"Eighty tracks from a band with exactly one hit single?" That's the question Sundazed Records is posing of its soon-to-be-released box set from The Knickerbockers. The hitmakers behind the British Invasion-esque "Lies" will be celebrated by Sundazed with the 4-CD, 80-track box The Challenge Recordings. It's due in stores this Friday, November 13.
The Top 20 hit "Lies" - and seminal inclusion in the original Nuggets - is just one of the tracks on this collection. Brothers Beau and John Charles of Bergenfield, New Jersey, formed The Knickerbockers in 1962 (named for a road in nearby Tenafly), but the classic line-up wasn't solidified until saxophonist/vocalist Buddy Randell joined the group in 1964. The two Charles brothers, Randell and drummer Jimmy Walker were spotted by producer-songwriter Jerry Fuller (Rick Nelson, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap) performing in Albany, New York. Fuller, working in NY for Challenge Records, signed the band to the Los Angeles-based independent. The Knickerbockers went on to record three albums for Challenge comprising both covers and original songs. (Leon Russell provided some of the band's arrangements during this period!) On the box set you'll hear "Lies" plus minor hits "One Track Mind" and "High on Love" plus The Knickerbockers' takes on familiar material like "The Girl from Ipanema," "It's Not Unusual," "All Day and All of the Night," "King of the Road," "Downtown," "I Know a Place," and even "You'll Never Walk Alone."
Tracing the stylistic development of The Knickerbockers from their garage-rock roots through psychedelic explorations and beyond, The Challenge Recordings presents the albums and singles recorded for the label plus never-before-released material including demos discovered in the vaults of 4-Star Publishing as well as songs from Beau Charles' personal collection of acetates. Both Charles brothers, as well as Jimmy Walker, were involved with the production of this release, and Beau and John supplied Sundazed with family scrapbooks telling the band's story. Content from these personal scrapbooks has been reprinted in the 40-page book which accompanies the box set.
The Challenge Recordings has been mastered from the original analog tapes and acetates, and every track is heard in its original mono mix. The box features new liner notes by Dominic Priore as well as an introductory essay by David Fricke. The Knickerbockers were the band that launched Sundazed Records; with this set, Sundazed pays lavish tribute to them. You can pre-order The Challenge Recordings, due on Friday, November 13, at the links below!
The Knickerbockers, The Challenge Recordings (Sundazed, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
CD 1
- You Really Got Me
- All Day And All Of The Night
- Money
- The Jolly Green Giant
- Twine Time
- Land Of 1000 Dances
- The In Crowd
- The Jerk
- Jerk Town
- She's Not There
- All I Need Is You
- Bite Bite Barracuda
- Room For One More
- Downtown
- Limbo Rock
- In The Misty Moonlight
- It's Not Unusual
- Whenever I See You (Demo) [previously unissued]
- Mighty Mighty Barracuda (previously unissued)
- Last Call (previously unissued)
CD 2
- Lies
- I Can Do It Better
- Can't You See I'm Trying
- Please Don't Fight It
- Just One Girl
- I Believe In Her
- Wishful Thinking
- You'll Never Walk Alone
- Your Kind Of Lovin'
- Harlem Nocturne
- The Coming Generation
- I Want To Hold Your Hand
- There She Goes
- I Know A Place
- King of the Road
- The Hully Gully
- The Girl From Ipanema
- I Ain't Got A Right
- Lies (Demo)
- For Her (Demo) [previously unissued]
CD 3
- One Track Mind
- I Must Be Doing Something Right
- She Said Goodbye
- Come On and Let Me
- Give A Little Bit
- Playgirl (Version One)
- The Pad and How To Use It
- Like Little Children
- She's Gotten to Me
- Is That What You Want
- Come And Get It (Version One)
- Turn To Me
- Just Out Of Reach
- You're Bad
- Gotta Stop This Dreaming
- I Want A Girl For Christmas
- My Feet Are Off The Ground (Version One)
- You're Something Else (Demo) [previously unissued]
- And Then You (Demo) [previously unissued]
- I Must Be Doing Something Right (Demo) [previously unissued]
CD 4
- Chuck Berry Medley
- We Got A Good Thing Going
- Playgirl (Version Two)
- High On Love
- Stick With Me
- Come And Get It (Version Two) [previously unissued]
- Chapel In The Fields
- Love Is A Bird
- Rumors, Gossip, Words Untrue
- I Love
- Can You Help Me
- Please Don't Love Him
- What Does That Make You
- Sweet Green Fields
- Guaranteed Satisfaction
- Come And Get It (Version Three)
- As A Matter Of Fact
- They Ran For Their Lives
- My Feet Are Off The Ground (Version Two)
- Funny Face (demo) [previously unissued]
John Ryan Horse says
Good golly, four discs...I thought the last Sundazed set devoted to this band, "Knickerbockerism" (2 cds, from 1996) pretty much told the whole story. That was a most enlightening and enjoyable set and helped make the case that once the CD matured as a curatorial format and decent sounding medium (roughly 1993 into the 2000s) I was able to discover a tremendous amount of great music that had been long out of print, either in box sets or catalog reissue campaigns. A lot of my favorite music from the '50s or '60s I frankly discovered in the 1990s. Labels like SDR, Sundazed, Ace and others with reliably good sound, essays and notes, graphics, etc have made it a lot more fun than clicking on a song and responding to first impressions.
Barry McCoy says
very blessed to hear about Knickerbockers! I joined them as keyboard player in 1966 and was with them 2 years...I then left them and joined Gary Puckett & The Union Gap in 69, I now am retired and play my beloved Hammond B-3 organ in a praise band and have for 30 yrs.
I will try and get the release on the collection in music store, if not available how can I get it?