The Hullaballoos - England's Newest Singing Sensations & On Hullabaloo (1965)

The group plays like a cross between the Searchers and Gerry & the Pacemakers on amphetamines on most of their self-titled album, which includes both "I'm Gonna Love You Too" and "Did You Ever." Enjoyable despite itself, and "I'll Show You How to Love" is actually a pretty and tuneful beat ballad worthy of a more skilled group.

So named because they hailed from Hull, England, the Hullaballoos were arguably the most exploitative act of the first wave of the British Invasion. With their wig-like helmets of bleach-blond hair that vied with the Pretty Things and the Stones in length, they had an immediately striking visual presence. Musically it was another matter, for the Hullaballoos were actually not even stars in their homeland, but packaged for U.S. consumption by Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, notorious vice presidents and A&R directors of Roulette Records. Most of their music was written by hack Brill Building songwriters, who were apparently intent on making the band sound as much like Buddy Holly as possible. Indeed, one of their small U.S. hits was a cover of Holly's "I'm Gonna Love You Too" (the other, "Did You Ever," was Holly-esque down to the hiccuping vocal). New York hacks may have devised their Buddy Holly-cum-Merseybeat sound -- dominated by driving simple guitar chords and drums -- in a superficial manner, but it's catchy and considerably forceful. the Hullaballoos faded almost immediately after a tiny splash in 1965, but that was probably built into the plan from the beginning.

Members & Other Bands:

Andrew Woonton - Guitar, Vox (Ricky Knight and The Crusaders)

Harold Dunn - Drum, Vox (Ricky Knight and The Crusaders)

Geoffrey Mortimer - Bass, Vox (Ricky Knight and The Crusaders)

Ricky Knight (Ron Mitchell) - Vox, Guitar (Ricky Knight and The Crusaders, The Astronauts)

Hugo Peretti - Producer

Luigi Creatore - Producer

1.   Beware

2.   I Couldn’t Get Along Without You

3.   Did You Ever

4.   If You Don’t Know Me by Now

5.   Can’t Tell You

6.   Party Doll

7.   I’ll Show You How

8.   Every Night

9.   Why Do Fools Fall in Love

10.   Wouldn’t You Like to Know

11.   Who Do You Think You’re Fooling

12.   I’m Gonna Love You Too

13.   I Won’t Turn Away Now

14.   Rave On

15.   I Got This Feeling

16.   Better Change Your Ways

17.   You Were There

18.   Never Ever Will I

19.   Learning the Game

20.   Don’t Stop

21.   My Heart Keeps Telling Me

22.   That’ll Be the Day

23.   Don’t Cha Know

24.   It’s About That Time