Al Hartley And The Heartbeats, "Counterfeit Love" c/w "Ain't You Glad It's Summertime," Limelight Y-3027 (rel. 6/1964)
Our foray into little-known teen rock 'n' rollers concludes with an unheard 1964 effort by Athens, GA's Al Hartley and The Heartbeats. In their heyday, they were the kings of the Southeast, though complete unknowns to the world outside. They made a few records, but didn't need them nor aspire to a career as mainstream hit-makers. Many regional bands enjoyed the easy life of constant gigs, being the opening act for major performers as they toured the area and getting recognition when they went to the store for a pack or smokes or a Co-Cola (as all carbonated beverages were once called in the Deep South).
How they got a single with Mercury Records is lost to time. Someone knew someone and called in a favor. Mercury issued it on their Limelight imprint--a hodge-podge of regional pop, rock and r&b mixed in with some terrible topical singles and bland items like a wedding-themed instrumental for those seeking a splice without hiring a band. Redesigned as a jazz imprint, Limelight is among the oddest secondary labels of its day and I always take a look when I espy that Pepto-Bismol label.
"Counterfeit Love" was the intended B-side, but if ever an obscure regional effort had chart potential, it was this side. The single was released as "A Hard Day's Night" by The Beatles held the top spot on the pop charts, and it had the drama of many British rock bands' efforts, plus a striking similarity to the work of Del Shannon.
Hartley's vocal bears an odd resemblance to Joey Ramone's of a decade later: not so mush-mouthed, but a similar attitude that suits Hartley's song to a T. With regional groups, you get to hear the band, not a bunch of session players chewing gum as they went through the motions without passion. The Heartbeats are one tight little band. Though the guitarist doesn't get a solo stand, he seems ready for lift-off. The selective use of echo on Hartley's voice is well-done, and it suggests that this group had more to offer than the average regional rock 'n' roll combo.
Blogger is acting up today, and won't let me have justified text in-between the two song links, so screw 'em. I'll keep going.
The A-side I present with the perverse glee of a song about summer at an inapt time. "Ain't You Glad It's Summertime" comes off as another Ramones-predictive item. An obvious attempt to get a Beach Boys/Jan & Dean kinda surf-rock hit. The home-grown approach, and Hartley's pronounced Southern accent, gives this an odd skew. As do phrases like "bedtime sleep." And those bow-bow-bows have a certain menace.
The guitarist gets to do his thing for a few bars and I feel he could have soloed for the whole side if that were a choice. Better than it has any right to be, this li'l earworm might have also troubled the charts-had anyone heard it.
Cash Box reviewed it with their dismissive, gruff approach saved for lesser items that were called-in favors or obligations. Alas, the surviving digital copy of the review is so compromised it's not worth reproducing here. Imagine a tired, stressed 40 year old man's assessment of these two sides as the weekly deadline approaches. You can write your own version!
Here are the two sides for your dining and dancing pleasure:
Ain't You Glad It's Summertime
Tomorrow: Johnny Winters goes full-on hard rock 'n' roll on a 1963 Todd Records release. The B-side is a New Orleans-style blue-eyed r&b item that sounds like something from Minit Records!
You're right—definitely a tight band with a cheesy organ way down in the mix. Hartley's Buddy Holley-esque hiccoughing delivery seems out of place for 1964. My link to "Ain't You Glad..." doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteThis website has a knack for not doing what I ask it to do. Link just disappeared. It's there now. Apologies.
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