Twist and Shake
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Twist and Shake
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Beverly Paterson PO Box 6474 San Mateo Ca 94403
music writer for various publications, including The Lance Monthly (www.lancerecords.com), Amplifier, Rock Beat International and my own independently produced zines. Specialize in garage rock bands, power pop music, psychedelic sounds, sixties British Invasion bands, bubblegum music, surf rock and vintage hard rock and heavy metal. Available to conduct interviews, write record reviews and do liner notes. Have interviewed many musicians, ranging from The Byrds and Paul Revere and The Raiders to Robin Trower to The Electric Prunes to Blue Cheer to The Sonics to The Standells to Motorhead to Raspberries to The Zombies to The Turtles to Foghat to Del Shannon to The Yardbirds and The Ramones. Have provided liner notes for Misty Lane Records, The Shambles, The E-Types, The Barbarians, Jeremy Morris, Retoff, McKenzie, Butler and Pierce, The Electric Prunes and Zakary Thaks.
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Reviews by Beverly Paterson (May 11, 2008)
Various Artists "Don't Press Your Luck!" The In Sound Of 60's Connecticut" (Sundazed Records)
At age thirty-four, Thomas "Doc" Cavalier gave up a lucrative career as a dentist and got involved in the local rock and roll scene. The tooth technician had no prior experience in the music business, but that didn't prevent him from pushing full steam ahead and pursuing his dreams. Doc did it all, from booking gigs to managing bands to writing songs to operating the now legendary Trod Nossel Studios, located in Wallingford, Connecticut. Spanning the years 1966 to 1968, "Don't Press Your Luck! The In Sound Of 60's Connecticut" casts a peek at some of the bands associated with Doc and his recording facility. While Trod Nossel Studios fathered a few regional hit singles, the soul stained "No Good To Cry" by The Wildweeds, which naturally appears on this disc, gripped the charts in pockets around the country, leading it to be the best known tune of the lot. Clocking in as New England's answer to the British beat, Bram Rigg Set offers randy dandy rehashes of Them's "I Can Only Give You Everything" and The Who's "I Can't Explain" with convincing attitude and aggression, and then there's the burly Animals flavored "Take The Time Be Yourself," which was penned by Doc.
Great stuff is additionally supplied by The Shags in the form of the harmony drenched "Hideaway" that blends the ethereal air of The Zombies with splashes of forceful garage rock, and "Breathe In My Ear," a relentlessly snappy number marked by penetrating breaks and surefooted hooks and choruses. Also of note is the duly titled "Make A Record With The Shags," where the narrator provides step by step instructions on the fine art of transferring a track to vinyl as the band lays down a version of John Lennon and Paul McCartney's "I Call Your Name" that is nearly worth the price of admission alone. A smattering of previously unreleased material cushions "Don't Press Your Luck! The In Sound Of 60's Connecticut," such as the two chord chaos of Fourth Ryke's "You're Cutting Out," a grunting and growling cover of Willie Dixon's "Help Me" from George's Boys and the psychedelic tinted pop of "SSS Happenin' Here" from Uranus and The Five Moons. Long lost ditties, blanketed in dust and cobwebs by The Roadrunners, The Bearies, The Ravens and The Lively Ones further grace the album. Dripping with youthful naivety and purity, "Don't Press Your Luck! The In Sound Of 60's Connecticut" is a most welcome tribute to a recording studio and its bands that created music for the right reasons.
www.sundazed.com
Jeremy Morris "Mystery And Illusion" (MALS)
Lauded for his sterling power pop efforts, Jeremy Morris occasionally dips his fingers and toes in other musical waters. Here on "Mystery And Illusion," the insanely prolific artist, who typically issues half a dozen albums a year (that's just under his own name, as his label, JAM Records keeps busy too, as it is home to a slew of winning bands) gets in touch with his inner heavy metal and progressive rock reflexes. And the results are positively astounding. Combining layers of complex and classy arrangements with multiple shots of memorable melodies, "Mystery And Illusion" is both daring and accessible. Sizzling synthesizers rub shoulders with crashing guitar licks and pummeling rhythms on "Dark Hole" and "The Mystery Train" is charged with a soulfully eerie mood. Jeremy's vocals are in tip top shape throughout the disc, as they emote with style and sincerity. Spurred by a spiritual essence and challenging slopes and curves by the pound, "Mystery And Illusion" dials back to the days when hard rock was tight and tasty. Imagine John Lennon having a shindig with Deep Purple, Blue Oyster Cult, Rainbow and Kings X, and there you have it.
www.jamrecordings.com
"The Troggs Times" (Issue 51)
This is the official fan club journal of The Troggs, those natty English fellows responsible for smashing sensations such as "Wild Thing," "I Can't Control Myself," "Night Of The Long Grass," "Love Is All Around," and so forth. A band that really requires no introduction. That's The Troggs! Here is it, forty years after making their mark in the pop world, and the band continues to rock on. Edited and published by Jacqueline Ryan, who with Alan Clayson, wrote the definitive book on the band, "The Troggs Files," the zine documents their past, present and future activies. And then some. Issue 51 includes an interview with lead singer Reg Presley, reflections from readers, gig reviews and reprints of articles from "Trouser Press" and "Record Collector." A tour guide and sad farewells to Rod Allen of The Fortunes and Mike Smith of The Dave Clark Five further round out Issue 51. Not only is "The Troggs Times" a must have for followers of the band, but for connoisseurs of sixties music in general. Jacqueline also mans the band's website at www.the-troggs-co.uk - very cool indeed!
Jacqueline Ryan
56 Waite Davies Road
London SE 12 0ND
jacqueliner@hotmail.com
The Ringles "Rickenbacker Ballet" (JAM Recordings)
Too adventurous to be strictly pop, yet too hook conscious and song oriented to be seated in the alternative booth, The Ringles are impossble to categorize. Compact harmonies supported by clinging tempos characterize the sound of the band's third album, "Rickenbacker Ballet," which invests in everything from the gospel influenced choruses of "Shine" to the kicking power pop of "A New Day" and "Tiffany's Dimension." Country rock aspirations also occupy the domain, along with frequent sojourns into psychedelic experimentation. Using pop as a starting point, The Ringles never hesitate to spread their wings, and in doing so their music is punchy, playful and spontaneous. If bands like Buffalo Springfield, Velvet Crush, Badfinger and The Green Pajamas turn your crank, then "Rickenbacker Ballet" is guaranteed to do the same.
www.jamrecordings.com
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