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This is about as obscure as garage gets. For two years, 1970 and 1971, a cigarette company in India sponsored some kind of battle-of-the-bands competition, with the winners going to Calcutta to record for compilations called Simla Beat. Each year an lp was released with no info about the bands other than their hometown. Also issued was this 45 released with two of the better tracks and some silly liner notes on the back of the sleeve (detail here).
Some people think this is a hoax, or that the recordings came from somewhere other than India. It's true that some bands have a similar sound, though this could be from sharing a studio and perhaps instruments as well. Also, the bands lean heavily on American rock of the time and show very little British influence. The Confusions from Madras cut this amazing original, Voice from the Inner Soul. Tough, heavy sound with a rudimentary beat. Sharp, bluesy guitar fills and an organ sound right out of 1966. The Dinosaurs, from Bangladore, contribute a fine cover of Creedence's Sinister Purpose, giving Fogerty writing credit, somewhat surprisingly given the usual global practice of song appropriation. This one's got nice fuzz guitar and gravely vocals, I'd say it surpasses the original. All my research so far turns up no other information about the groups on these releases. Hopefully someone associated with this project will come forward and fill us in on the story behind Simla Beat. |
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Simla Beat Contest memories
I was a kid of 8 years when my parents took me to see the Simla Beat Contests 70/71. If I remember correctly, they were held in SHANMUKHANANDA HALL in Bombay, a famous place for dramas, concerts, recitals at that time.
In those days, India was starved for music. It was very hard to get Passports or USD for travel. There was only one show on the radio playing English music for an hour a week, and that was mostly pathetic pop ( Carpenters, Anka, Denver for example).
Most music trickled down into India via Cassettes smuggled in by "My friends's girlfriend who is an airhostess with AIR INDIA"
Hence a chance to hear Psych, Rock was a godsend.
This was my first exposure to the likes of CCR, Cream though I didnt know those names then and only realised 10 years later that Bayou was originally sung by CCR.
My dad got hold of the LPs of Simla Beat Contest and we recorded them on our spool player. I remember listening to them very often ( Along with our recording of Woodstock)
Recently, there was a tune playing over and over in my head and I realised I first heard it on the Simla Beat Contest LPs. I obtained the recording and I was immediately transported into my childhood.
There it was, a raw recording of young kids, with their very live feeling, you can make out that the recording is not the greatest ( Its noisy and not well balanced) , the singing is slightly out of tune sometimes, but its pure raw live music. You can feel you are right there with the band in a practice session
In many ways, Simla Beat contest was one of the reasons why I purchased a Guitar when I was 15 and have spend the last 30 years trying to play it !!!!