The Dealers - Turning Upside Down EP

(This review first appeared in issue #74 of Shindig! magazine.)

Action Weekend/Bickerton 7"

This three-tracker from the Basque country quartet is a black vinyl time-capsule that mixes '60s British blues boom with a hint of freakbeat. Very 1965. It captures the band at full throttle, their lean, mean sound delivered at a pace that'd make Lewis Hamilton want to pull off the track and have a good cry. 'Wearing A Frown (Again)' is a souped-up rhythm 'n' blues stomper which manages to fit a catchy chorus, wailing harmonica and and a couple of guitar solos into its two minute span.

'My Little Gem' is a mod dancefloor filler - call and response vocals, frantic bass line, with a smidgeon of backwards guitar. It's a track worth any mod's jukebox money. 'Got No Gouda' may be a throwaway jokey tale about lacking some Dutch cheese but it's played with conviction and an attitude that would rival those rum punks from '77. Neat, neat, neat!

The Galileo 7 - Tear Your Minds Wide Open!

Ex-Prisoners! Medway's best kept secret return with their best album yet!

We've covered The Galileo 7 before - the False Memory Lane LP from 2014 and most recently the Live-O-Graphic Sessions LP from 2016. There was also a storming 7” on State Records - 'One Lie At A Time', limited to 500 copies. If you missed out on the 7” both its A and B-side are included on this latest long-player.

Quick history lesson – Allan Crockford is one of the architects and mainstays of the Medway sound. A founding member of The Prisoners, JTQ, The SolarFlares and The Prime Movers. (I won't go into too much detail, you have Google don't ya?!) Anyway, he's never one to rest on any laurels as latest band The Galileo 7's run of releases shows. It's shaping into a body of work that easily matches the output of his previous bands.

While False Memory Lane played to that line-up's psychedelic strengths, this latest effort sees them go for a more driving freakbeat sound, aided in no small measure by the addition of drummer Mole, a man who plays like he's aided by any number of exhilarants. Though it's more likely sheer talent and ability! He can be heard on the bands previous LP, the “nearly live” Live-O-Graphic Sessions. It's that strain of up-beat mod-rock stomp that's continued into the the band's latest effort Tear Your Minds Wide Open! which is available now on good old vinyl on Damaged Goods Records.

Fans of The Move, The Small Faces, The Who, Blossom Toes, The Creation, The Fleurs de Lys and the like will find much to love here. It's that mod-into-psych sound of 1966 but made now! Crunchy and crashing guitar chords, genuinely memorable melodic songwriting bolstered by organ chords and a truly special rhythm section. Crockford's knack of songwriting shows no sign of diminishing either, he still turns out cracking songs.

I'm a little late to the party with this one, the album came out late last year and quickly sold out its initial vinyl pressing. Thankfully there's a second pressing so you should be able to track down a copy. Go on, you won't be disappointed.

Click here for more on The Galileo 7.

Click here for The Galileo 7 on Twitter.

Click here for The Galileo 7 on Facebook.

Click here for Damaged Goods Records.

The Embrooks – Nightmare / Helen (Ltd 7”)

The Embrooks first recordings in over 10 years! Out now on State Records!

It may be over a decade since The Embrooks committed any music to ½-inch tape but this brand new 7” single shows they can still come up with the goods. They've kept their hand in during the intervening years with drummer Lois bashing the skins for garage-y pub-rockers Thee Jezebels, and bassist Mole playing for numerous acts as well as setting up State Records and Sandgate Studios, a facility that ranks alongside the legendary Toe Rag for capturing an authentically vintage sound.

Where The Embrooks are concerned this sound is all about that mid-'60s “pop goes weird” moment, crucially pre-concept album, when 7” singles ruled. It's beat-driven art-rock still with still enough “pop” in it to care about melody and hooks. 'Nightmare' is the darker side of this single with pilled-up guitar motifs and scattershot drums. It owes much to The Creation, The Who and The Yardbirds et al whereas the flip 'Helen' shows the band's lighter, poppier side, albeit with a guitar sound nasty enough for Dave Davies. A cracking record, get it while it's hot!

Limited to 500 copies in front-laminated flipback sleeve.

The Embrooks are -

Mole—bass guitar, vocals

Alessandro Cozzi-Lepri—guitar, vocals

Lois Tozer—drums

Click here for The Embrooks on Facebook.

Click here for the State Records website.

The Missing Souls – Sweet, Sweet Sadie / The Alligator (Ltd 7”)

Storming garage soul 45 out now on State Records!

State Records further their reputation as the leading garage label du jour with this latest release from The Missing Souls. It's the band's first for the label but they already have a couple of 7” singles to their name along with a self-titled LP on Dangerhouse Skylab Records. The band hail from Lyon, France and have been together just under two years, in which time their stuff has been well and truly got together. This single recorded in-house at State's custom built studio is ample proof at that.

Both tracks here are covers. 'Sweet, Sweet Sadie' (originally by The Teardrops) centres around a fuzz guitar riff with a Phillicordia organ solo that takes the track into freakbeat overdrive. 'The Alligator' is a dance craze track originally by The Us Four, driven here by punding drums and complete with hand claps, a truly wild guitar solo and trademark boy/girl vocals.

This is a record that deserves to be played loud. A must have single for any self-respecting garage 'n' beat DJ. Freakbeat a-go-go baby!

Limited to 500 copies on monophonic black vinyl.

Click here for The Missing Souls' website.

Click here for The Missing Souls on Facebook.

Click here for the State Records website.

The Missing Souls are -

Zaza Sharps – lead vocals, bass guitar

Little Big Ian – lead vocals, guitar

Ricky Bilbao – organ, bass guitar

Lester Mizzi – drums, vocals