Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Pictures From Life's Other Side

Some of you guys may recall that last September I discovered my 70s band's DIY single was going for twenty-five bucks on eBay, a turn of events that I for one am still convinced was a clear sign of the End Times.


After I first posted about it, a couple of obviously morbidly curious folks asked me what the record sounded like, and at the time, I didn't have a digital copy at the ready, so I couldn't embarass myself by sharing.

Well, I no longer have that excuse. So here it is -- The Hounds and the a-side of their 1976 single, the hopefully entertaining pop-Stones pastiche "Call Me." Professionally remastered on vintage analog equipment for the exorbitant fee of fifty bucks, which spells quality in my book.

You can listen to it by clicking the link below.



If I understand the new file sharing service I'm using, you can also actually download it from there as well, and apparently their authorizations don't expire. If I'm wrong on either count, just e-mail me and I'll send you the mp3.

The guitar on the right channel doing the lame little Chuck Berry riff thingy between verses is me, BTW. The guy doing the amazing Nicky Hopkins piano impression throughout is an old friend named Alfred Marcelli. The song was written by the guitar player on the left channel, my pal Tony Forte, whose legendary Rickenbacker twelve-string I blogged about when it turned 40.

But...here's the deal. Out of obviously collossal preening vanity, I thought it might be a good idea to do a sort of limited edition CD reissue of the record, mostly to give to the other band members (now scattered to the winds) and to some old friends who suffered through countless bad gigs back in the day.

Well, mirabile dictu, I've actually done it -- with extensive production credits and four bonus tracks from the original master tapes, including a brand new digital mix of the b-side and our stellar white girl cover of Smokey Robinson's "You Beat Me to the Punch." All the stuff that didn't get us signed to a major label, in other words.

Anyway, the reissue comes in a spiffy new package that looks for all the world like a real commercial CD, complete with hitherto unsuspected group pix and a disc that reproduces the look of the original 45. So -- if you liked the clip and are so perverse of ears as to want to hear more, I'll be happy to send you a copy if you send me the postage.



Or, barring that, simply beg me. Within reason, I'm easy.

And don't hold any of this stuff against us -- we were kids.

17 comments:

Dave said...

If this were a Thursday, I'd say: Best single by a rock critic. Good stuff, Steve.

Gummo said...

Nothing to hold against you, man, that's some fun stuff right there.

Hold your head high.

Anonymous said...

whew. for a second I thought you were a member of the Hounds that were on Columbia (or was it Epic?).

steve simels said...

No, those guys were from Chicago.

And we had already broken up when they got their record deal.

Pissed me off no end, as you can imagine.
:-)

Wendy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Wendy said...

We won't hold the Wings t-shirt against you ... :-)

ms. rosa said...

Lord a-mighty, y'all had me hand clapping along! Good stuffs...

DFH in Dubrovnik said...

Hey Steve, it's plain to see you guys enjoyed playing together, and that's a very solid rocker, woulda been cutting edge around 1965 :-) Seriously, thanks for the post, I wouldn't mind hearing your entire oeuvre...

Who Am Us Anyway? said...

As always, multiple items of ultra coolness at powerpop this past week, with this latest Simels present the cream of the crop, pick of the pack, top of the heap i say.

Unknown said...

Beautiful!

Unknown said...

I really like that song! Now I totally want to pester you for a CD. How exactly does one beg on the internet? I will send you postage and probably a weird mix I've made or something in thanks. BEG BEG BEG!

I also like the little piano noodling/solo interlude.

steve simels said...

Elka:

Thanks for the kind words.

Oh hell, just e-mail me your home addy, and I'll make you a copy when I get a chance..

TJWood said...

Adam Lambert should be covering this on American Idol, not Steppenwolf, not Tears for Fears, not Foghat.

Seriously, quite enjoyable, even the quasi-Chuck Berry type riffing between the verses. A little similar to what he English pub-rock bands like Dr. Feelgood were doing at that time, though maybe not quite at that level.

Anonymous said...

Hey Simels:

The public has spoken!!!!

ROTP(lumber)

Cleveland Bob said...

Pub Rock indeed. I got taste of Small Faces, some Monkees and a little titch of Eddie and The Hot Rods.

Unknown said...

Thank you Steve! I will.

Libby Spencer said...

I loved it. I would so have been a fan of your band.