The Models - Bend Me, Shape Me (1966)

[IQaos]

Yup straight out of 1966. This is great!

[Barking914]

This is the bees knees on found music!! I have the 45 and grew up on the American Breed version that l've heard and was on the radio, but this is sooo good or should I say groovy. Enjoy!

[belliottx]

The Outsiders did the second version.

[tyrntyrntyrn]

Holy cow! Until now I didn't know this existed. I always thought American Breed was the first and last.

I love that distant echo sound quality that came and went in the mid 60s.

[gk10002000]

Now we are getting somewhere. Early acid psycho rock. But I do love the intro from the American Breed's version.

Thanks for posting. God I miss those times and sounds. As a kid they were so alien I don't even have the words to describe the feelings I used to get when I would here things like this

[swampratje]

trippy as hell... wow

[shippys]

Qué sorpresas se encuentra uno, pensé que la original era de American Breed (1968) y estas chicas ya la habían grabado antes en 1966. Me gustaría saber si son de Estados Unidos, alguien sabe? Saludos.

[jaytf1231]

As good as the American Breed's version was, I don't think it was meant to be a "bubble gum" song as most people called it. This version and the Outsiders version is more psychedelic.

[NcicHit2]

What a record!

[60Arrowman]

"Bend Me, Shape Me" is a song written by Scott English and Larry Weiss. It was first recorded by The Outsiders as a track on their album The Outsiders In in 1966. The best known version of the song is the 1967 single released by The American Breed that peaked at #5 in the US in early 1968. There have been other cover versions of the song.

[60Arrowman]

My answer pt.1 -> It was intended for The Righteous Brothers (for whom they had written the epic hit "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"), and indeed the demo almost sounds like a Righteous Brothers recording, with the piano supplying the easily-recognized bass line and both a pop and blue-eyed soul feeling accompanying the foreboding lyrics

[OFFTHEBUSH]

this is just great - many thanks

[HarvestmanMan]

Good Lord, this is trippy.

[TheGlucksOfficial]

What a rare find! thanks alot man, is a groovin

[rslitman]

The writers of this song were Scott English and Larry Weiss. They wrote a few big hits, either together or separately. Both of them also had recording careers. In the 1970s, I heard briefly on the radio each doing his own version of a song that was later a huge hit for someone else. For English, it was a song called "Brandy" that under the new title of "Mandy" was Barry Manilow's first hit. For Weiss, it was "Rhinestone Cowboy", which eventually was a big hit for Glen Campbell.

[ondashertzianas]

En primer lugar, me gusta la de The Outsiders, después esta de The models y por último las otras dos (American Breed y Amen Corner).

[retrotvluver]

Freakin' Sweet!

[thecountofbasie]

Looking at that label scan (which I've never seen before BTW), it also shows it was arranged by the songwriters, which leads credence to the probability that this was the first version of the song

[JonathannCoelho]

@thecountofbasie it says MGM records on the vinyl...

[CornyPoopDude]

@thecountofbasie the outsiders version is the original. i doubt the songwriters had any first hand involvement on this version as it also credits tom wilson and larry fallon. more likely they were given arranging credit because parts of their original arrangement were used for most of the song

[Fersomling]

Eij häw näwer hörd diss wörschen bevor.

[2036584179]

The Romulans helped produce a record... set phasers on stun

[paleblue498]

Wow, what a great version! Thanks for posting this piece of rock history...

[RaddishOfTime]

Perle du garage psychédélic de 1966 un de mes titres préferés de garage girl band que j'ai connu sur une des meilleur compil du genre "girls in the garage " vol #1 (il me semble) !

[baconsplace]

HEAVY intro byGad

[gunslinger32mag]

Wow. You took obscure to a new extreme. Good job. Freakin' love this. Never heard it before.

[omahabee]

@gunslinger32mag

obscure to a new level, ahaha, good stuff

[recordman64]

What I heard somewhere...these girls were actual models, hence the name of the group!

[q89djdavek]

I love this version also! But I always thought that the original version was done by The Outsiders as an LP cut only.

[orkluttaqr]

'Seems they are the original authors. Has the original sound with the spring or possibly plate reverbs. So not really possible that was from somebody's gar@ge; but a decent studio somewheres. Seems that there are so many covers of this ORIGINAL that they didn't even get credit. Possibly they had the c0pyright, though.'

[T3RiMiKs]

so crazy hot tunez

[eoj2495]

Holy cow, AMAZING!!!

[phillfoote]

tom wilson also produced sun ra - beatles

[MyMatt63]

Shit hot.

[sanchan1959]

Wow...doing drugs without doing drugs! Amazing version!

[flashandthepan]

Cool version. Bob Welch did one of this song.

[movingon4ever]

Released as a single in July 1967, obviously banned in many regions, no Top 100

chart activity. Comes across as the most accurate version of the song's title, being

mid-60's references to acid drugs mentioned in lyrics. Where did they record it,

sounds like a real GARAGE!

[choralstuart]

rip it here mate

[rjcrbnj]

anyone have an mp3 file of this????

[gk10002000]

Oh, this is the best. Better than that other version. Bend me Shape me, and the acid sound here. Pretty obvious connection implied.

[stancicm]

the song is really good.... this version really

has a monster song, not really pop ...

[chris6113]

One of the vocalists on this is "Price Is Model" Janice Pennington!!!

[Primitivaa]

nice version! This song forever reminds me of Bender

[ScienceProjek]

This song reminds me of "Come Back And Shake Me" by Clodagh Rogers. Although I know this one came out first

[BestTits]

There have been other cover versions of the song. The first cover was released by The Models in 1966 on the MGM label. Other notable versions include one by Amen Corner, which reached #3 in the UK in 1968, and one by Donna McElroy that appeared on the Gumby album in 1989. The song is featured in the 1997 film, Wild America.

[BestTits]

"Bend Me, Shape Me" is a song written by Scott English and Larry Weiss. It was first recorded by The Outsiders as a track on their album The Outsiders In. The best known version of the song is the 1968 recording by The American Breed that peaked at #5 in the US.

[stancicm]

for the french market, a french version

by Claude François called 'Serre-moi, griffe-moi'

exists. He was a major star there.

[jdnam77]

The Outsiders had this song on one of their albums. The American Breed heard it, liked it, and recorded the hit. So stated The Outsiders when I attended one ot their concerts. But they never mentioned this version. I suspect the Outsiders had is first, but I could be wrong. Anyone know if this is the original or a cover?

[ppaulmorris]

I loved The American Breed's and then Amen Corner's versions. This is great too.

THREE belting versions.

[doglips1958]

WOW!!I thought the American Breed was the original .Learn something every day.Thanks a million for posting this!!

[Viznel137]

hi again!My wife suggested Bananarama

[Viznel137]

Sounds like Blue Cheer at the beginning!LOL

[artlongjr]

Wow, what a find this is. I've never heard it before, I think I like it at least as much as the American Breed. Also I note that it was produced by the great Tom Wilson who also produced Dylan, the Velvet Underground, and the Mothers.

[shippys]

@artlongjr The Outsiders recorded this version 1 year later than this girls group...bye.

[CornyPoopDude]

@shippys haha the models single might have been released a month or two before the Outsiders' album came out in Jan 1967, but this is the original version, it was recorded in 1966. later bro