Sometimes I hear a song and wonder how I've never heard it before.
For example - how have I lived this long without hearing this epic Gene Pitney tune?
Second question - how was this not a colossal hit? It got to #92 in the US and #38 in Australia, but didn't even chart in the UK.
Billy, You're My Friend was written by Edward Louis Goldman... who doesn't appear to have written much else of note. Yet this song could well be the missing link between Jimmy Webb and Jim Steinman.
THE VIBRATORS #1
We start with some swinging instrumental Vibrators from the US in 1958...
The Vibrators - Mad Man Shuffle
THE VIBRATORS #2
In 1960, the man who would many years later win a Noel Edmunds Gotcha award chose this group of Vibrators as an early backing band...
Joe Tex & The Vibrators - I'll Never Break Your Heart
Presumably he did finally break her heart when he refused to bump no more with no big fat woman in 1977.
THE VIBRATORS #3
From Jamaica in 1965 came the ska Vibrators. Here they are on their own, although they went on to support a number of other top ska acts, including Bobby Aitken, The Heptones and The Skatalites.
THE VIBRATORS #4
Also from Jamaica, not sure when, these Vibrators were the backing band for one Abe Roy Rodway.
Abe & The Vibrators - Build it Up
THE VIBRATORS #5
And a third Jamaican lot... from 1968... discogs tells me they're a different group from the other two, though that's no guarantee. Here they are supporting songwriter Linval Martin.
Al and The Vibrators - I'm Gonna Burn Them
THE VIBRATORS #6
Still in 1968, over in Kentucky, Stevie Justice and Fonso Fields were also vibrating...
THE VIBRATORS #7
Make up your own jokes.
That's enough.
This lot hailed from Pennsylvania in 1976. I imagine they're all in prison now, but here's some of the blurb from the back of their album cover...
"In the beginnings of their career, many groups are victimized by restricting labels that inhibit their growth as musicians. Tags such as 'acid-rock' and 'soul' can retard ascent of a group's quest for new musical horizons. Not so with The Vibrators - they refuse to be limited by name-calling."
"The Vibrators - mellow, rugged and exciting. Listen!"
The Vibrators - My Little Girl
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I'm still doing this feature after two and a half years.
THE VIBRATORS #8
And finally... London-based punks with a very long history - they formed in 1976 and only called it a day in 2022. They're only the band that gave The Stiff Little Fingers their name, which is reason enough to cherish them. As is their biggest hit from 1978...
The Vibrators - Automatic Lover
Which Vibrators make the earth move for you? And which ones would you leave in the bedside table?
12. Soon became atheists.
Let's be Frank - I don't make this quiz easy, do I?
In fact, I go out of my way to make it as tricky as I can... otherwise, you guys have worked out the answer in about 30 seconds flat.
Let's see how long it takes you this week to identify the assorted miscreants below and find a link between their songs... but be careful: I will only accept a precise answer this week. No wider generalisations!
12. Soon became atheists.
