0 Don Craine's New Downliners Sect - "I Can't Get Away From You / Roses" (PYE, 1967)

I recently put out of the shelf some early Ugly Things issues to check some things on (what else?) the Pretty Things. I was immediately hooked on an excellent three piece homage (maybe the best and the more detailed ever) on the R&B-protopunk savages, the Downliners Sect. I was totally forgot the reason why dusted off those vintage (now...) sheets. BTW, did you know that the Sect turned down both Rod 'the mod' Stewart and Steve Marriott in an audition for the place of the band's new harmonica player? Did you know that Van Morrison still rates them high? Knowing those trivia or not, many have tried all over the years to undermine Sect's importance and influence. Even Greg Shaw... Yes, the man whose alone responsible (in a big part) for all this garage revival movement, in the Bomp's British Invasion issue wrote them off and hounded them! Anyway, this time pick up on a rare, beautiful and kinda strange piece of plastic - at least for all of us who know well Downliners' history and fanaticism for R&B... The story goes like this...By the end of 1966, R&B wasn't the hottest thing around. Pop, Psychedelia and Soul took over the charts, and as a result of this the bands who still wanted to play the blues started to have day by day less gigs bookings. Soon the Sect had to confront this new order. Of the known members only Don Craine (guitar, vocals) and Keith Grant (bass, vocals) stayed in place and a new band created from scratch with the additions of Kevin Flanagan (drums),  Bob Taylor (lead guitar) and...Matthew Fisher (keyboards). Have i ever told you how I HATE Procol Harum? No? Well here's the moment! MUCH! As much as post-Syd Barrett Pink Floyd or any other prog shit. But here the man's just painting with his organ. The influences of soul and psychedelia are obvious on both sides of this single, even though the raw R&B holds up for good here too. The late reissue of the record inverted the original location of the songs ("Roses" metamorphose into A side tune), but the prototype one-off Pye release had the Remains (!) song as covered by the Sect first in line. And that's an oddity. I really wonder how this tune came to Sect's repertoire cause I'm quite sure at the time at least, the Remains was a no familiar name for the British crowd. And "Roses" quite simply one of the very best songs the Downliners Sect wrote and recorded throughout their long lasting career. I'm not going nuts usually for what the mod/garage crowds referred to as "Freakbeat", but this two-sider really stands out as one of the genre's best! If you wanna hear the Sect going heavier, darker and organ driven here's your chance.

Detail: Don Craine's New Downliners Sect - "I Can't Get Away From You / Roses" (PYE, 1967)

0 Downliners Sect - "Nite In Gt. Newport Street" EP (Contrast Sound RBC SP 001, 1964)

The Downliners Sect had no common ground with all the other British R&B bands of the era. Although many puts 'em in the same can with the Rolling Stones or the Yardbirds, the Sect were rawer and punkier. The only band could match them, were the early Pretty Things. They had obvious similarities. Both bands were edgy. Both bands were punky in sound and attitude. Both bands blew them all cause they were too filthy to be superstars and both bands understood exactly what Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry were trying to say with their unique sound! The parents and the tabloids of the era complaining about the Stones and the Beatles long hair... C'mon, are kidding me?! Mick and Paul were too cute and pretty and in a big way even though their fans deny it, much of their impact on gals wasn't for their music. Don't get me wrong here. I'm a huge Stones fanatic and i respect Beatles melodies and harmonies brilliancy like not much other things in the world, but hey, Don Craine or Phil May never going to be everyone's darlings! And that's the reason why i rated them so high in my mind's hierarchy! And their sound...Gosh that CRUDENESS! I mean, those two gangs were the only from the entire British empire that could easily put their selves in the garage punk intelligentsia!
The "Nite In Gt. Newport Street" EP was the Sect's first release. They had previously recorded on studio Bo & Chuck's "Cadillac" & "Roll Over Beethoven", but for some strange reason this took turn on 1965 if I'm right. Penniman's people have it on the streets again, and i tell you, especially on Bo's tune they kick some serious asses. I strongly believe that this along with the Liverbirds version of "Mona", are the best ever approaches by white people, if not any, on Big Bad Bo (even though i remember clearly John from the Sound Explosion disagree with this opinion, cheers mate)! So, this EP was a self financed release on the large amount of...400 copies. And it worth's a fortune today. If you don't picked up already Penniman's 1000 copies reissue, i guess you'll have to wait for another one pick it up and make it available again in all its crude and raw excellence! Oh, i forgot to tell you that this shit, recorded live in the street's club Studio 51 and i guess you might guess what's happening in here, right?! As the front cover warning, the Downliners Sect PREACHING Rhythm 'N Blues! The hard way i must add... But don't expect something less from people with such bad behavior and their name taken from a Jerry Lee Lewis song... 
This is the most primitive record came outta England, and that's enough reason to pay some respect to its savageness!
320Kbps

                                                          Nite In gt. Newport Street

Detail: Downliners Sect - "Nite In Gt. Newport Street" EP (Contrast Sound RBC SP 001, 1964)