Bedazzled!

Ty Wagner's Soul Exercice... the account of an original 60's punk No-Count! (Story and interview by Astro Le Mocker) :

2013-06-18T18:16:04-04:00

"... Got giant holes in my shoe
My big toe, it sticks through
 Ain’t had a hair-cut in four years
You can’t even see my ears
[No count, no count, you better move on]  I won’t be around no more
 [No count, no count, you better be gone]  Yeah, I’ll be gone
 [No count, no count, don't show your face]  I’m a no count, I gotta leave this place ... "
(Writer: Ty Wagner
Published: Signature Music (BMI)
From: I’m a No Count (7″, US Chattahoochee CH 699; 11/1965)

While "Punk-rock" was a journalistic term (and probably a records collectors' one too ) first used in the early seventies to describe the kind of 60's US Garage-band 45 music compiled on Nuggets and written about in various magazines and fanzines like Creem and Bomp, there's been a lot of talk of "Garage-Punk" (Lenny Kaye first used the term "classic garage-punk," in reference to a song recorded in 1966 by The Shadows of Knight, in the liner notes to Nuggets... ) when in actual fact few Garage-rock records of the sixties were really "Punk" in attitude and music; more likely, these garage records covered a lot of ground, with styles varying from (and starting with! ) instrumental Surf-rock to Heavy-rock and Folk-Rock, R&B and Blue-eyed Soul, Psychedelic Acid-rock, Sunshine Pop... and everything else in between!
Some of the few authentic "Punk-rock" of the sixties included records by the Sonics, the Monks, Swamp Rats, Los Saicos, the Groupies, the Magic Plants (of "I'm a Nothing" fame), early Seeds, aforementionned Shadows of Knight... and Ty Wagner and the Scotchmen :

Hell! The first time I heard that song in the mid-1980's at Tim Warren's Paris newly-wed appartment, from volume two of "The Chosen Few" comp' series that was playing on his HiFi, I was moved to wanna name my first band project a couple years later to that song, so much I felt related to it's attitude and lyrics... (Of course, after sarcastic comments from friends that likened the name too much to the Count V, laughing at how Garage-clichéd it seemed, I had it changed to The Tribe; but later I still named an intermediary group I had : "The No-Counts" after that song which was cult to me )!

Later still, I heard another German band of misfits had had the same idea of going themselves by that name, even recording a cool single with picture sleeve : "Cold As Ice / On The Prowl", No-Fi Records, NO-FI 001, 1995.

And Tim Warren who had failed to contact Ty Wagner the first time round to include that mythical song on one of his legendary "Back From The Grave" series, finally went ahead to include "Slander", his killer second single from '66 on Volume 7. And that was it, end of the story!
... Until early this year 2013, when Ugly Things magazine announced the forthcoming release of two further unreleased '67 killers by Ty Wagner on single : "Misery Train b/w Soul Exercise" UT-S74, and a full update article based from recent interviews of the guy on the next Summer issue #35; I was shocked!

I mean, look at a picture of this guy with his long hair back in '67 : he already looked like a dead ringer for Johnny Ramone... !!!

Ty was even scheduled to perform for Ugly Things' 30th Anniversary three-day event in San Diego, staged for Memorial Day Weekend (May 24-26 ), backed by the Rising Ramrods (a composite group made-up by ex.Nashville Ramblers, ex.Loons and other assorted contemporary Garage-rock bands )... But, more had to come :

One day around that time, out of the blue, Ty Wagner, the man himself requested me on Facebook! I couldn't believe it... Now that I finally secured a copy of the (scarce in France) new Ugly Things' by him, I just had to have some sort of interview :

1. How was your appearance at the Ugly Things 30th Anniversary concert which we can see clips on YT? Did you have some previous rehearsals with Mike Stax's backing band or you just showed up straight ahead on stage? How was the general reception backstage after the gig?

It was great getting on stage over 40+ years. I did have a short rehearsal about 15 minutes. I did jump up there pretty cold. The stage was very small I couldn't move around very much but it was a very tight band, they're are called the Nashville ramblers and the audience didn't wanna let me off the stage they wanted more more more. There was great excitement and fan fare. I slip off the back door it was too much for me to handle.

2) How did it all started with Tim Warren when he contacted you concerning the legal inclusion of "Slander" on his "Back From The Grave" series vol.7?
Prior to that, "I'm A No-Count" was bootlegged on the "Chosen Few" series, right? Had it been out elsewhere?

I bought my 7 inch 45 of I'm a no count for a $1000 dollars from a cat name Robert Rodriguez who has a company selling vinyls, he wanted $2600, I said " hey man give me a break I'm Ty Wagner let me have it for a $1000. " and he put on the Internet that he met the garage legend Ty Wagner in person ..
And that was last year.
Tim warren contacted Robert Rodriguez by email and told him " tell Ty Wagner to contact me right away i have some money for him" and the rest is history.
As far as the "slander or I'm a no count " I just received a royalty check from Tim warren who's a man of integrity who come forward and pay me after all this time. I think I'm going to include him in my Ty Wagner movie.

3) Are you aware of the bootleg reissue on 45 of both your sixties singles in UK? How do you feel about it?

As far as the bootleggers go, I call them soul vampires. Tim Warner not included, lets just think about it for a minute, if you're starving and broke and on the street, u steal a piece of cheese on the market, though that might be a wrong thing to do, is not as bad as stealing the creativity from the artist, the poet or the musicians. I think the biggest criminal of them all is the garage greats, and if you know any of these assholes that produce the garage greats, tell them Ty Wagner is coming after them or if you know of other bands that was ripped off by the garage greats have them contact me, I have hired an attorney .

4) Were you also aware of the German neo-60's Garage-punk band bearing the name of your song : "The No-Counts" who put out an authentic sounding single in the early 1990's? Have you been contacted by then via Crypt records' connection regarding the use of that name? Do you like it being used, do you feel honored by the tribute or... ?

Thank you about the information about the "no count band" I take it as an honor. I would love to have a copy of their music, I'm not upset a bit about that, in fact it put a smile on my face.

5) How did the new Ugly Things single of unreleased sixties material come about? Any further released plans like a full-length Cd and Lp compiling all your suxties material? (You mentionned something about a documentary film in the planning stage about you... Care to elaborate? )

It was quiet an experienced getting on that stage after 45+ years. I looked around there was some cats from the Love, there was Mark Lindsey from Paul Revere and the Raiders and many other old time 60's musician.

I had a friend of mine in high school who kept of my recordings and he brought me of the masters to my unreleased material. So I sent 2 unreleased tracks to mike Stax and we cut a record deal and that's how it all started. We have enough tunes to do a vinyl Lp that's what I want to do next.

We had a meeting last week with a movie producer. I rather keep it under wraps right now but it seems very real. It's all going a little to fast for me but I've decided to ride the waves! By the way on my newly release misery train, that I did in the 60's is getting great reviews, we might name the movie " misery train" say hello Tim warren for me and give my regards to him, I hope to meet him one day.

6) In the Ugly Things article you mention people like Dick Dale, Dave Myers & The Surftones, The Wrecking Crew and places like the Rendez-Vous Ballroom, Hermosa Beach, Gold Star studios... Were you a surfer yourself?

I did perform with dick dale at harmony park, I actually lived near his house in Costa Mesa California. He was quite an animal freaks, he had monkeys, parrots and other exotic animals. Dave Meyers also performed at the harmony park. His band played on some of my tunes. Goldstar was the greatest recording studio ever and don ralke my producer was a very famous producer, he produced dick and deedee, jule aikens, Lauren green and he used the wrecking crew studio band for a lot if his sessions including some if mine. The rendez-vouz was dick dale beginning, it later burned down in the early 60's. Alexandre check it out, sometime in 1962 and 64 before the Beatles or the stones what was happening was surf music. They were all doing the surfer stomp, everybody was choosing sides u were either a surfer or a ho daddy, of course I was true to rockabilly which I love to this day. I wasn't gonna give up my pompadour and bleach my hair blonde for anybody, this cause me to get in manny fights after school. I did surf but with my pompadour and to this day I'm still a ho daddy.

7) Last question to round it up : What are you future plans now that you are "Back From The Grave@... Any European tours with dates in London, Germany and Spain in the works?

There's a gig coming up in Seattle, in October there's a ponderosa stomp in New Orleans, this morning at 10:00 ill be talking to someone in England that wants to book me there. We do have request from Spain, Italy and New York.

I hope that you are happy with my response. -Ty Wagner

Thank you Ty, it was an Honor!

Read full story on Ty Wagner in Ugly Things #35. Ty will be appearing next Ponderosa Stomp Festival, October 3-5th in New Orleans :

http://ugly-things.com/

http://store03.prostores.com/servlet/uglythings/the-250/TY-WAGNER--dsh--Misery/Detail

http://www.shinybeast.nl/item/386189/wagner_ty_misery_train_soul_exercise.html

http://theecaveman.blogspot.fr/2010/09/no-counts.html

Derek's Weekly 45's: Soul Sounds For Sunday (#1)

2013-06-16T12:11:13-04:00

To me, nothing says "Sunday vibe" like some easy groovin' soul singles. One of the coolest radio traditions of my lifetime (and one which educated me about many records in my formative years) are the oldies Sundays programs that have been popular in many major cities since the 80's (I've listened to them growing up in L.A, the Chicago area and here at my home in the bay area). Taking a cue from these shows, I'll pop in every now and then on a Sunday to lay out some tracks that you probably won't hear on the radio, but certainly should.

The Emotions (made up of the Hutchinson sisters) are purveyors of some of the greatest girl group harmonies in history, and even though they started recording early (around '67 when the ladies were teenagers), it took until 1976 for them to hit big. I'm a lover of harmony singing to the highest degree, and the Hutchinson sisters (Sheila, Wanda and Jeanette) outta Chicago consistently laid out some of the most divine (and in this case, serious stomp and ass kicking) harmonies ever cut to wax. There is simply NOTHING like the harmony blend of blood relations, and here, the ladies lay out some of the most heavenly vocals ever cut to tape.This record was cut in 1969, and thanks to Bedazzled host Spike Priggen, footage of the horn players rehearsing their part for this song at Stax studios is available for your viewing pleasure here.

So I Can Love You

Unfortunately, nothing is known about these Mellow Fellows that cut this record in 1968. When my wife and I got married, we put together a CD comp of all of our favorite love songs which we gave away to guests; it was a no brainer for this song to be included, as it is plain and simply divine.

My Baby Needs Me

This next one (from 1970) is so beautiful, I could sit and listen to it 20 times in a row...

The Vandals began their singing career as a teenage Temptations tribute act called The Young Tempts around 1967, while the singers were still in high school. A court order from The temptations saw the group change their name to The Young Vandals, then, by the time of this final release, The Vandals. Lead singer Otis Harris nails Eddie Kendricks' falsetto lead vocal style. After this release, Harris broke up the group because he wanted to go to college. fate had other plans, and in a bizarre twist of life imitating art, Harris BECAME the lead singer for the Temptations in 1971, as a friend urged him to audition for Kendricks' vacated slot. After changing his first name to Damon, Harris held the position which he until 1975. His falsetto, which we hear here, is all over the massive hit and stone classic "Papa Was A Rolling Stone".

In My Opinion

First off, a confession- I am downright obsessed with this record, and it's probably an unhealthy obsession. Not only the song itself, but the overall production is one of the greatest I've ever heard.

I've listened to this record so many times in a row, trying to absorb every element of its magic; the first thing that's striking is the plink-plink muted guitar part that runs thru the song. Perhaps because I just downright love reverb-ed guitar, and being a guitarist myself this to me is one of the coolest hooks I've ever heard!

When Tutti Hill's vocal comes in, if you don't instantly melt, check your pulse and other vital signs. She delivers this ultra cool performance that oozes confidence and extreme vocal prowess. As I also produce music myself (with The Bang Girl Group Revue) in this style, I am constantly drawing upon the resource of the music I love for ideas on WHAT is happening sonically; just listen to how loud Tutti's vocals are mixed; they are RIGHT THERE and so tangible, while the backing chorus of girls gently sway amidst that lovely reverb. This record takes on a few of the Spector wall of sound techniques but strips away the layers and leaves something far more human and earthy, while still having that other worldly mysterious quality. Basically everything I'd ever want to achieve sonically in a studio happens on this track.

Tutti's vocal style is reminiscent of Mary Wells, and Mary herself cut this song a few years later. While I practically worship every Mary Wells record, her version is great but *this* is the version.

This seems to be the only release from this shadowy Tutti Hill figure. WHO IS SHE????

He's A Lover

I'll leave you with another mystery record, this time circa 1970 from Lovehorn; most certainly a Chicago-cut record. Seems to be a glorious one-off, as the group name never turned up again.

-Derek See

Japanese TV Commercial: James Brown for Cup Noodle Miso Soup

2013-06-13T10:23:39-04:00

Derek's Weekly 45's: Tony Clarke

2013-06-07T15:14:35-04:00

Three of my all time favorite singles were cut by the troubled soul man Tony Clarke.

Tony Clarke wrote a few great tracks for Etta James, and released a handful of singles on his own for the mighty Chess records, and a one-off for MS in Detroit (his last). In an ugly turn of events, Tony was murdered (allegedly by his wife in a domestic dispute) in 1970. While I could never excuse the disgrace of violence against women, I have learned to separate the music from the people who created it, and allegedly Tony was a wife beater.

Tony's fourth release was "The Entertainer" (1964), and it turned out to be his biggest hit as well. The lyrics deal with the smiling face that those on stage must show, especially poignant for those of us who do perform. The lyrics (written by Clarke) explain these feelings in a way that is very hard to explain to those who don't.

The Entertainer

Several followup singles failed to go anywhere, and frankly, were not that great. However, in 1967 Tony Clarke released one of the most favorited records on the northern soul scene, "Landslide".

"Stormer" is a track that gets thrown around a lot in describing soul records, and if I were to try and explain that term, it would probably be best to just throw on "Landslide" (1967)

I'm a sucker for not only drum breaks in records, but even more so for a drum intro.

This is one of the best drum intros EVER! It's probably Maurice White (later of Earth Wind And Fire) pounding out the jackhammer intro on this stormer!

Landslide

While the previously heard Clarke entries were recorded in Chicago, this one was cut in Detroit (1968) and it burns strong with motor city fuel (both sides also features some of my all time favorite guitar breaks).

(They Call Me A) Wrong Man

"(They Call Me A) Wrong Man" plays out like a one man show; the record starts out with Tony cooly explaining his life, which later explodes into a dramatic and powerful conclusion matched with a backing band that follows him every step of the way. Records simply DO NOT get better than this one. Flip side "(No Conception) No Sense Of Direction" is an excellent uptempo stomper that continues in the theme of the a side. This record turned out to be Clarke's final release.

Mike Terry was the arranger of this record (in addition to arranging a dizzying array of other great Detroit 45's); Mike was also the baritone sax player who played incredible breaks on countless Motown hits. His horn was one of the defining sounds of Motown records, yet for some reason he wasn't part of "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown"; a travesty. He passed away in 2008.

(No Conception) No Sense Of Direction

BONUS: While I was writing this post, I listened to a bit of some of Tony's 'other" records, and I was pleasantly reminded how excellent his 1964 Chess debut single is! This record must have been a pretty strong seller, considering that my cop (with the sky blue Chess label) would have been released in '66 or later.

Woman, Love And A Man

Derek's Weekly 45's: The Dells- in tribute to Marvin Junior

2013-05-31T12:32:04-04:00

I try my best not to pick favorites of anything, since my introduction to The Dells I've always thought of them as the ultimate soul vocal group. It's with a heavy heart that I write this tribute to their lead vocalist, the amazing Marvin Junior; a man whose powerful baritone voice embodied the epitome of soul music. Laid out end to end, I probably have three feet of Dells 45's and LP's, and the thought of distilling their career into 4 sides is daunting to say the least. While I have your attention, I'm gonna start out with the track that, if I were asked, would be the one that sums up the greatness of this group in 2:40. With a super funky intro (what *is* the instrumentation???), a sublime wordless harmony intro, and the arrival of Marvin Junior's vocals this record sends me into a zone where no distractions could pull me out of the hypnosis that great music induces.

Wear It On Our Face

The Dells formed while the members were still in high school (1952) during the early doo-wop years, and it's not hard to imagine these young men honing their chops while singing under a street lamp in their hometown of Harvey, IL (just south of Chicago). Their first single was released as The El-Rays in 1954 (featuring the lineup of Marvin Junior, Mickey McGill, Lucius McGill, Verne Allison, Chuck Barksdale, and Johnny Funches), and by 1955 they had renamed themselves the Dells and became a quintet after the departure of Lucius McGill. The group cut the exquisite "Oh What A Night" for Vee Jay Records in 1956 which became a million seller, and one of the most loved doo-wop songs in the history of the genre. As simple as a haiku it goes straight to the heart, and the purity of this record sends chills down my spine, and Marvin co-wrote this track with group member Johnny Funches.

Oh What A Night

Follow up singles didn't hit (although fortunately the music business of the 50s' and 60s allowed artists to continue recording and building their audience), and the group was derailed temporarily after a serious 1958 car accident which involved Mickey McGill. The group put their career on hold until 1960, when Mickey recovered, but Johnny Funches had left (to be replaced with Johnny Carter). This lineup remained stable for FIFTY years until Johnny Carter passed away in 2009. However, it's hard to imagine the Dells carrying on without Marvin...

The Dells spent the early part of the '60's as studio singers (most notably singing the backups on Barbara Lewis' "Hello Stranger"; a performance which I rank as one of the all time greats, not only from Barbara Lewis and The Dells, but in the history of recorded music). The group cut several unsuccessful (but usually quite good) singles for Vee Jay during these years (such as this one from 1965,

Poor Little Boy

but their career renaissance began when they were signed to Chess records and began working under the production and writing talent of Bobby Miller. The singles released by the group between '66-'68 are some of the greatest ever, and the LP There Is, which collects some of these 45's and adds in a few more stellar tracks, is simply one of the greatest soul LP's ever released. "Run For Cover" is featured on that LP, and was also released as a single. The track has it all- drama, tension, and a groove that, once again, hypnotizes me and sends me into a really great place.

Run For Cover

Over at the Daily 45, I re-posted another amazing Dells track, the title track of their masterpiece LP, There Is. Check it out here. I recommend immediately buying and listening to this LP as soon as possible! While the '60's soul era is typically best represented by singles, this album hangs together as a whole, and every song on the album is stellar.

"Stay In My Corner" proved to be one of the Dells biggest hits, and this ballad (once again) shows Marvin's uber-powerful voice along with those sublime group harmonies. Luckily for us, this incredible live performance is available for our viewing and listening pleasure.

Every Mother's Son - "Allison Dozer" - The Mike Douglas Show - Live Vocals!

2013-05-29T09:46:17-04:00

Derek's Weekly 45: The Glorious Debut of The Rain Parade

2013-05-24T14:34:43-04:00

The Los Angeles music scene in the early 1980's was a place of diametric opposites in the early 1980's; the punk scene had become a form of conformity with cartoonish thugs churning out loud for the sake of being loud and held tightly to fashion while the last gasp of the bloated, cocaine driven superstar acts were still massive commercially but beginning to suffer a massive comedown culminating in a crash 'n' burn thanks to the visual media of MTV.

The Rain Parade were formed in 1981 by a pair of roomates- one California native (Steven Roback) and a transplant from Minneapolis (Matt Piucci). The pair were devouring music of the '60's, and found their creative calling within the sound of their The Byrds, The Doors and Love; bands that are the spiritual and geographical older brothers of The Rain Parade. The band drew inspiration from those groups and added the lilting drone of The Velvet Underground to the mix and created something that was entirely out of step with the rest of the L.A scene. The band was rounded out by Steven's brother David, Will Glenn, and Michael Murphy and within their first year together self released the incredible single you're about to enjoy. In a recent interview with The Austin Chronicle, Matt Piucci said of the times "When we started playing in Los Angeles, if you weren’t sweating like a pig in a ripped T-shirt and screaming at the top of your lungs, then you weren’t cool. It wasn’t valid. And we thought that was bullshit. We thought it was very punk of us to play waltz tempos slowly with acoustic guitars at punk clubs. We thought that was punk because nobody else was doing it."

What She's Done To Your Mind

I had the pleasure of asking Matt the other day if he had any special memories of the record, and he says

"It sure was a trip seeing that thing spin around for the first time. Recorded 8 track at Radio Tokyo n Venice with the late Ethan James. It was a tiny house that had been converted. I remember going in thinking I am putting a sitar in this no matter what!

Weird coincidence, I later learned that right before Ethan got it (the house that the studio was built in), my wife (who I was yet to meet) had lived there. Good karma"

Much has been made of the so-called 'Paisley Underground", and while the other bands associated with that scene drew on some obvious '60's influences, none matched the sheer blissed-out visionary droning brilliance of The Rain Parade. At this time, the only other band that was even performing were the still developing Bangles, who were known earlier as The Colors, then The Bangs, then by their more famous name. Bangles leader Susannah Hoffs was a neighbor of the Robacks and they all attended Pacific Palisades high school.

Matt's sitar is heard in all its glory on the b-side, the lysergic sugar cube bomb that is "Kaleidoscope".

Kaleidoscope

The Rain Parade went on to release a 5 star LP in 1983 (Emergency Third Rail Power Trip), and a 5 star EP in '84 (Explosions In The Glass Palace), as well as a live album and another studio effort. David Roback left the band after Emergency and formed (the also brilliant) groups Clay Allison (which became Opal), and eventually Opal morphed into Mazzy Star. Steven Roback formed Viva Saturn, and Matt Piucci Gone Fishin' and also played in the (Neil Young less) Crazy Horse.

One of the thrills of my life as a musician was sharing the stage (my band played on the same bill) with the recently reformed Rain Parade, last December at Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco. I stood in awe listening to these magical sounds which I never thought I'd be able to hear live. Several times I had to politely ask people "please talk to me later, as this is a big deal for me to LISTEN to this set!!!" I watched in awe as Matt laid out the same whammy bar moves on the same Gretsch Tennessean as on the videos I've seen of the group back in the early '80's. Check out these two performances of "No Easy Way Down"; the first from 1983, the other 2012. -Derek See

The Bedazzled Radio Hour with Spike Priggen #8 - The La's

2013-05-19T10:10:40-04:00

Here's an MP3 of The Bedazzled Radio Hour with Spike Priggen #8 - The La's. Lots of great b-sides and outtakes along with the best songs from their one (and only) great album. "Like" The Bedazzled Radio Hour on FaceBook.

Derek's Weekly 45's: Myron And E

2013-05-17T14:02:21-04:00

While the crop of old school sounds that have popped back into consciousness within the past ten or so years may be looked at as a revival or comeback, only a fool would say that soul music had EVER gone away.

Music has always been the center of my existence, and I remember back in the late 70's/ early '80's, TV commercials were full of reworked soul tunes (remember that floor cleaner using Robert Parker's 'Barefootin'?), and it's impossible to go anywhere in the world without hearing classic soul music, whether on the radio, piped into stores, etc. Not difficult to understand, as this music is LIFE.

Of the current soul groups, I really, really love Oakland, CA based Myron & E. They've released 4 great 45's in the past few years, and the first time that I heard 2010's 'It's A Shame" I was fooled for a moment and thought it was an early '70's bay area track that I'd never been hipped to before! The song has that perfect melancholy-but-swinging late '60's/ early '70's sound that's heard on records by the likes of The Natural Four, but adds a definite little bit of post hip hop flavor in a way that I can't quite explain. The duo vocals have a very unique vibe that's part hesitant, part confident, but 100% pure soul.

It's A Shame

"Cold Game" is the duo's debut 45 from 2008, and the sound is laid out perfectly on the debut, which has such a great intro. The guitar lick, amazingly soulful drumming and groovy strings set it all up for this cool song that gets even better when the vocals arrive. The vocals are unison a whole lot of the time, then the fellas break out into a super funky harmony that just makes me smile.

Cold Game

Turns out that Myron has been performing for 20+ years, and was one of the dancers on TV's In Living Color in the early '90's. He eventually relocated to the bay area, toured as a backing singer with Blackalicious which is where he met E (aka E Da Boss). E has been collecting soul records and DJing since his teens, and released a solo album as E The Boss. While on tour in europe, E recorded some tracks with The Soul Investigators group, and eventually realized that the tracks were perfect to collaborate vocally with Myron on.

The duo's debut LP is set to be released this July- preorder it from Stones Throw and get an immediate four song EP download (which is fabulous, by the way).

PLUS, I'm super excited to be sharing the stage with these fellas Saturday night in berkeley at the Starry Plough, with my band The Bang Girl Group Revue. The super cool New Love Soul Revue are also on the bill, and E will be joining me behind the turntables for some DJ action.

Alan Merrill's a Dead-ringer for Michael Jackson!

2013-05-17T10:59:51-04:00

Some of you Rock Fans may have heard of Alan Merrill (... "The Face of '69"! Just like Peter Frampton was "the Face of '68", does that ring a bell? ) :

If not, here's for reminders :

The son of two jazz musicians, singer Helen Merrill, and saxophone/clarinet player Aaron Sachs, Alan is mostly known for having penned the original version of Joan Jett's mega-hit : "I Love Rock'n'Roll" with his band of American and English expats in Japan at the time, The Arrows (... Not the Davie Allan garage-band famous for Biker movie anthem : "Blues Theme"! ) :

After auditionning for New York band, the Left Banke in 1968, Alan left to Japan when that band dissolved, to join and replace Mark Elder, the lead guitarist of The Lead, a band of other American expats on RCA Victor Records, sharing the scene with Japanese G.S. (Group Sounds) bands of the era like the Spiders, Tigers, Tempters, the Mops or the Carnabeats... It was a foreign Tokyo based act who had one hit single, "Aoi Bara" (Blue Rose) and did a good cover of the famous psychedelic pop tune found on Clint Eastwood's '68 hit movie "Coogan's Bluff" : "Pidgeon Toed Orange Peel"...

Recommended to the group by his girlfriend Michi Nakao (a featured Go-Go dancer at Tokyo's most prestigious discotheque in the 1960s : Mugen), Alan helped them finish their second album for RCA, "Sound Of Silence" (also an album of cover songs) which was already in progress, singing four songs on the recording and playing lead guitar on a few tracks. When another member, Phil Trainer, had similar legal complications in Japan as Mark Elder previously and left Tokyo in 1969, the label dropped the band. Alan then went solo with Watanabe Productions, and was the first male signing to Atlantic Records Japan, recording the chart hit single "Namida." (Merrill's later career is well documented on the internet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Merrill His most famous act being the Arrows, formed by him back in London in 1974 where he played as lead singer and bass guitarist, and their aforementionned classic hit covered by Joan Jett...)

Now, Alan is part of my friends on Facebook (yes, I have the honor of sharing friendship with quite a few 60's legends on there, hehe... ) where he regularly pops up on my News Feed and I had noticed for some time the ressemblance he had now with "Bad" era Michael Jackson that, one day I couldn't help commenting this under one of his photo updates (a lot of other friends must've noticed too but, I was one of the rare daring to point that out regardless of the fact that it might bother him...) and, lo and behold, Alan came back the next day on the chat line showing me this link from his Tumblr account with a story on that very similarity :
http://alanmerrill.tumblr.com/post/43326348710/michael-jackson-and-me

... I was stunned! "Michael Jackson and Me" : a first hand account of his meeting Michael and sharing the stage with the Jackson 5 during their first Japanese tour on May 1973, when Alan's new Glam band : Vodka Collins was enjoying further success in the land of the Rising Sun (during the interim after the Lead and before the Arrows hit); I found that chapter so interesting I got the idea for writing this new article for Bedazzled! on the spot. I asked his approval and somehow needed his kind participation, so... here you get that interview : (one good thing with the internets is that it render things instantaneous! )

1) Have people already dare point out your today's ressemblance to Michael Jackson? 

My mother was the first person to point it out to me. She said that he was changing his face slowly with surgery, little by little, to look like me around 1972-'73. This ('72-'73) was during the time of my band Vodka Collins. Since then quite a few people have mentioned it and there are people who say I'm copying him. But I'm just being me.

2) What do you think of it, does it bother you or make you feel uneasy, knowing Michael's late fate?

No, foremost I'm happy that when we did the show together in 1973 in Tokyo at the Imperial Theater that I might possibly have made such a strong impression on him. Of course I'm sad that Michael passed away under such tragic circumstances. I did note that in the film (his last) "This Is It" he was wearing the same (recreated) silver lamé jacket that I was wearing when we performed together all those years ago in 1973. It gave me the chills.

3) You were already a recording star in Japan by the late sixties when the Jackson 5 had barely started; when did you first get aware of Michael?

I was aware of the J-5 when they started from the time of their first hit single "I want you back" which was in 1969. It was on the radio in Japan all the time. They were on the radio with that and then their next hit "ABC" and others. I started recording professionally in Japan in 1968 at age 17 with a band called The Lead (RCA Victor). But the J-5 didn't tour Japan until 1973 when we did the show together. The Vodka Collins / Jackson 5 double bill.

4) When you first saw him sharing that stage at that soundcheck while talking to his brothers Jermaine and Tito, did you ever imagined he would turn out the way he turned out to be : a Huge star and a kinda Pop martyr? Did you already sense that doom as well as felt his aura? 

Michael was already a big star but not a super star in the Elvis league yet, but he would get there with "Thriller." He just seemed like a very shy boy of 15 years of age. Impressionable. In awe of being in Japan. It was their first trip to Japan as a band and the show we shared was the their first show ever in Japan. I thought he was very slick and professional for a teenager. Michael already had a solo hit with "Ben" then. I could never have imagined how his life would change and that he would have such a tragic ending ultimately.

5) What do you think of it now? Do you feel sad or are you just happy to have met the Motown child star then? 

Yes, I'm sad. I wish I'd had the chance to see him again in this life. Of course I'm happy to have met him and all the J-5 and to have worked the same stage with them. Looking back, it's amazing.

6) Do you think your stage performance and appearance in full Glam attire and make-up as Vodka Colllins then had a definite influence on his later own stage appearances with the Jackson 5, for ex. during the Disco era and even later during his Billie Jean/ Beat it Superstardom? 

I'll never know for sure. Other people tell me that all the time though, especially my friends and band mates who saw the show in Tokyo in 1973 and were backstage watching Michael watching me. He was clearly very impressed by what I was doing, smiling wide and dancing to my songs from the side of the stage. He didn't miss a minute of my sound check or my performance I think he saw a lot of new vistas opening up that he had been sheltered from. The glam rock thing was new and he was loving it. It was liberating for him, at least I think so.

7) Do you have something to add : what would be your last word on that encounter episode? 

It was a fantastic one day experience. I was so impressed when The J-5 played their set because I knew every song. They were all hits, their whole show. I watched the show from the side of the stage. It was an honor for me to play on the same show with the J-5 on their first show ever in Japan, and if I actually made any influence on Michael I hope it was a musically and visually energizing positive experience for him.

... Interesting inside story, eh? So, the next time you'd be thinking of Michael Jackson, think again ... The Face of '69 is not far behind. :-)

http://www.alanmerrill.com/

http://nippop.com/artists/The_Lead/