AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Spotnicks

Artist:The Spotnicks

Song:Amapola

Album:Surfin' in Outer Space

Fans of instrumental guitar acts like The Ventures and The Shadows may want to check out The Spotnicks. They were very popular in their native Sweden in the early 60s. Like The Ventures, they have a big following in Japan. The Spotnicks are from Gothenburg, Sweden. They were called The Rebels when they were formed in 1956 by guitarist Bo Starander AKA Bob Lander and bassist Bjorn Thelin. When lead guitarist Bo Winberg joined in 1957, the band name was changed to Rock-Teddy and the Blue Caps. When drummer Ove Johansson joined in 1958, the band name was changed to The Frazers. After playing local clubs for a couple of years. they signed with the British label Oriole Records in 1961. The band's manager suggested the name change to The Spotnicks and that they wear space suits on stage. What a great gimmick. The Spotnicks were the first Swedish band to have international success. And I'm sure Oriole saw them as their version of The Ventures. The Spotnicks version of Orange Blossom Special was a top 30 hit in England and topped the Australian charts. Most of their success was in Europe. They released their debut album The Spotnicks in London, Out-A Space in 1962. Other hits include Rocket Man and Have Nagila which reached #13 on the British Singles  chart. The 1963 single Amapola reached #2 in Sweden. It was their biggest hit at home. Amapola was written by Spanish songwriter Joseph Lacalle. After his 1937 death, Albert Gamse (Hail to the Chief) wrote English lyrics for the song. The 1941 recording by Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra featuring Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly topped the charts for 14 weeks. It was popular with American soldiers during WWII. You can get Amapola on this comp from the British reissue label Jasmine. These are original recordings. Similar to The Ventures, The Spotnicks are very popular in Japan. They split up in 1970. But Winberg soon reformed them at the request of a Japanese record company. He continued to lead a version of The Spotnicks until a final 2014 tour. Winder died in 2020. Here's The Spotnicks performing Amapola in The Netherlands 1963.