THE HAMMERSMITH GORILLAS - Gorilla Got Me

THE HAMMERSMITH GORILLAS Gorilla Got Me cd 1999
The Hammersmith Gorillas: You Really Got Me /  The Hammersmith Gorillas: Leavin' Home / The Hammersmith Gorillas: Eleanor Soapdodge / The Hammersmith Gorillas: I Live In Style In Maida Vale / The Hammersmith Gorillas: Luxury / The Gorillas: She's My Gal / The Gorillas: Why Wait 'Til Tomorrow / The Gorillas: Gatecrasher / The Gorillas: Gorilla Got Me / The Gorillas: Move It / The Gorillas: Song For Rita / The Hammersmith Gorillas: Moonshine / The Hammersmith Gorillas: Shame Shame Shame / The Gorillas: Feel It Easy / The Gorillas: Miss Dynamite (AKA She's Dynamite) / The Hammersmith Gorillas: You Can't Judge A Book (By Looking At The Cover) / The Hammersmit Gorillas: Leavin' 'Ome / The Hammersmith Gorillas: Come On Down / The Hammersmith Gorillas: Jailhouse Rock / The Hammersmith Gorillas: Wild Thing / The Hammersmith Gorillas: Keep On Chooglin' / The Hammersmith Gorillas: Foxy Lady.  
The Hammersmith Gorillas: Jesse Hector: guitar, vocals / Gary Anderson: drums / Alan Butler, Jimmy Knight & Matt McIntyre: bass.
The Hammersmith Gorillas or Gorillas as they were also known, were formed in 1974 and lasted until 1981. Based around the creative talents of Jesse Hector, who was no stranger to the music scene, the band made a reputation for itself in the early days before and during the punk revolution. Jesse Hector had been involved in the music scene since the age of 15. He had played guitar in the mid-'60s cult band the Clique (not to be confused with the U.S. band of the same name) then fronted some politically incorrect bands by the names of Helter Skelter and Crushed Butler in the late '60s. In 1971, Hector got together with Alan Butler (bass) and Gary Anderson (drums) and took the name of a pro-Castro activist group and the band, The Hammersmith Gorillas were born. The band recorded a wild, pumped-up version of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me," as their first single for Larry Page's Penny Farthing label, and it immediately captured the attention of a young generation yearning for a new style of music. The sheer energy and attitude behind the single won it immediate recognition among the young people, but it failed to impress the radio programmers, so it didn't receive the airplay it deserved. After the failure of Page's label, the band signed to the fledgling Chiswick indie label and recorded further singles.

By 1976, the punk movement began to rear its ugly head and The Hammersmith Gorillas were right in the midst of the movement. Along with their friends in the Damned, Eddie & the Hot Rods, and more, the Gorillas, as they were then known, went to France to play in the legendary Mont de Marsan Punk Festival. After the Festival, punk took the world by storm and many bands popped up vowing to change the world. In 1978, the Gorillas recorded their debut (and only) album titled "Message to the World" for Raw records. The band rode the wave of the punk movement, and in 1981, bandmember Alan Butler died a tragic death and the band broke up. Nearly a decade later, in 1991, Hector returned to the music business and formed the Sound. "Gorilla Got Me" compiles 22 tracks from the careers of The Hammersmith Gorillas and the Gorillas. This set contains singles and selected album tracks originally released between 1974-1978, and a number of previously unreleased live tracks. Although the Gorillas will never make the rock & roll hall of fame the band's contribution to the '70s music scene is worthy of documentation. The set also contains detailed liner notes, a history of the band, a discography, and rare photos. A fitting tribute to one of the forgotten innovators of the punk movement. Allmusic

All you ever wanted from Jesse Hector's remarkable, hirsute and garbed trio - the issued Penny Farthing and Chiswick sides plus eight previously unissued studio recordings, and 25 minutes of ragged but right recording from the first Mont De Marsant Punk Rock Festival. They just don't make them like that anymore. Source
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