The Pussycats – I Want Your Love

Columbia 4-43272 Year 1965

Track 1 – I Want Your Love

Track 2 – The Rider

One of my top tens here and it just kills me that I cannot find out any real information on these gals and this killer garage recording! It’s looking like this mighty 4 piece girl group may have only ever laid down 4 studio tracks in their career, including this release with The Rider on the flip, and also You Can’t Stop Loving Me (Columbia 4-43587), which I’m guessing was released that same year. Strange that you also get a very delightful  Dressed In Black on that flip, made popular by The Shangrilas in ’66 on Red Bird.

I Want Your Love, written by Tony Michaels, has all you could possibly want in my opinion. Opening with a dangerous blues riffing companionship with overdrive guitar and bar piano, insert seductive vocal “Hey you…. come here” and before you know it, you’re in the widow’s web. The first verse is playful and desperate, and the backing doo-wops and harmonies are starting to spin you in a spiral. We are now only 30 seconds in and the guitar gets dirtier and the build up, like a steep roller coaster climb, is making you nervous. You’re pretty much trapped by now, and can’t help feeling like that little mouse that kitty just won’t let die…all in the name of selfish pleasure perhaps. This track ticks all the boxes for me! It’s raw and driving, like good garage should be. It’s got great horns and pace, stomping percussion and stinging guitar, and of course those femme fatale vocals….innocent yet sultry, and even soulful! Great production from Michaels and killer arrangement by Artie Butler!

The Rider is more down tempo but still just as charming and has more of that Spector sound that I can’t get enough of! All 4 Pussycats recordings also came out as an EP (Portugal) through CBS in ’66 with a killer pic sleeve (above) of all 4 band members. As always, would love to know more about these elusive ladies and their recordings.