Not all arrows hit their targets. Many have been fired... but which ones hit the bullseye for you?
THE ARROWS #1
It's been a surprising amount of time since we featured any doo wop here, so let's kick off with some today... culturally insensitive though it may be. Also known as The Arpeggios and The Convincers, these guys came from the City of Angels in 1959.
THE ARROWS #2
Early 60s rockabilly from Belgian, and yes, they actually turned the Old King Cole nursery rhyme into a rock n roll number...
THE ARROWS #3
Norwegian Arrows who released their first singles in 1966... and then apparently continued to tour in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Didn't they have homes to go to?
THE ARROWS #4
Starting out in 1969, this Irish / American band appear to have had a number of lead singers and are connected to manner of exotic sounding groups like Purple Pussycat, The Miami, The Grassband and The Vampires. To be honest, the biog I read was written by someone who didn't quite grasp English grammar, so I found it all rather confusing. Anyway, here they are with lead singer Mich Roche at the helm...
THE ARROWS #5
Also from 1969, on the Bandit record label, some solid gold soul shot straight out of Chicago. Otherwise known as The Majestic Arrows, and they certainly make a majestic sound...
THE ARROWS #6
This one will go down well with the 70s kids - classic glam rock from Alan Merrill and his Arrows. Merrill was also responsible for the original version of the Joan Jett hit I Love Rock n Roll.
THE ARROWS #7
Rare Jamaican Reggae from 1976...
THE ARROWS #8
Swedish hard rock, with shades of AC/DC, from 1981... this appears to be their only release.
THE ARROWS #9
Those of you with a soft spot for 80s cheese will relish this one - Canadian Arrows, right to the heart, with their biggest hit from 1984.
THE ARROWS #10
I never know what to make of the term "post rock", but here's some from Brisbane, an Aussie band who were kicking around between 2006 and 2014. They have some cool song titles, including Let The Marketing Onslaught Begin and this one...
THE ARROWS #11
Prepare yourself for the horror of "South African Christian Pop" from 2007... ouch.
THE ARROWS #12
And if you thought that was bad... here's a bunch described as a "Japanese rock group" by discogs... although they sound more like S-Express to me...
Look, I'm going to stop there because, to be honest, it's not been a bumper crop today, has it? Were any of these Arrows fired from Cupid's bow... or did they all miss their mark? You tell me...
A veritable quiver there Rol
ReplyDeleteI'm on #4. It's terrible. Truly terrible.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to tell you things gets better... but I'd be lying.
Deletebut they did get better! Admittedly the rest of songs were not the greatest but they were somehow listenable. And I include than the South African and the post-rock songs in that. Overall, as you hint at, an uninspiring collection, and it would make a dreadful compilation album
Delete5 and 7 for me please. I believe 7 is Burning Spear's brother. The producer is Vincent 'Randy' Chin who with his wife Miss Pat set up VP Records, now owners of the Greensleeves label and the world's largest distributors of Caribbean music. I like them very much because every now and then they send me freebies.
ReplyDelete#3 is a Gerry & The Pacemakers in disguise?
ReplyDelete#6 should win for I Love Rock n Roll
#8 sounds like a collision of AC/DC and Golden Earring, but achieves neither
#12 S'Express, if S'Express did europap in the mid-80s
#5 for me this round