Four Fours: One Track Mind 1967

Four Fours were formed in Tauranga, New Zealand in 1958. Guitarist Dave Hartstone was a former Police cadet. They developed a large following around the Bay of Plenty area. Before achieving national success. Maurice Greer replaced original drummer Trevor Spitz in 1966. Greer was known for singing while playing the drums standing up. Their set list was a combination of originals and covers, as is this record. One Track Mind was written by the band and was their twelve and last single (They never recorded an album). The B-Side is Hawaii a Beach Boys cover. By the time this single was released in early 1967 the Four Fours had already moved on. They were on a boat going to Brittain and had changed their name to Human Instinct. Soon their whole sound and look would also change after seeing Cream and Jimi Hendrix in London.

Bill Ward                           Guitar
Dave Hartstone                 Guitar
Frank Hay                           Bass
Maurice Greer      Vocals/Drums

***Warning recorded from vinyl. Some Surface Noise***
One Track Mind
Hawaii

Gaunt Pudding: Karangahape 1997

This is Lo-fi Sloppy Pop from Auckland, New Zealand’s Gaunt Pudding. Who along with bands like Cane Slide and O were part of Auckland’s mid 1990’s DIY alternative Pop scene. Recorded in their practice room on an analogy 4-track cassette recorder. Released in 1997 on Icing Records.  All songs were written by the band. Karangahape is about an infamous road in Auckland New Zealand. Gaunt Pudding also contributed one track (Corners Of My Mind) to the 1997 Earwig Studio compilation Earwig and Stinkbug.

Lisa Gordon                          Guitar
Craig Van Kan                     Drums
Karl Tchernegovski   Vocals/Guitar
Mark Anderson                       Bass

Karangahape
D*A*C*C*
Phillippe

Lucifer's Friend: Ride In The Sky 1970

Lucifer's Friend hailed from Hamburg Germany (although singer John Lawton was an Englishman). They released their debut single, Ride In The Sky, in 1970 on Vertigo Records. It was released in America in 1973 and that is often wrongly credited as the year of its release. It is also frequently cited as one of the very first Heavy Metal records. Ride In The Sky was written by the guitarist Peter Hesslein and Lawton. The B-Side is an instrumental written by all of the band, bar Lawton. The rest of the band also recorded under the name Pink Mice as a side project.

Producer Herbert Hildebrandt

John Lawton                             Vocals
Peter Hesslein                           Guitar
Peter Hecht     Keyboards/French Horn
Dieter Horns                               Bass
Joachim Reitenbach                  Drums

***Warning recorded from vinyl. Some Surface Noise***
Ride In The Sky
Horla

The Really 3rds: Everyday, Everyway1981

This is a self-released single from Welsh Power Pop trio The Really 3rds. This 1981 7” was their sole release. They changed their name to Shake Some Action soon after this release and joined the then Mod revival. Everyday, Everyway was written by Neil Lawrence. The B-side is by Neil Lawrence and Paul Pember, who, with someone called Philip made up The Really 3rds. And that is all that is known about them.

Everyday, Everyway
Daptapper

Ainsworths / Regulators: Double B-Side 1980

 

Both the Ainsworths and Regulators were part of the late 1970’s early 80’s Pop/Mod scene based in Auckland New Zealand’s North Shore.  Other bands included Screaming Meemees, The Killjoys and Rebel Truce. In 1980 the two bands self-released a split sided 7 inch with Ainsworths’ Coin on one side and Regulators’ Neat Boy on the other. It was to be the only release for the Regulators.  However, Ainsworth also contributed a track (Danger man) to the compilation Class Of ’81.

Ainsworths

Ainsworths – Coin

Producer – Steve Kennedy

Rowan Sheddon       Guitar
Hillary Hunt              Vocals
Adam Holt                   Bass
Phil                           Drums

Regulators – Neat Boy

Producer – Doug Rogers

Andrew Boak                  Guitar/Vocals
Geoff Hayden                              Bass
Richard Foulkes                        Drums

***Recorded from vinyl. Some Surface Noise.***

Ainsworths - Coin

Regulators - Neat Boy

Radio Birdman: Burn My Eye 1976

 

Radio Birdman were form in Sydney Australia by Deniz Tek and Rob Younger in 1974. Their name comes from a misheard lyric in the song 1970 by The Stooges. Radio Birdman were a Punk band before there was such a thing as Punk. They made a decision not to be commercial, not to cater to venues, record companies or popular taste. No venue in Sydney would touch them. They didn’t play covers or Aussie Rock. So they started their own venue, The Oxford Funhouse (Funhouse is also a name of a Stooges song). No major record company was interested, so they released a low budget EP on an independent label. Trafalgar Records was Trafalgar studios own label with no national distribution.  During the recording, as a form of percussion, the Band crushed beer cans (VB) on their heads. Their debut EP - Burn My Eye - was released in October 1976, one month after The Saints’ I’m Stranded. You could build a good case to say that these two releases are the start of Australian Punk and Alternative Rock.   

Produced by      John Sayers and Charles Fisher

Warwick Gilbert                  Bass
Ron Keeley                      Drums
Chris Masuak       Guitar / Piano
Deniz Tek            Guitar / Vocals
Rob Younger           Lead Vocals

Smith & Wesson Blues
Snake
I-94
Burn My Eye

Or the whole EP as a .zip
Radio Birdman - Burn My Eye EP

P: Michael Stipe 1995

P were a band formed in 1993 by Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers, Bill Carter and actors Johnny Depp and Sal Jenco. Designed as a part-time band that had to work around the other commitments of the band members. They only released one album (Self Titled) and this single. Which was about meeting R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe at a party. The B-Side is two covers, the first is Abba’s Dancing Queen, the second Rumble by Link Wray.

Produced by Andrew Weiss

Gibby Haynes                Vocals
Johnny Depp                   Bass
Bill Carter                       Guitar
Sal Jenco                Percussion

Michael Stipe

Dancing Queen

Mumble

House Of Nimrod: Slightly-Delic 1967

When Auckland, New Zealand’s House of Nimrod released Slightly-Delic in October 1967 they had only been together for a couple of weeks. They only really knew two songs, Slightly-Delic and the B-Side Reflections Of Our Time. The single was a hit in Auckland. So the band got a set together and hit the road. The following year they released their second and final single Psychothartic. The band fell apart shortly after it was released. Both Slightly-Delic and Reflections Of Our Time were written by Bryce Peterson.

Producer  Bruce Barton

Bryce Peterson          Guitar / Vocals
Tony Pilcher                    Lead Guitar
John Breslin                             Guitar
Billy Lawton                            Drums
Larry Latimer                Bass / Vocals

***Warning recorded off of vinyl, surface noise and some clicks.***       
Slightly-Delic 
Reflections Of Our Time