Customer Reviews

I Want Candy: The Best Of The Strangeloves

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Their first album had this claim in the liner notes that they were from Australia - but they were really a non-band - a group of session musicians from NYC, of all things.

It was quite the mystique, really, and the music itself was/is awesome to boot. Garage rock was at the height of its early inventiveness, and "I Want Candy" was up there in the stratosphere. The followup, "Cara-Lin" was a bit of a knockoff (though at the time I liked it better). "Night Time" also really rocked - with tremendous tremelo strumming on lead guitar; and matchless, gutsy spoken vocal riffs at various junctures.

Part of the Strangeloves' signature sound was the loud, quick unison "heys" and strong tom-tom beats at the bridges. "Candy" had great jazzy, repeating guitar riffs; "Cara-Lin" had a powerful honking sax, somewhat like early Dave Clark Five tunes. Generally, their overall feel was a relentless, driving energy (at differing tempos, depending on the song).

As I remember, their b-sides were quite good as well.

The only other song I can remember that basically recapitulated their dominant style was the Troggs' "I Can't Control Myself", which was another incredible effort (although its lyrics surpassed those of the Strangeloves by a healthy margin).

I WANT CANDY: THE BEST OF THE STRANGELOVES is a pretty cool CD with some infectious beats. Although the only song I knew was "I Want Candy," after Bow Wow Wow did a cover in the 80s, I think the rest of the songs on this CD are pretty good.

Most tracks have simple lyrics that are repeated, against a heavy percussion beat, like in "I Want Candy," with a lot of "hey!" thrown in for good measure. All the songs have that great Go-Go, 60s sound and are catchy--guaranteed to make you hum, sing, and tap your foot to the beat! The Strangeloves do a cover of The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys, which wasn't a cover but given to the McCoys to record and release as single--according to Wikipedia--which became a number one hit.

On "Hang On Sloopy," I don't know if this is the original or re-recorded version by the McCoys.

The insert doesn't contain any info on the group, which is why I deduct one-star.

The CD is out-of-print but you can find it cheap, either new or used, through third party sellers here on Amazon or at a used music shops. If you like mid-60s pop music, pre-psychedelic rock and different than Motown, I would definitely say that you'll enjoy THE BEST OF THE STRANGELOVES.

Garage rock is one of my least favorite musics. I respect the impulse, but need more dynamics.

So I Want Candy by the Strangeloves impressing me shows how strong this album is. The title track--its really "Willie And The Hand Jive" on steroids-- with big beat and deliciously infantile demand is amazing with its hooks. This song does not use a lot of instruments, but the band makes a big roar, makes you instantly believe they want whatever the "Candy" is. We are all screaming babies deep down, brats that want that sweet stuff, and want it NOW! This is rock with its rebel boots in full shine. You instantly relate to this song, and it reminds why we have such a visceral love for rock and roll.

There are a lot of covers here: "Satisfaction," "Land of 1000 dancers," all imbued with volume and kicka-s joy. You gotta love a rock band having so much fun on rock voltage. Even if you don't like garage, this candy is sugar sweet and power packed and pretty soon, you'll be woofing down a lot of it.

The Strangeloves were a "three hit wonder" back in the mid-'60s, although "I Want Candy" is the only one of those hits that is really remembered today. Supposedly three brothers from Australia, they were actually a three man writing/producing team from New York. This CD contains almost all of the recordings ever released by the Strangeloves. The recordings are fun, but most of them are highly derivative of "I Want Candy", featuring heavy percussion and vocals yelled by all three guys. But if you are looking for a Strangeloves CD, this is the one to get.

I am indebted to an oldies station in my city that actually played the original version of "I want Candy": the Bow Wow Wow hit from the 1980's that has recently been re-done again for the movie Hop.

Well I listened to the previews and bought the CD and it is just solid fun all the way through. I listened to it so many time over the week after I bought it that I risked getting sick of it, so now it's out of site for several weeks. Best CD purchase since the Best of Bobby Fuller.

Although the Strangeloves were reputed to be a trio of Australian brothers (Giles, Miles and Niles Strange), they were actually a successful New York songwriting and production team. Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer wrote and produced the Angels' "My Boyfriend's Back," but in the British Invasion's wake they opted for the mystery of foreign roots. The deception worked, as their debut single "I Want Candy" hit #11, and the rhythmic follow-up "Cara-Lin" cracked the Top 40. Their final chart success, the hard-driving "Night Time," topped out at #30 and was selected (in its edited single form) by Lenny Kaye for the seminal Nuggets album. The trio played a few live dates, but the bulk of the Strangeloves' touring was handled by the studio musicians who worked on the records.

Perhaps the most famous track recorded by the Strangeloves was their non-charting version of "Hang on Sloopy." Written by Bert Russell (for whose Bang label the Strangeloves recorded) and Wes Farrell, the backing track was reused for the McCoy's hit single. The version here includes the extra verse cut from the McCoys' single (the uncut McCoys version appears on One Hit Wonders of the `60s, Vol. 2). The Strangeloves' biggest hit, "I Want Candy," was reborn with the 1982 new wave cover by Bow Wow Wow. The album's cover songs, including Gary U.S. Bonds' "New Orleans" and "Quarter to Three," Johnny Otis' "Willie and the Hand Jive" and the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" are all sung in the group's trademark style, heavy on the vocals and rhythm.

Among the originals, the Brill Building-styled "Rhythm of Love" (touchingly covered by the Pooh Sticks, Rubinoos and others) is the best of the non-hits. The rest tend to light weight and an over-reliance on the Bo Diddley beat, but they're still performed with a great deal of verve. There's something about New Yorkers pretending to be Australian sheep farmers faking New Orleans soul that really works. The tracks mix stereo (1-4, 7, 9, 13-14, 18, 20) and mono (5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15-17, 19), and the bonus tracks (13-20) include several winners. Gottehrer went on to terrific fame as a record producer (notably for Blondie) and co-founder of Sire Records, while Jerry Goldstein became a producer and manager, but none of their later exploits ever again captured the of-the-moment kookiness of the Strangeloves. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]