Anglophile Krautrock
THE SONICS “Hitch Hike” 7” a 1966
Garage rocker
THE SONICS “Hey Baby” 7” a
1966 soulful Garage tune
THE SONICS “Reflections Of Nine” a
1971 unreleased 12-minute masterpiece of Progressive Rock recorded at the
band’s studio in Hilgershausen, supposed to be released by Ariola but turned
down by the label
A band that had been resident in Germany
for six years and had assimilated to the German musical approach recorded a
piece called “Reflections Of Nine” in 1970. It is demanding, sophisticated and
superior to many of their German contenders’ musical efforts.
You can listen to it here, but I’ll also
lead you back to the beginnings of the band and its Garage Rock background:
“Hitch Hike” from 1966 and “Hey Girl” from the same year.
You can read only part one of the band’s
history here. For the rest you have to see my next blog upload. There I will offer
you the band’s masterpiece - “The Music to ‘Howl’” - and part two of the band’s
history.
Due to their release on the German label
Paletten Records, The Sonics from London have been collectible. They first won
the hearts of the German punters when they played at “Hit-Parade“, Stadthalle
Kassel, Dec. 25th, 1965. They soon recorded a Garage Rock classic, went up and
down, and by 1970 found them playing 50 performances as musical support to a
modern version of a Greek comedy: “Lysistrata“. Author was an existentialist
named Aristophanes, yet the Sonics were the musical trumpeteers. With a foot in
the theatre world now, the Sonics were involved in “40° im Schatten”, a musical
with Judy Winter and Rainer Schöne. In the (Rock-) opera ”Popgeheuer“, the band
shared the musical score with the orchestra, where Brian and his gigantic drum
set were given a stage of their own and he played with the orchestra as well as
the band.
The highlight in their late career was a
ballet version of Ginsbergs “Howl“, 80 performances all in all, not always live
though, as you will later learn. And not all the Sonics were present in the
theatre in the end.
Ray King had started as early as 1962 with
a band called The Cruisers in London – at the 2i’s Coffee Bar. The Cruisers
backed Dickie Pride, Johnny Gentle, Duffy Power, Shane Fenton, Tommy Bruce,
Paul Raven among others. They cruised the Mecca Ballrooms and other important
venues. They recorded for Joe Meek and Glyn Johns. Ray King: “At that time I
was offered a job which I declined. Damn! It was the Hollies, where my old mate
Bobby Elliot drummed.” When two of The Cruisers married, the band broke up.
Ray King then replaced Albert Lee in
“Shepperton’s most underrated son” Jackie Lynton’s band, The Teen Beats. The
bass was handled by Mick Brunning. One of the singers was Brian Casser who
renamed himself Casey Jones soon and recorded a single for Columbia with a
studio band as Casey Jones & The Engineers. The guitar was played by Ray
King. King also was playing a few gigs
with Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds. At the same time he was doing
sessions for Les Reed, for instance “Minuet Mash”, which he co-produced.
In 1964 Big John McCall, sax, voc, left John
O’Hara & his Playboys to stay in Germany, and Ray King was offered a job to
play in Screaming Lord Sutch’s band, yet declined because he didn’t want Jackie
Lynton to be left in mid-air. But suddenly Jackie decided to stop his career.
Ray then went on to play with Lord Sutch, then The Jury (featuring Roy Mills
and Bob Xavier) as backing band for the Springfields.
Suddenly John O’Hara called Ray and asked
him to come over to Germany to take over some gigs because he had too many
contracts, but the Jury declined.
As Big John McCall had founded a new band,
The Sonics, which was not yet complete, his agency convinced Ray and friend to
come to Germany. However, things were a bit complicated and band members ended
up in jail, as the agency – due to a fatal accident of its boss – was
dysfunctional. However freshly released from jail, Big John with his mates
“Hughie”, bass, Brian Wilson, drums, Joe McGee, organ, teamed up with Michael
“Mick” Brunning, also bass, and Ray King in Bückeburg. It was Ray’s third stay
in Germany, the first was with Jackie Lynton and the second with the Jury.
The Bückeburg club owners swiftly
collected the band members’ passports and proved to be as exploitive as can be.
Soon Big John and Hughie disappeared. The remaining band members shortened the
name to The Sonics, but unfortunately lacked jobs. Erich Marggraf from Niederbeisheim
had a pub called “Bei Erich”, and he offered the band a cottage to live in and
occasional jobs at his pub. King: „I once asked him why he did this, but he
only said that somebody from Liverpool helped him to get back on his feet when
he was really down.”
The band, now comprising of King, Brunning,
Wilson and McGee, held a council of war and decided to stay in Germany and
accept the challenge. They put on their best suits and asked every pub owner
and club owner in the region to offer them a gig, but the club owners of Die
Tenne or Club 21, both popular venues in Kassel, denied. The pub owners,
however, agreed when the band offered to play for the door money only. So by
and by the band gained a following, developed a stage act, advance their
musical skills and extend their stage gear. Suddenly also bigger clubs like Die
Tenne and Club 21 were eager to offer them jobs.
The band knew that in order to move a
league upwards they had to have a record. Paletten Records, a small label,
offered them a single deal, and they recorded “Hitch Hike” for the A-side,
which Mick Brunning’s former bandmate in The Cadillacs and Jackie Lynton’s Teen
Beats Tony Philips had written. The Sonics covered the song in a metal cloak, a
real Teen Punk scorcher. Even the Leiber-Stoller flipside was a goodie. That
was the time when the band bought a bale of chequered cloth and had a set of
trousers tailored. Really cool.
The German major label Ariola became
interested, and wanted to rerelease Hitch Hike, but cancelled it and instead
had the band record two band compositions. “Hey Baby” was a great soulful
rocker. The B-side was aiming at a degree of complexity that the band couldn’t yet
handle - something they would be able to in a few years.
After meeting Kenny McGaskill (ex-The
Fleets), the band recorded “Obladi Oblada” – a minor discotheque hit. But Kenny
was short-lived, and the band turned towards more progressive material
(Hendrix, Cream etc.) and composed their own material. When they released an
album in 1969, it was rather a patchwork blanket than a duvet. They also
thought it fit to shorten their name to The Sonic.
Mick suddenly left the band to support his
ailing mother in England, Georg Röber, the German in the band, replaced him. And
it was The Sonics again. The band co-operated with people who were connected to
Staatstheater Kassel. At the same time the Sonics built their own studio in
Hilgershausen.
The band was asked to do more advanced and
progressive stuff, and they were only too eager to deliver. Thus “Reflections
Of Nine”, composed by Ray King, was recorded in the band’s studio. It was
triggered off by Ariola who wanted more Sonics material to release, but
suddenly never contacted the band again. But the musical output was on a high
level. It is something we could call Anglian Kraut Rock.
1)
THE SONICS “Hitch Hike” 7” a 1966
Garage rocker#
2) THE SONICS “Hey Baby” 7” a
1966 soulful Garage tune
3)
THE SONICS “Reflections Of Nine” a
1971 unreleased 12-minute masterpiece of Progressive Rock recorded at the
band’s studio in Hilgershausen, supposed to be released by Ariola but turned
down by the label
To read on you must open my upload following this. More than Progressive Rock – THE SONICS play Ginsberg’s “Howl” =
Anglian Krautrock mastery
