This 45 from 1969 really makes me wish I knew of more records that were released with the combined purposes of boosting potato chip sales (Smiths Crisps) and kick starting new dance crazes (The Crunch). The Crunch as a dance craze never caught on and how to do The Crunch is definitely lost to the mists of time. Whether or not The Crunch as a song coerced people into going out and buying bag loads of Smiths Crisps is also anyone's guess. These days all we are left with is this, the final and heaviest 45 from a semi-known local bubblegum pop band who had already achieved a degree of local success. With nothing to lose they recorded this "crunching" chunk of late 60s rock which is now something of an underground New Zealand classic. Unfortunately the band didn't capitalize on it's success as they broke up instead, with members carrying on to numerous bands throughout New Zealand and Australia.
Filed under: 45's and 7's, Garage / Freakbeat
Whoa, written by Ray Columbus! He did a great tune with the Art Collection.
Great tune! Also comped on the first volume of Wild Things, released by Flying Nun in 1990.
yes, both the Art Collection 45 & Wild Things comp are recommended as well. Quite expensive these days though.
This is interesting. There’s a UK flexi Smiths Crisps promo called ‘The Crunch’ which is a comepletely different song. I also have an Australian seven inch of a different recording of the same song. Not encounted this one before.
Interesting, who performs the Australian version?
Aussie version is by ‘Little Sammy’ on an EMI custom 45.
Front cover of the UK flexi:
[IMG]http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii293/Newwaveorthetruth/Smiths-Crisps-7-Front.gif[/IMG]
Musically the New Zealand version wins.
Check out the ‘Shadows of Night’ cardboard promo disc for Lay’s potato-chips.
“She always flips when she gets her grip on a crunchy, munchy potato chip!”