THROWBACK THURSDAY: Songs That Herman Taught Us

The common critical view of the British Invasion hitmakers known as Herman's Hermits is that they were lightweight popsters whose greatest ability was making teenage girls scream and wet their pants. They weren't as rough as The Stones or as creative as The Beatles blah blah blah. And they didn't even have a cool dance like Freddie & The Dreamers.

But I've always respected Herman and the boys, mostly for the important work they did digging up weird old British Music Hall songs to introduce to a new generation.

Back in the early days of Throwback Thursday, I did a feature on one of those songs, "Two Lovely Black Eyes," written in 1886  by Charles Coborn.

Below are several other old tunes that I never would have known without Herman's Hermits.

And one of these was one of Herman's greatest hits, "I'm Henry VIII, I Am." Below is a 1911 version performed by singer/comedian Harry Champion. It was written circa 1910 by Fred Murray and R. P. Weston.



The Herman's Hermits album that really leaned on English Music Hall delights was the American version of Both Sides of Herman's Hermits. Here's one of my favorites, "My Old Dutch," written and sung by Albert Chevalier. I'm not certain of the recording date of this version, but he wrote it circa 1892.


Here's another hit for the Hermits. "Leaning on the Lamp Post was sung in 1937 by George Formby in the film Feather Your Nest.



And here's another from Both Sides of Herman's Hermits, "The Future Mrs. 'Awkins," also written by Albert Chevalier, circa 1898. This is a more recent version (1942) by British singer and actor Stanley Holloway.

WACKY WEDNESDAY: You're Nobody til You Been Covered by The Dickies

The Dickies as young men

Here is a Wacky Wednesday salute to some true punk rock survivors and all around funny guys: The Dickies.

This group -- fronted for decades by warbling singer Leonard Graves Phillips and guitarist Stan Lee (no, not that Stan Lee) -- the group, which formed in 1977, is one of the longest-running punk bands from Los Angeles.

They have plenty of original songs, many of which, like "Bowling With Bed Rock Barney," "You Drive Me Ape, You Big Gorilla," and "Manny, Moe & Jack." But some of their most hilarious are their cover songs.

I'll let the band make that argument.

The Dickies wrote and performed the theme song to the movie Killer Klowns from Outer Space and they write an ode to another tacky '80s flick The Toxic Avenger. But probably their first foray into themes from bad sci-fi was their cover of the theme to Gigantor, a 1960s cartoon about a robot.



The Dickies are one of the few punk bands to attempt a Simon & Garfunkel song.



The Dickies tackle this old Broadway tune



The Dickies are hip to Heap, (Uriah, that is)



And most bands that would choose to cover Iron Butterfly would take the easy way out and do "In a Gadda da Vida." Not The Dickies. They chose this obscurity:



But many fans, including me, believe in their hearts that The Dickies never topped this as their greatest cover song:



Tip of the hat to my pal Chuck, who back in the '80s turned me on to The Dickies' album We Aren't the World. I've never recovered.

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, July 17, 2016 
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M. 
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time 
Host: Steve Terrell
Webcasting!
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org

Here's the playlist

OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Eve of Destruction by Gregg Turner
Bermuda by Roky Erikson

Garbagehead by Eric "Roscoe" Ambel

Cold Line by Nots 

Circus by Left Lane Cruiser

Needle Trade Off by GØGGS

Hang Up by The Cramps

Down the Road by Dead Moon

Zombie Outbreak by Alien Space Kitchen

Favorite War by He Who Cannot Be Named

The Decay of Lying by The Melvins

Drunk Town by The Devils

Possessed by Robert Johnson by Dead Cat Stimpy

Radio X by Horror Deluxe

Hey You by Evil Enc Group

Shut My Mouth by The Oblivians

Rimbaud Diddley by Churchwood

Gimme Dat Ding by The Pipkins

Musical Tribalist by Wild Billy Chyldish 

Mother's Tin Mustache by Nobody's Children

Jukebox Babe by Alan Vega

Cheree/ Mr. Ray by Suicide

Dillinger by San Antonio Kid

Never Enough Girls by The Sloths

Here He Comes by New Mystery Girl

 

Blood by Lonesome Shack

Love Me Baby (Cherry July) by Question Mark & The Mysterians

Show Me Some Love by Pierre Omer's Swing Revue

Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye by The Casinos

Venus by Television

Don't Blame Me by Flat Duo Jets

CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

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THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, July 15, 2016
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org

Here's my playlist :

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens

Me and Billy the Kid by Joe Ely
Jesus Loves You (But I'm on the Fence) by Trailer Radio

You're the Reason OUr Kids Are Ugly by Cyndi Lauper & Vince Gill

Cracklings by The Gourds

Rock Chalk by Calamity Cubes

All Knocked Up by Ruby Dee & The Snakehandlers

Big Lotsa Love by The Bottle Rockets
Cathead Biscuits and Gravy by Nancy Apple & Rob McNurlin

Billy the Kid by Tex Ritter

Heartsick Blues by Luke Winslow King

Love You 'Cause You're Perfect by Al Scorch

Hold Whatcha Got by Jimmy Martin with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

More of You by Chris Stapleton
Billy the Kid by John Hartford

The Creeper by Al Duvall 
Fuck Off by Audrey Auld

Stars in Her Eyes by Hank Williams

Secret Love by Loretta Lynn

Catch Another Train by Dan Whitaker & The Shinebenders 

Down on Music Row by Dolly Parton

Dancing With the Ghost of William Bonney by Bone Orchard

Billy the Kid by Ry Cooder

Tomorrow's Taking Baby Away by Dex Romweber

Sweet Home Reservation by Bill Palmer

Oh the Wind and the Rain by J. Michael Combs

Lakes of Ponchartrain by Peter Case

The Cold Hard Truth by George Jones

How Far Down Can I Go by Brennen Leigh
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets


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Two Shows Not to Miss

UPDATED with Lonesome Shack Video

There's a cool band coming to the Mine Shaft Tavern in former ghost town of Madrid, N.M. tonight (Friday July 17).

That's Lonesome Shack, a punk-blues trio (or "haunted boogie blues" as the group calls its sound)  from Seattle. Frontman Ben Todd actually has roots in this Enchanted Land.

The group's publicist told me recently:

Ben's not originally from NM but he moved from Washington to Silver City, NM ('97-'98), then Albuquerque, NM ('98-'2001), and then moved to a rural area in Catron County near Alma,NM ('01-'04) where the Lonesome Shack still stands.  His mom currently lives in Deming, NM. 

Here's Lonesome Shack in action:



Doors open at 7 p.m. at the Mine Shaft tonight.

I didn't give you much advance warning on Lonesome Shack, so here's a show where I'm giving you plenty of warning:

Robbie Fulks in Los Alamos on Friday. Aug. 5.

That's right, one of my favorite songwriters playing for free at Ashley Pond as part of Russ Gordon's wonderful summer concert series.

I reviewed Robbie's latest album, Upland Stories just a couple of months ago, (CLICK  HERE) I'm could be wrong, but this could be the first time he's ever performed in New Mexico.

It should be a  fine show.