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Eric Burdon & the Animals
‘One of the most important bands originating from England’s Blues and R&B; scene during the early ’60s, the Animals were second only to the Rolling Stones in influence among R&B;/Blues-based bands in the first wave of the British Invasion. Known for their gritty, raw, bluesy sound and hard-voiced frontman Eric Burdon, as exemplified by their signature songs “House of the Rising Sun” and “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”, the band underwent numerous personnel changes, while influencing the later heavy metal music with the riffs of their rock songs such as “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” and “It’s My Life”. They emerged as an exponent of psychedelic music before dissolving at the end of the decade.’ — collaged

‘When I Was Young’ (live, ’67)

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Ten Years After
‘Ten Years After is a British blues-rock quartet consisting of Alvin Lee, guitar and vocals; Chick Churchill, keyboards; Leo Lyons, bass; and Ric Lee, drums. The group was formed in 1967 in England. Their first album was not a success, but their second, the live Undead (1968) containing “I’m Going Home,” a six-minute blues workout by the fleet-fingered Alvin, hit the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Stonedhenge (1969) hit the U.K. Top Ten in early 1969. Ten Years After’s U.S. breakthrough came as a result of their appearance at Woodstock, at which they played a nine-minute version of “I’m Going Home.” Alvin wasn’t the most superb, technically gifted musician in the world. But he never stood on stage with a cold grin on his face, churning out his lightning-speed guitar fills out of pure self-indulgency and a burning desire to fill the top spot in any of the innumerable ‘best guitar players’ chart. Ten Years After split up in 1974.’ — collaged

‘Good Morning Little School Girl’ (live, ’68)

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Led Zeppelin
‘Led Zeppelin created the blueprint for heavy metal, but much of the Brit rock band’s hard-hitting sound was based on American blues. Their first two albums, with their heavy, guitar-driven blues rock sound, led to Led Zeppelin being regularly cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal and hard rock, even though the band’s individualistic style drew from varied sources and transcends any single music genre. Subsequent albums saw greater musical experimentation and were accompanied by record-breaking tours, which, like the group’s previous tours, earned them a reputation for excess. In the later 1970s the band’s output and touring schedule were limited by the personal difficulties and circumstances of the members. Led Zeppelin disbanded following drummer John Bonham’s sudden death in 1980.’ — collaged

‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ (live, ’68)

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Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac
‘The roots of Fleetwood Mac lie in John Mayall’s legendary British blues outfit, the Bluesbreakers. Bassist John McVie was one of the charter members of the Bluesbreakers, joining the group in 1963. In 1966 Peter Green replaced Eric Clapton, and a year later drummer Mick Fleetwood joined. Inspired by the success of Cream, the Yardbirds, and Jimi Hendrix, the trio decided to break away from Mayall in 1967. Their first album Fleetwood Mac was an enormous hit in the U.K., spending over a year in the Top Ten. Fleetwood Mac released English Rose and Then Play On during 1969, which both indicated that the band was expanding its music, moving away from its blues purist roots. That year, Green’s “Man of the World” and “Oh Well” were number two hits. Though his music was providing the backbone of the group, Peter Green was growing increasingly disturbed due to his large ingestion of hallucinogenic drugs. After announcing that he was planning to give all of his earnings away, Green suddenly left the band in the spring of 1970.’ — collaged

‘Oh Well’ (live, ’69)

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Free
‘Most remarkable about the birth of Free was the young age of the band members who first came together to rehearse and play on 19 April 1968. Bass player Andy Fraser was 15 years old, lead guitarist Paul Kossoff was 17, and both lead singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke were 18. By the early 1970s, Free was one of the biggest-selling British blues-rock groups; by the time the band dissolved in 1973, they had sold more than 20 million albums around the world and had played more than 700 arena and festival concerts. “All Right Now,” remains a rock staple, and had been entered into ASCAP’s “One Million” airplay singles club. In April 1971, due to differences between singer Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser, the drug problems of guitarist Paul Kossoff, and inconsistent record sales, the band broke up.’ — collaged

‘All Right Now’ (live, ’69)

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Jethro Tull
‘Jethro Tull was a unique phenomenon in popular music history. Their mix of hard rock; folk melodies; blues licks; and surreal, impossibly dense lyrics defied easy analysis, but that didn’t dissuade fans from giving them 11 gold and five platinum albums. Tull had its roots in the British blues boom of the late ’60s. At the time, a lot of blues enthusiasts didn’t accept wind instruments at all, especially the flute, as seminal to the sound they were looking for, and as a group struggling for success and recognition, Jethro Tull was just a little too strange in that regard. Guitarist Abrahams was a hardcore blues enthusiast who idolized British blues godfather Alexis Korner, but the audience for British blues by itself couldn’t elevate Jethro Tull any higher than being a top club act. Singer Ian Anderson’s antics on-stage, jumping around in a ragged overcoat and standing on one leg while playing the flute, and his use of folk sources as well as blues and jazz, gave the band the potential to grab a bigger audience and some much-needed press attention.’ — collaged

‘Nothing is Easy’ (live, ’69)

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Taste
‘During the latter half of the 1960s, during the peak of the British blues-rock craze, Ireland’s Taste, featuring Rory Gallagher, impressed crowds wherever they played. Featuring Gallagher’s extraordinary fretwork and dynamic showmanship, the band toured with superstars like Yes and Blind Faith, and even performed at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. Yet Taste never caught a break, and although influential and popular in England and Ireland, they never broke through to a U.S. audience. Taste released two studio albums: the self-titled Taste in 1969 and On The Boards in 1970. The critically-acclaimed On The Boards entered the Top 20 in England and featured a mix of guitar-driven blues, traditional boogie-rock, and even a pair of acoustic ballads, all showcasing Gallagher’s flaming fretwork and bottleneck slide guitar skills.’ — collaged

‘Blister on the Moon’ (live, ’69)

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Jimi Hendrix Experience
‘Under speaking name of this institution, connected with the outstanding American singer and guitarist Jimi Hendix, it is possible to guess about all most. Certainly, Jimi Hendrix Blues Club is, first of all, a blues-club, and unique club in St.-Petersburg where it is possible to hear the real American blues in excellent execution. This small cozy place is on the left coast of Neva, in the center Northern capital – on the Foundry prospectus, being one of city trunk mains. Laid in parallel Neva, the highway begins from street Fuchika (at once behind the Foundry bridge) and leaves on Rastrelli’s area. Jimi Hendix is the elite club devoted to the most elite music of all times and the people. On a scene here every day leave well-known and not so blues musicians, and to find here a free little table in the evenings – very much and very uneasy. Except a magnificent live blues, visitors have possibility to look at video with legendary Jimi Hendix and Eric Clapton’s the most known performances.’ — hendrix-club.ru

‘Red House’ (live, ’69)

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Blodwyn Pig
‘Blodwyn Pig were a British blues–rock group founded by guitarist–vocalist–songwriter Mick Abrahams, after he left Jethro Tull in 1968 due to a falling-out with Tull leader Ian Anderson. Blodwyn Pig recorded two albums, Ahead Rings Out in 1969 and Getting To This in 1970. Both reached the Top Ten of the UK Albums Chart and charted in the United States; Ahead Rings Out displayed a jazzier turn on the heavy blues–rock that formed the band’s core rooted in the British 1960s rhythm and blues scene from which sprang groups like The Yardbirds, Free and eventually Led Zeppelin. Saxophonist–singer Lancaster (who often played two horns at once, like his idol Rahsaan Roland Kirk) was at least as prominent in the mix as Abrahams; some critics thought this contrast bumped the band toward a freer, more experimental sound on the second album.’ — collaged

‘See My Way’ (live, ’69)

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Groundhogs
‘The Groundhogs fronted by Tony McPhee on Guitar and Vocals were a top Progressive Blues Rock Group. Emerging in the early sixties as a blues band, noted for backing visiting American Blues Artists such as John Lee Hooker. The band evolved in the latter part of the sixties into a heavy rock group scoring a hit with their fourth and possibly most popular album Split. Through the seventies the band continued to record and play live as a trio with changing band members, towards the end of the seventies recording as a four piece with addition of a second guitar. The band disbanded in the late seventies.’ — collaged

‘Cherry Red’ (’70)

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Rumplestiltskin
‘A uniquely talented British heavy blues rock band, Rumplestiltskin was the brainchild of American producer Shel Talmy. It was his idea to form a ‘supergroup’ that might rival the highly successful outfits that dominated the early Seventies, such as Status Quo and Led Zeppelin. Instead of picking young, untried rockers, Talmy brought together highly experienced professional session men. due to contractual reasons the band used rather strange names which might have been pseudonyms. Although their two albums weren’t hits, it was nevertheless a serious project.’ — collaged

‘Mr. Joe’ (’70)

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May Blitz
‘May Blitz was one of the first four bands signed by eminent progressive blues and heavy rock label, Vertigo, along with future legends Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, and the largely forgotten Juicy Lucy, whose less fortunate fate they would unfortunately share, in the end. Although usually attributed to former Jeff Beck Group drummer Tony Newman (who had played on the all-time classic Beck-Ola), May Blitz was in fact first envisioned in early 1969 by relative unknown James Black (lead vocals and guitar), who along with eventual bassist Reid Hudson was a Canadian, recently relocated to the U.K. in search of fame and fortune. Released in mid-1970, that self-produced platter showcased an interesting selection of proggy acid blues rock jams, infused with proto-metal guitar histrionics, but wasn’t distinctive enough, overall, to separate May Blitz from the hordes of competitors mining similar terrain.’ — collaged

‘Smokin’ the Day Away’ (’70)

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Stray
‘Stray formed in 1966. The group’s brand of melodic, hook-laden, blues-inflected hard rock proved to be a popular draw on the local club scene during the early 1970s. However the band did not have commercial success with its record releases. At one stage Charlie Kray, (brother of the Kray twins Ronnie and Reggie), was their manager. Gadd left the band in 1975 due to artistic differences and was replaced on vocals by Pete Dyer. The original Stray finally dissolved in 1977, although Bromham later continued to play in various resurrected versions of the project well into the 2000s. There are two Iron Maiden connections to Stray. “All in Your Mind” from Stray’s 1970 debut album was covered by Iron Maiden, and Maiden bassist Steve Harris’s daughter Lauren has covered “Come On Over”.’ — collaged

‘Suicide’ (’71)

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Humble Pie
‘When Humble Pie was formed in 1969, the act immediately garnered attention as one of the first “supergroups,” as its leading members, Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton, had already attained stardom in other rock bands. Marriott had played guitar and sang with the Small Faces, a successful rock act that had achieved a string of hits around the world, and Frampton had played guitar with the Herd, a pop-rock group that was popular in England. Dissatisfied with the direction their respective bands were taking, Marriott and Frampton decided to form Humble Pie as a rock band with a blues-oriented sound. The band was an immediate hit with critics and started to build solid sales when Frampton left the band in 1970. The group disbanded in 1974.’ — collaged

‘I Don’t Need No Doctor’ (live, ’71)

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Chicken Shack
‘This British blues-rock group is remembered mostly for their keyboard player, Christine Perfect, who would join Fleetwood Mac after marrying John McVie and changing her last name. Although they were one of the more pedestrian acts of the British blues boom, Chicken Shack was quite popular for a time in the late ’60s, placing two albums in the British Top 20. The frontperson of Chicken was not Perfect/McVie, but guitarist Stan Webb, who would excite British audiences by entering the crowds at performances, courtesy of his 100-meter-long guitar lead. They were signed to Mike Vernon’s Blue Horizon label, a British blues pillar that had its biggest success with early Fleetwood Mac.’ — collaged

‘Poor Boy’ (’71)

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Savoy Brown
‘Part of the late-’60s blues-rock movement, Britain’s Savoy Brown never achieved as much success in their homeland as they did in America, where they promoted their albums with nonstop touring. The band was formed and led by guitarist Kim Simmonds, whose dominating personality has led to myriad personnel changes. The band’s 1967 debut album, Shake Down, was a collection of blues covers. Seeking a different approach, Simmonds dissolved the group and brought in guitarist Dave Peverett, bassist Rivers Jobe, drummer Roger Earl, and singer Chris Youlden, who gave them a distinctive frontman with his vocal abilities, bowler hat, and monocle. With perhaps its strongest lineup, Savoy Brown quickly made a name for itself. However, Youlden left the band in 1970 following Raw Sienna, and shortly thereafter, Peverett, Earl, and new bassist Tony Stevens departed to form Foghat, continuing the pattern of consistent membership turnover. Simmonds collec
ted yet another lineup and began a hectic tour of America, showcasing the group’s now-refined bluesy boogie rock style, which dominated the rest of their albums.’ — collaged

‘Hellbound Train’ (live, ’72)

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Incredible Hog
‘Like so many early 70s bands, the three-piece London-based group Incredible Hog were a by product of the 60s British Blues Boom. In an attempt to mix melodic pop with heavy rock and intelligent, meaningful lyrics, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Ken Gordon and bassist Jim Holmes, who’d actually been at school together and played in the band Speed Auction, formed Incredible Hog in early 1972. When the band’s only album Volume 1 was released in mid-73, it received a lot of critical acclaim, but was too ahead of its time to generate acceptance from the general public. Nonetheless, the band toured the UK to promote the album and even started recording a follow-up, before a mixture of record company apathy and lack of commercial success led to the band folding late in 1973.’ — Alex Gitlin

‘Burnout’ (’73)

‘One of the most colorful characters in the annals of rock & roll, Kim Fowley has been, over the course of his decades-long career, a true jack-of-all-trades: singer, songwriter, producer, manager, disc jockey, and published poet. He was also the catalyst behind much of the music to emerge from the Los Angeles area during the 1960s and ’70s, guiding his associates and protégés to fame and fortune while remaining himself a shadowy cult figure well outside the margins of the mainstream. As a recording artist, songwriter, and producer, he has sold over 102 million records in a career that covers five decades.

‘Fowley’s scattergun career in the music industry has been as varied and eccentric as it has been eternal. He has generally remained on the fringes of the mainstream industry, free to immerse himself in obscure and offbeat projects while occasionally stumbling on (and then happily milking) commercial success. Of all his ventures, he is perhaps best known for being behind a string of novelty and/or cult rock 45s during the 1960s and for conceiving and managing girl punk group The Runaways in the 1970s.

‘The son of actor Douglas Fowley (Singin’ in the Rain), he was born July 27, 1942, in L.A., and made his first recordings with drummer Sandy Nelson during the late ’50s. After working with a number of short-lived groups including the Paradons and the Innocents, Fowley found his first taste of success by producing the Top 20 hit “Cherry Pie” for schoolmates Gary S. Paxton and Skip Battin, who performed under the name Skip & Flip. With Battin, Fowley next created the group the Hollywood Argyles, who topped the charts in 1960 with the novelty smash “Alley Oop.” The duo subsequently masterminded Paul Revere & the Raiders’ first hit, “Long Hair,” and in 1962 launched the Rivingtons, scoring with the classic “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow.” Another novelty hit, B. Bumble & the Stingers’ “Nut Rocker,” reached number one in the U.K., and in 1964 Fowley even began handling promotion chores for singer P.J. Proby.

‘In the mid-’60s, Fowley became immersed in the Los Angeles counterculture, befriending Frank Zappa and his band the Mothers of Invention, and later appearing on their Freak Out! LP. A prolific songwriter, he also composed material for the Byrds, the Beach Boys, Soft Machine, Cat Stevens, and Them, and produced the likes of Gene Vincent, Warren Zevon, and Helen Reddy. Finally, in 1967 Fowley issued his own solo debut, Love Is Alive and Well, a record that found him closely aligned with the flower power movement. A series of solo records followed, including 1968’s Born to Be Wild, 1970’s The Day the Earth Stood Still, and 1973’s International Heroes, but none garnered the commercial success of so many of his other projects.

‘In 1975, after completing the LP Animal God of the Streets, Fowley returned to his Svengali role by assembling the notorious Runaways, a teenage hard rock girl group featuring a young Joan Jett, Lita Ford, and Cherie Currie. Designed as a manufactured novelty, the scheme was entirely successful, and after the original group splintered, Fowley even launched another Runaways in the ’80s. (Another girl group, the Orchids, was his idea as well.) Still, his standing within the upper echelon of the musical community has greatly diminished over the course of the following decades; although he has continued recording, most notably with 1980’s Hollywood Confidential, 1993’s Hotel Insomnia, and 1995’s Kings of Saturday Night (a collaboration with Ben Vaughn), his music remained primarily of interest to his die-hard cult following.’ — collaged

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The Hollywood Argyles Alley Oop (1960)
‘Kim Fowley and I were living in a $15-a-week room in Hollywood…. Since I was still under contract (to Brent Records) as Flip, I couldn’t put my name on “Alley Oop.” Seeing that the studio was on the corner of Hollywood Blvd. And Argyle Street, I decided on Hollywood Argyles… Richard Podolor’s studio American Recording Company in the Hollywood Palladium building is where the song was recorded… Other than myself, there were no actual Hollywood Argyles. Everyone else on the track was either a friend or a studio musician who I paid $25 apiece for the session. When ‘Alley Oop’ suddenly took off and people wanted to book us for concerts, there was no such group.’ — Gary Paxton

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B. Bumble & the Stingers Nut Rocker (1962)
‘In 1959, Earl Palmer, René Hall and Plas Johnson, all African American musicians from Louisiana, were the house band at Rendezvous Records. Hall came up with the idea for B. Bumble and the Stingers. Record producer Kim Fowley secured the copyright to an arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s “March of the Wooden Soldiers” from the Nutcracker Suite. Released as “Nut Rocker” in February 1962, with Fowley credited as producer and songwriter, the record went to # 23 in the US and # 1 in the UK. Such was “Nut Rocker”‘s popularity in Britain that a touring group, with Hazan and R. C. Gamble, was flown over in October 1962 to promote the follow-up, “Apple Knocker”, based on Rossini’s William Tell Overture. However, neither that record nor the next release, “Dawn Cracker”, based on a piece by Grieg, were successful, and no more B. Bumble and the Stingers records were issued after 1963.’— rockabilly.nl

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The Murmaids Popcicles and Icicles (1964)
‘The Murmaids were a one-hit wonder all-female vocal trio composed of sisters Carol and Terry Fischer; and Sally Gordon. Terry Fischer would recall that from the time the Murmaids met producer Kim Fowley “within…three months we had recorded the single, recorded an album and … had risen to #3 … the downside is it lasted about 6 months and then it was finished. When “Popsicles and Icicles” was a hit, we had calls from every major record company and mother said “No, Chattahoochee Records owner Ruth Conti took a chance on us and we’re gonna stick with her. I guess we did about two television shows and a local concert here. And that’s all we did. At that time, we got a statement from the record company charging us an exorbitant amount of money against royalties. Everyone else got paid. Kim Fowley got paid. The musicians got paid. We were paid nothing”.’ — oldies.com

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Kim Fowley The Trip (1966)
‘“Summertime’s here, kiddies…” begins Kim’s adlib vocal installment, issued forth at a lazy pace against equally camel-paced measures. His narrative winds through a back catalogue of deadpan, brainpan imagery that predates not only The Deep’s “Color Dreams” but with the song’s arrangement and organ eventually lifted for The Doors’ “Soul Kitchen,” the title procured by Donovan for the B-side of his 1966 psychedelic single, “Sunshine Superman” and Hapshash & The Coloured Coat chant of “H-O-P-P-Y” mirroring Kim’s own hoarsely barked initialisations, it’s apparent what we have here is a substantial wellspring of psychedelic Rock. Thanks to the burning need in his mind, Fowley delivers a missive supreme in all his improvisational glory of hoarseness, taunts, coaxes, hoaxes and soon enough we’re in “a world somewhere else” he unhesitatingly describes as “A world of frogs / and green fountains / and flying dogs / and silver cats / and emerald rats / and purple clouds / and faceless crowds / and walls of glass / that never pass / and pictures hanging upside down / won’t ask / where you are…”.’ — Julian Cope

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The Mothers of Invention Help I’m a Rock (1966)
‘Kim Fowley’s bizarre tenure in the music industry in unparalleled. Often, it’s not even clear why his name has made the credits for a particular recording. According to Fowley’s own website, he added his voice to The Mothers of Invention’s legendary stoned, mind-fucking track “Help, I’m a Rock.” Confirmed years later by Frank Zappa, it seems his voice is the one speaking in tongues most prominently amidst the many weird human utterances running the course of that track. He is credited on the album (Freak Out!) itself as playing ‘hype phone”.’ — MadeLoud

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Kim Fowley Animal Man (1968)
‘“Power, violence, noise, numbers, animalism, vulgarity and pure madness” are the solutions to today’s (well, 1968’s) problems, states Kim Fowley in the liner notes of his first album Outrageous, along with: “Let’s get out of our minds to get back in.” And within mere seconds of side one, he’s already scared off 99% of everyone who ever heard this record. The mayhem begins with “Animal Man,” musically akin to Steppenwolf covering The Music Machine’s “Talk Talk.” Which figures: as Mars Bonfire guests on the album along with (unbelievably enough) three members of Three Dog Night. And over the whole bubblegum/garage whack out is Kim Fowley’s barking vocals, changing tempo and inflection as he raps, flaps his arms, moans, pants, laughs and generally cavorts in front of the microphone like a lunatic.’ — Unsung: The Book of Seth

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The Byrds America’s Great National Pastimes (1971)
‘Of all the names that appear in the credits of the Byrds’ albums, none is more out-of-place or more reviled than the name Kim Fowley. Musician, producer, writer, impresario, and master manipulator, Fowley is one part Malcolm McLaren, one part Phil Spector, and one part the diabolic protagonist of “Sympathy for the Devil,” turning up time and again at important moments in musical history across several decades. Fowley collaborated with his friend Skip Battin, during Battin’s membership as bassist with The Byrds on a number of songs. Several appeared on the group’s 1970 album, Untitled; and one each from the albums Byrdmaniax, and Farther Along, the latter of which was released as a single: “America’s Great National Pastime”.’ — Byrd Watcher

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Kim Fowley Gotta Get Close to You (1972)
‘“Kim Fowley will scare you to death and you’re going to love it, because Kim Fowley carries juke vibes.” At least that what it says here among the copious back cover liner notes on Kim Fowley’s 1972 album I’m Bad, liner notes which describe Kim Fowley’s lengthy career, his personal life and how, “with the release of this LP, another page in rock history has been written.” Pretty strong words there,
considering here in 2011 the effect on rock music caused by the release of I’m Bad has been…well, I guess it just hasn’t been written about or discussed yet. But it all makes more sense when you see who wrote those laudatory liner notes. On I’m Bad, it appears that Kim Fowley’s body has been invaded by the spirit of Captain Beefheart. Kim Fowley was able to round up some fine musicians: Mars Bonfire, late of Steppenwolf, plays guitar. Pete Sears, late of Hot Tuna and not yet part of Jefferson Starship, plays bass.’ — Collectors Frenzy

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Jimmy Jukebox Motorboat (1973)
‘A couple months ago I took a photo of Kim Fowley and posted it on Facebook with the caption “Kim Fowley Being Evil,” and then Cathy left a comment saying: “I think that’s redundant since he just IS.” Which is so true; Kim Fowley is so evil. But “Motorboat” is a daffy little gem. It’s a single issued in 1973 under the silly pseudo of Jimmy Jukebox, surely because he was under contract with Capitol at the time and that the label would not agree to release such unconventional songs. Recorded and released between the I’m Bad LP and the International Heroes one, it is Kim at his best.’ — Forgotten Songs

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Kim Fowley I Hate You (1973)
‘Those who’ve worn out their copies of Roxy Music/Eno/Bowie albums will be thrilled to exhume Kim Fowley’s album International Heroes, a forgotten (or never really even known) specimen of oddball glam. Judging from the cover, he didn’t want to leave anyone guessing about the sound he was shooting for. This platter plays like an instant classic, falling into some no man’s land somewhere between Roxy Music and the New York Dolls. Like Eno, he’s often playing post-punk years before it existed, but Fowley’s songs are looser and more accessible, sure to get you hooked on the first spin. “I Hate You” is a gloomy slice of contempt that’ll leave you feeling good about your shitty mood.’ — Sundazed

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Kiss King of the Night Time World (1976)
‘Did you know that “King of the Night Time World” was not originally recorded by KISS? The original version was written by Kim Fowley and Mark C. Anthony. When KISS recorded their version with Bob Ezrin, they enlisted Fowley to help change some of the lyrics to better fit the KISS formula. I remember in later years, telling Greg Shaw from Bomp Records about the time I was in dire straits and Fowley had his business manager hand me a check for $500. When I asked how long I had to pay him back, he simply said that KISS had just re-released a best-of box set on CD and Fowley had received a generous advance for his songwriting on three tracks. Shaw was in shock. He said that in all of the years that he had known Fowley, he had never heard of him making such a gesture when it came to money!’ — Aime Joseph

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The Runaways Dead End Justice (1976)
‘The Runaways were… a conceptual rock project that failed. I created, managed, and produced them, and I wrote or co-wrote seven of the ten songs on their first album. Do I regret that they turned on me? No, I’m glad they turned on me. It shows spirit. If I’m training a wild dog, and it bites my hand, I know I’ve trained it well… My hand is made of iron… That’s all it took, that’s all it took. 16 years old and she’s already a creep. Am I worried about them? No, they’ll be fine. In a few years they’ll all be living in a trailer park in the valley. Fat, pregnant, and happy as fleas on a dog. But me, poor me, I’m on my way to becoming Rock and Roll Legend.’ — Kim Fowley

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The Quick My Purgatory Years (1977)
‘The Quick put out exactly one album, Mondo Deco on Mercury, which was produced by Kim Fowley and Earle Mankey, a couple of rock veterans who were on the prowl for a marketable new wrinkle. The Quick featured a lead vocalist, Danny Wilde, who went on to front Great Buildings and then the Rembrandts, whose Friends theme song, “I’ll Be There For You,” has been a tremendous success. The Quick wrote most of their own infectious, glucose-rich material, and did a masterful job turning the Beatles’ “It Won’t Be Long” and the 4 Seasons’ “Rag Doll” into peppy pop confections that out-cute the originals by far. Though couched in youthful angst, their tunes, “No No Girl,” “Hillary” and “Hi Lo,” are ooey gooey, good time fun.’ — Bubblegum University

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Van Halen Young and Wild (1977)
‘Venus and the Razorblades were a short-lived New Wave rock band from Los Angeles, put together by Kim Fowley after he severed professional relations with The Runaways. Fowley sought to put together a band with a teenaged male singer and teenaged female musicians backing him up. A cover of the band’s Fowley-penned song “Young and Wild” was a staple of live performances by Van Halen, and they recorded the song in 1977. It was eventually released on the widely circulated bootleg album Blueprint that collects the demos VH recorded for Warner Bros. Records. Fowley was a fervent supporter of Van Halen in the band’s early years, booking many of their initial shows and acting as their unofficial manager.’ — collaged

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Kim Fowley Physical Lies (1979)
‘The Antilles imprint was issuing some unique music in the late ’70s, but the emphasis was on self-indulgence, and Kim Fowley’s Snake Document Masquerade is a prime example of why that formula was not conducive to selling records. The theme to Snake Document Masquerade seems to be Fowley’s look into the future; this 1979 album addresses the years 1980-1989. Snake Document Masquerade (does that sound like a Captain Beefheart title or what?) Fowley’s his twisted idea of a new wave concept album, a vision of ’80s pop apocalypse that gets by on sheer audacity. Musically, it’s a limp mélange of disco, reggae, punk-funk and electronic meditations distinguished by the spacey rap “1985: Physical Lies” (modeled on his ow
n 1966 acid-rap hit, “The Trip”) and robot sex fantasy “1988: Searchin’ for a Human in Tight Blue Jeans.”‘ — Trouser Press

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Steel Breeze You Don’t Want Me Anymore (1983)
‘Kim Fowley discovered Steel Breeze while going through approximately 1200 demo tapes that were about to be discarded by a local Hollywood night club, Madam Wongs. Chatfield and Fowley flew up to Sacramento and signed the band after Chrysalis Record executive Tom Trumbo told Chatfield he was looking for a band like Journey. Chatfield left Trumbo’s office and went to Fowley’s home where Fowley pulled out the Steel Breeze demo of “You Don’t Want Me Anymore” which they both knew was a hit. It was the first single from the band’s Fowley produced self-titled album and quickly jumped into the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 supported by a video that was a favorite of early MTV, and peaked at #16. The next single, “Dreamin’ Is Easy,” also made it into the Top 40.’ — Wikipedia

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Sonic Youth Bubblegum (1985)
‘”Bubblegum” was the A-side of the single from Kim Fowley’s 1968 album Outrageous. It should have been a hit since it had all the qualities of a standard. But the times were not ready for it. All they could tolerate was provocation from poets like Jim Morrison, not from someone so “sulfurous” than Kim Fowley. In 1985, Sonic Youth covered this song on the B-side of their “Starpower” single and recorded a great version of it featuring The Minutemen’s Mike Watt on bass. Sonic Youth have made some good cover choices over the years (often displaying their punk influences, such as “Hot Wire My Heart” by Crime, “Nic Fit” by The Untouchables, and some Ramones and The Fall covers), but “Bubblegum” is probably the most fun SY cover I’ve heard.’ — collaged

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Kim Fowley Back on the Road to Nowhere (1992)
‘Released by the L.A.-based Marilyn label, Kim Fowley’s 1992 self-produced album Hotel Insomnia served as my introduction to Fowley the artist. Responsible for all of the material, judging by these 14 tracks Fowley wasn’t a particularly gifted writer and his singing voice was best deemed an acquired taste – better than Leon Redbone, but not by much. Complete with Al Kooper styled organ, the album’s bluesy ballad ‘Back On the Road To Nowhere’ found Fowley seemingly trying out his best Dylan impersonation. Not exactly the easiest song to sit through. The violin accompaniment sounded like fingernails scratching on a chalkboard. This is one of those albums I’ve listened to at least a dozen times trying to figure out what I’ve missed. I still don’t know.’ — Scott Blackerby

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Kim Fowley We’re Not Having a Good Time (1997)
‘Kim Fowley spent some time in Detroit in 1997 recording a record, Michigan Babylon, as the city’s music scene was set to blow up once again. The album features members of such pre-White Stripes era Detroit underground entities as Outrageous Cherry, The Witches, Detroit Cobras, Volebeats, Ghost World, and Robert McCreedy. The sessions were recorded and engineered by Jim Diamond, who later engineered the first albums by The White Stripes. Michigan Babylon sold out it’s initial pressings on the Detroit Electric label. The CD has become a sought after item by members of Sonic Youth, Sound Track Of Our Lives, Sound Garden, and others.’ — collaged

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Kim Fowley School Girl X (2003)
‘Even if some of Kim Fowley’s albums are really nonsense bullshit, a few in the last 20 years have been jewels. The 2003 album Fantasy World is one of them. It consists of what is essentially a collaboration between Fowley and Francis MacDonald, the drummer of Teenage Fan Club and member of BMX Bandits. McDonald plays, arranges, and writes the music for every song on the album, and KF is responsible for the lyrics and the voice. The result is a wonderful album full of songs that would deserve to be standards. KF is very severe with himself in the album’s booklet, saying he’s not the good one to sing these songs and wishing they would be covered by real singers. I disagree. Everything is better when KF sings it. We don’t need good singers. We need real men. And Kim Fowley is real. Few are.’ — Forgotten Songs

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