User:FacesSmall/Zoot Suit
| "Zoot Suit" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Prelude | ||||
| Released | 8 August 1964 | |||
| Recorded | 24 July 1964 | |||
| Studio | Europafilm Studios Stockholm, Sweden | |||
| Genre | Rhythm and blues | |||
| Length | 1:59 | |||
| Label | Olga | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Victor Friberg | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| The Prelude singles chronology | ||||
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"Zoot Suit" is a song written by Victor Friberg first recorded by his band The Prelude as their second single in 1964. Written during heavy touring across Scandinavia, "Zoot Suit" was hastily concieved as a follow-up single to their previous unauthorized single "Louie Louie". The single can be considered the first true single release of the band, as opposed to "Louie Louie". It is not included on any of the group's European studio album, but was included on Introducing: The Prelude!, their first American studio album.
Characterized its setting in D♭ minor (among few songs by the group in that key), the idea was largely concieved after they got introduced to Amphetamine by a friend and tested it for the first time, and as a result it is one of the earliest compositions by Friberg not about love. It features several distinct references to the mod culture including phrases such as "ticket", "face" and several articles of attire commonly worn by mods. It's often cited as "the song which brought mods into mainstream Swedish media."
It was also an commercial success in that it was their first single to manage to hit Kvällstoppen, reaching number fifteen for three weeks. It also recieved some critical acclaim by Swedish critics and newspapers. It has also been heavily praised in retrospect. Due to its' popularity in the mod community it has both been covered by mod and mod revival acts, including the Who and the Jam. The B-Side was originally intended to be the Friberg-penned original "With A Girl Like You", but was quickly changed to a song written by William Hoang, "Too Much"
Background
[edit]The Prelude appears to be in the studio again. They haven't promised us anything, but fans are eagerly waiting for an announcement regarding their next single. According to several studio logs, two tracks have been recorded. These were the promptly titled "Good Dressed Gentleman" and "Much Too Much, Much Too Much."
During most of 1964, the Prelude played mainly underground clubs throughout Stockholm, gaining a following that way. The rise of the band tied heavily with the sudden influx of mods throughout Sweden, something commonly attributed to the bootleg British rhythm and blues recordings that popped up in record stores across the country. Distribution of speed had been evident in many clubs that the Prelude played at. This initially infuriated William Hoang, who thought that the drug was ruining the lifes of many youngsters in the country.
However, the band was in later parts of May introduced to the drug by a childhood friend of Friberg, Kristoffer Sund. It was something that they all hesitated on trying. Anton Wihlborg described the situation as "absolutely surreal, he pressured us into taking it, assuring us it was safe. We initially objected, but finally gave in and tested it. About an hour or so later, we were still in pure ecstasy; Friberg was lying in the sofa, just lying around. Hoang sat around at a piano, slowly pressing down keys, and Brazer Özel was probably the most hyped one, jumping up and down, running around, generally just trashing the place." Friberg felt that this situation was bizarre, but could at the same time generally understand the hype around the drug. Wihlborg also agreed, and the band started getting gigs at clubs with a generally high mod-attendance.
Composition
[edit]According to Sund, Friberg started writing a follow-up to "Louie Louie" at a chilly morning in early July right before a gig. Sund stated that Friberg dedicated the song to all mods in Sweden. Initially unsure of what to write about, Friberg initially wanted to write about speed in a satirical tone. He handed the paper containing the lyrics to Özel, who rejected it for "being to nonchalant about drugs" and deemed it uncommerical. Friberg then turned to Hoang for advice. Surprisingly, he was wearing a Zoot suit, something Friberg found very amusing. He instantly ran home to finish the lyrics in less than 30 minutes.
The composition, lasting only a mere 2 minutes, is set in D♭ minor, something Paolo Hewitt writes in his biography of the band as "the minor key adds some sort of melancholy to the track, it sounds very dystopian." Hoang's lead guitar leads the song and Wihlborg's rhythm guitar is played by two-strokes every other beat. Özel's drumming is in 4/4 for the majority of the song, but due to his erratic performance, it becomes 6/4 during the last ten seconds before the fadeout. With the exception of the drum rolls, he rides the Ride cymbal throughout.
Unlike both contemporary songs by other bands, and other songs written by Friberg, "Zoot Suit" refers to and embraces mod culture, and doesn't mention love. The opening line "I'm the hippiest number in town and I'll tell you why" and "I'm the snappiest dresser right down to my inch wide tie" refrences fashion; Mods usually wore sophisticated clothing such as custom-tailored costumes and shoes. A number was a run-of-the-mill mod. The following lines descend into an elaboration on why and what he wears. The track also refers to further mod slang, such as the phrase "tickets", which means "a second rate mod". Another commonly used word is "face" which is the polar opposite, a high-class mod.
Recording
[edit]During recording, it had a working title of "Good Dressed Gentleman", something that Özel took the piss out of in the studio. The Prelude recorded the song on 24 July 1964 in seven takes with three overdubs. The master take was take fourteen overdubbed on take eleven. It was remixed on 25 July (mono) and 26 July (stereo).
During the recording of "Zoot Suit", we went right in, did a couple of takes in half an hour, and then right out of the studio. A quick in and out business.
— Hoang
As with all their other recordings on Olga Records, owner Åke Gerhard is credited as a producer along with manager Tim Blomberg. Unlike other tracks by them, it wasn't a formality for Gerhard as he actually co-produced the track with Blomberg, as opposed to only having his name written as a formality.
Release
[edit]I remember coming home to my Ma' and Pa's place in September, and being the kind souls that they are, they give me some tea and cookies, and switch on the radio. What do I hear? "Zoot Suit" on the old people radio! That came to a shock to me, so I had to make a phone call to Sveriges Radio, who told me that they'd started using it as their intro.
Olga started pressing the single on 23 July and it was delivered to record shops the following day. To ensure success, Gerhard paid a significant amount of money for it to be advertised on the Stockholm Metro; the sum has never been disclosed. In comparison to other early recordings by them, it was never officially included on any EP or studio albums. Many bootlegged versions of their debut album feature it as the second track of side two, which is "Tired Of Waiting For You" on regular pressings.
Nonetheless, "Zoot Suit was actually the group's entry in the radio show Tio I Topp, where it reached number ten. It stayed there for three weeks before finally leaving the chart. Unlike contemporary recordings, "Zoot Suit" was strangely used as an informal intro for Sveriges Radio P2 from release until December, gaining the group an entire generation of older fans, who commonly frequented the radio station.
"Zoot Suit" was also their first recording to reach Kvällstoppen, where it peaked at a respectable number fifteen. It stayed on the chart for five weeks, before leaving. It fared slightly better in Denmark and Norway, where it reached number thirteen and barely breached the top 10 in Norway, reaching number eleven. Due to frequent television and radio exposure, and the cultural similarities, the single became a hit in Finland where it reached the top ten, at number eight.
International pressings outside of the Nordic countries were also planned, with a planned US release in September. Due to unknown reasons, it was cancelled, and their first official US single became "Tired Of Waiting For You" which reached number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, due to their huge success during early to mid-1966, it was issued in Canada, but failed to chart. Özel and Wihlborg have cited this as a reason of their delayed US success, first gaining their first number one single there in 1967. It (and the B-Side "Too Much") got its' first US release on Introducing: The Prelude! which was first issued on 2 April 1965. It hardly garnered any attention, however, and failed to chart on Billboard 200, but reached number 200 on Cashbox magazine's album chart.
Reception
[edit]Contemporary
[edit]Zoot suit is easily described in just three words: "Hip", "Melancholic" and "Moddy". That's what the single is, a melancholic tune with multiple cultural references thrown in. That doesn't mean it's bad. [Wihlborg's] voice is very heavy, complete with his crunchy rhythm guitar. Hoang performs a few blues licks every now and then and Friberg has written a walking bassline. Özel, too, contributes to the song with his tight drumming. It feels very eccentric being a Swedish single, but there's authenticity in it. Pure rhythm and blues from a mod band.
The single was well recieved in mainstream Swedish newspapers, with critics from Aftonbladet, Expressen and Svenska Dagbladet praising it. Mark Boström from Aftonbladet cited it as among his "top 10 favorite singles of the 1960's", adding that it has a sense of melancholy attributed to it's setting in minor. Similarly, Bosse Hansson from Expressen thought that "Friberg definitively knew what he was doing, both in the Prelude and all his previous bands.
It's their second and first (of hopefully many) self penned singles, it was infact written by bassist Friberg (from The Widgets, he shows his talent in his newfound band. He isn't necessarily a novice in songwriting, something he has done professionally since 1962. "Zoot Suit" is no exception, it's extremely well-crafted and unique.
— Bosse Hansson, Prelude's new single "Zoot Suit". Is it any good?, Expressen, issue 222, pg 24
In a review for Svenska Dagbladet, Hasse Andersson writes that "The Prelude has after three months finally come in to their own. Commercially and artistically, with deliberate excessive chord changes and eccentric drumming proving a perfect recipe for success." The only negative comment it got from them was regarding it's length: "The track, coming in at almost 2 minutes, is too short. You put the record on, getting into the groove, when it's suddently it's over. It ruins the immersion."
The single was also very well-recieved among mod-audiences, who praised Friberg for writing it. It brought the subculture into mainstream media, but has often been cited as one of the starting points of the Hötorgsdemonstrations of 1965, in which several mods came to Hötorget and started fighting, leading to a negative impression of the subculture and the Prelude's dissociation with it during the early parts of 1966.
Retrospective
[edit]Richie Unterberger of AllMusic calls "Zoot Suit" a fundamental track for insight of Sweden during the 1960's. He likes the subtle references to drugs along with its prevalent use of Mod terminology. Friberg himself has also shown encouragement for the track, stating that it is his best composition of 1964.
Personnel
[edit]The Prelude
[edit]- Anton Wihlborg – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- William Hoang – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Victor Friberg – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Brazer Özel – drums
Technical
[edit]- Tim Blomberg – producer
- Åke Gerhard – producer, studio engineer
- Janne Frisk – studio engineer
- Hans Sidén – liner notes
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1964–65) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Sweden (Kvällstoppen) | 15 |
| Sweden (Tio I Topp) | 10 |
| Denmark (IFPI) | 13 |
| Norway (VG-Lista) | 11 |
| Finland (Radiomafian Lista) | 8 |
Covers
[edit]- The Who incorporated the song into their setlist during the early months of 1965. Often as part of a medley together with "I'm a Man". It's first appearance was at the Chelsea Technical College on 15 January 1965 and performed on every concert until it was eventually dropped after their 11 May performance at the Marquee Club in London. A studio recording dated from 12–14 April 1965 was intended for release on their debut album. However, it was never included and can instead be found on the 2002 Deluxe Remasters of their debut album My Generation.
- Tages covered the song as the B-Side of their 1964 single "Sleep Little Girl", and was later re-recorded for their debut album Tages in 1965.
- Hep Stars recorded the track for their debut album We and Our Cadillac in 1965, and the track was later also included on their live album Hep Stars on Stage.
- Sam & Dave occasionally performed the track in 1966, and it was included on their debut album Hold On, I'm Comin'.
- The Jam also incorporated the track into their live repertoire in 1976, performing it until they got enough original material in 1978. Though never officially released, a recording has been widely bootlegged.
In popular culture
[edit]- The song is a focal point in the 1979 Quadrophenia movie in which both Friberg and Hoang star in. A television performance is seen and watched by Jimmy. The track was included on the soundtrack
- It can be heard in the 1993 pilot episode of The X-Files during the motel scene.