Spin That 45 - Part 7: Black Cat

"Wow, those are some fast versions of 'Night Of The Werewolf' and 'Peter Gunn'. I didn't expect that from a Teddyboy band. Cool!", I thought until I played the B-Side. It was then that I realized that I was playing the record at wrong speed. Instead of the 45 rpm it says on the cover it plays on 33. Never mind, the songs still are cool. And of course I can play the instrumentals at the wrong speed anytime I want to and enjoy it.

Everyone knows Henry Mancini's 'Peter Gunn', one of the most popular Instrumentals in the world. But also rather boring. So the winner track on the instro side is without the slightest shadow of a doubt 'Night Of The Werewolf'. A rather obscure song, not much covered it seems. Beside this one I know only the original from 1977 by Lee Kristofferson(aka John Wagstaff) and the Meteors version of the song(on their 'Monkey's Breath' album).

The B-Side starts with the slow Stroller 'Teddyboys Beano', a creepy sounding song that seems to be based on the old children song 'Teddybears Picnic'. The opening lines from 'Teddybears Picnic' btw were also used by the Meteors on their song 'Graveyard Stomp'. Seems like every British kid grows up with that song. The side closes with the happy-go-lucky Bobby Darin number 'Queen Of The Hop'. Solid Revival sound. Overall a top notch Revival 45 with a creepy undertone, thanks to 'Night Of The Werewolf' and 'Teddyboys Beano'.

Black Cat were originally around from 1978 till 1983 and released four 7-Inches during that time. After the split of the original line-up the band continued performing, kept together by founding member and guitar player Chris Black who to this day performs under the name 'Chris Fender Black's Black Cat'. This EP with recordings probably done by the original line-up(no info of the recording dates for nerds like me on the sleeve) was released 2001 by top Revival label Hot Wax Records and you should have no problems getting a copy from your favorite Rockabilly dealer.