From the founder of the Twist movement comes a most incredible listening experience... Chubby Checker gets his freak on!
YEEEAAAHHHHH!!!!
I have been wanting to hear this LP forever, well at least since I read about it in Ugly Things 23 from a couple of years back. And what did I find in my mailbox this afterlunch but a copy on CD-R, from Mockba, no less.
Scott Seward wrote an excellent piece on this record in Ugly Things Magazine, issue #23, which happens to be Chubby's acid rock album. I know that it sounds crazy, but this is a solid effort, featuring tons of soulful Hammond and acid-tinged guitar. His vocal delivery is awesome.
He even uses turned on lyrics: "How does it feel when you smoke by yourself, how does it feel when you trip with someone else?" from the song "How Does it Feel," obviously not anything to do with the Creation track.
The details on how this LP, which Chubby doesn't want to speak about or really acknowledge, are somewhat sketchy. A record company scammer from the 60's, named Ed Chalpin, who also was behind the Hendrix/Curtis Knight chitlin' circuit records, released this in Europe and in a cut-out version in North America. Money was made on this, but one suspects The Chubbinator did not reap any of the monetary reward.
1971 is listed as the year of release, but since the Moon is such a large part of the lyrical subject matter suggests a possible earlier release (or composition) time frame.
Wild! The LP leads off with "Goodbye Victoria", a real scorcher. The build of the piano into his haunting acid vocal moves it along.
The pacing of the album ebbs and flows after that, but really "peaks" with the track "Love Tunnel." It is like a more speeded out Arthur Lee with a more heavy acid backing group. "Don't get hung up in the Love Tunnel" indeed. The drums just pound under the vocals. Just wait until you get to the crazy track that ends it all, "Gypsy." Chubby sounds like he is really losing it, fast tempo, yelling vocals.
I can't recommend something higher, this is both a novelty and psychotronically entertaining, but also quite good. I can see listening at least to "Goodbye Victoria" and "Love Tunnel" in the future. I am looking for a vinyl version of this one!
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