Shindig! 18

THE BIRDS
In the mid-60s few sounded like West London upstarts THE BIRDS and when the posthumous Edsel release was issued 20 years later, their high-octane beat/punk take on soul music still sounded uniquely hazardous.
Long haired mods that made The Kinks and The Pretty Things look tame, the group that brought the charismatic Ron Wood to the stage, and one of the ’60s beat era’s best kept secrets… PAUL ‘SMILER’ ANDERSON speaks with singer Ali MacKenzie about the plumed ones’ ascension, fall and phoenix-like rebirth.
As the title of the Edsel collection so rightly claimed, “These Birds Are Dangerous”.

THE REMAINS
The Remains built a fan base in Boston. They recorded an album. They toured with The Beatles. Then they broke up before the album came out. Years later they became legends as part of the Nuggets collection. Bill Kopp talks with Remains founder/leader Barry Tashian about all that and more, including Tashian’s later work with Gram Parsons, The Remains reunion and a new film about the band.

TAGES
Never heard of TAGES? Too bad – they were one of the best European bands of the ’60s. Tages – and Blond, as they were later known – released a string of superb albums and singles that matches those of their British and American contemporaries hit for hit. ULF HENNINGSSON talks to the band about their near-misses overseas, involvement in an ABBA-related porno film and a cameo appearance from Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, who was murdered in 1986.

THE PURPLE HEARTS
So many of the mod revival bands of 1979 parodied The Jam, or plain and simply just got it wrong, but Essex lads THE PURPLE HEARTS had it in spades. Combining the pop art smarts of The Creation and The Who with a punk edge, their early singles and debut album still sound incredible. CARL TWEED looks back at the movers, shakers and fakers of ’79 and realises just how BIG the hearts should have been.

HERE WE GO ROUND THE MULLBERRY BUSH
As the much-loved British “Swinging ’60s” romp HERE WE GO ROUND THE MULBERRY BUSH prepares for its first ever non-theatrical release, ANDY MORTEN hops aboard the last Routemaster bound for the London satellite town of Stevenage in search of grotty girls, church raves and bed-ins.

JOHN SEBASTIAN
In answering our long-running 20 Questions The Lovin’ Spoonful man, Woodstock star and chilled-out boho speaks candidly about his evergreen career.

NEW SHORTER FEATURES IN FRONT SECTION

JAMME released one sublime album on Papa John Phillips’ Warlock Records in 1968. LA music/culture historian DOMENIC PRIORE returns to the place and time to consider the last great LA pop group of the ’60s.

Author MICK HOUGHTON hears how DAVID STAUGHTON moved from bluegrass to writing comic patriotic songs for legendary cartoonist Al Capp before impressing Jac Holzman with his experimental recordings. And, nope, he really didn’t take acid!

Sainte Anthony’s Fyre may not be a name familiar to most but we at Shindig! Towers are aiming to change all that. Savona ‘Bob’ Sharples, the drummer for this wild, heavy three piece that put out one privately pressed album on their own Zonk label in 1970 (now a $1000+ collectable), spoke to AUSTIN MATTHEWS to set straight the rumours and myths that have been written about this mysterious band over the years.

October sees the release of a limited edition SANDY DENNY box set featuring her entire released output alongside around 100 previously unavailable demos, live recordings and alternate versions, spread over 19 CDs and housed in a mind-blowingly ornate illustrated box, complete with paraphernalia and memorabilia.
ANDY MORTEN catches his breath then catches up with compiler Andrew Batt.

IT’S A HAPPENING THING
Shindig! worthy anglophile psych-pop and folk/soul/pop from THE SMILES & FROWNS and BART DAVENPORT. Powerpop from PAUL COLLINS and the Bristol ‘70s folk scene’s VILLAGE THING club.

HAPPENING! MAGAZINE
iWe are excited about launching our new mini-magazine Happening! Focusing on the best in Shindig! friendly contemporary music, retro fashion, style and design, cult cinema, live reviews, listings and far more… Happening is the perfect continuation of what we achieved with It’s A Happening Thing in the front section of the mag. I’m sure everyone will find something interesting within, and discover great new artists that fit the bill. 

21-TRACK DOWNLOAD
So many people asked when we would follow the CD up with another similarly themed set, so here we are. Included with Happening! is a download album of more new bands, that whether a gig going youngster or an original ’60s scenester all Shindig! readers will enjoy. The mini-mag includes info on all of the artists, whilst a downloadable cover is on the site for those who may want to fry the music onto a silver digital coaster. Highlights include rising Danish mod/beat stars Thee Attacks, Ireland’s renowned Pugwash’s lovely cover of The Idle Race’s ‘On With The Show’, Bath’s incredible psychedelic glam rockers Ulysses, the inimitable pop magician Only Joe Kane and Rubble loving Swedes Teaspoon. You may well have different favourites, but we can safely say it’s a great comp that needs downloading and playing to all of your friends.