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I haven't looked at the curriculum vitæ of Universal Music Group chairman Doug Morris lately, but I suspect his involvement with this Cape Cod-based group is probably not something he brags about. Which is a shame, because "Are You a Boy," which Morris co-wrote and produced, is a classic example of Sixties garage rock. Uncomplicated chord structure? Check. Half-sneered vocals? Check. Scruffy-looking band? Check. One-handed drummer? Check! Victor "Moulty" Moulton, who held one drumstick in an actual hook, does some serious bashing on this tune, which was the band's first semi-hit after a successful appearance in The T.A.M.I. Show, and their first release on Laurie Records, where Doug Morris was then employed as a writer/producer. Since hippies as we know them had yet to materialize in large numbers in 1965, the Barbarians were sending their barbs in the general direction of the British, who had taken over the American charts the year before. The follow-up, "What the New Breed Say," gave a nod in its title to James Brown and another in its lyrics to Sonny Bono. Finally Morris talked Moulty into recording a song about himself, backed, not by the band, but by The Band, which became the Barbarians' last chart hit, much to Moulty's dismay. And he may still be dismayed about it: in 2007 he set up a blog, in the first post of which he never mentions "Moulty" — but does mention "Are You a Boy."
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Where can I get this on CD?
Sixties garage band? Where else but Sundazed? The original Barbarians LP has been fleshed out on CD (SC 6153) with bonus tracks, including "Moulty" and their pre-Laurie single "Hey Little Bird."
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Copyright © 2008 by Charles G. Hill
Chart information from Billboard is copyrighted by Billboard Publications, Inc.