Posts Tagged ‘Mike Patto’

Patto

Friday, March 23rd, 2012

Listen: Mummy / Patto
Mummy

It’s not my ordinary form to write up a B side ahead of the A side, but in this case….

‘Mummy’ is clearly meant as a tasteless joke, and not really representative of Patto’s diverse musicality but it is a riot. It’s so sick, so twisted, I couldn’t help but love the record from first play. I would spin it on my college station constantly and always got nasty calls from mommy’s boys, pining for a home cooked meal and a hug.

When it comes to ‘Mummy’, I felt the same then as I do now. If you don’t completely love this, fine. But indeed if that’s the case, please do leave this blog now and never return. You are not wanted here.

Listen: Singing The Blues On Reds / Patto
Singing

Still reading? Good. Hopefully all the riff raff are gone.

‘Singing The Blues On Reds’ is much closer to the typical Patto groove, although a bit more straight blues rock than usual. I would guess it to be intentional on the band’s part, given the subject matter: tongue in cheek overview of white, drugged up rock band singing blues numbers on tour. Edited down from the 4+ minute album version, someone at Island smartly chopped out the last chorus’s lyric “screwing in hotel beds”. (All the other choruses: “sleeping in hotel beds”).

Didn’t matter, US radio wouldn’t play it anyways. I know you are not surprised. Me neither.

Nonetheless, Patto were brilliant, amazing, whatever the word is, on the American tour with Joe Cocker & The Grease Band / Mark – Almond, to promote ROLL ‘EM, SMOKE ‘EM, PUT ANOTHER LINE OUT, from which both sides of this hideously obscure, US only single came.

Timebox

Sunday, December 5th, 2010

timeboxusa,Timebox, Deram, Patto, Mike Patto, The Four Seasons, Record Retailer

Listen: Beggin’ / Timebox TimeboxBeggin.mp3

If only ‘Beggin’ had been a hit for Timebox instead of The Four Seasons. If only any of Mike Patto’s seminal bands, of which Timebox was one, had gotten a break. It’s one of the great shames in the history of music. Now comfortably collectable, I’m sure every member of the band wishes they’d kept a box of ‘Beggin’- as if they’d managed one free copy.

It’s lack of success is indeed baffling, having gotten solid airplay even in the States. I heard it several times before the stations changed over to the now more known Four Seasons version. Hey, The Four Seasons had loads of great singles – no question – it just would have been nice to share a little.

In the UK, it struggled solidly on the lower reaches of the RECORD RETAILER charts (see below) during the summer of ’68, but sadly ended up being at best, a turntable hit.

recordretailer81468, Timebox, Mike Patto, Beggin, The Four Seasons, Record Retailer, Patto

Above: Record Retailer Top 50 / August 14, 1968