In Dan's Garage...#38

Greetings one and all!!! I'm getting this one out a day early 'cause my lovely wife "Red" and I will be doing some Fourth Of July activities this weekend out at nearby Port Bay here on the lovely shores of Lake Ontario.Eating, drinking, fishing, boating...well you get the picture, and the bonus is that it's going to be up near 90° today and tomorrow! Woo Hoo!!!! I'd like to thank all of you who have made contributions to this blog with valuable info on some of these bands that have been featured here. I try to do my best to get proper information on this stuff, but I do have to split my time between recording records, editing, scanning....well you get the picture. The contributions from you, make this your blog as much as mine, and I really would like to thank everyone once again. Speaking of comments, no post has ever generated as much feedback as my "rant" from IDG #36. Most of it was positive and wholeheartedly agreed with my take on today's bland offerings, but one reader took me to task for being a typical "old codger" who hates everything the "younger generation" does (I'm paraphrasing here) and who is basically suffering from some kind of "garage band myopia". Look, I appreciate the comments positive AND negative, but let's make one thing perfectly clear. I am NOT an "old codger". Being 49 years old does not make me ready for Depends and the "early bird special". I don't even drive a Buick. I know there's young people out there making good music, the problem is, where the hell are they, and who the hell are they???? There are some excellent groups here in Rochester, but the vast majority of the great music makers here are 30+ in age. Most of the "young musicians" are doing what I call the "tattoo and piercings" thing. And as for the "old codgers" like me, they've all drifted onto this "Americana" bandwagon like it's the next big thing. Old heavy metal popsters are getting praise heaped upon them for their "vision" and their "versatility" for this. Don't get me wrong here. I love Johnny Cash, but I'm not gonna start dressing like him or some guy from The Grand Old Opry who hasn't shaved for a couple of days. I'm not some kind of guy who hates everything that's not sixties either. I collect records(45's specifically) from the 50's, 60's, and early 70's and this blog is dedicated to that particular passion of mine. That being said, I by no means spend my entire life listening to garage and psychedelic music from that era. I'm a huge Frank Sinatra fan, the stuff he recorded on Capitol records is some of the best music of that or any era for that matter. Songwriters like Cole Porter and Sammy Cahn don't exist anymore. Those people were truly great. I'm also a Burt Bacharach nut. EVERY hit that guy wrote in the mid sixties to early seventies with Hal David touches a nerve because those hooks and melodies were not only great, they stick in your mind like glue. I was a child of the 70's. I started playing guitar in 1973. The sounds that really influenced me during that period go from AM pop to hard rock. The Allman Bros Live At Fillmore East was the first LP I ever played solos along with, on my cheapo Stella acoustic. I've attended dozens of concerts. I've seen The Grateful Dead, and I've seen Ray Charles, and pretty much everything in between. I could write a book about this, but the upshot is that I've tasted EVERY style of music there is out there, so I have a reference point on which to base my opinions. I've dug everything from Elvis to Miles Davis. They are not based on the outlook of someone who hates everything except for "garage" (and I know a LOT of those people), but someone who hears what is being done today, and comparing it to EVERYTHING ELSE I've ever listened to, and I must stand by my position. Most of what's out there these days really sucks ass. I'll use Country is a perfect example. Does anyone reading this think Kenny Chesney is any good?  I mean, he may have "talent", but to me he's a guy with a muscle shirt and a cowboy hat churning out cans of waxed beans. My main point was that today's mainstream music, whether it be Rock, Country, R&B, and even Jazz to an extent has been HOMOGENIZED for the masses. It's kinda like Budweiser beer (oh God now I've insulted the "Bud" fans...), it's watered down crud advertised as something great. Give me something with some body and character please. That's the way I like my music. I don't want to scare anyone away, so keep the comments coming. positive and negative. Enjoy this blog and anything else you like on this 4th of July weekend (even if you're across the "pond"). 

Love, Dan

Fabulous Counts - Money (196?)

Here's a real inept, blasting version of this Motown classic. This Philadelphia group probably shouldn't be confused with the late 60's funk outfit from Detroit.

Four - If You're Eyes Say Love (1965)

Probably from the Nashville area, this ones a cheezy teen crooner with some real lo-fi production.

Jimmy Stokley & The Exiles - It's Alligator Time / A Game Called Hurt (1965)

This Richmond, KY group has a long and interesting history. They started in 1963 and continued into the 70's with lead singer Jimmy Stokley, and had a hit called "Kiss You All Over" as simply, "Exile". Around 1983 they became a country group and continued into the 90's when they eventually broke up. This one's a great, greasy pounder with wild honkin' tenor sax.

8th Wonders Of The World - You You Yeah / Who Cares (1965)

An obscure, yet wonderfully inept garage/beat group from who knows where. These guys were in full British Invasion "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" mode when they recorded this one.

New Breed - Green Eyed Woman / I'm In Love (1965)

The best of their four 45s in my opinion. From Sacramento,CA.

Pat Farrell & The Believers - Gotta Find Her (1967)

From Hamburg, PA, this 45 was originally released as "The Razors Edge" on Kingston, but due to a band name conflict, they changed it to Pat Farrel & The Believers. They had one other 45 on Diamond, "Bad Woman" which is a killer and a little tougher to locate than this one here....

Beau Brummels - Don't Talk To Strangers / In Good Time (1966)

I can't say much about these legends except that this is their finest folk rock moment, and stands up to anything in that genre.

New Colony Six - Cadillac / Sunshine (1966)

Terrific Bo Diddley beatin' two sider from these Chicago greats. If I'm not mistaken (and I may very well be), these were non-LP cuts.

Tony Turow - What I Think About You / Who Cares For You When You're Down (196?)

Ummmmmm.......this one here....well, I'm not sure what to make of it. The unknown Turow sounds like a lousy lounge singer, yet is backed up by what seems to be a four piece (guitar, bass, drums, and tenor sax) rock & roll/r&b group, but the drums and especially the bass are very prominent. The production is real lo-fi and someone forgot to give the backup singers a mike. Not exactly garage, but it certainly has a "garagey" vibe to it, but I wouldn't exactly call it R&B either. This is a real strange one, and I've never seen another copy of it, not that it matters any, because I'm pretty sure collectors won't be scouring E-bay for this one any time soon.

Don & The Goodtimes - Big Big Knight / I'll Be Down Forever (1965)

As we all know, Don Gallucci played the infamous intro to Louie Louie when he was a member of the Kingsmen. After he left, he formed Don & The Goodtimes and released a number of 45s in various styles, most of them pretty good. In this case they had to answer back to the Kingsmen's homage to "The Jolly Green Giant", by extolling the virtues of Ajax Cleanser's "Big Big Knight", who rode a white horse and made housewives across the USA very happy for making their laundry whiter than white...it truly was "stronger than dirt"...

Endd - Out Of My Hands / Project Blue (1966)

Great garage from LaPorte,  which lies between South Bend, and Chicago, and which may explain the cover version here of the Banshee's great "Project Blue".

Fenwyck - Iye / I Wanna Die (1967)

The same crew that gave us the great "Mindrocker". This one is a little less on the "trippy" side, and is a hard driving folk rocker.

Group Love Corp. - Love Corporation / Should I (1967)

One side is credited to"Group Love Corp." and the other to "Love Corporation", but I think we can all agree that both sides of this fantastic garage/psyche 45 from Tulsa, are indeed the same band. Where are you???????

Jaguars - Black Is Black (196?)

Recorded at the "famous" Fame studios in Muscle Shoals, AL, I'm guessing these guys were one of those "beach music" groups from the south specializing in "blue eyed soul". I really love this song, and these guys do a stand up job which is why I included it.

Lavender Hour - Hang Loose / I'm Sorry (1967)

Super cool, movin' A side on this one from Houston, TX. The ballad B side ain't no slouch either. These guys cut the famous "I've Gotta Way With Girls" that became one of The Chesterfield Kings' best and most enduring covers. If you guys are reading this...I still love ya!!!!

Underground - Satisfyin' Sunday / Easy (1966)

 Let's end this with a real nice folk rocker by a group that I know nothing about. The interesting fact about this 45 though, is that the A side was pressed at 33 RPM, so when you play it, it sounds like the Chipmunks. I knew something was not right so I slowed it down and....Voila! There it was. This 45 was pretty typical of what Mainstream/Brent records we're putting out in those days.

Get it HERE