From Garage Rock to Progressive masterpiece – The SONICS from UK = Anglian Krautrock

 

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