The Strangeloves

Though the Strangeloves delivered a lone garage-rock staple, their backstory overshadows the recordings themselves. Brooklyn-based songwriters and producers Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer had already scored a chart-topping girl-group smash with the Angels’ “My Boyfriend’s Back.” As the British Invasion peaked in the mid-1960s, the trio formed a band and marketed themselves as Australians to exploit the exotic allure then surrounding overseas acts.

Their signature track, “I Want Candy,” fused a driving Bo Diddley rhythm, an exuberant refrain, and a wandering lead guitar line; the single climbed to number 11 in 1965 and marked their finest hour. To promote the record they hastily assembled a stage show, spinning tall tales about originating in the invented locale of Armstrong, Australia, where they had supposedly grown wealthy breeding a new strain of sheep. Two subsequent singles, “Cara-Lin” and “Night Time,” also reached the Top 40; both relied on heavy handclaps, foot-stomps, and drums. An album and assorted non-charting 45s followed, yet most of this output simply recycled the Bo Diddley groove of “I Want Candy” to little lasting effect.

Eventually the members stepped away from live work and recording to concentrate on writing and production for the McCoys, even as occasional Strangeloves releases continued to surface through 1968. Goldstein later helmed sessions for War during the 1970s, while Gottehrer produced albums by Blondie, the Go-Go’s, and additional artists. Bob Feldman died on August 23, 2023, at the age of 83.