Who was/is The Beatnicks ? - CDs, Vinyl LPs, DVD and more
BEATNICKS (Norway)
Originally formed as an instrumental group 1961, the Beatniks quickly added vocals. The original lead was Kåre Haugen, although they all sang apart from the drummer. The line-up on the session below was Svein Finjarn (guitar), Oddvar Gundersen (guitar), Carsten Deberitz (bass) and John Truls Lorck (drums). Finjarn is still active and leading the band in 2012!
Memphis, Tennessee (2:56) 1965
CD: The Great Lost Beatnicks Album [Triola TRCD-26] ● Sweden, 1995
This is very good and actually doesn't sound like anyone else's version! The song was originally recorded in the spring of 1965 along with 13 others. The band were due to come back the following day to add vocals to the backing tracks, but Finjarn suddenly quit and they almost broke up. They eventually found a new guitarist (Freddy Lindquist), but the tapes lay forgotten until one evening in 1976 when record collector and music expert Arve Strømsæther (died 1995) was allowed into the vaults. Thanks to Strømsæther, the lost Beatnicks album finally saw the light of day 19 years later. Original bass player Carsten Deberitz (died 2007) added the missing vocals to the 12 tracks in November 1992. I do wonder, however, who did the timings on the various tracks, because I've never seen such a mess. Not one of them is correct! According to the cover, 'Memphis' runs for 2:22.
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