Turtles

The Turtles are an American rock band led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, later known as Flo and Eddie. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with their cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965. They scored their biggest and best-known hit in 1967 with the song "Happy Together". The band, originally a surf-rock group called the Crossfires, was formed in 1965 in Westchester, Los Angeles, by high school friends Kaylan, Volman, Al Nichol, Chuck Portz, Don Murray, and Jim Tucker. The band re-branded themselves as a folk rock group under the name the Tyrtles, the intentional misspelling inspired by the Byrds and the Beatles. However, the trendy spelling did not survive long and the name changed to the Turtles. After some success in the late 60's, the band disbanded in 1970 before reforming in 2010 with original members Flo and Eddie as the lineup.
== Links To Peel ==
The Turtles were one of the groups who were regarded as "West Coast" when they became known in Britain in 1967, although their style was based on vocal harmony pop rather than "psychedelic" instrumental sounds. Peel played their chart hits on Radio London but didn't pay too much attention to them after that. However, in the early 1970s he did feature Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman as part of the Mothers of Invention and in their later incarnation as Flo & Eddie. They also did backing vocals for T.Rex, including on "Get It On", the track which Peel disliked and which led to the DJ's falling out with Marc Bolan.
Peel admitted on his 12 October 1999 show that he stole a copy of the band's debut album, It Ain't Me Babe, from KMEN record library while he was working at the San Bernadino radio station. After playing Cinerama's version of the Turtles' later hit single 'Elenor' on the show, Peel mentioned how he obtained the group's album:
:'Mine is a copy stolen from the record library of KMEN radio station in San Bernadino: I think I can face up to that one now, confront the guilt that I've felt all these years...I used to play this on the radio station I worked for in Oklahoma City. Whenever I did, I got death threats from right-wingers in the state of Colorado, who took violent exception to it and felt that I was some kind of Commie infiltrator. Nuts, of course: I wish I had been.'
On the same show, Peel played 'Eve Of Destruction' from the album, a song written by P.F. Sloan, and mentioned how he got hostile responses from right wingers in 60's America because of his playing of Sloan's songs, which generally had an anti-war theme:
: 'P.F. Sloan had a great song called Sins Of The Family which he did himself, which was another one which, when I played that on the radio, got a lot of hostile response from the John Birch Society in Colorado. Why they took exception to me I don't know. I think it's because I was keeping jobs from their boys returning from 'Nam, that kind of stuff. Although only one job, really. to be honest, but they didn't like me at all. Very hostile.'
== Shows Played ==
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;1967
* 15 March 1967 (Radio London): 'Happy Together (7"single)' London
* 01 July 1967: She'd Rather Be With Me
;1972
* 01 August 1972: Flyin High (LP - You Baby) White Whale
;1975
* 17 March 1975: She'd Rather Be With Me
;1981
* 23 July 1981: Pull Top (album - Out Of Control) Rhino RNLP 019 (under the name of Crossfires)
*28 July 1981: Silver Bullet (LP - Out Of Control) Rhino (under the name of Crossfires)
* 02 August 1981 (BFBS): Inferno (album - Out Of Control) Rhino RNLP 019 (under the name of Crossfires)
* 04 August 1981: Inferno (album - Out Of Control) Rhino RNLP 019 (under the name of Crossfires)
;1986
* 06 October 1986: Out Of Contro (album - Out Of Control) Rhino RNLP 019 (under the name of Crossfires)
;1987
* 09 December 1987: Out Of Control (v/a LP - The History Of Surf Music Volume One: Original Instrumental Hits 1961-1963) Rhino (under the name of Crossfires)
;1989
* 08 March 1989: I'm Chief Kamanawanalea (We're The Royal Macadamia Nuts) (album - Present The Battle Of The Bands) London SHU 8376 / White Whale
;1992
* 24 December 1992: 'Santa And The Sidewalk Surfer (Compilation LP-Rockin' Christmas)' (Rhino)
;1999
* 12 October 1999: 'Eve Of Destruction (LP-It Ain't Me Babe)' (White Whale)
== External Links ==
* Wikipedia
* Discogs
* Official Website
Category:Artists