Well Kostas does it again . . . and coals to Newcastle stylie says these boys were local to me! Although in their heyday I would have been 11 so maybe I can be forgiven for never having heard of them!
The Primitives: Maladjusted 2001 (60's)
LIKE MOST of their equally obscure mid-60s R&B/freakbeat brethren, THE PRIMITIVES are principally namechecked these days for the value - both in fiscal and artistic terms - of their vinyl
legacy. Their trio of singles for the Pye label, the Italian-only album Blow Up and a unique-to-France EP currently have a combined value on the collectors circuit of over £1000, an accurate representation of their standing amongst freakbeat connoisseurs. But while their records have long been coveted by 60s collectors, the story of the Primitives has remained shrouded in mystery, with only vague rumours circulating about the relationship between the band's early UK career and their subsequent exploits in Italy.
The Primitives evolved in 1964 out of British beat boom hopefuls The Cornflakes (previously
known as The Rising Sons), whose typically cheesy post-Beatles handle didn't prevent them building up a sizeable fan base on the Oxford live circuit. As the Cornflakes, they won the Plaza Cinema beat group contest in Northampton, a competition that proved to be of twofold importance in their embryonic career: the contest's first prize was a two-year contract with the Pye label, while Cyd Cipin, who ran the local Plaza, was so impressed by the group that, in conjunction with his brother Mayer and their associate Leslie Jaffa, he became their manager.
A namechange to The Primitives gave a more accurate indication of the group's brand of long- haired , Pretty Things-styled driving R&B under their new name, they signed to Pye in autumn 1964.At this juncture, The Primitives' line-up consisted of lead vocalist Jay Roberts (real name Jeffrey Farthing), Geoff Eaton (aka Geoff Tindall) on lead guitar, the curiously-named John E. Soul (rhythm guitar, harmonica), RogerJames (bass) and Mike Wilding (drums).
