The Count Bishops - I Want Candy (1978)

Three versions of the same song first by The Strangeloves, then The Count Bishops and finally Bow Wow Wow....

Originally recorded way back in 1965 by The Strangeloves, a band created by a New York based song writing team.

They were:

• Jerry Goldstein
• Richard Gottehrer
• Bob Feldman

Strangely in the day pretending to be brothers from a Sheep Farm in Australia, evidently their British Accents weren't much cop! I can only guess that the British and Australian 'invasions' of music to the States back in the day meant it was more 'trendy' than being from America?

Gottehrer went on to co-found Sire Records and Goldstein produced Sly & the Family Stone and War 

 

The next version is by the proto-punk/pub rock/garage rock band The Bishops aka The Count Bishops released on the Chiswick Record Label in 1978.

The band were formed in 1975 and by 1980 had split shortly after guitarist and driving force behind the band Zenon De Fleur passed away. The band probably didn't receive the recognition they deserved, they were the link between the pub rock r&b sound and early punk. 

They were heavily influenced by 60's beat and garage bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Standells and The Strangeloves covering 'I Want Candy' as well as 'Dirty Water' and 'Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White' by The Standells. Check out Speedball released on Chiswick Records in 1975 at Discogs for the track listing, they do a mean version of 'Route 66'!

 

The song was resurrected in 1982 by Bow Wow Wow.

The band were formed by Malcom McLaren who persuaded Dave Barbe, Matthew Ashman and Leigh Gorman to leave Adam Ant and to form a new band under his management. He lobbed in at the time a 13 year old English-Burmese singer Annabella Lwin (real name Myant Myant Aye). In the early days and somewhat surprisingly the band had two singers, the second being George Alan O'Dowd (aka Boy George) who would leave to form Culture Club. This song reaching #9 in the 1982 UK Charts for them.

 

Video Source 'The Strangeloves': zman291977@youtube.com

Video Source 'The Count Bishops': Charlie Spliff@youtube.com

Video Source 'Bow Wow Wow': 70z80z90z@youtube.com 

Info Sources: Discogs, Wikipedia