Nuggets II: By My Side by The Elois

The success of Rhino’s 1998 Nuggets boxset justified a follow-up. The sequel covers the rest of the world since the first volume only chronicled the USA.

Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969 emerged in 2001. It features music from countries such as Iceland, Uruguay, and Japan. I’m profiling and rating each of the 109 tracks, working backwards.

Track 72—By My Side by The Elois

From: Maryborough, Australia

8

Credits

3/18. BY MY SIDE – The Elois (Australia)
(Greg Heenan/Bill Van Berkel/Alan Rowe/Dennis Fiorini)

PERSONNEL/ALAN ROWE: vocals * DENNIS FIORINI: guitar, vocals * GREG HEENAN: bass * BILL VAN BERKEL: drums
Producer(s) unknown
Recorded in Melbourne, Australia
IN single #INS-8067 (1967) [Australia]

The Elois

Maryborough is a town in southern Australia, 168 km northwest of Melbourne. It was founded during a gold rush, when the population peaked at 30,000. It’s now known for Energy Breakthrough, where it hosts Human-Powered Vehicle racing. The Elois aren’t the only notable band from Maryborough – the Avalanches met in high school there.

The Elois were reportedly “short-haired, well-dressed lads.” They took their name from the tranquil sunshine people in H.G. Wells’ book The Time Machine.

They only recorded one single – the A-side was a Bo Diddley cover. The B-side was a raw slice of garage rock.

By My Side

‘By My Side’ feels like a happy accident, a young band throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks. It’s barely over two minutes, but it cycles through multiple sections. There’s the barest skeleton of a song, but it’s drawn out with dynamic shifts and a guitar solo. It works because there’s talent – a charismatic singer and a tight band.

With the popularity of groups like The Who and The Yardbirds and the availability of larger and more powerful amplifiers, groups could explore new boundaries in volume, feedback, and sustain. Few tracks better illustrate this than The Elois’ incredible “By My Side,” from April 1967.

On the intro, guitarist Dennis Fiorini lays down a huge wave of feedback, and the band proceeds to ride it. Bassist Greg Heenan kicks in with a vicious bass line, the drums leap into motion, and from that point on it’s sheer mayhem as the vocals shout out their plea for love against the howling, screaming fuzz-guitar lines. The song breaks down briefly for a rude, lurching bridge before whipping itself into a final frenzy of feedback and fuzz. It’s over in a breathtaking two minutes and 13 seconds.

Mike Stax, Nuggets II liner notes

The Aftermath

The Elois’ single failed to make an impact, and the band split up. ‘By My Side’ languished in obscurity for years before it was included on the 1980 album Ugly Things, a compilation of forgotten Australian singles.

Read More

• Nuggets II Song by Song
• 1960s Album Reviews