Now it's time to give these weird sounds the credit they deserved.
It's amazing; just LOOK WHAT I HAVE FOUND in thrift stores, second hand markets and sometimes even IN THE TRASH CAN.
Thanks to CD I was able to save these unusual tunes on 45 rpm 7" records. It's obvious that these 45s have been played a lot, so surface noice is almost obligatory. No hi-tek cd quality, but just back to the times where no one had ever heard of digital recording studios.
All the songs on these compilations are from the original 45 rpm records released prior to 1980 when CD took over the world of warm vinyl sounds. I've tried to exclude any song that's been compiled before, but as I don't own each and every compilation album ever made, there might be some songs that you already own on another compilation album. Look, listen and enjoy...
LABEL: In The Trash Can Records
CAT # : GARBAGE05
Subtitle: Krazee Kovers - 16 excuses to kill the composer
This volume contains 16 strange sounding cover versions of (mostly) well known songs, sometimes even translated into French, Spanish and German. Please allow a few exceptions to my pre-1980 rule, but they're such perfect examples of bad taste that I simply had to include them. I could easily fill a few more volumes, but this is all I could take.
(Dureco Benelux 46.71 from 1982)
Weird indeed: Green Onions with vocals! Nina sings about I don't know what. Booker T would be appalled if he knew. But if you don't like to listen to a sung Green Onions, turn the record over! The instrumental (karaoke?) version is on the other side. The name of the band says it all: it's early 80s synth-pop.
2. papa oom mow mow - the spotnicks
((Polydor 52 933 S)
This instrumental guitar band was very popular in Europe in the mid sixties. But they did some vocal recordings as well. This Rivingtons classic hasn't seen a better cover version sung by European white boys. The flip is also a great version of Havah Nagila, but I already included a Havah Nagila cover on vol 1.
3. mashed potatoes - ronnie angel
(Ronnex R1280)
Ronnie Angel was also known as Ronn Clay, but actually he was Ronnie Van Hoogten, son of the boss of Ronnex Records, one of Belgium's most successful labels in the 50s and 60s. His version of Mashed Potatoes is so bad it's good. Just listen to his fake rock 'n' roll attitude.
4. mama viens me chercher - patrick topaloff
(Disques Fleche CF18 )
This is a French sung version (from the mid 70s) of Three Dog Night's 1970 hit "Mama told me not to come". This Randy Newman composition was first recorded 4 years earlier by Eric Burdon
5. hang on sloopy - henry stephen
(RCA-Victor 3-10347)
I have no idea who Henry Stephen was, but he was a Spanish guy and thus this Hang On Sloopy is sung in Spanish! It's so bizar yet very great. The fuzzy guitar solo outdoes the original! The flip of this 45 can be found on vol 9.
6. gadda da vida - boney m
(Hansa 102 400 from 1980)
Yeehaw! Do I have bad taste or what? German disco top band Boney M have recorded lots of 60s hits (Painter man, Still I'm Sad, Sunny, ...), but few seem to remember this one: a cover of Iron Butterfly's "In a gadda da vida". And don't get fooled: it's not worse than the original
7. my boy lollipop - heidi bachert
(Polydor 52 348)
And now over to real German singing: This was released around 1965 right after Millie Small's hit version. The original version however was 8 years older: it's from 1956 and sung by Barbie Gaye, a lolita from New York on an American label founded by a Belgian guy: the brother of Ronnex Records boss. What a small world!
8. lollipop - the toppettes
(Cid 48.500)
This sounds early 60s to me, but anyway it's a fantastic version of that 1958 hit record by The Chordettes. A few months earlier it was recorded by Ronald & Ruby. Ruby was an alias for Beverly Ross, the co-author of this great song.
9. sex machine - the flying lizards
(Virgin 106 655 from 1984)
The Flying Lizards already proved themselves a while earlier: their version of "Money" still is a club hit all over the world. So why not this James Brown killer? Perhaps because it's too bad to even talk about?
10. god save the night fever - the bowling balls
(EMI 4C006-62578 from 1979)
This is not a real cover, but it's like "God save the Queen" played � la Night Fever, or: The Sex Pistols killed by The Bee Gees. The Bowling Balls were a Belgian band nobody has ever heard of and still managed to release 4 singles and 1 album. This was their first and they should have stopped then.
11. tequila - hot butter
(Stateside 4C006-94049)
Hot Butter will be known as one of hundreds of bands that covered Kingsley's "Popcorn" in the early 70s and they even had a hit record. This cold synthesizer version of the warm exotic Tequila is so surprising I simply had to include it here. And the first two seconds are from another song: "Summer in the city".
12. ein m�dchen f�r immer - peter orloff
(Decca D29.078 Y)
Peter Orloff was very famous in Germany in the 60s & 70s. "Ein M�dchen f�r immer" (=A girl for always) is a German sung version of Chris Andrews' hit ... Well, I won't tell you. Just listen and try to find out yourself what this song really is.
13. the boy from ipanema - ethel ennis
(RCA Victor 47-8379)
In a list of cover versions there always should be an "answer song". Ethel sings about the boy and not "The Girl From Ipanema", one of the coolest tunes ever. I wasn't able to find more info about her.
14. my friend jack - boney m
(Hansa 101 750 from 1980)
Shame of me! Here is that disco band again. Man, I must have bad taste. I already told you Boney M have recorded 60s hits in their own way. But you can't really say that The Smoke's "My friend Jack" was a chart topper. Still this late 60s mod classic managed to get under the attention of Frank Farian, the manager of Boney M. Now you must admit that they loved great songs, but that they've chosen the wrong kind of music to show it.
15. be-bop-a-lula - the fallows
(Novelty NV 6504)
Where do they come from??? These guys must have recorded the weirdest version ever of Gene Vincent's biggest hit "Be-bop-a-lula". On the flip they destroyed Chuck Berry's "No particular place to go" just because of their inaptitude.
16. j'aime regarder les filles - takis
(CNR 145.340 from 1987)
And this is the most recent track of the entire series. But I had to include this. It isn't good, it isn't special, it's so common that I think it only sold about five copies. In the early 80s Coutin had a smash hit in France (and in a lesser degree in Belgium) with "J'aime regarded les filles": heavy distorted guitars, screaming vocals and the lyrics are about why he loves to look at girls. This volume is the worst case of bad taste of this series. This is real garbage!!!
