Ian & The Zodiacs, "Why Can't It Be Me" c/w "Leave It To Me," Philips 40303 (rel. 12/1965)
A lesser-known Liverpool beat group, Ian and his Zodiacs were most popular in Germany. Their repertoire of rock 'n' roll cover versions made them ideal for that country's nightclubs but often left them short on compelling records.
Some effort was made to break them in America. It sort-of worked; their cover version of Dave Berry's "The Crying Game" got to #1--in Texas! Philips Records issued an LP in 1965, but it's a meandering and short album. The band's vocal and instrumental performances can't be faulted, but the humdrum material does them no favors.
For their fourth US single, Philips Records issued a recent German 45 that coupled a solid garage-rockin' group original with a charming cover of a new song by "Doc" Pomus and Mort Shuman. It was first recorded by rival UK band A Band of Angels, and The Zodiacs wasted no time with their own rendition, which did well in Deutschland and seemed a possible pop hit in America. Philips didn't bother to promote it, and it sank without a trace. It and its follow-up, "Where Were You" (played here back in the Facebook days), showed the group able to transcend the mediocrity of their earlier records. They did the same with a UK-only single, "Just the Little Things I Like" c/w "This Won't Happen with Me," credited to Ian Edwards and The Zodiacs--another chart failure that belied its excellent material and performances.
Some effort was made to break them in America. It sort-of worked; their cover version of Dave Berry's "The Crying Game" got to #1--in Texas! Philips Records issued an LP in 1965, but it's a meandering and short album. The band's vocal and instrumental performances can't be faulted, but the humdrum material does them no favors.
For their fourth US single, Philips Records issued a recent German 45 that coupled a solid garage-rockin' group original with a charming cover of a new song by "Doc" Pomus and Mort Shuman. It was first recorded by rival UK band A Band of Angels, and The Zodiacs wasted no time with their own rendition, which did well in Deutschland and seemed a possible pop hit in America. Philips didn't bother to promote it, and it sank without a trace. It and its follow-up, "Where Were You" (played here back in the Facebook days), showed the group able to transcend the mediocrity of their earlier records. They did the same with a UK-only single, "Just the Little Things I Like" c/w "This Won't Happen with Me," credited to Ian Edwards and The Zodiacs--another chart failure that belied its excellent material and performances.
Today's single kicks off with "Why Can't It Be Me?" The first thing modern listeners will notice is its guitar riff, which anticipates that of "Whip It" by Devo from a decade-plus down the road. This group original is a very 1965 song--full of complaint and angst. Edwards sings the first-person story of a guy who's always passed over by the woman he loves and desires. In his eyes, she makes it with every man in the township except him.
The adolescent drama of it all is well-captured in this mid-tempo mover that feels more like The Animals than The Beatles. Had the group been encouraged to develop their songwriting, we might have more records like this and less covers. Such nurturing was still rare in the mid-1960s.
The adolescent drama of it all is well-captured in this mid-tempo mover that feels more like The Animals than The Beatles. Had the group been encouraged to develop their songwriting, we might have more records like this and less covers. Such nurturing was still rare in the mid-1960s.
"Leave it to Me" by Pomus and Shuman gets a warm treatment with acoustic 12-string guitars and crisp percussion. The group sings in robust harmony that suggests this song might have been written with The Drifters in mind: it just has that feeling. Zodiacs lead guitarist Peter Wallace plays a few passages with the then-fashionable D'Armond tone-pedal, which gave a fluid, flexible note and was the forerunner of the very 1970s wah-wah pedal.
Though it's a cover of a rival beat group, it improves on the over-dramatic and slow original by A Band of Angels. This folksy, chipper remake is the ideal version of an excellent song that ought to've been a hit for someone.
Though it's a cover of a rival beat group, it improves on the over-dramatic and slow original by A Band of Angels. This folksy, chipper remake is the ideal version of an excellent song that ought to've been a hit for someone.
The group remained in Germany, where they made the pop charts and were favorites on TV appearances, until 1967, when Ian Edwards had to put the band on hiatus due to his wife's poor health. By the time the group reunited, the music scene had changed and they were left behind. Collectors prize their two final singles, which include a soulful version of "Wade in the Water;" those records fetch triple figures in clean condition. Didn't do the group a whit of good when the records were new and unwanted, though!
Tomorrow: the 25th anniversary of a day that changed the world--with a musical reminder of the constant tension we've faced since the end of the second World War. And a pleasant rockaballad too!
Tomorrow: the 25th anniversary of a day that changed the world--with a musical reminder of the constant tension we've faced since the end of the second World War. And a pleasant rockaballad too!
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