Jerk & Twine Time – The Knickerbockers

Vinyl LP

Although the Knickerbockers hailed from Bergenfield, New Jersey, anyone listening to the radio in early 1966 would have sworn that they were from Liverpool. That’s when the band’s overpoweringly infectious signature tune “Lies” stormed the AM airwaves, convincing many stateside listeners that they were hearing a fab new Beatles single.

Jerk and Twine Time emphasizes the raw immediacy of the Knickerbockers’ origins as a live band. Beyond the dance-craze anthem “Jerk Town” and the venerable R&B instrumental “Twine Time,” the set offers a memorable mix of the British Invasion, R&B and Motown covers that dominated the band’s live repertoire at the time, with memorable renditions of the Zombies’ “She’s Not There” and the Kinks anthems “You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night.” They also tear into the Kingsmen’s garage novelty “The Jolly Green Giant,” the Motown standard “Money (That’s What I Want)” and the R&B classics “Land of 1000 Dances” and “The ‘In’ Crowd.”

Out of print in its original LP format for nearly half a century, this vintage ’60s gem has been sourced from the original mono tapes and pressed on vinyl, with complete original cover art.