THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,265) The HiFis — “Odd Man Out”
From a Germany-only LP by British expats comes this “hook-laden” song with “hints of the burgeoning psychedelic movement”. (David Wells, liner notes to the CD comp Let’s Go Down and Blow Our Minds: The British Psychedelic Sounds of 1967) “Built on a Motown-styled framework, [it] had it all . . . amazing melody, driving . . . vocal, insidiously catchy . . . organ pattern. How could this not have been a major radio hit?” (RDTEN1, https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-hifis/snakes-and-hifis/)
Oh, and RDTEN1 asks a question for the ages: “[Y]ou just had to wonder how there could be so much talent in one country at one time, forcing so many British groups to try to make it in Germany and other European countries.” (https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-hifis/snakes-and-hifis/) Jason notes that “Many UK groups would relocate to countries such as Germany or Italy because being a British Invasion group that played original rock n roll was seen as something special abroad. Many of these groups like the Rokes, the Primitives, and the Sorrows (a really excellent group) [see #407, 567] would see great success and sell lots of records.” https://therisingstorm.net/the-hifis-snakes-and-hifis/)
As to the album, Snakes and HiFis, David Wells says it “is one of the era’s great lost albums: witty, addictive, effervescent pop containing traces of the groups beat boom origins [and] a nod to the Swinging London club sound”. (liner notes to Let’s Go Down and Blow Our Minds) Jason adds that “[It] was recorded at a time when beat groups were experimenting with different sounds and turning to psychedelia, so there’s a bit of an advanced mid-60s sound – short 2 minute pop songs with a freaky edge. . . . [The LP is] definitely an obscure gem”. (https://therisingstorm.net/the-hifis-snakes-and-hifis/) RDTEN1 concludes that it “showcased a largely original set of material that was nothing short of wonderful. . . . never less than fun and charming. . . . clever and commercial pop with occasional nods to psychedelia . . . . Song-for-song the was easily as good as anything their UK-based competitors were churning out. . . . [a] true overlooked classic”. (https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-hifis/snakes-and-hifis/)
As to the HiFis, Bruce Eder gives us some history:
The Hi-Fi’s were a London-based band that tried for two years to break out of clubs with some recording success, cutting sides for Piccadilly and Pye, including a catchy singalong called “Will You or Won’t You,” which managed to be salacious and innocent at the same time, and the more energetic “She’s the One,” and also did well by Leiber & Stoller’s “I Keep Forgettin’.” It was all to no avail as the group went hitless into 1966, dropped from their third label in as many years, and headed for the more lucrative environs of Hamburg, Germany, where English bands were still treated as special. Their singles cut in Germany failed, but they still got to record an entire LP.
RDTEN1 adds:
[T]he band came together in 1963 [and] began generating some buzz on the London club circuit, eventually signing to Pye Records. . . . Over the next year Pye released a series of three unsuccessful 45s . . . . [A] revamped line up . . . decided to try a different marketing plan. Seemingly unable to break in the hyper-competitive English marketplace, they accepted an invitation to play clubs in Hamburg, West Germany where they were eventually picked up by the Star-Club Records label. Their German and US debuts came in the form of the 1967 single . . . . [t]hat was followed by a second German single . . . . The four earlier singles all did well on the German charts. At one point in time The HiFis actually had two singles in the German top-10. Their Hamburg-based Star-Club label notices and quickly moved to finance an album . . . .
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the-hifis/snakes-and-hifis/
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