Four-member group (Paul Breuer, Stuart Hilton, Mike Dodd and Jon Carricker) from south London Cottonmouth were a sneeringly great, scratchily perfect punk pop band gushing forth with terse, bitter-sweet melodies, mix a little of the Only Ones and coupled with a heavy dose of wry wit and verve. It's simple, back-to-basics, garage rock 'n' roll.After two singles (“Stand By Your Man” and “Shirts & Skins”), they were stolen from Fire by Atlantic Records, who thought they could turn them into another Fountains Of Wayne (a pity). What a sad ending.“Bespoke” was the English band's debut full-length released as Junior Cottonmouth, change the name change the substance, even these two singles were recording again for the radio friendly market without success.
Cottonmouth - Stand By Your Man / Can I Come Over? [7' Fire Records 1995]
Armed with jagged guitars and pounding drums, London, England's Five Thirty tried to puncture a hole in the dance-oriented U.K. music scene of the late '80s and early '90s. Formed by bassist Tara Milton and guitarist/vocalist Paul Bassett, but the masses were unmoved by the band's back-to-basics rock & roll, so Five Thirty split up in 1992. Milton started the Nubiles; and Bassett recorded with Orange Deluxe, formed in October 1992, stands proudly within the classic British Rock tradition, updated for the 1990’s. You’ll find traces of The Who, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix amid a modern guitar frenzy that wouldn’t disgrace Sonic Youth.
Orange Deluxe - Delectable [7' Dead Dead Good 1995]
Orange Cake Mix is the nom de plume of Connecticut resident Jim Rao. A prolific singer/songwriter, Jim began scribbling lyrics and humming his own melodies as a child; in the early '90s, he started recording his compositions on cassettes. He thought of the name Orange Cake Mix while stocking shelves in a supermarket. In June 1995, Jim released his first album, More Mellow Hits. A collection of acoustic pop inspired by the '70s soft rock of Bread and America. He would eventually explore other genres of music, embracing the synthesized rhythms of Depeche Mode and New Order, as well as the otherworldly sonic landscapes of Brian Eno.
Orange Cake Mix - Rivers And Trees [7' The Bus Stop Label 1997]
Thursday, November 1, 2007
BEATFOR105 - November Singles Weekender IV
BEATFOR104 - November Singles Weekender III
Based in Hull, UK, the Red Guitars' first single Good Technology was a minor hit, on their own record label, Self Drive Records selling 60,000 copies. Their third single Marimba Jive reached number one on the UK independent charts in late 1984. Diffident vocals, echoed guitars and despair lyrics, playing a mixture of punk, blues, occasional reggae and Afro-funk influences sound briefly like Cockney Rebel as well as Aztec Camera and Dream Academy… Over and over again my friend…
Red Guitars - Good Technology [7' Self Drive Records 1983]
Emerging from the remnants of mod revival groups like the Merton Parkas and the VIPs, Mood 
Six debuting with a pair of tracks on the A Splash of Colour compilation (1981). The group immediately launched itself to the forefront of the short-lived British psychedelia revival. Signing to EMI, Mood Six issued their first official single, "Hanging Around", but were dismissed from the label when the follow-up, "She's Too Far (Out)," proved a commercial disappointment.
In 1985, Mood Six resurfaced on the Psycho label with this cosy pop song, undoubtedly their best recording.
Mood Six - Plastic Flowers [7' Psycho 1985]
London's Barracudas offer quite an enjoyable sentimental journey through assorted rock traditions on Drop Out, their fisrt long player record : surf, pop, electric folk and psychedelia in equal shares . This ep released by Bomp’s subsidiary Voxx Records (the band is very surprised to see it) includes two tracks taken from the LP, and two covers tracks previously unreleased 1980 demos : "Surfer Joe"(Surfaris) and the classic folky "You were on my mind" by Ian & Sylvia. (Recover the great Barry McGuire version).
The Barracudas - You Were On My Mind [7' Voxx 1982]
The High Tide was another ephemeral English psyco pop revival band. Phasing effects guitars and echo languid voices. Cosmic red song with purple flashes. Freakout…
The High Tide - Dancing In My Mind [7' WEA 1981]
BEATFOR102 - November Singles Weekender I
The Explosives, was a favourite at the famous Austin club named Raul's. They were possibly the best of the punk/new wave bands that sprang up in Austin. From 1979 until 1982 The Explosives released three 7" records, and one full LP, being regular act as back up for Roky Erickson. Classic new wave jerky guitars.The Explosives - If I Touch Her [7' Black Hole Records 1980]
Powerful trio from Scotland, their one and only recording, a swirling fusion of gloomy post-punk and Jam-inspired mod psychedelia brought the group this single in the early '80s. Incendiary guitars ready for the funeral pyre.
The Urgent Crunch Band - Listen To Silence [7' Nyeck Records 1981]
Following the end of their underachieving glam supergroup Jet in 1976, the Radio Stars were formed by ex-John's Children vocalist Andy Ellison, Sparks exile Martin Gordon and Ian MacLeod. They were at heart a quirky rock band built around Gordon's songs and Ellison's enthusiastic vocals, playing fast-moving pop/rock with heavy overtones. The quality of the material is too inconsistent to sustain interest for a whole album, but their singles are an excellent option for a rocky weekend.Radio Stars - The Real Me [7' Chiswick Records 1978]
Mod pop band from Warwick (England). They got into the act, too, you know, new wave lads with skinny ties looking for the perfect pop song with guitars.
This single reached number 54 in the charts and would have earned them a valuable Top of the Pops appearance but due to an industrial dispute at the BBC they missed out.
The V.I.P.'s - The Quarter Moon [7' Gem Records 1980]
BEATFOR103 - November Singles Weekender II
La Granja was one of the best Spanish bands born in the worldwide garage psyco pop revival in the eighties. From Mallorca Island released many ringing pop songs, a bunch of albums with powerpoper Paul Collins producing some recordings. In 1989 brought out Magia En Tus Ojos 'Magic in your eyes', a spanish lyrics cover of Billy Bragg’s She’s Got A New Spell. They added drums and electric sound to turn it in a jingle jangle mediterranean morning.
The Three O'Clock were the quintessential L.A. Paisley Underground band, incorporated the chiming guitars of the Byrds and the influence of such groups as the Move, Hollies, Music Machine and others into their pop songs with a psychedelic bent, and the clothes to match. 1985’s Arrive Without Travelling album updates the sound by a decade or so, adding a slightly glam crunch and an AM radio gloss to tunes that recall the glory days of the Sweet and Wings. 
The Wayward Souls was one of Sweden's sweetest secrets. Formed in Stockholm in the middle '80s brought Sweden's garage pop rock scene to the forefront nearly five years. The group's roots are strictly '60s garage and '70s powerpop... Buffalo Springfield and Plimsouls. This was their second single for prestigious Tracks On Wax label. More Bells of Rhymney.