Viva bobby Joe

Singles of the Week

It must be about time for some of my latest crate digging

(well gaffer taped shoe box) finds:

The Equals “Viva Bobby Joe” President 1969




The first one this week I bought because as a general rule I buy singles if they have a “the” band on the label that I’ve not heard of. So it was with this one “The Equals”. I’m afraid I didn’t know anything about them other than “Viva Bobby Joe” sounded a good title. It turns out they where relatively famous in 60’s for “Baby Come Back” and because their founder member was Eddy Grant who went on to have pop/reggae hits in the 80’s.

I quite like it; it’s very Mersey Beaty with a proto glam stomp at the start. Also the Bobby Joe of the title (I’ve just thought you don’t think it’s a rude code do you!) makes a quiet comically short triumphal tour all the way from “Blackburn to Liverpool”

A couple of Eddy Grant related things:
Apparently Eddy built his first guitar in woodwork which sounds rather romantic until you remember Brian May did exactly the same thing!

Also I was fan of Eddy’s work in the 80’s but was a little let down when I finally “went down to” the real “Electric Avenue”.

I don’t know quite what I expected I suppose I thought it was shack lined road in Jamaica full of Juke joints leading down to a balmy beach not a side road off Brixton high st strewn with cabbage leaves, first left after Iceland.

Just imagine how pissed off I was when I found that Amen corner is a bend in the road next to kebab shop in bloody Tooting!

For the fuller skinny on The Equals
Next up are :

Los Brincos “Mejor” novola 1966

This was one of the many hits from the “Spanish Beatles”. I like its Byrdsy 12 stringy feel and the Yankee Doodle fade out. I also like it being in Spanish it gives it a parallel 60’s feel as , the seemingly familiar is shot through a prism.

Sadly I will have to track down more of their stuff next time I’m in Spain as Amazon hasn’t been any use and even the nice people Exotica only had a 4 track ep which was a little pricey.

I haven’t found the lyrics to translate yet I’m afraid however Mejor which I think means “better” in Spanish as in “Best” rather than “recovered”