The Tickle: Subway (1967)

These none-hit wonders have quite a remarkable claim to fame, if fame can be reduced to a footnote in rock history.

The Tickle from Hull were the backing band on the debut album of a guy called David Bowie. Doubtless they got the gig playing with an unknown singer through producer Tony Visconti who twiddled the studio knobs on this song.

They were certainly up to the task of sounding prematurely eccentric and hippie-trippy on the evidence of this song -- which was subtitled Smokey Pokey World -- and its references to Tootsie rolls and rubber soles/Rubber Soul.

It was also Lennonesque/Macca-like nonsense, of course.

But it was 1967 and everyone was tripping out on something so . . .

Much favoured by Julian Cope apparently, Subway has the merits of a kaleidoscopic middle section and fizzing guitars.

And that might be all that we could say about it. But in many ways, that is more than enough.

Play loud, at your peril.

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For more oddities, one-offs or songs with an interesting backstory check the massive back-catalogue at From the Vaults.