Label: CBS
Year of Release: 1966
There's not much more I can add about Gary Walker that I haven't already mentioned on my other entry dedicated to "You Don't Love Me" here (and I apologise once again for the bizarre format of that blog entry. It seemed like an amusing idea at the time). It's worth repeating again that whilst the Walker Brothers were hugely popular, and for a very brief period rivals to The Beatles in many international territories, Gary Walker always seemed to be the most sidelined member. Therefore, his solo singles were a chance to wriggle free of the big ballad template and produce singles which did actually swing.
"Twinkie Lee" is a fair enough example, and actually charted in the low twenties in the UK, but it's the B-side "She Makes Me Feel Better" which is more likely to be heard at mod nights and on sixties obscurity compilations these days. Rivalling "You Don't Love Me" for fuzz guitar garage sounds and energy, it manages to combine ladies fashion ("tight sweaters and kinky shoes") and suicide ("if you ever leave baby/ don't know what I'll do/ go down to the river/ and drown myself for you") in one neat little package. Lyrically that's hardly up there with the nihilistic observations of Brother Scott, but it's certainly unusual enough to be worthy of mention.
And come on, the Gary Walker revival must surely be kicked into action soon.
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