Tuesday, November 2, 2010

The Loot Debut!


















THE LOOT-Baby Come Closer/Baby U.K. Page One POF 013 1967

The Loot were a five piece comprised of Dave Wright (guitar/vocals), Bruce Turner (vocals), Ian Duck (guitar), Jeff Glover (bass) and Roger Pope (drums) who hailed from Troggs-country (Andover, Hampshire). Managed and produced by Kinks/Troggs producer Larry Page, comparisions on some of their material and these other acts are completely warranted. Dave Wright had been a member of the embyronic Troggs and used his connections to draw Page to The Loot, whom he signed to his new Page One label in late 1966.

"Baby Come Closer" is a burst of pseudo Troggs-ness (The Troggs had already cut a version on their 2nd LP, 1966's "Trogglodynamite") with some very Kinks styled harmonies on the bridge, not to mention bursts of Dave Davies style guitar work in it's power chords.  The number is a perfect combination of leering lust and simmering angst.  Sadly it was not a hit, which baffles me, but seeing as it was 1967 and The Kinks and Troggs had both recorded this sort of thing two years earlier perhaps that's the reason.  The B-side, "Baby", is another specimen of where the flipside of a record sounds like an utterly different band.  "Baby" is not a bad song per se, just not the right song.

Duck, Glover and Pope hooked up with Caleb Quaye (of "Baby Your Phrasing Is Bad"/"Woman Of Distinction" fame) to form Hookfoot.






















The Loot and Joe Orton's "Loot"

"Baby Come Closer" was reissued on AIP's "English Freakbeat Volume one" LP/CD compilation. It also appeared on Radioactive's short lived "The Loot: Single's A's & B's" CD compliation.

 Hear "Baby Come Closer":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdaQq4KCL3w

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