379 to 50: #19 “Nobody But Me” by The Human Beinz

Taking us into the teens of my favourite songs countdown, it’s US one-hit wonders The Human Beinz with their Tarantino approved “Nobody But Me” psych/soul nugget from 1967.

A totally infectious slice of wonderful nonsense, “Nobody But Me”, is regarded as a vintage classic that fits equally into two late-60s genres both beloved of cratediggers: garage rock and northern soul.  I first encountered “Nobody But Me” in Manchester clubs during the 90s, where its opening siren soundalike, chugging bassline and insistence that “no, no, no nobody can do the shing-a-ling” (etc) frequently proved irresistible.  My affection was really sealed when I became obsessed with the “Nuggets” boxset (which prominently showcases “Nobody But Me”), 4 CDs building on Lenny Kaye’s initial compilation album of “original artyfacts from the first psychedelic era 1965-68” – still my favourite ever music collection, with many of its tracks included on my 379 Garage/Psych playlist.  “Nobody But Me” has since gone on to feature heavily elsewhere in pop culture, most notably in Kill Bill Volume 1’s memorable set piece when the Bride fights the Crazy 88, as well as Scorsese’s The Departed.

As featured in Kill Bill Volume 1

“Nobody But Me” was originally written and recorded by the Isley Brothers (whose “Those Old Heart Of Mine” is featured on my 379 Soul playlist) in 1962, then later covered by the Human Beinz as their first major label single release in 1967.  The much superior Human Beinz version was a fairly sizeable pop hit in the USA, reaching number 8 in the charts, but failed to trouble the scorers in the UK.  Apart from some success in Japan, the Human Beinz were basically one hit wonders, but “Nobody But Me” has continued to live on through the years as a psych/soul banger that can always ignite a dancefloor, albeit ideally one not populated by 100 knife wielding assassins.

VIDEOS AND OTHER STUFF

• “Nobody But Me” fan video on YouTube
• “Nobody But Me” as featured in Kill Bill
• The original Isley Brothers version of “Nobody But Me”
• Other songs from the Nuggets compilation that just missed out on my top 50 include: “Psycho” The Sonics, “Open My Eyes” Nazz, “Complication” Monks, “You’re Gonna Miss Me” 13th Floor Elevators, “Don’t Look Back” The Remains, “Action Woman” The Litter.
• “Nobody But Me” is featured on my 379 to 50: 1 to 25 Spotify playlist
• Also featured on my 379: Garage & Psych Spotify playlist

NEXT: NUMBER 18