Knickerbockers Anyone?

bear · Post by **bear** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 4:25 pm

Sundazed Records has three Knickerbockers releases in print:

Knickerbockerism! (2-CD Set)
Lies
Jerk & Twine Time

They also have Rockin' With the Knickerbockers on 180 gram Vinyl for the purists.

I believe they were all remastered as well.

Sundazed Records

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 11:23 pm

Friday on My Mind was very good but their best recording from what I consider a lost classic was Hello How Are You which just made the top twenty in UK the contrast in style was totally different to Friday

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 11:48 pm

I thought the Easybeats had another hit over here Roy.....'Hello How Are You' peaked at no. 20 in April, 1968.

Scastles · Post by **Scastles** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 1:47 am

I recall Friday On My Mind as getting a lot of airplay in '67? but wasn't sure if it ever charted real high. I know I played it when I got into radio in '69. I think it was considered more of a 'turntable' hit than a big seller but it was a great song! I think the Easybeats could have had more success but weren't considered real radio friendly at the time other than FOMM. Another group who showed promise and talent (but really had only one big hit) was the Left Banke. They scored with 'Walk Away Renee' and that was about it. And, I believe, on the flipside of that same 45 was a song called, Pretty Ballerina, which I recall playing on the air. And maybe Roy can answer this, I want to say the lead singer of the group was about 16?

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 1:59 am

In the UK, Friday On My Mind peaked at no 7 in Dec 1966 & was gone by the 2nd week of Jan.

I knew this book of British top twenty would come in handy one day!

admin · Post by **admin** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 2:30 am

Thanks Steve. The Knickerbockers sounded very British to me but had some very interesting guitar parts that briefly put them ahead of their time.

bassman · Post by **bassman** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 3:12 am

Looks to me like the guitar player in the upper left is holding a RIC. You can only see the headstock and TRC, but it's definately a RIC which would help create the "illusion" of being British.

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 3:18 am

Pretty Ballerina Stan was the follow up release to Walk Away Renee, lead singer was Steve Martin who was a teenager certainly not sure if he was 16 or not. You may be thinking of Michael Brown who was 16 when he wrote the song. At one time it was reported that Steve Tyler of Aerosmith sang backing vocals but in some interview years later he denied it.

Scastles · Post by **Scastles** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 3:56 am

You refreshed my memory, Roy. And as I understand it Brown wrote the tune about one of the members of the bands older sister. Does that sound right? Somehow I thought PB was on the flip of Renee, guess not.

royclough · Post by **royclough** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 4:14 am

Yes Stan that is right about a girlfriend of Tim Finn's.

bill_yantz · Post by **bill_yantz** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:49 am

Jon, there has been some debate on other sites about "the guitar" that was used on the Knickerbockers, "lies." Some say they have read where it was a Telecaster through a fender amp and of couse others, a Rickenbacker 360, Mapleglo, that was seen from their perfomances on TV shows like "Where the Action Is", "Lloyd Thaxton" and "Hullabaloo."

Lies was "so good." When I first heard it (64-65?), I thought it was the Beatles (Lennon).

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:22 pm

Sorry to come in late on this old thread, but I love the song "Lies". I have it on the "Nuggets" tape I exercise to in the garage (appropriately). The first two chords of "Lies" sound like a C going up to a D, which is the intro to "I Want To Hold Your Hand". This has led me to imagine that perhaps the Knickerbockers were messing around with some fab 4 tunes, and came up with this very Beatle-esque rocker as a result.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:46 pm

When the song was on Top-40 radio ('66?) I remember the Chicago deejays pushing it as a new Beatlesque group. And they did sound like the Beatles of two years prior...

revolver323 · Post by **revolver323** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 3:57 pm

Still have the Knickerbockers "Lies" in my 45 collection. The Beau Brummels were mentioned briefly above and actually were more than a one-hit wonder. Three hit wonder -- "Laugh Laugh," "Just A Little," "You Tell Me Why," although the second two were less successful. I have a Brummels greatest hits CD, and it gets thin pretty quickly -- so much so that I wonder why a new 4-CD retroapective on the group has been released. "Still In Love With You Baby" the B Side of Laugh LAugh" was pretty good, too.

shamustwin · Post by **shamustwin** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 3:30 am

My best pal Drummed in an '80's reincarnation of the Beau Brummels, as well as an incarnation of Blue Cheer from about the same time.