Thing is, I get distracted easily, and to me, the internet is like a strobe light for epileptics. While trying to track down a copy of the Carvells L.A. Run, I accidentally learned about a Danish relic from the past known as Mabel. These guy look like a bunch of Rod Stewart clones from the Hot Legs era. never heard of them? I guess they didn’t make it that far out of Denmark. Turns out it’s not that expensive to get 7″ vinyl records from Sweden, where I ended up getting this one. I got the hideous cover on the bottom right, which is so bad that it’s actually better than the understated one, which is a full length album. There’s also a Japanese version of the Skateboard Rider single, but the only place is turns up on the internet is a postage stamp sized dead link on someone’s very extensive Mabel fan page. Calling 1978.
Here’s the cover of the single. The back is exactly the same. The B side appears to be a light hearted ditty about killing a cop and getting hunted down by the F.B.I.. I kid you not, it is the happiest song about homicide I’ve ever heard, or else I didn’t get the real gist of it. it was so inane I couldn’t listen to it. I mean, the A side is still inane, but you know, at least it’s about skateboarding… Somehow this crew doesn’t look as photogenic as the guys in the promo photo. Look closely… it might actually be a band member on that space-aged photo studio set.
The release date on this gem is 1978, but those keyboards sound really 80’s. maybe these guys were somehow both ahead and behind the times. At least it’s not another Jan and Dean impersonation. Geez, these guys look like rockers, but there’s no rawk on either side of this single.
11 comments
kvon
“When I’m on my board, I’m a king”… can lyrics get better than that… Brilliant! lol. Riping it for my ipod right now! This post made my night!
Larry
let’s hear “FBI on the nail”
curtis
brk, comin’ in with some sweet 80’s facts! I like the shape of the board on the cover, and how in the first verse they advocate putting a motor on your board (if you are feeling goood).
brk
the singer of mabel, ‘teen idol’ mike tramp, went on to form white lion.
kc
That is a pretty catchy song. Those outfits, definitely not catchy! Some of those guys look like they are transitioning for a sex change.
carl warren
skateboarders would only use this to break the vinyl
heath
I think that William Faulkner was their lyricist.
jakeandannoy
I didn’t know Dudley Moore was in this band.
In the top photo on the left,and he’s the top of their totum pole,that’s “Arthur” right?
“Hey Brother can you spare $750,000,000?”
Prickly Pete
Minus the hair and leopard skin, my four-year-old son dresses like this. Am I raising a freak child? Hope so.
someguyatwork
The verse structure keeps reminding me of New Order’s “Shellshock.”
brk
now how bout the b-side? i want to hear it. really. please? (i’m not being sarcastic. i really want to hear a poppy 70s euro song about killin a cop.)