Search - Strangeloves :: I Want Candy

A dark horse - great "Australian" garage band (hoax or not)

Phil Rogers | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 03/12/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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)."

Just what the doctor ordered.

Johnny Heering | Bethel, CT United States | 08/24/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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."