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Les Lutins
Laissez-Nous Vivre

(Disques Mérite 2001)

http://www.disquesmerite.com/

Probably the coolest French Canadian garage band of the 60s, Les Lutins recorded some fine material, ranging from mersey-style beat to punky garage stompers. This brand new release from the Canadian label Disques Mérite collects their entire recorded output, including the original albums Les Lutins (1967) and Les Lutins En Orbite (1968) in their entirety. All twenty-six songs on the CD are in French, and if you have some understanding of the language, you’ll enjoy the typically teenage lyrics about love, lust, and frustration (incidentally, the group’s name means ‘the goblins’). In this respect, it’s reassuring to know that our French-speaking neighbors to the north were experiencing the same kind of things encountered by American youths of the era. The CD’s opening track, “Laissez-Nous Vivre” (literally, ‘Let Us Live’) is an excellent garage number complete with aggressive guitar work and desperate but arrogant lyrics. This song is well known to garage rock aficionados due to its inclusion on AIP’s critically acclaimed Pebbles compilation series. Other garage-punk styled songs include the blistering “Je Cherche” and the fuzz-laden “Pretty Girl”. Also included in the group’s repertoire are more melodic, Beatles-styled numbers like “C’est Toi Ma Princesse”, “Roquet Belles Oreilles”, and the charming “Elle”. Although not every song is brilliant, the compilation as a whole is enjoyable. Also, it’s quite a treat to have all these rare tracks (which you couldn’t find outside of Canada even during the 60s) collected together on one CD. Despite some occasional anomalies, overall the sound quality is rather good. The classic “Laissez-Nous Vivre” has never sounded better. For those interested in the music of French Canada in the 60s, this is a recommended purchase. Also worth checking out are other recent releases on the Disques Mérite label by the likes of Les Miserables and Les Sultans, available at the Disques Mérite website (and definitely NOT at your local Borders).

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David Bowie
Early On (1964-1966)

(Rhino)

1991

Long before David Bowie became a household name, he was nothing more than another teenage singer trying to distinguish himself in the crowded pop music underbelly of mid-60s Britain. Eventually, Bowie managed both to become a commercial success and find himself musically along the way. Still, this accomplishment came neither quickly nor easily for an artist who was often just too unique to be restricted by the norms of pop music. This compilation from Rhino Records collects his very earliest known recordings, beginning with a 1964 single he made as by David Jones and the King Bees and ending with three 1966 singles he made under his new name, David Bowie. With this CD, it is actually possible to see a huge development of Bowie as an artist, captured within the span of three years and some forty-two minutes. In this respect, the compilation is remarkable. It’s like hearing the Rolling Stones evolve from “Come On” to “Paint It Black” within the context of a single CD. The opening track “Liza Jane” (1964) is a raucous R&B number not unlike the kind of material that the aforementioned Stones were recording at the time. With this early song, Bowie’s principal duty as an artist is simply that of vocalist, the song having been written and arranged by others. However, with the three 1966 singles he made for Pye Records, Bowie has truly become a proper artist. “Can’t Help Thinking About Me”, probably the best of the Pye recordings, displays a true maturity and sophistication not present in his earlier material. The song’s lyrics show the changing times of 1966, as they’re finally concerned with a topic other than adolescent love. With this number, Bowie introduced a now-familiar theme of fear and alienation, to be developed fully in his later work. The three Pye singles pointed the direction of Bowie’s varied, but often brilliant material he recorded for Deram Records in 1966 and 1967. In addition to the original singles that this compilation collects, there are included several demos which were recorded by Bowie in 1965. Although these tracks suffer from sound problems (having been transferred from acetate), they are an interesting glimpse of a solo Bowie coping with the duties of a songwriter. Early On is an excellent compilation for those who enjoy David Bowie’s early work. Although this release is far from recent, it’s actually so old that it possibly hasn’t yet grabbed the attention of many new Bowie fans. Definitely recommended, as it effectively fills the gaps of David’s early work while demonstrating his remarkable development as an artist.

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Ant Trip Ceremony
24 Hours

(C.R.C.) 1968 / (Collectables) 1999

If Calm Before The Rising Storm (by the Rising Storm) is the quintessential prep-school garage rock album, perhaps the Ant Trap Ceremony’s 24 Hours is the quintessential college campus psychedelic album. Like the aforementioned Rising Storm, the Ant Trip Ceremony recorded this album themselves and pressed it on their own label, which is certainly an enterprising feat for any small-time rock group. Musically, the Ant Trip Ceremony sound like the Rising Storm might have a few acid hits and several philosophy classes later. 24 Hours is made up of a mixture of cover tunes and interesting originals, including the catchy “Outskirts” and the bizarre “Locomotive Lamp”. No less interesting were the cover songs, including a slow version of “Hey Joe” and a beautiful version of “Violets of Dawn”, which was also done with great success by the Blues Project. Some interest in the Ant Trip Ceremony was recently generated by the rumor that David Crosby of the Byrds produced 24 Hours, but in fact this David Crosby was just a friend of the band, who were based in Oberlin, Ohio. The Collectables reissue is inhibited somewhat by its sound quality, however reputedly this is the best that the album has ever sounded. Likely it is the primitive recording rather than anything else which most contributes to the sound problems. Although the Ant Trip Ceremony album arguably lacks any real highlights, the songwriting is quite ambitious and interesting. It’s an appealing glimpse into the kind of music which was being made at campuses all across the country in 1967 and ’68, produced by recently enlightened young people emulating their musical and academic influences.

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