The Chalfontes "He Loves Me"

How I managed to completely forget the existence of a tune as all-conquering as "He Loves Me" by Detroit's The Chalfontes is a source of real puzzlement to me.  I mean, practically every single sliver of sound information encoded in its grooves is in some way memorable:

• The ominous bass grumble at the start is so far from standard issue as to make it memorable.
• The epic Dave Hamilton production (he of the brilliant "Dave Hamilton's Detroit Dancers" series on Kent  Records) with all its builds and fades and little instrumental dialogues is truly memorable.
• The strident, unrelenting beat is memorable.
• The guitar solo - almost post-punk in its buttoned-down, geometric austerity - is memorable.
• Every impassioned word sung be it by the lead singer (as yet Google hasn't turned up her name, shame) or the subtle then soaring backing singers is memorable.
• Yup, "He Loves Me" is a masterpiece; unforgettable.

For me it's not far off Rose Batiste's "Hit and Run" and The Flirtations' "Nothing But A Heartache" in the female-voiced pop soul stakes.  To ensure that it never slips my mind again, I've just bought a physical copy - a 70s reissue 7", not a 60s original, unfortunately - and have every intention of wearing it out.  If this episode has taught me anything, it's that a bookmarked YouTube link still isn't enough for me.  I still need to pay money for a song on a physical format for it to feel that it's a significant, memorable part of my life.

The Rumbles

The Rumbles' "Fourteen Years" is yet another winner from that seemingly endless stream of moody 60s janglers that is almost perfect in every way.  It's a beautifully sung tale of a young lad counting down the days to his release from prison for a crime he didn't commit;  classic wronged outsider stuff.  It's only 'almost perfect', however, because the last note sung (the 'cent' at the end of the final 'innocent') is actually a bit ridiculous and takes a little of the shine off the tune as a whole.  Still, that didn't deter me from parting with a few quid for a Mercury Records promo of the 7" on which it was the b(a? - there's some confusion online as the sides aren't clearly marked on the record!)-side after hearing it on the "Tymes Gone By" lp where it was by some distance my favourite song in a strong selection.