The Saturn V featuring Orbit - Behind Closed Doors At A Recording Studio - Big Ben Records EP BB-500.

Hey! Hey! Hey! Blogger chums, here's a single by the Saturn V featuring Orbit. Pretty good stuff if you like your rock to be frat, a la Fortune and Maltese. This was one of four 7" singles they released. I'll hopefully share them all with you over the passage of time. The biggest shame about this combo, which featured Johnny Bartlett from The Phantom Surfers and The King of Power Pop, Chris Von Sneidern, along with our titular hero, Orbit (whose real name is lost to the mists of time), is that they never issued a proper vinyl LP. There were two unique CD-released long players from Big Ben Records, as well as a mini-CDR jobby that compiled the singles and was sold at gigs, but no vinyl.

As with all the truly great records, there's plenty for you to read - the insert and the back sleeve are festooned with some of my very favourite words placed in a mind-bogglingly unique sequence. The back cover also features the band posing on what should, going by the thrust of the sleeve notes and the concept of the release, be a street in Swinging London. Except it's not, it's somewhere much more special.

Enjoy.

The Saturn V featuring Orbit - Behind Closed Doors At A Recording Studio - Big Ben Records EP BB-500.

big ben records frat rock johnny bartlett Manchester The Saturn V featuring Orbit

Fortune & Maltese and The Phabulous Pallbearers - Konquer Kampus - Hillsdale Records LP HLP 103.

It's only a few days since I accused The Lustorama of being Winkle Picker Rock and here I am uploading a full LP of frat rock vampirism. Except I think Fortune & Maltese have decent tunes and a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour which lifts them above pastiche. I do, I really do. Them, The Untamed Youth and The Saturn V featuring Orbit. This is a great record. Enjoy.

Fortune & Maltese and The Phabulous Pallbearers - Konquer Kampus - Hillsdale Records LP HLP 103.

fortune and maltese frat rock Hillsdale Records johnny bartlett The Saturn V featuring Orbit the untamed youth

The Saturn V featuring Orbit - Buckleshoe Stomp. Hypothermic Records 7". H-100.

The Saturn V featuring Orbit. Or what Johnny did next. Following his departure from The Phantom Surfers Johnny 'Big Hands' Bartlett needed a new band so assembled this group of garage rock superstars. Orbit, he's the big fella in the middle of the photo above, went to school with Raul Balcarcel from out of The Fingers. It's true. Ron Silva (that's him far right, holding the drum skin) was in The Crawdaddys - the once and future Kings of the Chelsea Boot Stomp. Chris Von Sneidern (CVS) has a third sector organisation named after him in England. And I can't remember if that's Tom Ward or Teenage Rob Douglas on the far left. Rumours of the band's potential reformation have begun to be spread by manager Riff Ryan. Enjoy.

The Saturn V featuring Orbit - Buckleshoe Stomp. Hypothermic Records 7". H-100.

frat rock johnny bartlett raul balcarcel The Saturn V featuring Orbit

The Krontjong Devils - Romp Out With The Krontjong Devils - Hillsdale Records HR-16.

The best thing to come out of the European lowlands since the Dutch Cap, The Krontjong Devils provide three tremendous instrumentals and one okay-ish vocal track. Enjoy.

The Krontjong Devils - Romp Out With The Krontjong Devils - Hillsdale Records HR-16.

Hillsdale Records holland johnny bartlett surf the krontjong devils