The Fleshtones-Speed Connection Live in Paris 85 (1985)

 

Artist: The Fleshtones

Title: Speed Connection Live in Paris 85

A1		Hide And Seek Written-By – Bunker Hill Written-By – Bunker Hill	2:30
A2		Watch This Written-By – Spaeth*, Streng*, Zaremba* Written-By – Spaeth*, Streng*, Zaremba*	3:00
		Kingsmen Like Medley	(3:15)
A3a		Trouble Written-By – A. Resnick*, J. Levine* Written-By – A. Resnick*, J. Levine*
A3b		Haunted Castle Written-By – Lynn Easton Written-By – Lynn Easton
A3c		Twelve Months Later Written-By – Feldman*, Goldstein*, Gottehrer* Written-By – Feldman*, Goldstein*, Gottehrer*
A4		Return To The Haunted House Written-By – Streng*, Zaremba* Written-By – Streng*, Zaremba*	3:10
A5		Let's See The Sun Written-By – Zaremba* Written-By – Zaremba*	2:20
A6		Hope Come Back Written-By – Streng*, Zaremba* Written-By – Streng*, Zaremba*	2:50
A7		B.Y.O.B. Written-By – Streng*, Zaremba* Written-By – Streng*, Zaremba*	2:20
B1		This House Is Empty Written-By – Pakulski*, Zaremba* Written-By – Pakulski*, Zaremba*	3:00
B2		Last Chance Written-By – Streng*, Zaremba* Written-By – Streng*, Zaremba*	2:40
B3		Stop Fooling Around Written-By – Zaremba* Written-By – Zaremba*	3:00
		Super Rock Medley	(4:55)
B4a		Theme From "The Vindicators" Written-By – Zaremba* Written-By – Zaremba*
B4b		Hexbreaker Written-By – The Fleshtones Written-By – The Fleshtones
B4c		Roman Gods Written-By – The Fleshtones Written-By – The Fleshtones
B5		I'm Back Written-By – Zaremba* Written-By – Zaremba*	2:20
B6		La La La La Written-By – The Blendells Written-By – The Blendells	3:30

Label: I.R.S. Records

Format: LP

Cat #: ILP 26412

Year of Release: 1985

Country and Year of Edition Issue: Holland 1985

Listed Condition: VG+/F  Water damage peel off bottom right corner 3” x 3”

Sell Date: 4/4/25

Sell Price: $4.82

Discogs Last Sold: 4/2/25 NM/VG+ $10.88

Low: $3.85

Median: $10.93

Average: $10.24

High: $18.57

Current low price: $5.00

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 80

Have/Want: 1206/74

Where Sold: Springvale, ME

Time it took to sell: 10 years

Where and When Bought:  Ebay circa 2000 used

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A-

Sad To See It Go: No

I bought this on ebay sometime around 2000 on ebay.  I think Rubric was considering a Fleshtones album at the time and I got this with Roman Gods since they weren't easy to find on CD.  These two records got tagged pretty badly by water getting into my storage space, so it went out on the low end to a buyer that cared about deals more than covers.

Speed Connection has a companion Speed Connection II (with different versions of the Kingmen medley and BYOB),  both with recordings from Paris in 1985.  There seems to be some current licensing issue and neither are streaming through the band or the label, only fan uploaded isolated tracks.

When I played this start to finish before shipping it out in a large order, I noticed how there was a bit of reverb that made it sound a bit like a board tape.  I wondered if this was why it only got issued in Europe.  However it is hard to deny the greatness of this historic document even if if you would be better served seeing the band live at Manitobas with Peter Zarimba on the bar.  Oh wait, Manitobas closed in 2019.  I guess you'll have see them on a regular stage if they come around.  They toured the UK last year and had US dates the year before, so the Fleshtones seem like they are going to hit 50 years as an active band next year.

Side one kicks off with a song "Hide and Seek" released by Bunker Hill in 1962 as "Hide and Go Seek."  Then they do "Watch This" from the Hexbreaker album from 1983.  The Kingmen-like medley linked above from Speed Connection II consisted of "Trouble" from Up and Away (1966), then the 1963 B-side of "Louie Louie," "Haunted Castle" then wraps with 1966 song by The Rotten Kids "Twelve Months Later."    Then you have the bands own "Return To The Haunted House" compiled on Angry Years 1984-1986.  "Let's See The Sun" was from the bands 1982 debut Roman Gods as was "Hope Come Back."  The side concludes with a track from the 1982 ROIR cassette Blast Off, "B.Y.O.B."

Side two opens with Hexbreaker's "This House Is Empty," then "Last Chance" from the Angry Years, "Stop Fooling Around" from Roman Gods, a "Super Rock Medley" starting with "Theme From The Vindicators" issued on the 1980 Up-Front EP, then the title tracks from Hexbreaker and Roman Gods.  "I'm Back" the band hadn't previously released but here's a recording from 1980.  Speed Connections wraps up with single from 1964 by the Blendells and Little Stevie Wonder before that in 1962,  "La La La La La,” taking off a La from the title.  The songwriter Clarence Paul was a recording artist himself in the late 50's, but never recorded that one.

A rock and roll history lesson in early 60's R&B, mid 60's garage and early 80's garage rock revival.