We all know about the Kings and Queens of pop music... but what happens when they're not available?
Call in The Regents...
(Beware, I've gone easy on you over the past few weeks with some single digit Namesakes. Not so this week...)
THE REGENTS #1
We'll start today with a little calypso from 1957...
THE REGENTS #2
Next we venture to Canada in 1959, with a band who would stay together for most of the 60s. Here they are in '65...
THE REGENTS #3
Can't find out much about these guys, but they put out a pretty cool r'n'b number in 1960...
The Regents - That's What I Call A Good Time
THE REGENTS #4
New York doo-woppers who recorded the original version, in 1961, of a song that would later become a Beach Boys classic...
THE REGENTS #5
Surfer dudes from Denver, Colorado (a landlocked state) in 1963...
THE REGENTS #6
Indiana group from 1964 who want to do "it" with an Albino Bat. Probably ended up with rabies.
THE REGENTS #7
Short-lived British group - they recorded together from November 1964 to September 1965, so didn't even manage a year. Often billed after their lead singer, Buddy Britten (real name... Geoffrey Gloverwright!), although on the track below they're just The Regents.
THE REGENTS #8
Another mid-60s Regents, these guys were the house band at the AM-PM Discotheque in Los Angeles, and also released a string of interestingly-titled singles, including When I Die, Don't You Cry (produced by Jack Nitzsche), Bald-Headed Woman and this tale of a tragic across-the-tracks romance...
THE REGENTS #9
The Barbershop Harmony Society's 1974 International Quartet Champion, though these guys had been harmonising together since 1967. I think they deserve your votes 1) for their snazzy suits; and 2) because their lead singer was called Ron Knickerbocker.
THE REGENTS #10
The Regents featuring Mel Gaines - What'cha Gonna Do?
THE REGENTS #11
THE REGENTS #12
Not quite sure what's going on here, but these Regents came from Baltimore in 1976 and eventually shortened their name to The Gents. Insert toilet-based gag now, if you so please.
THE REGENTS #13
Bic Brack, Katherine Best, Damian Pew and Martin Sheller were the British New Wave Regents, hitting Number 11 with their debut single in 1979, but failing to return. Then again, their follow-up did contain the lyric, "She said 'I'll see you later'/ He said oh no no no no/ I don't want to be a waiter." You see what he did there?
That debut hit had an even more shocking lyrical turn though... so much so that it came in two different versions - one which featured the words "a permanent erection", and one that was censored to "a permanent reaction". You'll have to search for the uncensored version yourself as it's blocked on my computer.
THE REGENTS #14
REGENTS #15
American hardcore punk band with added keytar. Because nothing says punk rock like a nice keytar.
Enjoy the official video of their song Cinder Machine, which features 300 images of doorways in Baltimore that have either been bricked or boarded up.
THE REGENTS #16
More shouty punk from Washington in 2013...
The Regents - Please Feel Me Dear Human
REGENTS #17
2021 hip hop collaboration between Strategy (aka Manchester lad Johnny Wheeler) and Cartridge (Peter Benjamin Turnbull). Why they can't stick with the names their mums gave them is anybody's guess.
THE REGENTS #18
Glaswegian indie band who appear to have only started out last year. They probably won't thank me for saying this (or maybe they will: who knows with kids these days?), but they sound a bit like Deacon Blue to me...
The Regents - I'd Like To Know
Which is your Regents' Treat?
No.13 for me, not heard it in years but love a bit of new wave, still sounds great.
ReplyDeleteC featured it a few months back to much acclaim
ReplyDelete#12 for me
ReplyDelete#9 are clearly The Diddymen and should be disqualified
ReplyDelete