LOU CHRISTIE & THE TAMMYS, "GUITARS AND BONGOS" (COLPIX CP 735, REL. 8/1964); "MAKE SUMMER LAST FOREVER" (COLPIX CP 770, REL. 3/1965)

Lou Christie's weird world is unique in popular music. His stratospheric voice, the lurid melodrama of his original songs (co-written with Romanian Twyla Herbert) and the frequent use of the most feral-sounding of girl groups, The Tammys, assure that his recordings go deep into the twilight zone of American pop.

Today we'll hear two distinctive tracks from singles for Colpix Records released in 1964 and '65. They weren't hits when first released. After "Lightnin' Strikes" blasted up the pop charts in 1966--it was banned in some markets due to suggestive lyrics and Christie had to re-record a couple of lines--labels that had released earlier material cashed in like mad. Deceptive titles may have fooled consumers, but given the opportunity to buy this album:

...could you resist? That hair; the curious shadowy shapes behind that hair; Christie's your-place-or-mine expression (the eyes seem to follow you). If ever an album cover sold itself, this cash-in platter was it.

The buyer was rewarded with a dozen weird, wild songs, most from the Herbert/Christie songbook and featuring the interplay of The Tammys, whose eerie voices add another layer of wonderful "huh?" to the proceedings. In addition, kooky arranger Charlie Calello worked on most of its tracks. No other arranger could hope to better the results. It's like a Bizarro-world version of The Beach Boys--kinda sorta. 

The two tracks you'll hear come from the stereo release of this album. The binaural separation heightens the vocal impact of Christie and The Tammys. I hope you'll indulge this deviation from the norm. The mono singles are on styrene, and fail to contain the mass of sound in these grooves.

"Guitars and Bongos" sounds as if it was custom-written for a John Waters movie that never got made. This ostensible teen romp on the beach veers from romantic drama to good-time free-for-all. The Tammys' piercing vocal harmonies and their coordination with Christie's lead is fascinating. The last 15 seconds of the recording goes somewhere intense and eerie and I wish it wasn't just a throwaway coda; this could go on for 10 minutes. Alas, such thoughts were anathema to 1964 pop music.

Click on the Cash Box review to hear this singular song!

"Make Summer Last Forever" was one side of a 1965 Colpix single that got zero recognition when new. It shows the influence of the music from West Side Story, the musical that affected popular music more than the history books might suggest. This ballad is an ideal example of how tight-knit Christie's voice is with The Tammys; they seem to complete one another's phrases and their rhythmic chant "never ending-no ending" is hypnotic. 

Beautiful and uncanny all at once, "Make Summer..." is a thing of wonder. I'm glad it exists. Prepare yourself and listen...

And, just because we can, here's a bonus track. "Too Many Miles" didn't appear on a 45-rpm release, but its freakiness is gripping. This narrative of a boy in the military who longs for a loving word from his sweetheart gets into intense melodrama with another Calello arrangement; electric 12-string guitar, that absorbing vocal interplay and a minor-key melody that holds the listener's attention; it's impossible to resist. 

Once you visit Christieville, it's hard to come back to everyday reality. Take your time; you've experienced an otherworld of music. 

Tomorrow: two solid late sides by Dinah Washington, who embraced rockin' r&b and early soul for some fine 45s for Roulette Records. This could have been a new direction for her, had she lived long enough.