AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Outlaws

Artist:The Outlaws

Song:Ambush

Album:Joe Meek: The RGM Sound

Not to be confused with the 70s country rock band Outlaws, the British band The Outlaws was produced by the same guy responsible for The Tornados smash instrumental hit Telstar, British producer and recording engineer Joe Meek. He was almost able to repeat this with The Outlaws 1961 single Ambush. I think the record would have been a hit without the screwy sound effects. Meek was known to be flaky. The other problem with The Outlaws was the band lineup was always changing. The Outlaws came about when Meek fired the backing band for singer Mike Berry in 1960. The original lineup of The Outlaws was guitarist Chas Hodges, drummer Bobby Graham along with Reg Hawkins and Billy Kuy. This is the band that recorded the 1961 single Ambush which reached #43 on the British Singles chart. I think it would have been a bigger hit minus the sound effects because the song is pretty good. The Outlaws recorded until 1966. The only member who was in the band for the entire time was Hodges who was later a member of Chas and Dave. When The Outlaws were not recording their own music, they were backing up other Meek acts in the studio. After Graham left, Meek hired drummer Mick Underwood who recommend his guitarist buddy Ritchie Blackmore. Of course Blackmore went on to be guitarist for Deep Purple. And Underwood was a session drummer and member of Gillan after he he left Deep Purple. So The Outlaws had potential but it's like I said. He tended to be flaky anyway. This 2CD comp from the British reissue label Jasmine covers Meek's history. Meek suffered from schizophrenia and on Feb. 3, 1967, he shot his landlady after she complained about the noise coming from the studio and then he shot himself. Meek is hailed in England today as a recording pioneer. But that's tempered by his mental illness. Here's The Outlaws performing Ambush 1961.