Eddy Bonte

THE ATTACK

This page consists of he following articles:
2 Richard Shirman (1949-2017)
1 'Try It': the real chronology

2 RICHARD SHIRMAN: The Attack and Hershey & 12 Bars

Richard Shirman, front-man of sixties mod-psych group The Attack and ten-piece blues and soul outfit that became Hershey And The 12 Bars, died after a long illness on 26 July 2017

READ THE ARTICLE HERE:

1 'Try It': THE REAL CHRONOLOGY

Most books and websites claim that The Attack’s first single ‘Try It’ is a cover of a single by American group The Standells. Some even state the version of The Ohio Express also preceded The Attack’s release.This is completely wrong: The Attack were the first to record 'Try It'. Here is the true chronology.

1 WHO CAME FIRST?
Whilst doing my homework on Richard Shirman, most sources I came across claim that The Attack’s first single ‘Try It’ is a cover of a single by American group The Standells, some even stating that also the version of The Ohio Express preceded The Attack’s release.

For instance:

‘(…) at the end of 1966 resulting in their first single, Try It, a cover of a Standells track’.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjzzX1-fDPRk8sJ08GmWy95_QehC8tezP

‘Their first single "Try It" had also been recorded by The Standells and Ohio Express’.
http://rockasteria.blogspot.be/2013/08/the-attack-about-time-1967-68-uk-solid.html

When Jon 'Mojo’ Mills (of Shindig!) writes that The Attack’s version ‘was anglicized’, he too seems to refer to an earlier version (in his notes for the Angel Air compilation ‘Final Daze’).

Anyway, I had a close look at the chronology of these releases and found the following.

2 THE ATTACK’s RELEASE
The Attack released ‘Try It’ on 21 JANUARY 1967, as can be read on the label.
According to keyboard-player BOB HODGES, it was recorded at IBC Studios on 27 Dec. 1966
(see his video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzI2YwtzXko).
Bob added the following as to the origin of the track: “Hi Eddie, Don't know if I replied to your message, we chose 'Try It' from a pile of demo discs that was given to us by Don Arden's office, this would have been in December 1966, we learnt the song really quickly and recorded it just after Christmas 1966” ( Bob Hodges via facebook, Thursday 21DEC2017).

2.1. THE STANDELLS’ release

The Standells released their single in 1967.

2.A.
According to 45cat (which I’ve found reliable so far), this was in APRIL:
http://www.45cat.com/artist/the-standells

2.B. LARRY TAMBLYN
In the transcription of a telephone interview, original Standell LARRY TAMBLYN says they recorded ‘Try It’ right after ‘Riot On Sunset Strip’ - which was released in FEBRUARY 1967:
‘”Try It” was about our fourth recording, it was right after we did “Riot On Sunset Strip”
[https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yvq34y/dirty-water-the-story-of-the-standells]

I contacted LARRY TAMBLYN through Facebook, asking what he thought of the Attack / Standelss chronology. His reply:
‘Our April 67 release date sounds correct. As far as I know, ours was the first version of Try It. We were told so by out producer Ed Cobb. I would question the release date of the Attack's version. The Ohio Express had the first cover I know of. I never heard of the Attack doing the song’. (Larry Tamblyn).

2.C.
After the record was banned, The Standells appeared on Art Linkletter’s TV show, Let’s Talk. This was in MAY, which is consistent with a release in APRIL.

2.D.
A site dedicated to garage music, mentions FEBRUARY as month of release:

‘1967
February The first single to feature Fleck on bass is “Try It”, arguably The Standells’ finest record. However, despite becoming an immediate hit in L.A., the record is soon banned by radio stations at the direction of rightwing moral majority radio mogul Gordon McLendon who argues that “Try It” is a blatant request for teenage girls to lose their virginity’.
[https://www.garagehangover.com/standells/]

This is probably not correct (see all the above) and at any rate does not change the chronological order: January 1967 for The Attack, February at the earliest for The Standells.

3. DAVY O’LIST
In reply to my question if ‘Try It’ is a cover of The Standells’ recording and where The Attack found that song, Davy O’List replied (our facebook correspondence, Sat. 28 Oct 2017):
‘ I got The Attack a deal at Galaxy Entertainments which managed The Small Faces and The Move. They were sent demos from publishers of new songs. Don Arden selected a song called Try It for us and sent us into the studio to record it with an original We Don't Know I penned with Richard. I did not know about The Standells they were not on the demo and did not hear about their release later. I suppose our release sparked it off’.

4. THE ORIGINAL
According to the site SECONDHANDSONGS, The Attack recorded the ORIGINAL version:
‘TRY IT’: https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/304590
JOEY LEVINE (co-writer): https://secondhandsongs.com/artist/12164

5 THE OHIO EXPRESS
As for THE OHIO EXPRESS, it is quite clear from a number of sources that their version was released in JANUARY 1968, a year later:
http://www.musicvf.com/song.php?title=Try+It+by+Ohio+Express&id=31088