THEY'RE HERE -BOOTS WALKER
A record like this(of which there can't be many) is a high-water mark for novelty records- it's a wonder it's not better known. Aliens, surveillance, paranoia, deadpan spoken word, insidious percussion referencing "They're coming to take me Away, ha , ha", and pre-synthesizer electronic squeaks, are just some of the joys packed into this two-minute nugget from the vaults of Laurie Records.
"Boots Walker" is allegedly the pseudonym for Louis "Lou" Zataro, but I suspect Louie was just the guy holding the machine gun to Ernie Maresca's HEAD, saying "Hit Record or cement shoes!" Maresca, who could charitably be called a Chubby Checker wannabe in his early days, did make two fabulous sides early on, namely "Shout Shout, Knock yourself out" and the follow-up "Mary Jane you give me a Pain in the Brain". Those go well at twist parties.
Ernie is certainly the driving force behind this record, Boots or no Boots. He would plug away in the underbelly of Pop & Rock for years with no danger of attaining celebrity. In the early 70s he went Full Hippie with "The Spirit of Woodstock", but alas, no sale.
This record, though................Whew
Roberto Jimenez / review
-Bob Jordan-
“They′re here, they are
They are, they are
They’re here, they really are
I saw them, I did
I did, I did
I saw them, I really did
They come at night
They sneak at night
They take the power
From our lights
They fly around without a sound
And scare those little towns
They watch us eat and walk
They analyze the way we talk
They′re watching us
They are, they are
They’re watching, yes, they are
From Maine to California
Up in Michigan too
They’re seen all around the world
By millions, it′s true
Those little weirdo things
In their flying machines
I′m telling you
They’re watching you
They′re here, they are
They are, they are
They’re here, they really are
I saw them, I did
I did, I did
I saw them, I really did
Little people
Don′t ever try to look in their eyes
I guarantee, they’ll hypnotize
They′ll make you feel it’s just a dream
And take you in their machine
From Maine to California
Up in Michigan too
They’re seen all around the world
By millions, it′s true
Those little weirdo things
In their flying machines
I′m telling you
They’re watching you
They′re here, they are
They are, they are
They’re here, they really are
I saw them, I did
I did, I did
”
Ernie Maresca
“Well, I have to tell about some folks today
Who got together from across the USA
Oh, they took their cars, their girls, their wives
In their hands now they took their lives
The spirit of Woodstock remains in America today
Well, they slept in bags on the grassy slopes of the highway
And they were almost overcome by the traffic in the heat of the byway
Well, now they ate their food from a little tin can
’Cause they didn’t have any pots and pans
The spirit of Woodstock remains in America today
Well I left my job and I began my journey
I don’t care what troubles this may bring
I did my thing!
Well, I was there so I know what I’m talking about
When the music began you should have heard them holler and shout
But then they sat in the mud, right next to each other
Showing lots of love, like they’re sisters and brothers
The spirit of Woodstock remains in America today
When I was driving there it seems that every single rock ‘n’ roll station
Had a talking ‘bout our Woodstock across the nation
Although the roads were closed at a-half past three
If you had no ticket, they let you in free
The spirit of Woodstock remains in America today
”