- Included among the Record Descriptions of Favorite Albums (Part 1).
- Kim Fowley (pronounced like “foul-y” not “foley” – and, yes, he is a guy) is one of the most colorful, if not notorious figures in rock and roll history.
Kim Fowley – Kim Fowley is the Ultimate Underground Animal (1999): Kim Fowley (pronounced like “foul-y” not “foley” – and, yes, he is a guy) is one of the most colorful, if not notorious figures in rock and roll history. Fowley has worked with literally dozens of prominent rock musicians, including the Byrds, the Beach Boys, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Gene Vincent, Helen Reddy, and Warren Zevon. Most famously, Kim Fowley was the manager of the first truly successful all-woman rock band, the Runaways. A movie about the band, called The Runaways was released in 2010, starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, with Michael Shannon playing Kim Fowley.
Kim Fowley is the Ultimate Underground Animal collects some of the early rock and roll singles that Fowley was involved with, from the years 1959 to 1969, plus one of his own excellent recordings, “Astrology”. Among these obscurities are “Teen Animal”, the second single by the Gamblers (their first record, “Moon Dawg!” is sometimes called the first surf music single); two tracks by the Renegades (both instrumentals), “Charge” and “Geronimo”, which represent Kim Fowley’s first credits as a record producer; and the Hounds’ cover of the classic “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”, originally by the Tokens. The last song on the album is the most chilling cautionary tale about the dangers of drug abuse that I have ever heard, “Story of Susie” by Bill Woods; the chorus (the only part that is sung) goes: “She wanted to be like everyone else / Now she’s all alone in a room by herself”. Along with Buck Owens, Bill Woods with his band the Orange Blossom Playboys was a pioneer of the Bakersfield sounds in country music.