features in: Album Chart of 1962 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s |

Recorded in the fall of 1961 at Spanish Castle Ballroom, located midway between Seattle and Tacoma on old Highway 99. It’s the second LP from the North West punkers, who seem to be aiming ambitiously for some kinda Ike-Turner style soul-revue, with their 5 piece augmented from the inner circle with 2 guest vocals each from “Rockin” Robin Roberts and “Little” Gail Harris. The album is a bit of a disappointment; the expectations after their antics in ’59 have not been met here – the playing sounds hesitant and unexciting; any skilled nuances that they may have to offer are lost out-with the confines of a well-appointed studio. Also, considering they’re playing in their prime in their heartlands, the low-key, polite reaction from the crowd is somewhat surprising. Seems the premier teen night club in the Seattle area was a segregated venue. I’m seeing a load of sulky white kids hanging ‘round looking bored. All in all, six of the 14 cuts have vocals. Kent drawls his “Dirty Robber” as normal (the only track which repeats from their debut LP) and further chips in with the amazingly dull “You've Had Your Chance”; this could be any non-descript bar band in any town. Mid-set, co-label owner “Rockin’” Robin Roberts steps up for “Rosalie” and “Since You Been Gone”. More ho-hum ordinariness. “Little” Gail Harris (only 15) takes the mic for “All I Could Do Was Cry” and “I Idolize You”. She’s the best of the three vocalists even if she perhaps tries a bit too hard at times with her Etta James routine. Full credit to them for the considerable achievement (by 1962 standards) of producing their own LP on their own label – local sales of some 40,000 copies suggest they had something going for them business wise and otherwise…
The Jukebox Rebel
03–Mar–2012
Tracklist |
A1 | [02:25] ![]() |
A2 | [02:34] ![]() |
A3 | [02:14] ![]() |
A4 | [02:13] ![]() |
A5 | [02:52] ![]() |
A6 | [02:27] ![]() |
A7 | [02:33] ![]() |
B1 | [02:17] ![]() |
B2 | [02:37] ![]() |
B3 | [02:04] ![]() |
B4 | [03:09] ![]() |
B5 | [02:51] ![]() |
B6 | [02:34] ![]() |
B7 | [01:38] ![]() |