Tom Petty's Buried Treasure Radio Show & The Story Of Its Theme Song

I've become addicted to Tom Petty's Buried Treasure, found at SiriusXM channel 711. It's a continually running, hour long show where Petty mostly played obscure records from his own collection. At one time the program was a weekly feature on the satellite radio service's Deep Tracks channel. Later, all 250-plus episodes were spun off onto their own station.

Petty featured a lot of rock and roll, rhythm & blues and straight ahead blues from the 50s, 60s and 70s, but the rocking DJ with a great sense of humor didn't hesitate to play newer stuff - like The White Stripes and Kings of Leon - if he was so moved. The late star has played a lot of very old music that is new to me.

A typical show may feature Sonny Boy Williamson, Elmore James, The McCoys, The Zombies, The Animals, Chuck Berry, Ann Peebles, Canned Heat, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Taj Mahal, Jimi Hendrix, The Rascals, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Shangri-Las, Shirley Ellis, Elvis Presley, James Brown and The Who.

Petty passed away in 2017, so when he mentions current events or what was then a new album release you'll have to adjust your mind to the fact that the newest of these shows was recorded more than seven years ago.

Speaking of buried treasures, you won't find many records that are more obscure than the show's theme song, "Bert's Apple Crumble," by a long forgotten and short-lived British band named The Quik. Not much is known about the group or the song. The R&B instrumental was issued as the b-side of their debut single titled "Love Is a Beautiful Thing" composed by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati of The Rascals. The theme - featuring rousing organ work with a beat that really takes off after the drum break - couldn't be more infectious if it tried.

There is almost no information on The Quik. AllMusic provided the only biography I could find, and they didn't offer much. The excellent, online, music review site wrote that the band's lineup was "lost to time,"  but I found a YouTube page that lists its members. The group shouldn't be confused with a California power-pop outfit from the 70s and 80s with the similar name of The Quick (properly spelled using the letter "c").

Members
Bruce Roberts (guitar, vocals)
Pete Hunt (drums)
John Roberts (bass)
John Rennie (saxophone)
Alex Chamberlayne (organ)

Overall, the British band released three singles in 1967. I discovered another two-song, digital single - both with vocals - and unfortunately, it isn't very good. None of their records charted, and The Quik came to a very quick end.

"Bert's Apple Crumble" can be found on a couple of compilation discs on the web, and I was able to purchase and download it from iTunes.

Comments

  1. Anonymous3:14 PM, February 02, 2025

    I searched newspapers.com about the Quik. Not much there, as yet, but they began life as the Meddy Evils in Southampton, England.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

WHAT'S HOT TODAY!

Slower Than Slow: 16 RPM Records

Image
Have you ever heard of a long forgotten vinyl format, the 16 2/3 RPM record? They were half the speed of the 33 1/3 RPM albums that were the traditional standard for recorded music. Most record players in the 1950s and 1960s came with a speed setting to play these long forgotten discs that were considered novelties even during the years they were available. Because most, but not all, 16s had big holes and were 7" in diameter many of them were mistaken for 45 RPMs and at that size the speed allowed for up to 20 minutes of playing time per side. However, there was no true standard size and they were also manufactured to be 9, 10, or 12 inches in diameter, and these larger records played even longer. Just like the other speeds and formats 16s could be played one record at a time or stacked on a changer for continuous play. Radio stations often used the discs for pre-recorded radio shows containing interviews, dramas, and documentaries. More frequen...
Read more

Chicago: An Album By Album Analysis Of The Terry Kath Era (1969 - 1977)

Image
The original lineup of Chicago has always been one of my all time favorite bands. My affection for this great horn band is such that I want to discuss all of the albums they recorded before Terry Kath's unfortunate and accidental passing. Their debut album is now forty years old, and it's followup is not far behind, yet their music endures to this day. * * * * * Everyone Must Own * * * * Excellent * * * Good * * Fair * Poor * * * * * Chicago Transit Authority (1969) - Whether they were playing screaming psychedelic hard rock, jazz, blues, or love songs, everyone in the band proved they were worthy of the huge mass success that followed CTA 's release. The band's ability to play anything and play it well is the hallmark of their debut album. The stars are Robert Lamm, Terry Kath, and the horns, and even Peter Cetera demonstrates he can be a rock and roll animal when he wants to be. The standout tracks are Lamm's "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It...
Read more

The Case For The Beatles' "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"

Image
Yes, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" from Abbey Road (1969) is pure "granny music," as John Lennon called it, but that was part of Paul McCartney's intended joke. Here we have this silly sounding, almost kiddie-like arrangement, combined with the most perverted and darkest lyrics that a Beatle ever wrote for the group. As most people know, the track tells the tale of Maxwell Edison, a serial killer. I was 16 when the song came out and I immediately got the joke and the incongruity of it all.  Maybe the absurdity of marrying the goofy arrangement with the sinister lyrics is why McCartney mentions pataphysical science in the song's first verse. As it turns out - according to Oxford Reference - Pataphysics is   "the science of imaginary solutions"   invented by French writer Alfred Jarry (1873–1907). Was "Maxwell" a parody as well, and does it really belong on a record inten...
Read more

The Brian Setzer Orchestra - Vavoom! (2000)

Image
Below is one of the first five CD reviews to ever appear on Bloggerhythms. It was posted almost twenty years ago, and it's being revived now because of the sad news Brian Setzer wrote on his  Facebook   page on February 13, 2025. "Hi everybody, I just wanted to check in with you all. Towards the end of the last Stray Cats tour I noticed that my hands were cramping up. I’ve since discovered that I have an auto-immune disease. I cannot play guitar. There is no pain, but it feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play. I have seen some progress in that I can hold a pen and tie my shoes. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I was at a point where I couldn’t even do that. Luckily, I have the best hospital in the world down the block from me. It’s called the Mayo Clinic. I know I will beat this, it will just take some time. I love you all, Brian." ------------------------------------------ On Vavoom! , Brian Setzer's fourth orchestra release, the former leader ...
Read more

It's Real Life: An Alternate History Of The Beatles - A Short Story, Radio Play And Full Length Novel By Paul Levinson (2022 and 2024)

Image
In a July 2023 blog post I discussed an alternate history of the most famous rock band of all time. It's Real Life: An Alternate History Of The Beatles was written in 2022 as a short story and radio play by Professor Paul Levinson of Fordham University. Since then, the author has expanded it into a full length novel that includes his original story as chapter one. Below my original post you'll find a link to a fascinating  podcast where Levinson discussed his book with NBC's Chuck Todd followed by an  intriguing  email question and answer session that Levinson graciously gave to Bloggerhythms. _______________________________________ In 2005, novelist, playwright and rock musician, Larry Kirwan - best known as the leader of New York City's renowned Celtic-rock band, Black 47  - used his vivid imagination to write  Liverpool Fantasy , a novel about what could have happened to each of the four Beatles if they hadn't hit the ...
Read more