Mal & the Primitives were basically the same as the Primitives, the long-running British R&B-rock group of the 1960s that never had hits, but put out a bunch of records with different lineups. For one single only, released in August 1965, they adapted the billing of Mal & the Primitives, Mal being lead singer Mal Ryder. Both sides of the single, "Every Minute of Every Day"/"Pretty Little Face," are included on the Primitives' Maladjusted CD compilation. "Every Minute of Every Day" is a fairly good, tough, and moody soul-rocker. In contrast, "Pretty Little Face," written by ex-Primitive John E. Soul, is a rather weedy beat ballad.

The Primitives were never, ever exactly a household name, even in Oxford, where they had a serious following as a club band -- and that's a reminder that some things in life and history, and even music, are just so unfair as to be unsettling. The Primitives never charted a record in England or America while a lot of lesser bands earned millions, and then suffered the indignity of attaining cult status among collectors, based on their sheer obscurity. The group, signed to Pye Records in 1964, never found even a small national audience in England, but managed to make a name for themselves in Italy -- where English bands had a rock & roll authenticity and credibility lacking at home -- and record an LP in Italy and an EP in France that have a recognized combined value in the range of 1,000 pounds on the collectors' market. The group itself was a complete musical cipher, owing to their obscurity, which wasn't overcome until Castle Communications issued their catalog on CD in 2003.