Before posting vol. 4 of Bitter Bells I’d like to spotlight a band that appeared on vol. 1. The Other Four is one of the many garage groups dismissed by Ritchie Unterberger, although their simply unique single “Once and For All Girl” will always be one of my top favourites. There is not much information about the group to be found, but at least all of their three singles have been reissued as bonus tracks to the reissue of the single album by Brain Police – a group that three band members went on to form. It is also known that the same trio started out as teen group The Man-Dells, both sides of whose charmingly innocent single “Bonnie” are to be found on the same reissue.
The three singles by The Other Four, released on P.L.A.Y., Musette and Decca respectively, display the group’s talents and wide range of material. From the organ-based garage of “Why”, to the moody 12-string ballad “Searching For My Love”, to the Phil Spector style pop of “These Are the Words”, and last but not least this track called “How Do You Tell a Girl”. A poor man’s Beach Boys, richly arranged but still thin-sounding, with bell chimes interspersed across that lonely guitar-line lamenting the singer’s lack of courage. Hear more by The Other Four on Flower Bomb Songs.
