WHO ARE THOSE GUYS? “Davie Allan & The Arrows recorded the most frenzied instrumentals the world has ever heard! Allan’s fuzzed-out guitar was an audio compass pointing towards freedom, sex, danger and violence, his trashy fretboard riffs exploding behind flickering celluloid images of cycle runs, biker fights, drug freakouts and rubber-burnin’ hot rods.” 1
The paragraph quoted above is from Sundazed Records’ promotional campaign to promote DEVIL’S RUMBLE, a compilation intended “to restore Davie Allan to his rightful place atop the ranks of fabled guitar gunslingers.” And how can I top that? I can’t so I will just stick to what this article is all about! 2
In this article, you will find the most complete discography of the recordings of Davie Allan ever assembled These include his work as a sideman, as a solo artist, and as leader of his own group, the Arrows. This article is also a reasonably accurate price guide to those records.
This discography includes at least one image for each record released under with Davie as a sideman during the formative years of 1963-1964, each record released by Davie Allan or the Arrows during the heyday years of 1965-1969, and anything I considered interesting.
This article was originally published in 2015 and has been revised and reorganized. All of the values assigned to the records below have been updated to reflect the marketplace of 2020.
The classic Arrows line-up of the mid-’60s included Davie Allan (lead guitar), Russ Viot (rhythm guitar), Drew Bennett (bass), and Larry Brown (drums). Records can be found crediting “The Arrows,” “The Arrows Featuring Davie Allan,” “Davie Allan & The Arrows,” and just plain “Davie Allan.”
The basic discography below was provided by The Seth Man. Every record listed is believed to include Davie on guitar; those tracks that we are certain of Allan’s contribution are followed by an asterisk (*). 3
Davie Allan & the Arrows’ big hit was Blue’s Theme, which opened the movie Wild Angels and was the theme for the film’s protagonist, a biker named Blues (Peter Fonda). With this movie, both Fonda and Allan became associated with Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In fact, the sound of a surf riff on a fuzzed guitar brings bikes to mind to those of us who spent a lot of time at Saturday matinees and weekend drive-in movies during the ’60s.
Scarcity Index and assigned values
Frank Daniels has been contributing to my efforts here and on my Elvis – A Touch Of Gold site for a while, but he has been collecting common and rare records for a long time. Several years ago, he developed a Scarcity Index that addresses a record’s rarity—the real or perceived availability of the item on the open market—rather than its value.
While it is an effort to do the research (and Frank did it all), I wanted to use it here as the prices paid for most of Davie’s records do not reflect the difficulty in finding those records.
Davie Allan’s fuzzed-out guitar was an audio compass pointing towards freedom, sex, danger, and violence!
Values reflect what an established dealer would ask for that item in near mint (NM) condition. They are based on listings for recent sales in such sites as Popsike and Discogs combined with input from a handful of friends and thirty years of experience buying and selling records.
The values assigned are for near-mint records with near-mint labels. Most of the copies of these records that are sold on the internet do not appear to be near mint, so the values below will seem rather high. Most of the records listed below can be purchased for a helluva lot less than the near mint value—some can be bought for a couple of bucks—if you will settle for less than near mint condition.
For more, refer to “On Grading Records.”
During the Vinyl Era, many record companies issued their 45s in generic sleeves that identified the record company but not the specific record in the sleeve. These are referred to as company sleeves. These sleeves worked best when they contrasted with the color of the record labels. For the examples above, the black Tower sleeve makes the orange label of the Tower record stand out while the red Mercury label is lost in the red Mercury sleeve,
Odds and ends
Regarding the many guises under which Davie Allan and the Arrows’ recordings can be found in the ’60s—especially on the movie soundtrack albums on Tower and Sidewalk—Davie had this to say: “In those days, record companies wanted to have names they could continue to use if the record was a hit. Our band didn’t want to get locked into any one record company, so we let any company we worked with name us whatever they wanted to name us.”
Davie Allan & the Arrows’ riffs exploded behind flickering celluloid images of cycle runs, biker fights, drug freakouts, and rubber-burnin’ hot rods!
Regarding the images of record labels below: the images may be an accurate reproduction of the actual labels or they may approximate the color. This is especially true for Tower labels: the extreme variation in the brownish-orange label—from very light orange to a rather deep brown—is mostly due to the photographing process and the manner of reproducing those photos and transferring them to the Internet. The label tonality does vary somewhat, but not to the degree shown below.
Notice that the label on the illustration above for the Devil’s Angels single is a deep, rich orange. Not all of the images below are the same orange, but most of the actual records look pretty much alike.
1963
This is probably Davie Allan’s first appearance on a record and as such every Davie Allan collector in the world should be going wild in the streets trying to score a copy!
HEYBURNERS
Titanic 5009 Speedway* / Bird Walk*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $100-150.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
Apparently, the Heyburners featured Mike Curb (keyboards), Davie Allan (guitar), and Larry Brown (drums) along with additional (and long-forgotten) side musicians. Mike Curb’s website has Titanic 5009 as released in 1962, but it was first listed in the May 25, 1963, issue of Billboard in their Other Singles Reviewed section, which listed singles with relatively limited sales or programming potential. Refer to the Curbstones, the Grads, the Ja Detts, the Streamers, the Sudells, and the Zanies.
This was the first single released under Allan’s name and as such, every Davie Allan collector in the world should be going wild in the streets trying to score a copy!
DAVIE ALLAN
Cude 101 War Path / Beyond The Blue
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $40-60.
Mike Curb founded Cude Records in 1963 and the first record was issued later in the year. The record went nowhere and was leased to Marc Records, who reissued it in 1964 (listed below).
This was Mike Curb’s first record under his own name and featured his own vocals.
MIKE CURB & THE CURBSTONES
Reprise 0287 Velocita* / Hot Dawg*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $15-20.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $15-20.
Apparently, this group featured Mike Curb (keyboards), Davie Allan (guitar), and Larry Brown (drums) along with additional (and long-forgotten) side musicians. Refer to the Grads, the Heyburners, the Ja Detts, the Streamers, the Sudells, and the Zanies.
JA DETTS
Deltone 5022 Look To The Stars* / Father Knows Best*
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $20-30.
Apparently, the Ja Detts featured Mike Curb (keyboards), Davie Allan (guitar), and Larry Brown (drums) along with additional (and long-forgotten) side musicians backing a girl group later known as the Starlets (below). Refer to the Curbstones, the Grads, the Heyburners, the Streamers, the Sudells, and the Zanies.
SHARLETS
Explosive ZGM-1 Gleam In His Eyes / Freddie
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $40-50.
1964
ZANIES
Dore 705 Camel Walk* / Slinky*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $15-20.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $15-20.
Apparently, the Zanies featured Mike Curb (keyboards), Davie Allan (guitar), and Larry Brown (drums) along with additional (and long-forgotten) side musicians. Refer to the Curbstones, the Grads, the Heyburners, the Ja Detts, the Streamers, and the Sudells.
STREAMERS
Dot 16648 Slip-Stream* / Blue Mountain*
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $30-40.
Apparently, the Streamers featured Mike Curb (keyboards), Davie Allan (guitar), and Larry Brown (drums) along with additional (and long-forgotten) side musicians. Refer to the Curbstones, the Grads, the Heyburners, the Ja Detts, the Sudells, and the Zanies.
DAVIE ALLAN
Marc 107 War Path / Beyond The Blue
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $60-80.
Marc Records, who had a modest hit with Bob & Earl’s Harlem Shuffle in early 1964, picked up Davie Allan’s record on Cude (above) and reissued it in mid-’64.
GRADS
Mercury 72346 The Wild One* / The Cool One*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $15-20.
While The Wild One is a Gary Usher project, apparently The Cool One is a reissue of Davie Allan’s Beyond The Blue on Cude (above). Refer to the Curbstones, the Heyburners, the Ja Detts, the Streamers, the Sudells, and the Zanies.
PARIS SISTERS
MGM 13236 Dream Lover* / Lonely Girl
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 2 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Picture sleeve: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $20-30.
ARROWS FEATURING DAVIE ALLAN
Sidewalk 1 Apache ’65 / Blue Guitar
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $30-40.
“We actually recorded Apache ‘65 late in 1964. It didn’t sell everywhere, but I remember we went to Phoenix and it was so funny—we’d get off the plane and there’d be a limousine waiting for us. We were actually stars in Phoenix! In Los Angeles, I think #34 was the highest it went. I always loved [the original Apache by Jorgen Ingmann from 1961] and wanted to re-do it, and in re-doing it, we tried to think of an Indian name. The first name we were going to use was the Warriors. I didn’t like that, so I came up with the Arrows.” (Davie Allan)
MIKE CURB & THE REBELAIRS
Smash 1938 The Rebel (Without A Cause)* / Carole’s Rebel*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
The Rebel (Without A Cause) featured Mike Curb as the lead singer with instrumental and vocal backing supposedly by the Hondells under the direction of Beach Boys producer Nick Venet. This was recorded around the same time as the Hondells’ version, but their’s was a Davie Allan-inspired surf instrumental.
STARLETS
Tower 115 You Won’t Even Know Her Name* / Multiply By Three
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $20-25.
This was Davie Allan’s first appearance on Tower. His affiliation with this company and its affiliate Sidewalk Records should have (but probably won’t) cement his place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Starlets were a girl group who had recorded earlier as the Ja Detts (above).
1965
“The Sudells single is probably as rare as anything on the American Arts label. Commercial copies are ridiculously rare. I have seen three different promo labels, but they are just factory variations.” – Frank Daniels
SUDELLS
American Arts 12 Suzuki* / Pow Wow*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $50-100.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
Apparently, the Sudells featured Mike Curb (keyboards), Davie Allan (guitar), and Larry Brown (drums) along with additional (and long-forgotten) side musicians. Refer to the Curbstones, the Grads, the Heyburners, the Ja Detts, the Streamers, and the Zanies.
KEN & CAROL
Marmike 101 Make Up Your Mind / Gleam In Her Eye
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $50-100.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
“The Marmike label was owned by famous ’60s producer and writer of hundreds of records and songs, Mike Curb. Both sides of the record were written, produced, and arranged by Curb, who also owned the music publishing company, Marmike Music. We know all about the actual record, but nothing about Ken and Carol!
What were their full names? Where did they come from? What happened to them after this one release? Columbia Records obviously heard the record and liked it, since they bought it from Curb and issued it in 1965.
Make Up Your Mind was listed on both this and the Columbia release as the A-side. Perhaps if they had pushed the flip-side they would have had a hit. Gleam in Her Eye is the killer and is the perfect song for collectors of those very hard-to-find wild rockers of the ’60s. This song has a touch of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound that’s gone crazy.” (Adapted from the description by an eBay seller from 2004.)
This is a reissue of Marmike 101 (above).
KEN & CAROL
Columbia 43374 Make Up Your Mind / Gleam In Her Eye
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $15-20.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $15-20.
Like many non-hit records from this era, the white label promotional pressing is easier to find than the red label commercial pressing.
SINNERS
Mercury 72388 You Don’t Love Me / I Like The Look Of You
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $30-40.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $50-100.
HONDELLS
Mercury 72405 Little Sidewalk Surfer Girl / Come On (Pack It On)
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $10-15.
NOTIONS
Mercury 72413 Bumble Bee ’65 / Notions*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 9 with a near mint value of $100-150.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 9 with a near mint value of $150-200.
The Notions on Mercury are not the Dutch beat-group known as the Motions who gave Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight Of The Bumble Bee a garage-surf updating. The B-side, Notions, features the Davie Allan on lead guitar.
SINNERS
Mercury 72453 A Change / Goin’ Out Of My Mind
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $40-60.
Davie Allan has assured me that neither he nor the Arrows were on the Sinners sides but the record is listed here as many collectors believe otherwise.
HONDELLS
Mercury 72479 Sea Cruise / You Meet The Nicest People On A Honda*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $10-15.
PETER FORD
Philips 40336 Don’t Keep It To Yourself / Blue Ribbons
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Picture sleeve: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $10-15.
HARLEY HATCHER
Sidewalk 2 The Twirl / All I Need Is You
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
JERRY NAYLOR
Smash 1971 I Found You / I’ll Take You Home
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
Tower 116 is a reissue of Sidewalk 1 from the previous year.
ARROWS FEATURING DAVIE ALLAN
Tower 116 Apache ’65 / Blue Guitar
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $10-15.
ARROWS FEATURING DAVIE ALLAN
Tower 133 Moon Dawg ’65 / Dance The Freddie
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $20-30.
JERRY NAYLOR
Tower 139 It’s Only Make Believe / Leave Him And Come To My Arms
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $10-15.
ARROWS FEATURING DAVIE ALLAN
Tower 142 Baby Ruth / I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $10-15.
STARLETS
Tower 144 You Don’t Love Me / I’ve Had It
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $100-150.
FRANKIE ALBANO
Tower 153 She’ll Never Know / Forgetful One
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $10-15.
ARROWS FEATURING DAVIE ALLAN
Tower 158 Space Hop / Granny Goose
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $40-80.
JERRY NAYLOR
Tower 162 City Lights / Life
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $300-400.
This record goes for big bucks because it is highly sought after by collectors of the nebulous Northern Soul genre.
MOORE & MOORE
Valiant 749 Leave Him And Come To My Arms / You’re All I Live For
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
FASTEST GROUP ALIVE
Teem TM-102 The Bears / Beside
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $15-20.
FASTEST GROUP ALIVE
Valiant 754 The Bears / Beside
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $10-15.
KIM FOWLEY
Mira 209 American Dream / The Statue
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 9 with a near mint value of $200-300.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
1966
MIKE CURB
Tower 202 Suzie Darling / Sunshine
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 3 with a near mint value of $10-15.
JERRY NAYLOR
Tower 214 Would You Believe / My Special Angel
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $10-15.
GREEN BEANS
Tower 237 Knock On My Door / Who Needs You
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $30-50.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
• Picture sleeve: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $30-50.
BAND WITHOUT A NAME
Tower 246 Turn On Your Lovelight / A Perfect Girl
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $20-25.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
“We were doing recordings at Mike Curb’s Sidewalks Production studio around that time and that’s where we recorded it. We had a vocal tutor named Charles Wright. He was in the group called Charles Wright & The 103rd Rhythm Band. I believe Casey [Kasem] wanted some soul in our music. Richard Faith wrote A Perfect Girl and arranged all the harmonies for that song. I believe Charley may have arranged Turn On Your Lovelight. I played the rhythm guitar and sang harmonies on both.” (Larry Puckett of Band Without A Name)
DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS
Tower 267 Theme From The Wild Angels / U.F.O.
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $30-40.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $30-40.
VISITORS FEATURING BARBARA
Tower 268 Theme From The Wild Angels* / Is It Them Or Me?
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $15-20.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
Theme From The Wild Angels is a vocal interpretation of the theme song to the movie The Wild Angels recorded by Davie Allan & The Arrows (above). The Visitors feature Barbara Pittman, who recorded for Sam Phillips’s Sun Records and Phillips International Records in the ’50s. Refer to the Thirteenth Committee.
The first two images are West Coast pressings and credit Davie Allan and the Arrows. The label on top incorrectly reads “Mike Curb / Produced by” on the right side and probably the first pressing of this record. The second label correctly reads “Produced by / Mike Curb.” The third image is an East Coast pressing credits The Arrows Featuring Davie Allen (sic). The final image is a later West Coast pressing that credits The Arrows Featuring Davie Allen and was Allan’s only Tower 45 that was kept in print on the striped label.
ARROWS FEATURING DAVIE ALLAN or DAVIE ALLEN & THE ARROWS
Tower 295 Blue’s Theme / Bongo Party
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Orange labels have a Scarcity Index of 2 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Striped labels have a Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $30-40.
“We did a short subject called Skaterdater. It’s a great little movie [that] Roger Corman saw and said, ‘That’s the sound I want to use for The Wild Angels movie.’ That’s how we got that. They were forced to put out Blue’s Theme from the album; they had so many requests for it and that’s the theme that shows Peter Fonda’s entrance. The motorcycle sound on it is actually Peter starting up his bike.
Then it went crazy. We were in every city everywhere across the country. Each night we were on a plane going someplace else. Blue’s Theme was #1 everywhere it went, but not at one time. That’s why on Billboard it only hit #37, but it was there for seventeen weeks. It was on some charts in December 1966 and it was still on others in September 1967. That’s nine months that record was selling!” (Davie Allan)
Blue’s Theme was a somewhat bigger hit on Cash Box, where it reached #33 and spent twenty-three weeks on that survey.
HANDS OF TIME
Sidewalk 903 Got To Get You Into My Life* / Midnight Rider*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $30-50.
The Hands Of Time is actually Davie Allan & The Arrows. The B-side, Midnight Rider, was originally issued on THE WILD ANGELS soundtrack album where it was credited to the Arrows.
TONY DEAN
Manhattan 802 My Group Has Too Many Cavities / Just For One
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $20-25.
LYDIA MARCELLE
Manhattan 805 Come On And Get It / The Girl He Needs
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $20-30.
GREEN BEANS
Mercury 72504 (Don’t Give Me No) Friction* / Superstition
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $100-150.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 10 with a near mint value of $150-200.
HONDELLS
Mercury 72523 Endless Sleep / Follow Your Heart
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $10-15.
TERRY STAFFORD
Mercury 72538 Forbidden / Out Of The Picture
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $30-40.
1967
HARLEY & THE NIGHT RIDERS
Manhattan 806 The Wild Angels Ride Tonight* / Won’t You Help Me
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $40-60.
BAND WITHOUT A NAME
Sidewalk 913 Theme From Thunder Alley* / Time After Time
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
“The only band member that had anything to do with Theme From Thunder Alley was Richard Barcelona. He sang the lead. We both tried it, but Mike Curb said I sounded too much like Paul McCartney; not tough enough. He was right. Richard and I wrote Time After Time and our band recorded the entire song, vocals and all. He sang the lead and I sang the high harmony. The record came out just after I left the band and my name never appeared on the credits.
I remember a Thunder Alley session in the Glendale area. I think it was a studio that Brian Wilson built or used. Davie Allan & The Arrows were also there. I don’t believe they used any of the stuff we recorded there, which wasn’t much. The Arrows did all the soundtrack instrumentals. Time After Time was recorded at Sidewalk Sounds, Mike Curb’s studio in Hollywood.” (Mark Anderson of Band Without A Name)
This record was arranged and produced by Davie Allan and featured his fuzz guitar.
TONY & THE VIZITORS
Sidewalk 915 Saturday’s Son* / Nite Owl*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 9 with a near mint value of $150-200.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
GYPSY BOOTS
Sidewalk 919 I Feel So Fine / We’re Havin’ A Love-In
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
• Picture sleeve: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $10-15.
GLASS FAMILY
Sidewalk 920 Teenage Rebellion / Teenage Rebellion
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $10-20.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
Note that Annette’s first name was misspelled with three ‘T’s instead of two.
ANNETTE (ANNETTE FUNICELLO)
Tower 326 What’s A Girl To Do / When You Get What You Want*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $25-35.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $40-50.
Note the variations in the labels above: the top image credits DAVIE ALLAN in large print with and THE ARROWS in smaller print; the middle image credits DAVIE ALLAN and THE ARROWS in the same large print; and the bottom image credits DAVIE ALLEN AND and THE ARROWS in same large print, except that Allan’s name is misspelled.
DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS
Tower 341 Devil’s Angels / Cody’s Theme
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $15-20.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 3 with a near mint value of $15-20.
“We had a Hell’s Angel come down to Continental Studio. We took a microphone out in the parking lot and he started up his bike and went up and down the aisle and we taped it about eight times and the record starts off with [what sounds like] all these bikers starting up their bikes. I don’t know why Devil’s Angels didn’t take off more than it did. There was a mix-up in L.A.: Mike Curb had promised an exclusive to KRLA but gave it to KHJ and they both got so mad they both dropped it.” (Davie Allan)
SIDEWALK SOUNDS
Tower 352 The Born Losers Theme* / Billy Jack’s Theme
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $15-20.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $15-20.
This promotional EP features Love Theme From The Wild Racers by the Arrows. The record also features two tracks by the Main Attraction and one each by the Sunrays and Eternity’s Children.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Tower SPRO-4557/58 Selections From New April Albums
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Promo picture sleeve: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $10-15.
ARROWS FEATURING DAVIE ALLAN
Tower 381 Blue Rides Again / Cycle-Delic
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 9 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
While the A-side is almost certainly the movie tie-in Blue Rides Again, it’s the flip-side that has attracted the most attention in the intervening years. Cycle-Delic is Davie Allan exploring the then-new psychedelic sounds with fuzz guitar and a touch of the wah-wah pedal. It is a 2:20 edit of the nearly seven-minute track from the CYCLE-DELIC album.
LEATHER BOY
MGM 13724 I’m A Leather Boy / Shadows
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Picture sleeve: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $20-30.
PRISCILLA
York 405 He Noticed Me / Help Me
• Promo copy: Yellow and black labels have a Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $30-40.
• Promo copy: Black and white labels have a Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $30-40.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 9 with a near mint value of $50-100.
Priscilla is Priscilla Paris of the Paris Sisters, with whom Davie Allan had recorded earlier (above).
1968
THIRTEENTH COMMITTEE
Manhattan 810 Sha La La / You Really Got A Hold On Me
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $20-30.
The Thirteenth Committee features Barbara Pittman, who recorded for Sam Phillips’s Sun Records and Phillips International Records in the ’50s. Refer to the Visitors.
SECOND TIME / SENATORS
Tower 434 Listen To The Music / Psychedelic Senate
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $10-50.
• Promo picture sleeve: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $40-60.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 9 with a near mint value of $10-50.
While few Davie Allan collectors seek this item out as an artifact of his career, it does nonetheless accompany a record where he may have been a session musician. Note that on the record the group is 13th Power while on the sleeve they are The 13th Power.
13th POWER
Sidewalk 920 Captain Hassel / I See A Change Is Gonna Come
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $15-20.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $40-50.
DON EPPERSON
Sidewalk 933 Gonna Have A Good Time* / Please Mrs. Peckingpaw*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
PORTRAITS
Sidewalk 935 Runaround Girl / Over The Rainbow
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $25-35.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
STONE PONEYS
Sidewalk 937 So Fine* / Everybody Has Their Own Ideas
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 5 with a near mint value of $25-35.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $100-200.
The Stone Poneys were lead singer Linda Ronstadt with Bobby Kimmel (rhythm guitar and vocals) and Kenny Edwards (lead guitar). On this record, they are supported by Davie Allan (guitar) with Arrows Drew Bennett (bass) and Larry Brown (drums).
“Sidewalk signed the Stone Poneys in 1966 and released a single called Everybody’s Got His Own Ideas backed by So Fine. To the best of my knowledge, the Stone Poneys never recorded for Mercury. Even though Sidewalk did not have a chart record with them, our records were released prior to Capitol and I was instrumental in helping the Stone Poneys and Nick Venet get together at Capitol. I wish I could have kept them on Sidewalk, but in 1967 Nick Venet asked me as a favor to let them record for Capitol, which I believe turned out to be the right decision.” (Mike Curb)
MAX FROST & THE TROOPERS
Sidewalk 938 There Is A Party Going On* / Stompers Ride* /
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 9 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
MIKE CLIFFORD / SIDEWALK SOUNDS
Sidewalk 939 Mary Jane / Gas Hassle
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $15-20.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $30-40.
SECOND TIME
Sidewalk 943 Shadows / Magic Man
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $20-40.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
Tower shipped the promotional copies of this record with a special picture sleeve promoting THE ARROWS PLAY MUSIC FROM THE SCORE OF WILD IN THE STREETS album.
DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS
Tower 446 Shape Of Things To Come / Wild In The Streets
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 7 with a near mint value of $20-30.
• Promo picture sleeve: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $50-100.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $50-100.
“I wish I could say that [the Arrows] were Max Frost & The Troopers, but unfortunately, it’s just not true. I did play on the Wild In The Streets soundtrack along with studio musicians known as the Hollywood Wrecking Crew, but none of us played on Shape Of Things To Come. A band was hired to do that one and it was kept a secret as to whom the members were!
The mix-up started when my instrumental version was released as the last Arrows single on the Tower Records label. All I did was play lead on that pre-recorded track, so everyone assumed that we and Max Frost were one and the same. I am on some of the Max Frost tracks, including the ones that appeared on The Glory Stompers soundtrack.” (Davie Allan)
MAX FROST & THE TROOPERS
Tower 452 Fifty Two Percent / Max Frost Theme
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $15-25.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $15-25.
SLEEVE
DOUG BROOKINS
Imperial 66343 I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am / As Time Goes On
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $6-12.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
PARIS SISTERS
Capitol 2081 Greener Days / Golden Days
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $10-20.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 6 with a near mint value of $15-30.
1969
JIM PEWTER
RCA 74-0186 Father Kline / Sunday Morning Light
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $6-12.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $6-12.
RUSS VIOT
Nose 14-003 It’s Your Feeling / Helper
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $30-40.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 8 with a near mint value of $30-40.
Ralph “Russ” Viot was the rhythm guitar player for the Arrows between 1964 and 1967.
1971
SOUNDS OF HARLEY
MGM 14248 The Hard Ride* / Victorville Blues*
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $15-25.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $25-35.
DAVIE ALLAN
MGM 14299 It’s the Little Things You Do / You And Me
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $30-40.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $40-50.
1972
DAVIE ALLAN
MGM 14374 Head Over Heels / Here It Comes
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $10-15.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
ARROWS
MGM 14432 Dawn Of The 7th Cavalry / Little Big Horn
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $6-12.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $6-12.
ARROWS
MGM 14432 Dawn At Wounded Knee / Little Big Horn
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $6-12.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $6-12.
The instrumental Dawn At Wounded Knee is the same track as Dawn Of The 7th Cavalry. The title was changed in the wake of the incident at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, in February 1973.
“Head Over Heels and Dawn At Wounded Knee were the only two that really started to get action anywhere, but MGM—I don’t know if I should say this—they were so busy with the Osmonds that they didn’t work on any other record they had. I was one of about eighty artists [and] I was lost in the shuffle there.” (Davie Allan)
JIM PEWTER
MGM 14446 Ebony / Linda Lu
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $6-12.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $6-12.
DAVIE ALLAN
MGM 14560 Pleasure Girl / And Evil Did Too
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $20-40.
• Stock copy: Unreleased?
1973
DAVIE ALLAN
MGM 14650 Apache ’73 / Run Of The Arrow
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $6-12.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $6-12.
JIM PEWTER
MGM 14658 Bop-A-Rock / Little Miss Red Riding Hood Surfer Queen Of Hollywood
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4with a near mint value of $6-12.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4with a near mint value of $6-12.
1976
DAVIE ALLAN
AOA 113 White Man Beware / Where Do We Go From Here
• Promo copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $6-12.
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $6-12.
1982
ARROWS
What 12-601 Stoked On Surf / Outer Surf
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $6-12.
What 12-601 is a twelve-inch single with a carboard picture jacket.
1984
DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS
Macola 0901 Stoked On Christmas / Flashback
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $20-30.
1995
DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS
In the Red 0381 Chopper / Open Throttle
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $5-10.
1997
DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS
Get Hip 209 The Born Losers Theme / The Glory Stompers
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 3 with a near mint value of $5-10.
• Picture sleeves have a Scarcity Index of 3 with a near mint value of $5-10.
“Davie Allan, king of the fuzz guitar, is back with two new instrumental tracks recorded live in the studio with no overdubs! The Born Losers Theme combines the best of the vintage feel with an updated sound. The Glory Stompers leans more towards a modern sound while retaining Allan’s trademark guitar stylings. This one features two false endings and a wild fuzz guitar solo during the outro.” (GetHip Records)
1998
DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS
Total Energy 3020 Shape Of Things To Come / Vanishing Breed
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $5-10.
• Picture sleeves have a Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $5-10.
1999
I haven’t a clue what market this picture sleeve was designed for.
DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS / MUDHONEY
Gearhead RPM009 Encounter / Fuzz Gun 2001
• Promo copy: Unreleased?
• Stock copy: Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $5-10.
• Picture sleeves have a Scarcity Index of 4 with a near mint value of $5-10.
International picture sleeves
There haven’t been a lot of picture sleeves manufactured for and released with Davie Allan’s record. Below is a collection of the few sleeves I could find.
In West Germany, both Apache ’65 / Blue Guitar and Baby Ruth / I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover rated a picture sleeve. And the same photo of the Capitol tower in Los Angeles was used, although why Capitol thought German youths would be interested in the building is beyond me.
In Japan, Apache ’65 / Blue Guitar rated a picture sleeve, although the pedestrian artwork looks likee it was based on a photo of Keith Richards and Brian Jones more than on the Arrows.
In Japan, Baby Ruth / I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover rated a picture sleeve.
In West Germany, Theme From The Wild Angels rated a picture sleeve.
In Sweden, Theme From The Wild Angels rated a picture sleeve.
In Japan, Billy Jack’s Theme rated a picture sleeve.
In Mexico, Billy Jack’s Theme rated a picture sleeve. The main Spanish title on the sleeve translates as “Original Music From The Movie Born To Lose.” The two songs are Tema De La Pelicula Nacidos Para Perder – Cancion de Billy Jack (“Theme Of The Movie Born To Lose – Song of Billy Jack”) and Le Pelea De Gangrena (“The Gangrenous Feud”).
In France, Fifty Two Percent / Free Lovin’ rated a picture sleeve. “Les Troupes De La Colere” translates as “The Troops Of Color.”
Davie Allan’s fuzz guitar was an audio compass pointing towards freedom, sex, danger, and violence in the ’60s on record and in movie scores. Click To TweetFEATURED IMAGE: The photo at the top of this page is an official publicity still used by Tower Records to promote Davie Allan & the Arrows. Another photo from this shoot was used for the front cover of Davie’s first album, BLUES THEME (Tower T-5078) from 1967. Davie is the evil-eyed dude cradling the twin-necked guitar.
FOOTNOTES:
1 As Paul Newman and Robert Redford flee the specially-picked posse of famous bounty hunters that doggedly pursue them through the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, they repeatedly ask one another, “Who are those guys?”
2 DEVIL’S RUMBLE is a compilation of tracks from the’60s by Davie Alland and the Arrows in their various guises. Many of the sides on the singles listed in this discography can be found on this album.
“Davie Allan & The Arrows recorded the most frenzied instrumentals the world has ever heard! Allan’s fuzzed-out guitar was an audio compass pointing towards freedom, sex, danger and violence, his trashy fretboard riffs exploding behind flickering celluloid images of cycle runs, biker fights, drug freakouts and rubber-burnin’ hot rods. The myriad of Arrows’ recordings is filled with loud, loose and savage tracks, and includes the mega-hit Blues Theme from the trashy Roger Corman flick, The Wild Angels.
Allan’s recordings were originally spread out over four studio albums, a bevy of impossible-to-find singles, and more than a dozen rare soundtrack appearances from 1965-68, thus defusing his long-overdue recognition.
To restore Davie Allan to his rightful place atop the ranks of fabled guitar gunslingers, we have lovingly compiled a 40-track, double CD/28-track, double LP gatefold-edition anthology that rounds up the best of Allan’s 45s, sizzling album cuts, and many mind-splattering widescreen rarities with a full-band history, interviews with Davie, producer Mike Curb, original Arrows members, plus unseen photos, original album graphics, AIP poster reproductions, and more!” (Sundazed Records)
3 The read some of The Seth Man’s observations on rock music, check out “The Book Of Seth” on the Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage website.
Leave a comment