The Litter were one of the few garage bands to invest enough energy and imagination into their interpretations to make a cover-heavy LP worth hearing. "Action Woman" is here, and they go about tackling, and sometimes dismantling, numbers like the Small Faces' "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" and the Who's "A Legal Matter" (both of which were barely known in the U.S. at this point, incidentally).
"I'm a Man," though based on the Yardbirds' version, gets into some pretty incredible feedback/distortion swirls in the closing rave-up section. Distortions has been reissued a few times, but the 1999 CD on Arf! Arf! is the one to get, as it includes two outtakes ("Hey Joe" and the 25-second, hardly worth noting "Harpsichord Sonata #1") and seven songs, mostly previously unreleased, recorded live at Chicago's Electric Theatre in August 1968. This was the music that the band played while filming a scene in Haskell Wexler's film Medium Cool (although none of the music was used in the movie), and it's in a heavier, bluesier hard rock direction than their 1967 recordings, but still retains some of the punky spirit of the Distortions era.
by Richie Unterberger
1. Action Woman (Warren Kendrick) - 2:32
2. What'cha Gonna Do About It? (Brian Potter, Ian Samwell) - 2:27
3. Codine (Buffy Sainte-Marie) - 4:30
4. Somebody Help Me (Jackie Edwards) - 1:55
5. Substitute (Pete Townshend) - 2:36
6. The Mummy (Tom "Zippy" Caplan, B. Bomberg) - 1:25
7. I'm So Glad (Skip James) - 3:47
8. A Legal Matter (Pete Townshend) - 2:47
9. Rack My Mind (Jeff Beck, Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith) - 3:41
10.Soul Searchin' (Warren Kendrick) - 2:47
11.I'm a Man (Doc Pomus, Mort Shuman) - 4:00
12.Hey Joe (Billy Roberts) - 4:08
13.Harpsichord Sonata #1 - 0:25
14.Here I Go Again - 2:37
15.The Egyptian - 2:52
16.(Under the Screaming Double) Eagle (Tom "Zippy" Caplan, Denny Waite, Woody Woodrich) - 3:01
17.Confessions (Of a Traveler Through Time) (Larry Loofbourrow) - 2:23
18.Blues One (Tom "Zippy" Caplan, Denny Waite) - 4:03
19.She's Not There (Rod Argent) - 7:53
20.Pegasus - 3:19
Tracks 14-20 Live At The Electric Theatre, 18th August 1968
The Litter
*Denny Waite - Vocal, Keyboard
*Tom "Zippy" Caplan - Lead Guitar
*Dan Rinaldi - Rhythm Guitar
*James Worthington Kane - Bass
*Tom Murray - Drums
*Bill Strandlof - Lead Guitar
*James Worthington Kane - Organ, Vocals
1968 The Litter - One Hundred Dollar Fine
Related Act
1968-71 Lightning - Lightning
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