Ranee & Raj, "Feel Like a Clown" c/w "Rainbow Land," Decca 32303 (Canadian issue; rel. 3/1968)

I got word of a sidewalk sale at a major record store tucked away in a tony neighborhood where a bottle of water costs seven dollars—if you’re lucky. I always feel an intruder amidst these stately manors and immaculate lawns. Shiny happy people can be seen admiring their yards, fussing with their spendy cars and otherwise exuding the alleged good life I’ll never know.

The focus of this scrappy sale were six large plastic tubs of scattered, mistreated 45s. While others found even greater things than I, their lack of musical knowledge left some goodies unturned and I picked up at least 20 top-tier records, plus some unknown duds that went from prospective hopefuls to unsleeved and on the tosh pile in less than a minute. That’s bound to happen; every record collector has a box or two of duds.

If a record has a scintilla of interest and is cheap, I’ll give it a go. Thus, the Canadian edition (the only one known far as I can tell, which can’t be true) of a 1968 single by the duo Ranee and Raj came into my hands. Might it be the much-desired popsike—that blend of mainstream music with a fine sprinkle of the exotic? For a dollar, I’d find out.

In the moment, I didn’t realize it was the Canadian issue. It looks almost like a US Decca retail copy, but the typeface is different and there’s no mention of it being a product of American Decca. A wag on 45cat.org pointed out the small cluster of type on the left center side of the labels that proclaimed it Canadian.

All this would just be a fish story unless the record was any good. And, to my pleasant surprise, it’s a moody piece of UK-recorded flower-power stuff, coupled with a classic folk-rock downer. They represented a first for UK pop music. Sandra Edema and Nimal Mendis were the first Sri Lankan performers to have a pop hit in Europe. They were well-established on home turf; Sandra had a local pop hit at age 12, while Mendis scored movies and wrote pop songs. One of his early effort, “Kiss Kiss Kiss,” was produced by the notorious Joe Meek for a UK pop single by vocalist Mary Marshall in 1958. This led to other UK covers, and it was perhaps inevitable that the two would come to England.

Big things were predicted for their debut disc, released on Fontana Records. It wasn’t a big hit, despite some good media exposure, including two turns on the influential Top of the Pops TV show, where the duo mimed “Feel Like a Clown” twice in 1968. It was through no fault of the recording, which captures a brooding mood in its verses that leads to a soaring moment (first heard at 00:33) and a refrain that reminds of country music. Sandra Edema’s voice is most impressive; she has excellent control, phrasing and expression. Mendis has a distant supporting role; he chimes in on the chorus,

There’s really no psych in this side; it sounds like an anguished version of The Seekers doing an unknown song by American artist Del Shannon. It’s superb as a piece of pop music, but guaranteed to disappoint the popsike crowd, who, like Dixieland enthusiasts, want things just so or they’ll sulk. And grouse.

The Cash Box look and feel changed in 1968--as did popular music.

“Rainbow Land” might mollify that crowd a bit more. In theory, it might be an early song in the Spinal Tap discography. This is un-ironic flower-power, love-peace-and-understanding music in a gleaming pop music setting. Edema and Mendis sing in harmony here to fine effect, and the session guitarist gets to take a full-chorus solo. It’s easy to imagine a cover version by, say, The Hollies; it might have been a hit for them.

This was touted as the A-side in America, where it failed to click. The Canadian edition I own has an orange marker X on that side, so it was likely the topside for that market as well. 

The duo got a second single, “Razor Edge,” which delivers more of what the popsike crowd wishes to hear. It flopped in the UK and no other releases were attempted. The musical couple receded from the public eye in the Western world.

Tomorrow: another find from ‘the tubs:’ a 1962 rarity by r&b supergroup The “5” Royales, via an ABC-Paramount platter. This was the first record I found on that day.