The Bougalieu
Listen/Download – The Bougalieu – Let’s Do Wrong
Greetings all.
I hope you all had a chance to open up your head and let your mind marinate in episode #17 of the Iron Leg Radio Show.
With all of the sophistpo-sunshiney pop stuff that I’ve been posting of late, I figured that we were all ready to dip into some garage fuzz.
I first heard the Bougalieu (one of my fave 6Ts punk names) way back when in the olden days of yore, with the poorly-fitting Beatle boots, long hair and bodega beer, on one of the old Boulders comps.
Though almost all of that first wave of comps were “bootleg”, the Boulders series, with the low-rent B&W covers (not to mention the 7” eps) was a tad bootleggier than all the rest.
I also found the Boulders records to come correct with the really interesting sounds, so much so that much of the OG 6Ts punk 45s that I have first entered my ears via those very comps.
‘Let’s Do Wrong’ by the Bougalieu is an especially cool example of the genre, ultra snotty, with the ragged guitars and the Jagger/May-esque vocals.
It also a testament to the spirit of musical economy, clocking in at way under the two minute mark.
What I find particularly interesting about this biscuit is the fact that despite all sonic evidence to the contrary, ‘Let’s Do Wrong’ falls pretty far along the timeline, bringing the heat well into 1967, when most of the world was knee deep in flowers and love.
The Bougalieu hailed from upstate NY (Albany), and included members Mike Rothman, Lester Figarsky, Bill Gallagher, Larry Scarano, Parker Wheeler and Parker Kennedy (yes, TWO Parkers…).
They recorded their sole 45, ‘Let’s Do Wrong’ b/w ‘When I Was a Children’ in July of 1967, with the record being released a few months later. There was also a white-label DJ promo of the 45 that featured different takes of both songs.
Oddly – or maybe not so oddly when you take the date into consideration – ‘Let’s Do Wrong’ was neglected, with the much lighter ‘When I Was a Children’ garnering airplay, charting regionally in NY and Florida.
A year later – after an extended period in Florida – the band had run it’s course and broke up.
Gallagher, Figarsky and Scarano went on to join the band Friends of Whitney Sunday which recorded some singles for Capitol Records and then changed to Whitney Sunday for an LP on Decca.
I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll be back next week.
Peace
Larry
PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.
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