Listen: Scratchy / Travis Wammack
Scratchy

I’ve never been able to figure out why soul collectors included this single in their world of must-haves. Because ARA Records was distributed by Atlantic? Or maybe it’s the middle bit that has that Screamin’ Jay Hawkins moment. Regardless, in the UK, where the 7″ came out on Atlantic proper, it usually sells for around $100. It’s not the price that irks me but instead the chances of finding one. Well, a yellow labeled demo that is. Meanwhile, my US pressing will have to do.

I recall this one on the the jukebox at Emmy’s, our local small town malt shop. My older, babysitting cousin would drag me round there after school daily. The place was a snapshot right out of AMERICAN GRAFFITI despite being the 60′s. Upstate New York was not current back then. I’d just stand by the Seeburg content to watch records spin round the machine’s turntable for hours, most of the 45′s having a white sheen from repeated plays.

Despite sounding off-centered to this day, ‘Scratchy’ ignited my interest with instrumentals, as did Jack Nitzsche’s ‘The Lonely Surfer’, another well played single at the time.

Wow, did these records ever sound great in that jukebox, and in fact, they still do. all these years later, both are in my Seeburg now, so I know. And yes, I can stand and watch them play for hours, completely content with life.

Listen: Dance, Dance, Dance / Crazy Horse
Dance,

It would probably be unfair to suggest Neil Young lifted the idea of this song from Doug Kershaw’s ‘Louisiana Man’, so let’s just say it was a rather obvious influence, possibly a result of Bobbie Gentry’s supreme version which was released a little earlier. Her’s is one of over eight hundred in fact.

Or maybe the song was simply due to Neil Young’s genuine knowledge of cajun music. Regardless, discovering ‘Dance, Dance. Dance’ when released was fascinating. The record really is a great one.

Not surprisingly then, the first Crazy Horse album, possibly a perfect production by Jack Nitzsche and Bruce Botnick, was full of top songs, including several singles, like this UK only one.

Somehow, all the 45′s from the band’s first album mingled nicely with a bunch of others in my collection, mostly English stuff, and my positive opinion of it prevailed despite a general disinterest for the west coast’s growing soft rock sound. Yeah, there’s just something I love about this thick UK promo pressing.

Listen: The Lonely Surfer / Jack Nitzsche
The Lonely Surfer / Jack Nitzsche

Somewhere in this collection a US copy of ‘The Lonely Surfer’ lurks. Must have taken it out to dj with, because my recollection of it sounding huge and rather scary through the sound system at Brooklyn Bowl is quite vivid.

The sport of surfing was not big in the UK, nor was the musical genre, unsurprisingly. Given that UK pressings of surf singles are thin on the ground, finding this Jack Nitzsche 7″ in a tattered box of 45′s on a freezing October morning along the Portobello Road market indeed felt quite the anomaly.

Jack himself, well he was so entrenched in LA’s recording scene during the early 60′s that coining the ultimate surf anthem isn’t really a shocker. His many credits often included arrangements, something no one really does these days, not exclusively and certainly not for money. The guy kept a lot of plates in the air, working with Phil Spector at Philles, organizing THE TAMI SHOW, taking Doris Day to #1 in the pop charts, arranging for The Rolling Stones when they were at the RCA studios and managing to keep up a solo career on Reprise. There alone his array of releases included Chopin style renditions of then current pop hits to, well, surf anthems like ‘The Lonely Surfer’.

Having arranged and orchestrated Ike & Tina Turner’s ‘River Deep – Mountain High’ would be a pretty daunting accomplishment for anyone to top, but in many ways that’s exactly what he does on ‘The Lonely Surfer’. From the title to the eerie horns, he’s captured a dark and alarming side of the supposedly sunshine and fun theme. Sorry but this record has always reminded me of seedy old Hollywood, the unsolved Bobby Fuller murder and Sal Mineo’s as well.

By the way, ever noticed that some of the best surf records have the most unhappy horn bits on them.

Listen: Little Boy / The Crystals CrystalsLittleBoy.mp3

How is it possible that ‘Little Boy’ was not a hit. It will always be one of the unexplained wonders of the world. No surprise Phil Spector flipped his lid. This (#92), ‘River Deep – Mountain High’ (#88), The Ramones ‘Baby I Love You (never charted at all). How appalling. What an embarrassment.

I do recall hearing the record a lot in my hometown though. All the Phillies singles seemed to get played upstate. And when ‘Little Boy’ was current, I neglected to get me a copy. It wasn’t until summer ’73 when I finally bought one for 35p at Graham Stapleton’s stall outside Cheapo Cheapo Records on Rupert Street in London’s Soho. What a bargain. As always, the label copy name checks included Larry Levine and Jack Nitzsche.

Fast forward to the late 80′s. I’m working at Island, A&Ring Marianne Faithfull. The company was searching for something a bit more current on the upcoming album. She’d done STRANGE WEATHER prior, and it’s old Europe Prague winebar angle was getting tired. I’d suggested New Order produce. Chris wasn’t feeling that. It was apparently too young a look. Somewhere in the mix, Jack Nitzsche became the possible candidate, so off to LA went Marianne to try writing with him, see if some result could develop.

He had just produced the soundtrack to THE HOT SPOT, a truly terrific album with John Lee Hooker, Miles Davis and Taj Mahal. There was even a single released, and that’s posted elsewhere on this blog.

Jack actually called me one day with an update, basically saying nothing much was getting done. Not the best news, but getting a call from Jack Nitzsche with any news at all was huge in my book.

No sooner did he ring than Marianne was on the phone.

“I need to get out of here. All he wants to do is fuck me”

“So do it”

“Kev!!!”

She was back in NY days later. So much for that collaboration.

Above: Jukebox Tab signed by LaLa Brooks