Luvin' Kind

The Luvin' Kind were one of the several Belfast bands of the mid-1960s that sounded rather like the greatest Belfast band of all, Them. They were one of five Belfast groups included on the 1966 Ember Records LP compilation Ireland's Greatest Sounds: Five Top Groups from Belfast's Maritime Club. The Luvin' Kind's "Answers Please" was the highlight of that album, with a raw and ready R&B-rock sound similar to that heard on Them's cover of "Just a Little Bit." It was also an unusual, even refreshing, selection in that its lyrics were not of the usual R&B mold, but a fairly dramatic and effective anti-nuclear bomb statement. Though the production was only up to demo standards, it outshone another track they put on the album, the routine R&B pastiche "It's a Cruel World." Both "Answers Please" and "It's a Cruel World" have been reissued on the Big Beat compilation Belfast Beat Maritime Blues, an anthology of mid-'60s tracks by Belfast groups. ~ Richie Unterberger