The Diamond from "The Box of Rejects."
A few years back, Ray King of WJCU's "Retro Radio" gave me a box of about 100-150 45s that he didn't want. He told me that he got them from a friend who didn't want them.
No one wanted these records.
Many of these records are the follow ups of follow ups of "one-hit wonders," some of them should never have seen the light of day. Then the day comes when you find the diamond in the rough!
I could not believe what I was holding in my hands! The Sounds Like Us, a garage band from Duluth, Minnesota, covering "Outside Chance" (a Turtles B-side that got some radio airplay in 1966). I had previously heard this song on a garage rock compilation from the Teenage Shutdown series. The comp. is called "Nobody To Love - Mid-60s Teen Folk-Punk: 18 tales of tension and Trauma."
Then I flipped that baby over and was blown away by what I saw...a cover of "Clock On The Wall!"
Huh?
"Clock On The Wall" was recorded by The Guess Who in 1966. It only received airplay in Canada as it got spins on CFUN in Vancouver, CKCK in Regina, and CKRC in Winnipeg. Perhaps the members of The Sounds Like Us were able to pick up some of these radio stations up in Duluth.
"Clock On The Wall" is a bitter and sour record, and it's brilliant. The version from the Sounds Like Us features a blazing guitar at the end of the chorus, adding to what's missing from The Guess Who's version.
This single was originally issued locally on Jill Ann records, but then distributed nationally on Fontana, where it bombed. Today, you'll be lucky to find a Fontana copy for about $20. A Jill Ann copy goes for well over $100.
As I'm looking more into this record, it turns out that radio stations in Minnesota played the Sounds Like Us version of "Clock On The Wall." The song reached #21 on KDWB in Minneapolis and all the way up to #2 on WAKX in Duluth in January of 1967. Standing in it's way from the #1 spot were The Monkees with "I'm A Believer." See the WAKX Silver Dollar Survey here: http://las-solanas.com/arsa/surveys_item.php?sv=95595
Both sides are great! I'll be spinning "Clock On The Wall" on episode #72, which will air on September 26 at Northcoastsgreatesthits.com from 12-2pm and from 5-7pm on 88.7 WJCU in Cleveland, and again on Sunday September 27 at 4:30pm at Radiodowntown.ca. The show will then be posted here on Monday.
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