Some think his name is "Mr. Eraserhead", but I prefer to call him "Unknown Artist". Doesn't ANYBODY know who this guy is?"High Boots".mov"High Boots".m4v
I've been trying to figure that out since I saw this video earlier today. He's a goofy looking guy but that is one hot track! Even if it is some one-off piece of garbage wrote for a music video. I need a copy of the song.
Posted by: Christopher Lee | July 16, 2006 at 06:47 AM
This is a hot tune, and the guy shreds himself in the effort.
Is it just me, or does he look like John Lithgow as Dr. Emilio Lizardo?
John, it's O.K. now! We know your secret. Come claim your rightful place in the annals of Scopitone.
Posted by: francis bernacki | August 31, 2006 at 12:22 PM
It does at times look and sound like Jim Stafford, later of "Spiders and Snakes" fame....
Posted by: Christopher Todd Durnil | October 18, 2006 at 01:48 AM
Sounded like Del Shannon.
Posted by: Eric | November 28, 2006 at 11:51 PM
I'm trying to date this song--There are three dances mentioned in the song. This site (http://www.eijkhout.net/rad/dance_specific/novelty9.html) lists 60's dances by the group that introduced them. The three songs mentioned are the Dog (1963, Rufus Thomas, "Walking the Dog"), the Swim (1964, Bobby Freeman, "C'mon and Swim"), and the Jerk (1965, The Larks, "The Jerk"). So we have an earliest-possible of 1965. I'd put it an no later than 1967 because the lead instrument is a saxophone. Discussing this with my gf, she pointed out while a "real" group might not use a sax as a lead instrument (The Beatles killed the sax as a lead instrument in rock 'n' roll), some record-company exec might still be living in the past and say, "Hey, the kids will *love* this!" even though it was 1969.
So, all I've done is narrow this down from 1965 to 1970 for a fact, and probably from 1965 to 1967 (IMO).
Posted by: Victor Ramirez | November 29, 2006 at 08:30 PM
I played this for my father-in-law (believe me, he is a *font* of musical knowledge where rare stuff is concerned), and he immediately said the tune was similar to a 1960 tune by Jimmy Jones: "Good Timin'"
Yeah, it's pretty darn similar. He also thinks the singer looks like a young Wayne Newton...but good gravy! If it were Newton I think someone would have ID'd him by now.
Posted by: Victor | December 31, 2006 at 09:07 PM
I'd peg this clip at '63 or thereabouts, definitely pre-Beatles.
The descending falsetto part is a note-for note lift from Del Shannon's "Runaway." There are also bits that sound like an obscure early 60s (minor) hit entitled "Cinamon Cinder."
This is one bizarro clip, perhaps "Eraserhead" as directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis.
Posted by: Stan | January 17, 2007 at 01:51 AM
Might be Vinnie Monte, who did a song called "One Of The Guys" with similar Del Shannon type vocal.
Posted by: Robert | September 14, 2008 at 07:41 PM
Might be Vinnie Monte, who did a song called "One Of The Guys" with similar Del Shannon type vocal.
Posted by: Robert | September 14, 2008 at 07:42 PM
It was recorded in San Francisco 1n 1966. The dancer in a tuxedo is one Danny Whitten later to find fame in Crazy Horse, Neil Young's backing band. Also the writer of "I Don't Want to Talk About It" later to be a hit by Rod Stewart, among others. Danny can be seen in the Scopitone clip "Land Of A 1,000 Dances" by the Psyrcle singing the lead vocals.
Posted by: LittleRaggie | June 25, 2010 at 10:39 PM