The phrase "Holy Mackerel!" didn't originate on the Batman TV show. Apparently it dates back much further, to the Black American radio comedy of the 1920s, Amos & Andy. Holy Guacamole, on the other hand, definitely came from Robin. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any bands called Holy Guacamole... so if you're looking for a name nobody's used...
Holy Mackerel, on the other hand... well, you wouldn't be the first.
THE HOLY MACKEREL #1
We start our fishy journey in LA in the year 1968, when songwriter Paul Williams failed the audition to become one of The Monkees. In retaliation, he formed The Holy Mackerel... though things didn't quite go to plan and the band's first three singles failed to make any ripples across the pond. By the time their debut album was released, the group were no more, though Williams went on to write hits for Three Dog Night and The Carpenters (including We've Only Just Begun).
The Holy Mackerel - Wildflowers
HOLY MACKEREL #2
A couple of years later, a British Holy Mackerel surfaced in Kent. To quote a blog post about this band from 2012, "In the early 1970s music was more polarized between quality and complete lack thereof than any time in the previous decade since the psychedelic era and the beat boom." The writer then goes on to slag off The Night Chicago Died by Paper Lace, so phooey to him.
I'll let George decide whether these guys represent quality or a complete lack thereof, but I quite like the tune below, which I first heard on Natasha Raskin-Sharp's old BBC Radio Scotland show before they kicked her off for playing records nobody'd ever heard of. Bastards.
Holy Mackerel - Going To The Country
THE HOLY MACKEREL #3
And then, in 1996... along comes Les Claypool, lead singer and bass player with offbeat American rock band Primus. Fancying something a little bit different on his day off, he formed his own Holy Mackerel... and even wrote an eponymous theme song...
Les Claypool & The Holy Mackerel - Holy Mackerel
THE HOLY MACKEREL #4
HOLY MACKEREL #5
And if we allowed that, we should surely find it in our hearts to give these San Francisco dudes from 2018 a little love...
Johnny & The Holy Mackerels - Pink Tomfoolery
HOLY MACKEREL #6
And finally, pray be seated for a German Holy Mackerel from 2020...
Which is your Holy Mackerel... and which is just Guacamole?
#2 #3 and #4 are well worth a repeated listen, #5 started well,. dipped a bit, but recovered well, another good track. And #6 could be my favourite band from Essen, Germany.
ReplyDeleteand it's #3 for me this week
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