Listen: I’m A Nut / Leroy Pullins
LeroyPullinsNut.mp3

Novelty country, one hit wonder. Those are about the only historical remembrances of Leroy Pullins. Orginally the leader of Kentucky garage band, The LeSabres, he relocated to Nashville in ’65 to peruse success. ‘I’m A Nut’ was the first from a short string of singles on Kapp Records, and the only one to chart, peaking at #18 in ’66 on BILLBOARD’s Country Top 50. It’s UK counterpart via Kapp’s distribution agreement with Decca, provided his only international release.

In the day, Top 40 regularly spiced up their intentionally zany, fast paced, wildcard afternoon disc jockey slots with novelty records, many based on outer space alien invasions or mental illness. I recall hearing this one on occasion between British invasion releases and early Motowns.

Listen: Take Me For What I’m Worth / The Searchers SearchersTakeWorth.mp3

Despite their clean cut Mersey look, The Searchers made consistently good singles for years. A staple of The English Invasion, like The Beatles and Freddie & The Dreamers, their past haunted them a bit when smaller labels in the US that had issued unsuccessful debut singles trudged them out to compete with more current hits. Didn’t seem to harm them much as ‘Sugar & Spice’ fared equally well next to ‘Needles & Pins’ in ’64.

A short time later, hits became a bit of a struggle (although most were well chosen covers), with spotty airplay hindering P.F. Sloan’s ‘Take Me For What I’m Worth’ unfairly. It’s seven week run that began in January of ’66 got it to only #76. Oddly, it didn’t fare much better back at home (#20).

Listen: Have You Ever Loved Somebody / The Searchers SearchersHaveSomebody.mp3

Maybe the suits needed to go, and the adaption to an image more in line with Them, The Yardbirds or The Kinks would have kept initial fans interested. Even The Beatles dumped that look, probably in their constant effort to unsuccessfully keep up with The Rolling Stones, although for predictably klutzy flower power / Nehru gear. ‘Have You Ever Loved Somebody’, like ‘Take For What I’m Worth’ before it, was highlighted by a very unique vocal harmony that gave both singles something irresistible. Again, US airplay was playing it’s fickle hand and it’s short three week chart run found it stalling at #94, with a similar fate in the UK (#48).

Listen: Take Me For A Little While / The Koobas KoobasLittleWhile.mp3

I originally passed up the US ‘Take Me For A Little While’ sleeve upon release, and never ever saw another. Desperate for it as the years past, Mike Goldsmith came to the rescue while at a record fair a few years back. What a relief. Sometime during the 90′s, I stumbled on a UK pressing at London’s Record & Tape Exchange in Notting Hill. This copy appeared to be autographed. How does one ever verify that?

Listen: The First Cut Is The Deepest / The Koobas KoobasFirstCut.mp3

The record itself was most pleasant British Beat at the time, but in no way hinted toward the psychedelic greatness that their ‘First Cut Is The Deepest’ would be. Despite being dwarfed chart-wise by P.P. Arnold’s version, historically it’s equally vital.