4.17.2010

leave my house


The Modds 45 is notorious for the unbelievably crude sound of "Leave My House". The Modds were also one of the big mysteries of the sixties, as no one had been able to find anyone who was involved with making this record until I spoke to rhythm guitarist John George.

On "Leave My House", most of the band has been buried by the mix of the lead guitar and vocals. One can hear some tambourine, a little bass, rhythm and drums back in the distance. The lead guitar tone is as dirty as can be, breaking up when the picking gets fast. Two minutes into the song he's nearly fried the amp! The singer doesn't hold back, either.

The ostensible A-Side is the much more sedate "All the Time In the World", kind of a Rubber Soul style of ballad with a clean and well-rehearsed guitar solo. Both songs were written by Steve Simone and published by Earl Barton Music. Interestingly, each side has a different producer listed, Bill Harper credited with "Leave My House", and Jerry McDaniel on "All the Time in the World". These Modds are not the group from Miami who cut Don't Be Late.

Mop Top Mike sent in the songs and label scans, and provided more detail about publishing and label info:

The pub company is Earl Barton Music, most famous for having writer Wayne Carson Thompson (or whatever his name is!) on the staff - he wrote "The Letter" for the Boxtops, and sides for the Skeptics ("East Side Tenement House", etc.) When the outfit was contacted back in the 80s, there was no paper file on either song by the Modds, despite showing the pub credit for both songs. E Barton music was based in Springfield, Missouri.

The record label looks like a short-lived offshoot of the Nashville label, based in Madison, Tennesse (had the Kenetics 45 Put Your Loving On Me). There is no release time frame established as well, the numbering of the label doesn't follow the Nashville label master number series.

Leave My House of course is famous because the band track is obliterated by the vocal and lead guitar overmodulating, causing high frequency distortion. Note that two different producers are credited for each song. Bill Harper must've been aghast at the result when the record was pressed!
TAKEN FROM GARAGE HANGOVER



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