EVIL - From A Curbstone / Short Life (Florida Archive Recordings 6601)(PS) 7" 45 r.p.m. vinyl single!
Absolutely MONSTER previously unreleased ’66 Miami, Florida Punk doubledecker by the legendary “Whatcha Gonna Do About It / Always Runnin' Around” crew!
One of the by far BEST unreleased U.S. 60s records is finally available for the very first time ever as a limited 45 rpm thanks to Norvegian top 60s collector Tage Weie, who has been cool enough to get in touch with the bandleader John Doyle! It was also Tage who had been convincing John Doyle that the two songs should finally be released. Something that we all should be glad about, because the two songs easily rate amongst the finest from the 60s!
If I would have to put a vote for the best 60s Punk reissue 45 of recent years, then it would most probably be this one!
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| ABOVE: EVIL press clip from 1967 puts one error: WFUN's Dade County Youth Fair Battle Of The Bands featuring EVIL was really held in March '66 (not in 1965) |
I've been familar to EVIL's classic record Whatcha Gonna Do About It / Always Runnin' Around since back when the two songs were first bootlegged on the Boulders series in 1981.
The classic first EVIL lineup was consisting of John Doyle (lead vocals), Stan Kinchen (lead guitar), Al Banyai (rhythm guitar), Doug Romanella (drums), and Larry O'Connell (bass). This is the lineup that has also played on all of their records too, with the sole exception of the track Whatcha Gonna Do About It, which was recorded by a different, later lineup.
They were formed by Stan Kinchen, Al Banyai, and John Doyle in summer of 1965. The band was named by John Doyle. By September 1965 their lineup was completed by the joining of Doug Romanella on drums, and Larry O'Connell on bass. With this first lineup they've already been winning WFUN's annual Dade County Youth Fair Battle Of The Bands in March '66, that had promptly led them to the recording / cutting of three demo only acetates.
JOHN DOYLE: "It was the 1966 Youth Fair. It looks like it wasn't always held in the same month each year. I know it was winter because I had bragged that if we won the Battle of the Bands (a long shot I thought), I would jump into the large lake behind the tent. (Cleve Johns of The Shaggs called it "The Noise in a Tent Contest") Well, we won and I jumped into the lake and then wore wet clothes for an hour or two after we won....it was COLD!!!!!! Ah, youth,eh?"
Their band leader John Doyle doesn't seem to remember about the title of the song that they were originally recording for the flipside of their still lost demo-only Always Runnin' Around acetate anymore.
JOHN DOYLE: "Not sure about the demo sides. We didn't record My Generation, as I remember, would have loved to do so. All of this happened very early in the band's short history, so things naturally are a bit hazy. We really hadn't played jobs often, if ever, before we won the contest. I turned 17 the month the band began and Stan was 16 years old. I can close my eyes and still see Stan's yellow legal pad with his ideas for songs, poems and titles (there was also another song that didn't get recorded...Sanctuary For Falling Rocks...("My time was coming....but passed me by...like the last rays of sunshine.....I refuse to die!"). All that to say, a few of Stan's ideas became songs that we practiced (along with Doug's songs) the others were unfinished and essentially never played, especially in public. Somehow, I think we were made aware that our free recording time didn't include tons of mixing and frills, so there would ample time to do more than 2 or 3 songs. The largest percent of I'm Movin' On was written at 65 MPH on the way to the Studio."
Around 15 years later, after my first discovering of the band EVIL on Dave Gibson's poorely made Boulders bootleg series, I've picked up the brandnew EVIL split LP from the Corduroy label out of Australia in ca. 1997. The true highlights for me from that LP have always been the two unreleased EVIL cuts I'm Movin' On, and I Know I'll Die! After listening to I'm Movin' On I've finally realized that the band was rightfully called EVIL! I'm Movin' On is a super wild but still perfectly played 60s punk raver from the top that builds up into perhaps the most sonic, savage, screaming punk climax ever put to wax! Real dynamite stuff, but probably much too wild for most labels to release back in the 60s!
Limestone Records )
Jeff's book already had most of the unreleased EVIL cuts listed. Jeff had also written the liner notes text for the Corduroy LP, where he was mentioning that the lost track From A Curbstone was supposed to be even BETTER than all the other EVIL tracks that had previously surfaced!
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| EVIL, ca. December 1966: L-R: John Doyle, Doug Romanella |
They are both killer U.S. 60s Punk ravers with perhaps flashes of Pretty Things, Fairies (yes, they were even covering Get Yourself Home at some point), Them, Yardbirds, and the likes! Both cuts would have fit perfectly on the highly acclaimed Back From The Grave series!
From A Curbstone b/w Short Life comes complete with expertise liner notes by noted writter/collector Jeff Lemlich on the stylish flipback cover! This 100% legal release has been limited to just 500 copies, and should still be available from those fine folks at Feathered Apple Records (ships worldwide), Crypt (Germany), Ugly Things Mailorder / Mike Stax (CA), State Records (UK), Distortions (PA), Lenox (Paris), Mike Dugo (IL), Butterfly Records (Spain), Penniman Records (Spain), Wolfgang Voelkel (Germany), Warehouse (Japan), Wowsville Record Shop (Berlin, Germany), as well as from any other cool worldwide shop / mailorder service that usually carries all the boss 60s wax!
EVIL OFFICIAL DISCOGRAPHY:
PART 1: 45s
I'm Movin' On / I Know I'll Die (Dukoff Recording Studios) unreleased acetate
Date Of Recording: 1966
Date Of Release: Never released!
Comments: Unreleased 8" acetate from 1966! EVIL's victory at WFUN's 1966 Dade County Youth Fair Battle Of The Bands had led the band to the recording this acetate, as well as to the recording of the following two acetates below.
From A Curbstone / Short Life (Dukoff Recording Studios) unreleased acetate
Date Of Recording: 1966
Date Of Release: Never released!
Comments: Unreleased 8" acetate from 1966! It was recorded as first price upon EVIL's victory of WFUN's 1966 Dade County Youth Fair Battle Of The Bands.
Always Runnin' Around / ? (unknown) (Dukoff Recording Studios) unreleased acetate
Date Of Recording: 1966
Date Of Release: Never released!
Comments: Unreleased 8" acetate from 1966! It was recorded as first price upon EVIL's victory of WFUN's 1966 Dade County Youth Fair Battle Of The Bands.
Whatcha Gonna Do About It? / Always Runnin' Around (Living Legend LL 108)
Date Of Recording: 1967, and 1966
Date Of Release: April 1967
Comments: Unedited original version! This is much superior to the later, edited version released by Capitol Records. Always Runnin' Around was recorded at Dukoff Recording Studios in 1966. Whatcha Gonna Do About It? was later on recorded with a different lineup at Criteria in possibly around early 1967. Only 500 copies made!
Always Runnin' Around / Whatcha Gonna Do About It? (Capitol P 2038)
Date Of Recording: 1967, and 1965
Date Of Release: October 1967
Comments: The national release on Capitol Records included an edited version of Whatcha Gonna Do About It?
Watcha Gonna Do About It / Always Runnin' Around (Germany - Capitol K 23 698)
Date Of Recording: 1967, and 1966
Date Of Release: December 1967
Comments: The German issue came with the edited version of Whatcha Gonna Do About It? too. Please note the funny misspelling of the songtitle on the record cover. It was released towards the very end of December 1967.
From A Curbstone / Short Life (Florida Archive Recordings F.A.R. 6601)
Date Of Recording: 1966
Date Of Release: 2012
Comments: Limited first pressing of 500 copies on black vinyl! The first 65 copies came with hand numbered Picture sleeve!
From A Curbstone / Short Life (Florida Archive Recordings F.A.R. 6601)
Date Of Recording: 1966
Date Of Release: 2012
Comments: Professionally remastered 2nd pressing of 600 copies on yellow vinyl. Soundquality of this version is much superior to the black vinyl pressing!
Previously unreleased 1966 Miami, Florida garage punk - the real thing! These two songs, 'From A Curbstone' and 'Short Life' were recorded in 1966 and soon after, the demo acetates went missing. Our bass player's mother found them a while back in a hat box and after 46 years, this is the first public offering. If you liked our 'Whatcha Gonna Do About It' cover of the Small Faces classic, I think you'll love this. 'Curbstone' was written as my response to being dumped by my first girlfriend and finally I get my revenge. Both sides would have perfectly fit onto the highly acclaimed Back From The Grave series. Great liner notes by Jeff Lemlich, Florida's legendary rock historian on the stylish flip-back cover. This is the first time the band has had control of a release and it feels good. Be the first on your block to own this little gem. (John Doyle, leadsinger of Evil)
I'm Movin' On / I Know I'll Die (Florida Archive Recordings / Limestone Records FAR / LS 6602)
Date Of Recording: 1966
Date Of Release: March 2013
Comments: First official reissue of their 2nd MONSTER unreleased '66 acetate as a vinyl 45! Comes with linernotes by noted Florida '60s music expert Jeff Lemlich!
The cover and label artwork were done by the very famous Canadian artist Darren Merinuk.
"One of the wildest, most all-out garage punkers ever, paired with one of the brutally honest tear-your-heart-out moody garage ballads" (Jeff Lemlich)
Ltd. to 600 copies only!
Dedicated to the memory of John Doyle, who sadly passed away during the production of this 45.
PART 2: LPs
EVIL / THE MONTELLS - Same (Australia - Corduroy CORD 027) 1997
Comments: Rare split LP with THE MONTELLS on the Australian Corduroy label from 1997. It contains four (4) tracks by EVIL (I'm Moving On / Whatcha Gonna' Do About It? / I Know I'll Die / Always Runnin' Around), along with 6 cuts by THE MONTELLS.
The Corduroy LP cover puts a couple of errors:
1) The band name should have read EVIL, not THE EVIL.
2) Track #3: Don't Put Me Down (uncensored) got wrongly credited to THE EVIL on the LP cover! Fact is that Don't Put Me Down (uncensored) was recorded by THE MONTELLS for the flipside of their Saint / Blue Saint label Singles.
3) They wrongly put "LL 103" (instead of the correct "LL 108") as release number for EVIL's debut Single on the Living Legend label.
EVIL / THE MONTELLS - Same (Australia - Corduroy CORD 027) 1997, red vinyl LP, with poster insert!
Comments: Rare possibly promo - only red vinyl pressing. Comes with unique poster insert of EVIL drummer Jeff Allen meeting the PRETTY THINGS drummer Viv Prince in London!
EVIL LINKS:
JOHN DOYLE of the Miami Band EVIL — We’ll Always Remember (by Jeff Lemlich):
http://savagelost.com/john-doyle-of-the-miami-band-evil-well-always-remember
EVIL interview with John Doyle by Hitomi:
http://60spunk.m78.com/flpunk.htm
In Memory Of JEFF ALLEN of EVIL:
http://limestonelounge.yuku.com/topic/2585
John Doyle of EVIL on My First Band:
http://www.myfirstband.com/FirstBandEvil.html
You have my eternal thanks for dedicating this page to my old friend, Jeff Allen. He was the heart and soul of both EVIL and The Montells. Rest easy Jeff, your name lives on!
ReplyDeleteJohn Doyle
He's gone, but not forgotten!
DeleteRest easy John Doyle, your name and music lives on!
ReplyDelete