Brand New Cadillac
"Brand New Cadillac" | ||||
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Single by Vince Taylor and his Playboys | ||||
A-side | "Pledgin' My Love" | |||
Released | April 1959 | |||
Genre | Rockabilly[1] | |||
Label | Parlophone R4539 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Vince Taylor | |||
Vince Taylor and his Playboys singles chronology | ||||
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"Brand New Cadillac" (also recorded as "Cadillac") is a 1959 song by
Vince Taylor's record company eventually learned of these recordings and copyright claims ensued. The case was settled on agreement to add Taylor's name to songwriting credits alongside The Renegades members—sharing the royalties equally.[2] Neither Hep Stars nor Shamrocks were aware of Taylor's original version at the time of recordings. Therefore, it is possible to find their 1960s recordings credited either to (Kim) Brown-(Denys) Gibson- (Ian) Mallet-(Stuart Graham) Johnson or Brown-Gibson-Mallet-Johnson-Taylor. (Denys Gibson should not be confused with Terry Gibson of Downliners Sect.)
Hep Stars version
"Cadillac" | ||||
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Olga | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Gerhard Dieke | |||
The Hep Stars singles chronology | ||||
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Background
Swedish rock group Hep Stars recorded "Brand New Cadillac" as a single in February 1965. Hep Stars promptly followed the Renegades rendition of the song, and shortened the title down to simply "Cadillac", with the Renegades gaining songwriting credits for the recording.[4] It was later revealed that Hep Stars were not aware of Taylor's version of the song.[5] Lead singer Svenne Hedlund had heard the Renegades version on Swedish radio show Nordisk Skivdisk, and saw the potential of it.[6] His views were not shared with manager Åke Gerhard, who considered the song "a real piece of shit."[6] They persuaded Gerhard by telling him that "if he didn't want it, perhaps some other record label would be more willing."[6] The single version was recorded in the basement of a record store in the Stockholm suburb of Fruängen, with owner Gerhard Dieke producing the session.[7]
During the time, Hep Stars had released only one single prior, in 1964. That was "Kana Kapila", which only reached number 26 on
Release and reception
The group recorded three versions of "Cadillac" in 1965. The first version was recorded in February 1965, and was the single release. On this version, Andersson plays rhythm guitar as well as his ordinary keyboards.[4][9] This was due to the fact that regular guitarist Janne Frisk was not present at the recording session.[5] A proper studio version was later recorded as the title and opening track of their debut album We and Our Cadillac, which was released in September 1965. This version features overdubbed tambourine as well as a more audiable organ solo, something not very evident on the single version.[14][15] The third version was recorded live on 7 or 8 August 1965 at either Trollhättan or Västerås folkpark. This version opens with Hep Stars' tour manager Lennart Fernholm shouting out the band members names to a hysteric audience. This version was included as the opening track of Hep Stars on Stage in November 1965.[16][17]
The single was well received. In a retrospective review, Bruce Eder of
Personnel
Single version
- Svenne Hedlund – lead vocals
- Christer Pettersson – drums, backing vocals
- Benny Andersson – guitar,[7] keyboards
- Lennart Hegland – bass guitar, backing vocals
We and Our Cadillac version
- Svenne Hedlund – lead vocals, tambourine
- Christer Pettersson – drums, backing vocals
- Janne Frisk – guitar, backing vocals
- Benny Andersson – keyboards
- Lennart Hegland – bass guitar
Chart positions
Chart (1965) | Peak
position |
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Kvällstoppen )
|
1[12] |
Sweden (Tio i Topp) | 1[13] |
Norway (VG-lista) | 1[22] |
The Clash version
"Brand New Cadillac" | |
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Song by the Clash | |
from the album London Calling | |
Released | 14 December 1979 |
Genre | |
Length | 2:09 |
Label | CBS, Epic |
Songwriter(s) | Vince Taylor |
Producer(s) | Guy Stevens |
The Clash covered it on their third album, London Calling (1979). The song was the first to be recorded for the album. The band cite the song as "one of the first British rock'n'roll records" and had initially used it as a warm-up song before recording.
Other covers and popular culture
Charting covers
- British band The Renegades credited the song to their band members. They dropped parts of the verses and also shortened the title to "Cadillac". It became number one on Finnish radio's people's choice list and number two on the singles' list in Finland in 1964.[23]
- Another Swedish band, Shamrocks, recorded the song at the same time. Their version was a hit in France, reaching number one on the radio list as well as being successful in Germany and Japan.[24]
Other covers and popular culture
- The song was covered in the 1960s by the British beat group Downliners Sect.
- In 2019 a poor quality tape of the Beatles emerged purportedly recorded in November 1959 containing a fragment of them playing "Brand New Cadillac" on Jim McCartney's gramophone.
- The Hergs, a rock band from Adelaide, Australia, released a version entitled "Cadillac" in 1967. The band was unsure of the songwriter and mistakenly attributed it to Chuck Berry.[25]
- In The Netherlandsit was released as a single by De Maskers under the original title "Brand New Cadillac" (Artone OS 25.317), as they had already recorded an instrumental called "Cadillac" (Artone DR 25.238).
- In 1971, Mott The Hoople, during a concert recording in Stockholm, inserted a verse of it in their version of Little Richard's "Keep a-Knockin' " (released on the live album A Tale of Two Cities in 2000).
- The Slickee Boys released a version on their 1976 debut EP, Hot and Cool (later compiled on their Here to Stay album).
- It was covered by the Swedish entertainer Eddie Meduza in 1976 as "E. Hitler inleder"
- Kim Fowley included a version with altered lyrics (called "Big Bad Cadillac") on his 1977 album Living in the Streets.
- Recorded by The Fall in 1978.
- A Dutch version was made by the Belgian rocker Bert De Coninck in 1979.
- In 1980 Canadian punk band Teenage Head recorded a version on their second album Frantic City.
- Covered by The Milkshakesin 1984
- By Inner City Unit in 1985
- By Leeds-based indie band Athletes Foot in 1986
- By the Australian alternative rock band Tlot Tlot in 1993 as "Television."
- It was covered by the Brian Setzer Orchestraon their self-titled debut album in 1994;
- By Wayne Hancock on his 1997 album, That's What Daddy Wants
- The Swedish rockabilly band The Go Getters recorded a cover on their 2003 album "Motormouth".[26]
- Covered with altered lyrics as "Brand New Impala" by Manic Hispanic on their 2003 album Mijo Goes To Jr. College
- The song was used in a 2014 Cadillac television commercial.
- By 2021 single
- The song has been included at many Van Morrison concerts, appearing as a medley with "Goin' Down Geneva", which is about Taylor.
References
- ISBN 978-0-7603-4062-2.
- ^ Dan-Eric Landen, Carl Magnus Palm 2004, p. 96.
- ^ "The Hep Stars". www.thehepstars.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ a b "The Hep Stars - Cadillac". Discogs. April 1965. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ a b Palm, Carl. "Cadillac Madness - den otroliga berättelsen om The Hep Stars" (PDF). carlmagnuspalm.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-85712-057-1.
- ^ a b "The Hep Stars - Cadillac". www.thehepstars.se. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "The Hep Stars - Kana Kapila". www.thehepstars.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ a b Hep Stars, 1964–1969, EMI Svenska AB/Olga 7C1 38-35956/7, double album liner notes
- ^ "A TRIBUTE TO BUDDY HOLLY av HEP STARS". NostalgiListan (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- )
- ^ a b c d e f g h "CADILLAC av HEP STARS". NostalgiListan (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ a b "The Hep Stars - Top 10 Chart". www.thehepstars.se. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "The Hep Stars - We and Our Cadillac". www.thehepstars.se. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "The Hep Stars - We And Our Cadillac". Discogs. 1965. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "The Hep Stars - Hep Stars On Stage". www.thehepstars.se. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "The Hep Stars - Hep Stars On Stage". Discogs. 1965. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Hep Stars | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (27 November 1971). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 44.
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has generic name (help) - ^ Eijde, Malin (25 February 2020). "60-talets popkung Svenne Hedlund lockar ännu fansen". gp.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Sven Hedlund förlorade tvisten – får inte fortsätta som Hep Stars". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). March 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Cadillac". VG-lista 2020 (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Pekka Gronow, Jake Nyman ym 2005, p. 112.
- ^ Dan-Eric Landen, Carl Magnus Palm 2004, p. 108.
- ^ https://garagehangover.com/hergs/
- ^ https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/65520
Sources
- Pekka Gronow, Jake Nyman ym (2005), Suomi soi osa 4 s.112 (in Finnish), (sarja 1-4), Tammi, ISBN 951-31-2503-3
- Dan-Eric Landen, Carl Magnus Palm (2004), Cadillac Madness, den otroliga berättelsen om Hep Stars (in Swedish), Premium Publishing, ISBN 91-89136-04-7