Album of The Week – Cream of the Crop by PURPLE WIZARD

What a fantastic way to kick off 2017!!

Ex-Prissteens Lori Lindsay and Leslie day with fellow cohorts Bill Peitsch (RIP), Dave Lindsay, and Jon Chalmers deliver fhe harmonies of 60’s Girl Groups with the rock and R&B punch of Stax Soul. This release collects all 3 singles in their entirety, a slew of comp tracks, unreleased cuts, and some favorites from the one and done Purple Wizard debut full length, All lovingly remastered by Patrick Haight. Purple Wizard were a bands band. Every cool musician, artist, or journo was a huge fan, BUT, they remained a cult band that didn’t quite break through at the time, they counted among their fans Shane White (Rip Offs, Pure Filth Zine) and so I wanted to highlight the reviews section with his bawdy and raunchy reviews. as well as reviews from Lord Rutledge, Current FASTER AND LOUDER head honcho, but former kingpin at the defunct Now Wave Magazine. This release is very special to us here at Girlsville and i’m quite sure you’ll understand why after giving a listen.

PURPLE WIZARD – “I’ve Been Wrong/I’m Not Angry” 45
New York Combo…two chick guitar players playing with great singing voices backed by a dude rhythm section… doing covers… old groovy covers!!! Being that I’m a huge HOLLIES fan, I really got a first class boner for the A-side!!! DELMONAS eat your motherfucking hearts out!!!!! Everything about this record is solid!!! I love a band that does their rock ‘n’ roll homework, because the end result is shit like this!!!! If you’re fan of new bands leaning heavy on the late 50s and early 60s sound, but you can’t stomach that weak ass, lame brain Estrus/Dionysus dick cheese that all those Lady Luck chain-wallet Gearhead bozos flock to; you might wanna give PURPLE WIZARD a spin…..there’s not many retro outfits these days that can give a rock’n’roll blow job this good…. that’s for sure!!!!! My prostate is on fire!!!!
(SHANE WHITE) – MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL

PURPLE WIZARD – “Power of Love” EP
…..now this is a music group that makes me want to ejaculate onto my own face!!!!!! I’ve raved about this outfit in the past and I still hold to it…..if you’re a fan of tough sounding ’60s girl groups you might wanna check out PURPLE WIZARD, they might be what your sore genitals need in these bleak times of “really bad music”…..!!!!!!! There’s three songs on this seven inch platter of bee’s wax and this one is numbered “164/300″…..so I guess that means it’s limited!!!!! I’m particularly floored by the EVERLY BROTHERS cover of “Power of Love”!!!!!! I’m a HUGE motherfucking EVERLY BROTHERS fan and this version is on-fucking-fire!!!!!! Just check out the size of my balls right now……!!!!!! PURPLE WIZARD needs to come play in SF……I want to taste them in the flesh!!!!!
Shane White – MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL

PURPLE WIZARD – I’ve Been Wrong b/w I’m Not Angry 7″
Damn, this is some really clever and rockin’ pop rock’nroll stuff that brings to mind the early 60’s band THE ESSEX, in the dual female vocal department, and has a great original feel. Strong HEADCOATEES cum powerpop sound that really works well, and I just noticed that these are two EVERLY BROTHERS originals,hmmm.
Sounds like a novel idea, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t work quite well. Joey Ramones “favorite New York band” moniker doesn’t hurt either. Great Stuff.
(Dick) – HORIZONTAL ACTION

Purple Wizard
Ive Been Wrong Before b/w Im Not Angry 7″
(Show and Tell Recordings)
PW has grabbed the attention of notorious garage fanboy Little Steven, who just spun the groups cut Ive Been Wrong Before as the song of the week on his syndicated radio show. Its a nifty little cover of an old Hollies tune, rocking a la the 64-65 Kinks and featuring tight two-girl harmonies that might make one think of a female Everly Brothers. It smokes, I tell ya! (…)
Speaking of the Everlys, the flip side of the 7 features a fine cover of the Bros excellent Crying in the Rain B-side Im Not Angry, a song you wont find on the Purple Wizard CD recently released by Full-Tilt Records.
Purple Wizard manage the tough feat of creating old-time rock n roll thats authentic yet not unnecessary. So buy their single. Or buy their CD. But by all means, if youre a fan of the 60s garage revival, check this band out!
(Lord Rutledge) – NOW WAVE MAGAZINE

Purple Wizard
“BBQ” b/w “Shimmy Shimmy” and “That’s My Guy” 7″ You know what they say: you can only call it “retro” if it’s not great. Otherwise, great is great, and great doesn’t date (no rhyme intended). Purple Wizard’s latest record could just as easily have been recorded in 1965 as it was in 2005. (…) It could definitely pass for a long-lost Stax Records single – and not just because two of the songs here were Stax singles! In terms of style, production values, and the quality of the singing and playing, this single really does bring to mind the golden age of R & B. Leslie, Lori, and the rest of the gang have really delivered a dandy. I can’t get any of these songs out of my head, and it’s driving me a little crazy! If there’s any band on the planet right now doing the mod/garage/R & B thing better than Purple Wizard, I sure haven’t heard ’em
(Lord Rutledge) NOW WAVE MAGAZINE

PURPLE WIZARD
“Power of Love” b/w “It’s About My Baby”
“Like last year’s BBQ, P.W.’s new one is such an authentic throwback to the heyday of girl group R & B that even the most erudite ’60s scholar could be fooled into thinking the record was actually a reissue of some obscure regional hit from 40 years ago. I’m no expert on recording engineering, but it sure sounds to me like this single was recorded in an oldtime studio using vintage equipment. I’d be shocked if any computers were used in the production of this record! These songs just sound so pure and clean and completely unsoiled by the modern technological advancements that have sucked the soul out of rock n’ roll. Yet unlike some of the garage groups that sport old R & B aesthetics within a lo-fi/trash context, Purple Wizard cannot be easily pegged as a contemporary band. Instead, they sound like they just stepped off a time machine that bypassed the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s en route to right now. These songs are built entirely around voice and melody. The musical accompaniment is letter perfect and expertly arranged, but never overshadows the vocals. Things like funky bass lines, killer organ solos, and catchy guitar hooks ably support Lori and Leslie’s spot-on harmonized vocals. The band sounds great (check out the fantastic drum work on “It’s About My Baby”!), but it’s the songs that take the spotlight here….Purple Wizard is batting .1000! See y’all next year?
Lord Rutledge – NOW WAVE MAGAZINE

PURPLE WIZARD “I’ve Been Wrong/I’m Not Angry” 45
(…)To get all that teenage hate outta my system, I took one look at Purple Wizard and figured two gals bestowed with guitars has got to be the cure for what ails me. Sho nuff, I was floored the second the needle made contact as the honeysweet harmonies of these two ladies instantly reminded me of the late great Delmonas or even The ShangriLas, but with the musical chops of The Milkshakes or early Kinks. Their takes on two Everly Brothers songsIve Been Wrong Before and Im Not Angryare just too damn catchy to be ignored, and youll be wearing this platter thin before you know it. A fulllength album is on the way, so be warned, this may be your new favourite band.
(Bryce Dunn) – DISCORDER

Includes digital pre-order of PURPLE WIZARD – Cream of the Crop (Pre-Order). You get 28 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released. less
shipping out on or around February 14, 2017
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Scott

Co-founder of 50thirdand3rd, stepped away to spend time with family and write. From Pittsburgh, now in Florida, Cool Canadian artist wife, 4 great kids, and two granddaughters!! I'm a lucky guy!

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