Biff! Bang! Pow! (From Beat To Paisley Pop), Pt.2

As the vice grip we call 'The Christmas Season' continues to tighten it's hold on my mental health, I'm taking an easy route this week by offering Part 2 of 'Biff! Bang! Pow!,' a self-compiled anthology of mid-60's British pop music from Beat to Paisley Pop. Not intended as a definitive collection, it simply assembles some of my favorites (and hopefully yours) from the British Invasion of some 40 years ago. Part 1 appeared back in August of this year and focused primarily on Beat recordings with contributions from The Knickerbockers, Searchers, Hollies, Easybeats, Sorrows and others of the ilk. It concluded with a group and song that marked a major turning point not only in British pop, but for rock music as a whole; The Who's 'My Generation.' In just under 3:30, Beat music said hello to the new kid on the block, Freakbeat. Never before had the frustration and angst of misunderstood youth been expressed or captured so succinctly in song. The rage that exploded from within the grooves of that record forever changed the musical landscape. More than just a sound, it was a milestone; an attitude and spirit unlike anything felt in pop music prior. 'My Generation' was pure, absolute kinetic energy; lyrics so bitter, the singer helplessly stammers in his attempt to convey his anger, spitting and stuttering against the squeal of flailing guitar, the rumble of pounding drums and tumult of treble infused bass lines cutting through the din. When the songs volatility is no longer able to contain itself, it violently detonates into a frantic rave up of feedback and squall that does everything short of nailing the listener directly to the wall. I will never forget the first time 'My Generation' roared unsuspectingly from my radio speaker. I was completely unhinged, transfixed and dumbfounded not only by the sonic assault, but also the accuracy of how it's disenfranchisement echoed my that of my own. Years later, after I had long worn out the mono 45 r.p.m. single that I'd purchased, I nailed it to the wall as a reminder of the power and significance of that moment in my life.

This 2nd installment of 'Biff! Bang! Pow! picks up where Pt.1 left off with the highly aggressive sounds of Creation, The Attack, Yardbirds, The Move and of course, The Who once again.* As the scene and it's music evolved, the comparatively benign Beat sounds swiftly gave way to the bolder, more forceful Freakbeat which is represented here. No longer did the innocence of danceable pop resonate with the fast changing values of youth. The generation was collectively primed to take control of their destiny and the new music reflected it. Later, as recreational drug use became an integral part of the culture, the music would then begin to take it's first steps into psychedelia with Paisley Pop which will eventually be explored in Pt.3.

For the record, Biff! Bang! Pow!, Pt.2 includes one British influenced American band who were also featured earlier this year in TR-i (The Rundgren-index). An inaccurate inclusion I know, but it felt and sounded right. Consider it 'poetic license.'

1. MAKING TIME/CREATION 2. MUD IN YOUR EYE/LES FLEUR DE LYS
3. INTERLUDE 4. UNDER THE ICE/THE NAZZ
5. SAY THOSE MAGIC WORDS/THE BIRDS 6. SHAPES OF THINGS/THE YARDBIRDS
7. PAPERBACK WRITER/THE BEATLES 8. OUT IN THE STREET/THE WHO
9. TIN SOLDIER/SMALL FACES 10. INTERLUDE
11. STROLL ON/THE YARDBIRDS 12. TRY AND STOP ME/CREATION
13. WAVE YOUR FLAG AND STOP THE TRAIN/THE MOVE
14. LITTLE GAMES/THE YARDBIRDS 15. INTERLUDE
16. HAVE SOME MORE TEA/THE SMOKE
17.GONNA HAVE A GOOD TIME (GOOD TIMES)/THE EASYBEATS
18. OPEN MY EYES/THE NAZZ 19. THE IMMEDIATE PLEASURE/THE EYES
20. I CAN SEE FOR MILES/THE WHO 21. THE COLOUR OF MY MIND/THE ATTACK
22. INTERLUDE 23. BIFF BANG POW/CREATION 24. WHY/TOMORROW
25. I WANT TO TELL YOU/THE BEATLES 26. CIRCLES/LES FLEUR DE LYS
27. HAPPENINGS TEN YEARS TIME AGO/THE YARDBIRDS
28. INTERLUDE 29. SORRY/THE EASYBEATS
30. WHEN THE NIGHT FALLS/THE EYES

To download, click here.

*The Kinks are conspicuous in their absence but will be represented later.