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Liberate Rock – Singles And More 72-75

GuerssenAdmin — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 22:00:00 +0000

COLOURED BALLS by the barrel-full, a double album with 16 tracks clocking in at 77 minutes. This collects all six of their singles released on the Havoc and EMI labels between ’72 and ’74, two live tracks recorded at their legendary Sunbury ’73 festival appearance, and a canceled single from their final recording session in early ’75, shortly before the group split. This set has everything that is not on their three studio albums. Most of the songs on this compilation have been out of print on vinyl for 45+ years. “Flying” is making it’s vinyl debut on this collection. Liner notes by Aussie Rock expert IAN McFARLANE. Mastered by Aztecs drummer and engineer/producer extraordinaire GIL MATTHEWS straight from the master tapes. 100% analog – start to finish. Fold-out poster with an unpublished image inside every copy.

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Why Wait ‘Til Tomorrow 74-81

GuerssenAdmin — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 22:00:00 +0000

GO, GO, GORILLAS! Literally everything HAMMERSMITH GORILLAS ever recorded that is not on their classic “Message To The World” LP. 26 tracks total – clocking in at a whopping 84 minutes! Includes all 6 of their singles, 7 outtakes never before available on vinyl, 1 aborted single, plus 6 unreleased live songs recorded in early ’77, 3 of which were never recorded in a studio. All but two of the tracks are from the master tapes. Those two masters are missing. If that wasn’t enough, there are also new liner notes/new interviews with Jesse Hector and Gary Anderson by PHIL KING, plus unpublished photos! THE HAMMERSMITH GORILLAS are one of the great UK “should-have-been” groups of the 1970s. Chalk it up to being ahead of their time, bad luck, and/or bad management. Both singer/guitarist JESSE HECTORand bassist ALAN BUTLER had already been in what was arguably Britain’s first punk group CRUSHED BUTLER, formed in 1969. Drummer, GARY ANDERSON, was the last piece of the puzzle, but the world wasn’t ready for the lads then, and still wasn’t ready for them nearly ten years later as Punk exploded across the country and up the charts. Bizarre management tactics such as not having the group do any live gigs the first two years of their existence didn’t help matters. The music speaks for itself on this massive two album set and HAMMERSMITH GORILLAS are more than worthy of such treatment. So great was this group, that even when forced to record a cover of a mediocre-at-best Stones’ tune, “Luxury”, they managed to make it their own and turn it into a minor moody masterpiece. The real heart of the matter is JESSE HECTOR’s originals. HECTOR is too unique to be tied down to any one genre and his incredible controlled vibrato is the best since BOLAN. Since the punters like to be told what other artists a certain group sounds like, the closest we can come up with is a strange amalgam of SMALL FACES/SLADE/T. REX, but they are also their own completely unique thing. Jesse may have never been able to write a tune like “Telegram Sam”, but BOLAN didn’t have a song like “Gatecrasher” in him either.

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Bye Bye Bad Days

GuerssenAdmin — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 22:00:00 +0000

The second and final installment in our HECTOR reissue campaign. After their stunning debut failed to chart, surely the public would picked up on the even catchier 1974 follow-up, “Bye Bye Bad Days”, a song for the COVID era we now inhabit if ever there was one. Nope. Never fear, we’re doing what we always do, shining a light on an overlooked gem that deserves heard again. HECTOR came and went and left us two utterly perfect singles, and for that, we forever grateful. Remastered with a huge sonic improvement over the original 1974 pressing which was very noisy.

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Wired Up

GuerssenAdmin — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 22:00:00 +0000

It’s a dream to release not one, but both iconic singles by Junkshop glam titans HECTOR. First up is their debut from ’73, “Wired Up”. In a perfect world, this would have topped the charts and The Osmonds would have struggling to make ends meet. Alas, it is a well known fact that quality cannot be shoved down the public’s throat. In spite of loads of coverage in the teen mags and even TV appearances – fame and fortune were not in the cards for HECTOR. “Wired Up” goes for the jugular from the get-go with that throbbing single note riff pulverizing your senses. How can a song this incredibly catchy not be a smash? Politics, and the fickle whims of the BBC, who never gave the record a chance. See TREVOR WHITE’s masterpiece “Crazy Kids” for another sterling example that the world isn’t fair. Here it is available again for the first time since 1973 in it’s original format, our fave, the almighty 7″ 45 rpm single. Enjoy, true believers. Remastered and sounding better than the original 1973 pressing which was honestly noisy and not perfect.

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