The Comeback of Folk Rock

A few years ago I got so fond of the Association that I still get a warm feeling just by thinking about the group's music. Even though I wasn't then swept away by much any other folk rock group, familiarizing myself with another California music entity has recently created a fairly similar experience.

The Grass Roots (also referred to as the Grassroots) were originally a title that songwriters P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri used while hoping to score folk rock hits. After a couple of albums Sloan moved on to other projects while Barri stayed. From the early days to the latest performances a few years ago, including the Happy Together tour, the Grass Roots have undergone so many personnel changes that I am not even going to try to make sense of it all. Sufficed to say, the popular early member Rob Grill still performed with the band's latest incarnation but unfortunately died in 2011.

I have mostly been focusing on the earlier material on the 1960s albums, although moving to the 1970s and to a more blue-eyed soul style the Grass Roots surely sounded great as well. Released already in 1968, a real white soul classic Midnight Confessions was the band's biggest hit by far. I think the song is so catchy that I still tend to listen to it at least twice in a row. If I wasn't so lazy I would also definitely practice the horn parts on my alto sax!

So, what is it that makes the Grass Roots so awesome? There are obviously fantastic jangly, sometimes psychedelic folk rock sounds. Also, it probably comes as no surprise that I very much enjoy P.F. Sloan's vocal renditions of I've Got No More to Say, Lollipop Train (You Never Had It so Good), and Only When You're Lonely.

Actually, I had pretty much no idea who P.F. Sloan was until I heard a great song called P.F. Sloan performed by the Association a few years ago. By now I have certainly become aware of Sloan being responsible for a multitude of 1960s classic songs performed by my favorites such as Herman's Hermits, The Searchers and The Mamas & the Papas.

When I first heard Let's Live for Today I thought it was the greatest song I had heard in quite some time. Then I found out that it had already been performed before by another band with different lyrics. The main chorus melody was even originally plagiarized from the Drifters! With all this said, the Grass Roots version is still fantastic, and really dramatic. At first it sounds like a very classy carpe diem song, but towards the end there is kind of a fascinating manic twist.

The Grass Roots represent so many of the greatest aspects of 1960s pop. Just listen to Wake up, Wake up and notice the awesome acoustic guitar, jumping harpsichord, melancholic yet hopeful mood, encouraging lyrics, soul-soothing vocal harmonies and a punchy chorus. Much the same can be said about Here's Where You Belong. Another huge favorite is Melody for You, which was written by Sloan (the other two by Sloan & Barri).

For a while ago there was a time when I couldn't stop listening to the Grass Roots. But that is what happens with this kind of music.

Awesome Bubble-Beat by “Dave Dee, Dozy & What-Was-It-Again?”

Here is my latest 60s favorite: Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, a British band that existed from 1964 to 1972. My first contact to this band occurred when I was record shopping on the Internet and a best of CD by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich (later referred to as DDDBMT) was recommended to me. I read reviews and decided to order the CD – it hardly cost anything. When I got the CD it ended up in my CD shelf and I never really came around to listen to it. I probably listened to a couple of songs, thought “sounds weird” and decided to put it away and listen to it some time later. Strangely, this is what happens to quite many CDs I purchase...

Not very many years later I decided to give DDDBMT another chance. I remembered hearing Hold Tight! in Tarantino's Death Proof and that the song was really one of the nicest things in the movie. In fact, I also have a friend who was interested in this band long before me but it didn't result in anything further – until about a month ago. I simply decided to give The Very Best of DDDBMT a try and put it in my mp3 player. I listened to it and instantly enjoyed it a lot. When I had listened to the whole CD (18 songs) several times I noticed it wasn't just any 60s band. It was a fun, happy-sounding, creative and talented band that never seemed to be afraid of trying different styles, sophisticated instrumentation, big vocal harmonies and big sounds, and most importantly, never afraid (or incapable) to perform amazingly catchy songs.

DDDBMT was a group of friends from Wiltshire, originally called Dave Dee and the Bostons. The band started working with songwriters Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, changed the name, and it didn't take too long for the boys to score million-selling hit singles, including The Legend of Xanadu.

Musically DDDBMT are closer to bubblegum than beat music – two concepts that of course have a lot in common (therefore the title “Bubble-Beat”). As a result, one could argue that there were also some bubblegum aspects about the Searchers and the Hollies but an even better comparison to DDDBMT would be the Monkees, or, in my opinion, why not a band like Gary Lewis & the Playboys. By the way, why do vocalists from all of the British bands mentioned sound just like each other? I really enjoy all of them, of course...

The really important part is that DDDMBT performed some first-class catchy pop that always makes my day. When I think about the melodic complexity of the chorus of Wreck of the Antoinette (and the harmonies..), or the gorgeous feel of Snake in the Grass, Okay!, You Make It Move, Don Juan (not to mention the awesome sunshine pop of Last Night in Soho!) I can't help thinking to myself: this is how it's really done – do the same if you can, I dare you!

All in all, I had no choice but to order myself some more stuff by DDDBMT. Gee, I never get tired of happy 60s pop... I want more! The good news is, there is plenty of stuff to choose from.

Proto-Bubblegum by the Searchers

I love The Searchers. Sweets for My Sweet is a nice dose of sugary beat music. I just thought about searching for the Searchers (!) on YouTube and found a live video for this mid-60s song.

The Searchers have given me many wonderful 60s beat music moments. They have been active after the 60s too and I plan to do research on the subject.. And listen to lots of good music!

Old News and New News

My goodness… The same thing happened again. I remained silent for more than a month. And I promised I was going to write something during that time (didn't I..)! Oh no. You should never promise anything – especially if you’re not going to keep the promise. Well… There are reasons to my being silent. For starters, my life has undergone a major change during the last month or so. That is big enough a reason alone? Thanks, everyone, for your understanding…

Now comes the news section. It is going to contain some very old news and some very new news. Because I enjoy lists, this news section is going to be a list. How long a list? My guess is about 10 news items. (Edit: Ended up being only three..)

1. Gigs, gigs – powerpop from Finland LIVE!

Just a couple of hours ago, I witnessed two gigs by two Finnish bands. The first one was Ben’s Diapers, a very powerpop-oriented rock/country band from Turku. This was the third time I saw them, and I loved every second. In fact, I was utterly happy during the entire set. Everything the band played was awesome, not to mention the harmonies – and melodies! You don’t really hear stuff that melodic too often where I come from… I think I will get my hands on the latest album by Ben’s Diapers: Up in the Mountains, Deep in the Sea.

Hi-Lo & In Between also performed stuff from their new album, The Lonely Bird. I believe it was also the third time I saw then play live. The band’s organic Americana/folk/bluegrass was again a hit. The audience liked what they heard and so did I. Acoustic guitar, double bass, drums, violin/mandolin and good songwriting made a winning combination.

Ben’s Diapers at MySpace
Hi-Lo & In Between at MySpace

2. Three-week Beatlemania

This is very, very old news but I still find it very important. It all began sometime in early February, or maybe late January. A Hard Day’s Night was shown on TV, and the next day they showed a Beatles documentary – one that has John, Paul, George, and Ringo as narrators. The next day I felt like I had to start listening to the Beatles again. That is exactly what I did. By the end of the week I noticed I was in the middle of the most intense Beatlemania I had ever experienced in my life. This was something special. Believe me, my relationship with the Beatles has been anything but free of prejudice and doubt. It seems like this has changed now. After all, it is not such an unexpected thing for me to fall in love with the Beatles having filled my life with extremely Beatles-influenced music during many, many years…

Accidentally, there was also a two-day Tampere Beatles Happening in town in the end of that same week this B-mania started. I attended one concert that had Jan Britten Owen, the Urban Crow and the Overtures as performers. They all played Beatles songs, although especially the Overtures also focused on other 60s music, a lot of stuff from the British Invasion, of course. The Urban Crow was a Finnish band that featured Jiri Nikkinen, the most famous Beatles fan in Finland, as guest vocalist. The guy sings really, really well. Check him out if you like… He has been in a band called Clifters, making Beatles covers as well as other oldies covers and writing original material. The band may still be around – I remember seeing them live many years ago at a Finnish country music festival (there has been one, really!).

Tampere Beatles Happening blog (in Finnish)
Jan Britten Owen at MySpace
--> The Overtures website
The Urban Crow website This evening was probably one of the best of the whole new decade. The music was so good. I was out of my mind due to all the fabulous 60s and Beatles songs and danced like a maniac. The best party, with the average age of participants being about 60 years, I have ever attended!







During this Beatlemania I listened mostly to Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (which turned out to be a lot better that I had thought!), Beatles for Sale, and Please Please Me - and of course also Rubber Soul, Revolver, and my favorite: Magical Mystery Tour (though its position as my favorite Beatles album has been challenged by both Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper!). I am now officially in love with Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper. Such awesome albums… Larger than life, period.

3. Swinging and Searching

Largely related to my new Beatles enthusiasm I also felt the urge to check out other Merseybeat/beat bands. That is how I became musically acquainted with the Searchers and the Swinging Blue Jeans. Now, they are both among my favourite bands. I really enjoy having these bands in my life... There are so many great songs to listen to! Also, while listening to a two-disc Searchers anthology, a fairly recent purchase of mine, I finally also noticed that this is actually the same band that later appeared in powerpop context. I remember hearing Hearts in Her Eyes before on some powerpop collection.

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The Searchers website

The Swinging Blue Jeans website