It’s too bad the Jokers never cut any other records ’cause both sides of this one are impassioned performances of original songs.
“What’cha Gonna’ Do” starts with a solid bass line over fleet and distant-sounding (from reverb) drumming. The lyrics come fast with some nice echos on guitar: “That little lamb, you call him man, eating out of your hand, his golden fleece, can bring you peace, now you wanna get past my door …” Harmonica wails along, the vocal harmonies come in, and the song hits crescendo of the chorus after barely half a minute.
The Jokers came out of Valpariso, Indiana, just southeast of Gary, and about an hour’s drive from downtown Chicago, where they recorded their single. The band’s members were:
Tom Allison – guitar, vocals
Frank Ball – guitar, keyboards, harmonica, vocals
Tim Walkoe – bass, vocals
Ron Januchowski – drums, vocals
Released on Destination 614 in October, 1965, according to the Sundazed compilation 2131 South Michigan Avenue: 60’s Garage & Psychedelia From U.S.A. And Destination Records “they cut their one Destination 45 with engineer Stu Black at Sound Studios. Stu had also engineered the early New Colony Six, which might explain the familiar Leslie guitar sound on the Jokers’ “‘I’ll Never Let You Go.'”
Ron Januchowski sang lead on “What’cha Gonna’ Do”, which was written by Tom Allison and David Roth. Frank Ball and Roth co-wrote “I’ll Never Let You Go”, with Destination and Tawny, BMI publishing both songs.
David Roth is supposed to have been a pharmacist who, under the name Bernard Roth, had written “Forty Days and Forty Nights” for Muddy Waters back in 1956. The Library of Congress lists both of the Jokers’ songs under Bernard Roth only, but BMI’s current database doesn’t list either song. It’s amazing that someone who wrote a few blues songs ten years earlier was able to cop some of Dylan’s quick patter on “What’cha Gonna’ Do”.
Although white label promos exist, this blue-label copy has asterisks by “What’cha Gonna’ Do” – and I’ve had another stock label that is identical but does not include these.
Thank you to Timothy Cox of the 60’s indiana band szene site for the extra info about the Jokers.
