“Tickler” (1971) – Earth Quake * Written by J. Robert Dunbar * Produced by Earth Quake and Allan Mason * 45: “Tickler” / “Guarding You” * LP: Earth Quake * Label: A&M
San Francisco’s Earth Quake played the type of melodic, carefully proportioned rock and roll that would eventually get called power pop. Heavy airplay in the Bay Area for their song “Tickler” got them close to national chart placement when it appeared in Billboard as a San Francisco “regional breakout hit,” but it never, in fact, broke out. Frustration with the A&M label prompted manager Matthew “King” Kaufman to form the label Beserkley, housing Earth Quake until they’d call it quits in 1979, but eventually having chart success with the Greg Kihn Band. (Adapted from a longer post at Early 70s Radio.)