Among the Autumn recording artists (The Beau Brummels, The Vejtables, The Mojo Men etc.) The Tikis have become a footnote, although they later reached fame with a name change to Harpers Bizarre and a cover of a Simon & Garfunkel song. They did only release two singles, out of which the second seemed to have been pulled quite early and released instead on their new label Warner. The b-side to that single, and one of their best songs “Lost My Love Today”, was again chosen as the flip to the first Harpers Bizarre 45, and is also included as a bonus to the reissue of their first LP. The song’s gentle folk-rock trappings show the Tikis at their very best and I’ve played it a lot, along with “Happy With You” and “The Darkest Night of the Year”, which have turned up in my podcasts and dj sets.
The latter two are unreleased cuts, some of which were done for Autumn and eventually released on the Autumn Records compilation Dance With Me. More songs from the vaults appeared on Big Beat’s Someone to Love: The Birth of the San Francisco Sound. But as of yet, there hasn’t been a retrospective gathering all these tracks in one place. Until that day, you can get this makeshift compilation I’ve put together from all their released material so far. Perhaps there is even more waiting to be uncovered?
The Tikis
Pay Attention to Us!
