Here they are, direct from Scotland: The Beatstalkers! Bassist, Alan Mair, went on to be a member of The Only Ones, also serving as their co-producer. There are a few websites with info on this band, I can’t say I knew anything about them other than that they recorded a handful of songs by David Bowie, with the singer doing his best to turn his accent from Scottish to English.
Here they are with a song called, “When I’m Five.”
According to their All Music bio, they formed in 1962 and became wildly successful in Scotland.They signed a deal with Decca in 1965 and then moved to London in 1967. At this point, they hooked up with a manager who also counted David Bowie as a client. He had the band record three of Bowie’s songs under a new contract with CBS. Despite their huge success, previously, at home, they were unable to get any traction in the big city. The saddest part of the bio, to me, is that it states the band broke up after a van containing all of their equipment was stolen! I guess it was the last straw.
If I am understanding the timeline correctly, Alan Mair opened up a clothing shop in London between the Beatstalkers and the Only Ones, where he sold leather clothes, platform shoes and other glam clothes, employing Freddie Mercury until Queen found success. While this band is mostly a footnote in rock history, people who lived in Glasgow in the early to mid-60s considered them Scotland’s answer to the Beatles.
Here they are again with “Silver Tree Top School For Boys.”
Silver Tree Top School For Boys
And here’s another Bowie composition, “Everything Is You.”
Hope you enjoyed this Mystery Date, maybe you’d like to see them again, dinner and a movie, perhaps.
Loved it! Thanks for posting. I came into the fray too late to posture a guess: I was thinking more Seed-like. But you can hear that Scottish pronunciation, especially at the start of the track.
The band they most reminded me of was the Australian retro ensemble, The Bees. Here’s a track that reminds me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu9DcKQX8cQ
It was right under my nose. I said it sounded like something from the Rubble Collection. It was. Disc 10, track 16.
Well, I’m sure by the time you get to disc six there is some mind-numbing effect kicking in, so no wonder!
Wow, very entertaining!