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Wednesday 18 September 2013

Post 466 - North 2 Alaskans – Love Machine / Take A Letter Maria /Gonks Go Beat / That Freaky Gonk Thang

North 2 Alaskans featured Spencer P Jones  (later of The Johnnies and Beasts of Bourbon),  16 string fretless sitar, vocals, Frank Savage on vocals, double cutaway medieval dulcimer, Johnny Toppe bass, vocals, Steve Watson  single string lute, vocals, Jimi Williams guitar, keyboard,  vocals . They  were billed as the World’s first Psychedelic Cabaret Combo. Both these singles were released in 1982 “Love Machine” (MISS 36) ON Missing Link Records  was recorded by The Roosters and The Pastoral Symphony, both Aussie groups. The B side was a cover of R. B. Greaves 1969 single. The second single “Gonks Go Beat” (LRS-746) released on Green Records features a great version of Tommy James’s Crimson & Clover with a touch of Issi Dy’s Incense mixed in. I once heard  that they were a last minute booking after the hard rock band "No Fear" cancelled at the last minute at the Dee Why Hotel. Needless to say the audience were absolutely dumbstruck when they saw North 2 Alaskans. It was one of those amazing never to forget nights.

3 comments:

John Daly said...

I remember Joan Jett doing a cover of Crimson & Clover, but I do remember hearing this live a few times, I went to city gigs in the Sydney, maybe I saw North 2 Alaskans? (memory is going) ha ha.

Anonymous said...

As they say about N2A gigs “if u can remember them u weren’t there “

costumer_au said...

They covered Topper's Armchairs track, The Alamein Train which is art imitating art.