorhead [1977 Debut LP] (Ace/Chiswick CDHP 021, Oct 2007)
15. THE OLYMPICS – Something Old, Something New (Ace/Kent CDHP 018, Dec 2006)
16. THE RADIO STARS – Songs For Swinging Lovers (Ace/Chiswick CDWIKM 5, June 2006)
17. THE SONICS – Here Are The Sonics! (Ace/Big Beat CDHP 022, Feb 2007)
18. THE SONICS – The Sonics Boom (Ace/Big Beat CDHP 023, April 2007)
19. ROOSEVELT SYKES [aka 'The Honeydripper'] – Sings The Blues (Ace CDCHM 1132, Nov 2006)
20. VARIOUS – For Dancers Only [Kent's 1st Reissue LP compilation] (Ace/Kent CDHP 019, Feb 2007)
21. VARIOUS – For Dancers Also [Kent's 2nd Reissue LP compilation] (Ace/Kent CDHP 020, April 2007)
22. VARIOUS – Hollywood Rock 'n' Roll [80ts Rockabilly compilation] (Ace CDHP 026, July 2007)
23. VARIOUS – Fool's Gold [70ts Punk compilation] (Ace/Chiswick CDHP 028, August 2007)
24. LINK WRAY – Early Recordings (Ace/Chiswick CDCHM 6, June 2006
25. THE ZOMBIES – Odyssey And Oracle (Ace/Big Beat CDHP 025, June 2007)
