Dan's Garage

In Dan’s garage…#70

2012-01-22T10:51:00.002-05:00

    Hello friends!!! As you can see, I got busy this weekend and got to that extra post I promised. Besides, I had quite a bit of down time so spinning 45s takes up slack and believe me….it’s very therapeutic. I also said that I would get to the story of “Fat Chuck”, a guy I mentioned in my last post. Some of you may have noticed that a good bit of my collection have dates stamped on the labels and the radio call letters WSAY (I’ll get to THAT story in the next post). Well, as fate would have it WSAY went out of business sometime in late 1979 I believe, and this guy (Fat Chuck) buys the ENTIRE radio station library. I never knew Chuck’s last name, we just called him “Fat Chuck”. He was a big, fat, rather unkempt guy, and was what I refer to as a “pack rat”. You know, he’d buy anything and sell it. He also had a really nasty personality and was rather grumpy most of the time, especially if you were trying to haggle with him. He was actually kind of like “The Soup Nazi” on Seinfeld. If you got on his bad side, he wouldn’t sell you anything.
   In the early 80s he was just a rumor until I finally found out where he had his “business” which was in a warehouse on E. Main and Goodman Streets here just outside of downtown Rochester. I first went to visit him because I was told he had a Farfisa Compact organ for sale and The Projectiles desperately needed a replacement at the time. So I pull up to his “store” (actually just the front door to his space) and there he was, standing there eating a candy bar. I inquired about the organ and he took me to a room in the back where it was and he plugged it in, and it worked . I asked him “how much” and he said “fifty bucks”. I asked if he would go any cheaper and he almost blew his stack, but fortunately I managed calm him down. I needed to get on his good side. So I hand him the cash and I say…”I hear you sell records here too”. He says…”oh yeah, I got a bunch in the back and more “upstairs”. So I asked him if I could have a look and he obliged.
   Holy shit. There it was. Most collectors today would consider this “THE MOTHERLODE”. Boxes, and boxes, and boxes, of 45s from the 50’s through the 70’s, most sorted by label. Some boxes had two copies of each 45. This was going to be fun to say the least. A box on the Date label yielded a couple of copies of “’Twas Brillig’s” “Dirty Old Man/This Weeks Children”. The Liberty box had both Unrelated Segments 45s. One day I came across a box of stuff on Hickory and got The Sparkles’ “Hipsville 29 B.C., No Friend Of Mine”, and Roy. Jr.’s “Victim Of Circumstances” That was a banner day for me. He would also troll around garage sales and find stuff too. One day I went in there, spent an hour or two and plucked a good dozen 45s, but before I paid him he says to me..”I just got a bunch of new stuff here, you wanna check it out?” I was in a real hurry but I said OK and he shows me a copy of The Heard’s “Stop It Baby”, and The Jury’s “Who Dat” which I promptly bought. I say to him “I gotta get out of here”, and he says to me…”but I got more”. As fate would have it, “more” turned out to be a copy of Byron & The Mortals’” “Do You Believe"Me”. What a moron! I was in a rush because I had to get my freakin’ HAIR CUT!!!! So what happens? My pal Chuck C.(no relation) shows up about a half hour later (we would do many record shows together and were collecting buddies) and scores the Byron 45. Oh well, at least I scored The Heard 45. I passed up TONS of cool 45s over that time, simply because I had a limited amount of cash and I had to take home the best ones I could find. I’d stash records in places so I would remember where they were the next time I’d go back, and sifting through boxes was a real chore because there was no real organization. It was never an easy task, but I can say one thing…all this stuff was very affordable and would be considered steals by today’s standards so the time spent was worth it.
    Fat Chuck had to give up the warehouse as rent was too high. Eventually he moved and rented out one of these storage spaces in nearby suburbia, and we had to call him on the phone and set up an appointment to go visit and pluck through records that were stacked sky high in this place. That was real difficult in the winter so we could only buy from April till maybe October. He would also show up at record shows and I heard he visited flea markets as well. Well, all good things eventually have to end, and of course the well ran dry and now Fat Chuck has a space at a local flea market here downtown, not to far away from the old warehouse but it’s slim pickin’s these days. I will, in a future post, relate as much as I can about radio station WSAY, which was Rochester’s own WKRP.
    Record collecting is still fun, but those days of coming across huge amounts of cool 45s for cheap are long gone. I still go to record shows and sift through boxes of records but great 45s at reasonable prices are few and far between. In this day and age of Ebay and the internet, it’s very easy for sellers to see what some guy on the other side of this earth will pay for something, and I must say, some of it is quite out of hand, but that’s a discussion for another day. For now, let’s just enjoy this latest offering and be glad that were all around to savor it. Bon appetit!

Time Stoppers – I Need Love (1967)
Originally done by The Mad Hatters from the D.C. area, this rather unknown group from Pittsburgh released this remake in 1967. Apparently this was the last 45 on the HBR label.

Juveniles – I’ve Searched (1966)
Tough sounding garage number from a band that originally came from Oklahoma, but relocated to the Pacific NW. Sorry about the skip midway through the song……

Juveniles – I Know / I Don’t Wanna Know (196?)
Another bunch of Juveniles, but these guys are from the Mobile, AL area. Aside from that tidbit of info, I know absolutely nothing about this blue eyed soul 45.

Pageboys – When I Meet A Girl Like You / I Have Love (1965)
Not sure of this band’s origin either, but they’re rumored to be from “the NYC area”. Great British sounding stuff.

Craig & Michael – That Kind Of Girl / Drifty (1966)
A duo from California doing some great folk rock. Sorry, I have no leads on this one either…..

Robin Hoods – Wait For The Dawn / Love You So (1965)
Excellent invasion sounds from a Chicago area group.

Twilights – Take What I Got / She’s There (1965)
More British sounding stuff, this time from Miami, FL. Brothers Bill & Fred Moss would later go on to join the Clefs Of Lavender Hill.

Peter’s Pipers – Airplane / I Didn’t Believe Her (1968)
These guys from Pittsburgh won a national battle of the bands to get this rather interesting 45 released. I say “interesting” because I have a hard time figuring this one out. Airplane starts out with a cool intro that has some great fuzz, but the chorus gets into pure sunshiny pop territory with flourishes of harp, and I don’t mean a harmonica. Overall, it’s a great 45 if not a tad bit schizophrenic. Guitarist Pete Hewlett would have a long successful career backing up the likes of Carly Simon, Billy Joel, and a few other “stars”.

Law Firm – I Love You More / Time (1965)
I don’t know anything about this group, maybe they’re a studio project? I do love this song though because it has some of the most clever lyrics in it like…I love you “more than a singer loves adulation”, “more than a Swiss clock loves the hours”, but the best line is “I love you more than Liz loves Dick”!!!!!!!!!! Wow, where are these geniuses today?????

Liverpool Five – If You Gotta Go, Go Now / Too Far Out (1966)
One of my all time favorite 60’s groups. It’s tough to pigeonhole these guys as a garage band because they were so proficient in every style that they played, as well as having stellar production on almost all their records. Here they take on a Bob Dylan favorite and do a stellar job IMHO.

Mouse – A Public Execution / All For You (1966)
As long as we’re on the subject of Dylan, here’s Mouse & The Traps’ classic attempt at mimicking ol’ Bobby himself.

Rain – Love Me And Be Glad / Little Boy Blue (1967)
A group out of Osage City, KS that released this one 45 around 1967. Great light psyche with nice organ throughout.

Mind’s Eye – Tell Me Your Sign / Mystic Woman (1969)
I’m not sure if this bubblegummy single is by the same Mind’s Eye from Texas that recorded the great “Help I’m Lost”.

Vandells – Hunters Fox / American Eagle (1969)
The Vandells were from the Bay Area and released this 45 in 1969 during the height of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane’s popularity around the area. Obviously these guys didn’t quite fit in with that crowd and were subsequently made fun of because they weren’t “cool”. I think these guys are great and I’m glad they stuck to their guns. “Hunter’s Fox” is pure garage with Farfisa Organ and fuzz guitar throughout while the other side is a “protest” song of sorts and features some horns by what was to become the “Tower Of Power”. As you can see this 45 was graciously autographed by the entire band! Gary Raffanelli tells the Vandells story in brief HERE.

Kynd – Mr. America / Clouds (1969)
Great psyche two sider from an obscure New Jersey band.

Collectors – Early Morning (1969)
Vancouver group who were originally known as The Canadian Classics. They released the fantastic “Make It Easy” in 1968 and released the LP “Wild Grass And Strawberries” the same year.

GET IT HERE

In Dan’s Garage…#69

2012-01-19T09:52:00.002-05:00

Good morning and good day friends!!!! I called in sick to work this morning because I’m feeling a bit under the weather and we all need a couple of what I like to call “mental health days” once and a while. So I figured as long as I’m home resting, I’ll get this blog post completed today and maybe, just maybe, I’ll get a two-fer in before the weekend is out!!!!!
Here at Dan’s Garage central we really strive to bring you what I consider some of the best sounds of the garage and psychedelic era, but as we all know, most of these cool sounds were created by acts who weren’t exactly household names, thus, we have to rely on second, third, or fourth hand information as well as what turn out to be unfounded rumors and dubious quotes from ex-band members or their friends or family. Then they get printed in books that are written by so called “experts” that are basically just doing what I do. Things can get quite muddled at times. Since I admittedly “skim the surface” of a particular band’s history, I don’t give in-depth descriptions but rather make comment on a songs style or delivery, or provide an interesting anecdote. Unfortunately, even those anecdotes can be erroneous, but when I get what I consider a rock solid story on a certain group, I’ll almost always provide a link to the website where I obtained the initial info, and then let you get the story from the REAL experts, who incidentally are also you, the good readers of this blog. Lastly, I want to thank everyone out there for letting me be part of your day in one way or another. Thank You.

Buddies – The Beatle / Pulsebeat (1964)
I’m not sure who these guys were, but neither side of this 45 sound like the Fab 4. “The Beatle” is actually a frantic Bo Diddley style pounder while the flip is a way cool surf instro that has a definite “Pipeline” feel to it.

Walt & The Satans – Maybe One Day / Bargain With Love (1965)
Trying to get an exact date on this rocker from Newfoundland has been a bit tough. One source says 1961, while another says 1965. In any case, it’s a great hybrid of rockabilly and beat styles.

Kenny Shane – Earth Shakin’ Baby / Run To Me (1965)
Another one that was hard to get any concrete info on. This is a great beat/rocker on both sides. Kenny also had another 45 on Brent released simply as “Shane”.

Minets – Secret Of Love / Together (1964)
An interesting 45 from a group of guys from Britain who ended up in Boston during the British Invasion and released this great 45. They had at least one other on DCP Records as “The Minets Of England”.

Tidal Waves – Farmer John / She Left Me All Alone (1965)
Legendary group from Detroit and one of the definitive versions of this song. The flip side is a fantastic, moody garage ballad. Guitarist Bill Long would later be in Ellie Pop, another great group from Detroit. For more in depth info check out Bill Long’s website HERE.

Uniques – Fast Way Of Living (1965)
Great southern garage/R&B from Joe Stampley & Co.

Turtles – Almost There (1965)
So I’m going through a box of 45s preparing for this particular post and I came across this one, the flip of “It Ain’t Me Babe” and I just couldn’t resist. This amazing flip side is probably their finest moment…from a “garage/punk” point of view…..

Gil Bateman – Wicked Love / Goodnight Irene (1965)
Terrific two sider from the Pacific NW.

Knaves – The Girl I Threw Away / Leave Me Alone (1966)
OOOOOOHHHHH!!!!!!! One of the all time great two siders in the history of garage/punk/psych/whatever. “The Girl…” epitomizes the”moody folk/garage ballad”, whilst “Leave Me Alone” rivals the snottiest of snotty punk rockers. A true classic in every sense of the word.

Truths – Why / Pending (1966)
Top notch moody folk/punk from a very obscure group.

Matthew Moore Plus Four – Codyne / You’ve Never Loved Before (1965)
I’m not exactly sure where Matthew Moore is from, but this version of Buffy Sainte-Marie”s “Codyne” is undoubtedly the best.

Missing Links – When I See My Baby / I Told You I Loved You (1966)
One of at least five Missing Links trolling around the garage/punk universe, these guys were from the Long Island/NYC area and recorded this one twice. This is the second version, but they’re both real good in my opinion.

Mood – In The Amber Fields / Erica (1967)
Very obscure 45. Both sides are ambient and moody. (Are we sensing a theme here?)

Short Kuts – Born On The Bayou (1969)
Decent cover of CCR’s hit with some gargantuan fuzz riffs mixed in…..

Von Ruden – Spider And The Fly / Judy (1970)
I remember first hearing this one on Pebbles back in ‘84 and thinking “what a cool sixties garage 45 this is!” With all that cool fuzz, and the lo-fi vibe to it. I was amazed when I plucked this one out of one of “Fat Chuck’s” boxes (I’ll get to this guy’s story some other time) to find not one, but two copies of this gem, and then discovering that it was from 1970! The flip side “Judy” was released on the same label as “Bobby Trend”. Both sides are real ambient, spaced out psychedelic winners.

GET IT HERE

In Dan’s Garage…#68

2012-01-12T19:51:00.004-05:00

WOWIE ZOWIE!!!! Hello friends and followers! I hope everyone out there has had a wonderful holiday and I hope the New Year is going well for for all…so far. I had a very nice nice one myself and although the snow is surprisingly scarce up here in Western NY this year, I welcome the unusually balmy weather with open arms. My New Years was a gas as usual as we did it in style with our good friends Roxanne & Tim. Tim is an avid record collector himself and is fond of those late 50’s and early 60’s “teen” rockers, so we spent part of the night spinning some vinyl and afterwards, feasted on lobsters and steaks. Definitely yummy.

      One of our New Years Eve rituals is to watch poor old Dick Clark muddle through the dropping of the ball at Times Square on TV. I really respect the guy for still hanging in there, even though he dished out a lot of crappy music over the years, but he did feature the 13th Floor Elevators on “Where The Action Is” back in the day, but even though he’s “half the man” that he used to be, I’ll cut him some slack. I almost threw up my surf & turf when I had to sit through Lady Gaga and her puke inducing routine just before midnight. Oh God, is there anyone out there that’s worse????? If there is let me know. Did anyone see her afterward??? She was wearing this gigantic mask that must've weight about 15 pounds, and you could see her poor head trembling from the weight of it. I think I saw Justin Bieber too. He looked real pretty as usual, and hey..check out Carlos Santana! Talk about a total ass kissing sell out. He knows he can’t make any real dough playing one note for an hour, so he pals around with the likes of “Pitbull”, a real “artist”. Jenny McCarthy looked like total shit too, but my sister and brother-in-law thought she was looking great. Oh well….what the hell do I know?
   So the ball drops and we drink champagne and watch everyone slobber over themselves on TV, and I kiss my lovely wife who’s just about had it for the evening, and then we sit through another half hour of puke inducing acts on TV, just so we can make fun of them. Where the hell is Guy Lombardo when you need him????????
But seriously folks, I love the holidays. I just wish they would start pushing them on you a little later, and let the festivities hang around a little longer. I swear, they start pushing shit right after Labor Day (that’s the first week in September for anyone who is not familiar), and shove it down your throat right up till Christmas Eve. By the time New Years Day rolls around, you’ve had it. They literally shut it down the day afterward. For me it’s not the glitz and bullshit that gets me, but the festive atmosphere, and the longer we can let it linger, the happier we all will be.
   So here we are in 2012. Posts have been a bit scarce this past year, mainly because of busy schedules, family tragedies, a bit of vacation/holiday, and home improvement projects. Oh yes, the NFL football season has kept me occupied most Sundays this fall/winter season as I vowed to watch every single game my beloved New York Giants were playing in this year. So far they’re still in the running for the Super Bowl. GO GIANTS!!!!! But in between I’ve managed to get some music in too, and I’ve finally got #68 under my belt. I can't believe I’ve done so many of these!!!! At the onset of this blog I thought I’d get at the most 50 posts, but about two years later, I’ve managed to go well beyond that. We also have had over 200,000 hits on this blog , and if anyone has scoped out the little Feedjit app on the right of this blog, you’ll see they’re coming in from all over the world! Thanks to all of You!!!!! Last but not least, PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU, I IMPLORE YOU, CHECK OUT MY BLOG ARCHIVE!!!!! What you’ll discover are some of the coolest sounds and the most interesting reading on this wonderful planet of ours. Really! I mean it! They are totally cool!
   So here is the latest, and the first edition for 2012….”In Dan’s Garage…#68”. You know what they say….”better late than never”…..

Deacons – The Baldie Stomp / The Baldie Beat (1964)
Superb frat from Minneapolis. I guess these guys weren't “bald”, but were singing about a local gang from their hometown.

Blue Echoes – How Do I Tell Her / Rosanna (1964)
An obscure group from Worchester, MA who had a regional hit with the instrumental two sider “Blue Bell Bounce/Tiger Talk” which would later be released on Swan records the day that JFK was assassinated. No rock & roll was played for weeks afterward so the 45 pretty much went nowhere and so did the Blue Echoes. Very unfortunate……

John Fred (With The Playboys) – How Can I Prove / Wrong To Me (1965)
Ya know something???? John Fred ain’t half bad when he’s pretending to be like a British Invasion band or something, as we see on this really cool 45 from 1965.

Rick & The Legends – I Wonder Why / Love Me Like You Know I Care (1965)
Teen / Garage sounds from Ohio. Pretty good too……..

Windsors – Fingers & Thumbs / Keep Away (1965)
I can’t find a damn thing about this group, but what little I have come up with tells me they’re either British or Canadian…….

Boogers – Nitetime People / Should You Be Surprised (1967)
Let me tell you all that I really get a kick out of bands with weird names, and in the 60s, there were tons of ‘em. You know…the typical Jefferson Airplane clones like “Hamilton Streetcar” and the food names like Chocolate Watchband, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Butterscotch Caboose, Peppermint Trolley Co…..well you get the picture. Then you got real whacked out ones like “The Cruds”, and one of the all time greats “The Electric Toilet”. But I was unprepared for this one when I saw it on Ebay. “THE BOOGERS”!!!!!!! HOLY CRAP! You truly have to have a major pair of balls to go out there with a name like that and expect to get gigs in the pre-punk rock era. So I bid on this without even trying to find out what it sounded like (although I already had it on an obscure comp buried somewhere on my hard drive) and was pleasantly surprised when I got it in the mail. Good mid-tempo garage with a nice Wurlitzer Electric Piano ringing throughout.

Stacy’s 5th – My Lovin’ Baby / This Thing (1966)
Wild and crude pounder from Massachusetts. One of my all time favorites!

“Yes It Is” – Walkin’ The Dog / Little Boy (1966)
A group from Duluth , MN who had at least one other 45. Great version of “Walkin’ The Dog” backed by a really cool moody folk rocker.

Slade Brothers – What A Crazy Life / For A Rainy Day (1966)
Let’s switch gears and take a right hand turn with this real nice slice of 60’s pop done by an obscure and lesser known British duo.

Clockwork Orange – Help Me / Sweet Little Innocent Lorraine (1967)
Way cool two sider that features this NYC group going in two very different directions. “Help Me” is a fuzzy psych number while “Lorraine” is a great psych/pop tune. One of at least three “Clockwork Orange” named bands paying homage to Anthony Burgess’ novel a good three years before the film came out.

Dalton, James, & Sutton – One Time Around / Run Baby (1967)
Oh so fantastic Byrds/Gene Clark cloning here, I really can’t describe it in words, you just have to hear it. This song is the best example of “country/folk/rock” I’ve ever heard and the B side is pretty good too! I’m not certain of the date, but I’ve seen 1967 and I’ve also seen it listed as late as1970.

Easybeats – Do You Have A Soul / Who’ll Be The One (1967)
”Friday On My Mind” was probably their biggest hit ever, and it’s no coincidence that genius Shel Talmy produced this brilliant two sider along with “Sorry”, “Remember Sam” and several other greats from 1966/67..

Godz – Wiffenpoof Song / Travel’n Salesman (1967)
Yeah! Here we have for your listening pleasure, The Godz from New York City, and let me just say that along with their label mates “The Fugs”, were definitely one of the kookiest bands ever to come out of that great city as we hear on this strange, inept offering from 1967.

Crystal mansion – I Got Something For You (1969)
OK, let’s get back to earth with some fuzzy blue eyed soul that has a rather commercial twist to it……

Owl – Aunt Cate Is Dead / As The World Keeps Turning (1970)
Terrific pop/psyche by a band from Massachusetts who were once known as “Lazy Smoke”.

GET IT HERE

Happy New Year!!!!

2011-12-31T14:21:00.004-05:00

Greetings friends and followers! I was hoping to get out a brand spanking new edition of IDG before the years end, but too many things got in the way, mainly stuff laying around the house, and I just had to put the boxes of 45s in storage till the Christmas tree comes down. In the meantime, I thought I’d do the same as last year and post some featured highlights of previous editions of IDG posted in 2011. Not all the groups on the cover are featured in these volumes, I just put ‘em up there because they looked cool. I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season, and best wishes to all in the coming year. Stay tuned for IDG #68.

PART 1
01. Lonnie Mae - Record Hop Dream (Fine)
02. Red Coats with Steve Alaimo - The Girl Can't Help It (Lifetime)
03. Vaqueros - Echo (Audition)
04. Catalinas - My Misery (Novart)
05. Don & Tony & The Knighthawks - Lightning (Star Artists)
06. Vistas - Moon Relay (Tuff)
07. Vistas - No Return (Tuff)
08. Bobby Comstock - Let's Stomp (Lawn)
09. Hudson Valley Boys - Stop! I Like It (Session)
10. Shorty Prescott's Velvetones - Bring It On Home To Me (Velvet)
11. Baron Daemon & The Vampires - The Transylvania Twist (WNYS-TV)
12. Baron Daemon & The Vampires - Ghost Guitars (WNYS-TV)
13. Steve Alaimo & The Redcoats - Blue Fire (Dickson)
14. Continentals - Cathy's Clown (Lifetime)
15. Continentals - Maybe Baby (Lifetime)
16. Bobby Francis - At The Beach (Centaur)
17. Bobby 'D' & The Trinidads - Don't You Just Know It (Radiant)
18. Jesters - The Big T (Candy Cane)
19. Gene Cornish & The Unbeetables - I Wanna Be A Beetle (Dawn)
20. Gene Cornish & The Unbeetables - Oh Misery (Dawn)
21. Invictas - The Hump (Sahara)
22. Invictas - The Detroit Move (Sahara)
23. Invictas - Shake A Tail Feather (Sahara)
24. Andy & The Classics - Wilma (Hurd)
25. Panthers - Bridgestone 90 (D&C)
26. Wilmer Alexander Jr. & The Dukes - Give Me One More Chance (Aphrodisiac)
27. Rogues - Secondary Man (Thunderbird)
28. Show Stoppers - Nothing To Say Today (Columbia)
29. Thunder Head - Don't Run (Charm)
30. Thunder Head - And I Need You (Charm)

PART 2

01. Two Kats & A Kitten - Kit Kat Rock (Fine)
02. Saints & Sinners - Mercy, Mercy (Moon)
03. Saints & Sinners - Ooh Poo Pah Doo (Moon)
04. Monterays - I'll Be Around (Twin Hit)
05. Madisons - Valerie (Twin Hit)
06. Angry Men - Come With Me (To Another World) (Torch)
07. Angry Men - Love Is Gone (Torch)
08. Heard - Stop It baby (Audition)
09. Heard - Laugh With The Wind (Audition)
10. Humans - Warning (Audition)
11. Humans - Take A Taxi (Audition)
12. Wee Four - Weird (Nu-Sound)
13. Wee Four - Give Me A Try (Nu-Sound)
14. Endless Knights - Don't Shoot Me Down (WPN)
15. Tweeds - What's Your Name (Coral)
16. Tweeds - A Thing Of The Past (Coral)
17. Invictas - The Hook (Sahara)
18. Invictas - Do It (Sahara)
19. Vic Pernell & The Hangmen - Live For Today (Century)
20. Vic Pernell & The Hangmen - Sad Boy (Century)
21. Edge Of Darkness - Mean Town (Jamie)
22. Show Stoppers - If You Want To, Why Don't You (Columbia)
23. Other Half - I Won't Be Back (Bell Sound)
24. Other Half - It's Been A Good Day (Bell Sound)
25. Church Mice - College Psychology On Love (House Of Guitars)
26. Church Mice - Babe We Are Not Part Of Society (House Of Guitars)
27. Ron Wray Light Show - Speed (Eciep)
28. Unsettled Society - 17 Diamond Studded Cadillacs (Charm)
29. Al Peluso - You Ain't Going Nowhere (PAL)

PART 3
01. Groop Ltd. - As Time Goes Bye (Integrity)
03. Shandels - No Way Out (Carldell)
04. Shandels - Treat Me Like A Man (Carldell)
06. Madisons - Stagger (Jomada)
08. Blades Of Grass - It Isn't Easy (Fine)
09. Druids - Doctor Friend (Thunderbird)
10. Coachmen - Drambuie (no label)
11. Little Peppy & The Bare Existence - It Can Happen! (Fne)
12. Declararation Of Independence - Next Stop Dead End Street (Mr. G)
13. Declararation Of Independence - House (Mr. G)
13. Young Tyrants - I Try (In)
14. Rogues - Train Kept A-Rolling (Audition)
14. Young Tyrants - She Don't Got The Right! (In)
15. Rogues - You Better Look Now (Audition)
15. Stingrays Of Newburgh - Fool (Columbia)
16. Stingrays Of Newburgh - If I Needed Someone (Columbia)
16. Sure Cure - Anything You Want (Parkway)
17. Monterays - Conquistador (Buff)
18. The Charles - Motorcycle (Calliope)
21. Weird Street Carnival - Subterranean Edible Fungus (Copra)
22. Weird Street Carnival - The Inner Truth (Copra)
23. Livin' End - La La (Eciep)
23. Trillium - Queen Alice (Mr. G)
24. Trillium - News (Mr. G)
25. Darelycks - Bad Trip (Fine)
25. Wool - Combination Of The Two (ABC)
26. Darelycks - Wait For Me (Fine)
27. America's Children - Blow On (Ronquoit)

PART 4
01. Easybeats - Gonna Have A Good Time (United Artists)
02. X-Cellents - Hey,Little Willie (Smash)
03. (The Original) Sonics - Bama Lama Bama Loo (Burdette)
04. Chaps - Forget Me (Paula)
05. Chaps - Tell Me (Paula)
06. Thirteenth Committee - Sha La La (Manhattan)
07. Gary & The Hornets - Patty Girl (Smash)
08. Daytrippers - You Cheated (Karate)
09. Young Ones - Sour Grapes (Columbia)
10. Young Ones - Man Of Mystery (Columbia)
11. Rain - Take It Away (MGM)
12. Friedles - I Lost Her (Hanna)
13. Friedles - I'm So Glad (Hanna)
14. Tino & The Revlons - I'm Coming Home (Dearborn)
15. Ceasar & The Romans - Jailhouse Rock (Scepter)
16. Princetons - Georgianna (Colpix)
17. Joyride - The Crystal Ship (World Pacific)
18. Vestells - Won't You Tell Me (Bo Jo)
19. Dust - Gone (Yas)
20. Unrelated Segments - Story Of My Life (H.B.R.)
21. Terry Pillitere - It's Not That Way (Bell Acetate)
22. Terry Pillitere - You Wouldn't Believe Me (Bell Acetate)
23. Tweeds - We Got Time (Coral)
24. Striders - There's A Storm Comin' (Columbia)
25. Striders - Am I On Your Mind (Columbia)
26. Sounds Of Phase III - Special Citation (Kar-Mil)
27. Utica Club Natural Carbonation Band - The Utica Club Natural Carbonation Beer Drinking Song (Utica Club)
28. Bohemian Vendetta - Enough (United Artists)
29. Bohemian Vendetta - Half The Time (United Artists)
30. Stillroven - Hey Joe (Roulette)
31. Stillroven - Sunny Day (Roulette)
32. Undertakers - Love So Dear (Pine Hill)

PART 5
01. Paul Chaplain & His Emeralds - Shortnin' Bread (Harper)
02. Paul Chaplain & His Emeralds - Nicotine (Harper)
03. Rumblers - Boss Strikes Back (Dot)
04. Brass Tacks - Tell Me (Fortune)
05. Brass Tacks - What Is The Reason (Fortune)
06. Fabulous Royals - She Told Me (That I Had To Wait) (Cha-Cha)
07. Fabulous Royals - At The Dance (Cha-Cha)
08. Counts IV - Listen To Me (JCP)
09. Jerry Palmer - That'll Be The Day (Chattahoochie)
10. Counts IV - Lost Love (JCP)
11. Apostles - While I'm Away (Melby)
12. Apostles - Cloudy Summer Afternoon (Melby)
13. Ray Columbus & The Invaders - She's A Mod (Philips)
14. James Richard - Just Before The Dawn Breaks (Staircase)
15. James Richard - Baby Don't You Know (Staircase)
16. Me & Them - Show You Mean It Too (U.S. Songs)
17. Me & Them - Everything I Do Is Wrong (U.S. Songs)
18. Bobby Vee & The Strangers - Look At Me Girl (Liberty)
19. Sidekicks - Not Now (RCA Victor)
20. Bad Boys - Love (Paula)
21. Razor's Edge - Baby's On His Way (Pow!)
22. Symon Grace & Tuesday Blues - You Won't Get Me Workin' (Round)
23. Wailers - You Won't Lead Me On (United Artists)
24. J. Walker & The Pedestrians - Life's Too Short (Pine Hill)
25. Restless Feelin's - Hey, Mama, You've Been On My Mind (United Artists)
26. Spirit Of St. Louis - Going Back To Miami (Fona)
27. Tragedy - Unfaithful Love (Panorama)
28. Shame - Too Old To Go 'Way Little Girl (Poppy)
29. Shame - Dreams Don't Bother Me (Poppy)
30. Ramrods - Mary Mary (Plymouth)

PART 6
01. Ohio Express - Beg Borrow And Steal (Cameo)
02. Choir - It's Cold Outside (Roulette)
03. Choir - I'm Going Home (Roulette)
04. Catamorands - Never Say Goodbye (D.G.M.R.)
05. Catamorands - Over You (D.G.M.R.)
06. Del Counts - Let The Good Times Roll (Soma)
07. Del Counts - Bird Dog (Soma)
08. Vacels - You're My Baby (Kama Sutra)
09. Naturals - Look At Me Now (Liberty)
10. Naturals - It Was You (Liberty)
11. Coachmen - Mr. Moon (Bear)
12. Coachmen - Nothing At All (Bear)
13. Tony & The Bandits - I'm Goin' Away (From You) (Coral)
14. Szorenyi Levente - Meg Faj Menden Csor (Qualiton)
15. Tony & The Bandits - The Sun Don't Shine Now That You've Gone (Coral)
16. Down 5 - I'm Takin' It Home (Parrot)
17. Link Cromwell - Shock Me (Hollywood)
18. George Edwards - Never Mind, I'm Freezing (Dunwich)
19. Royal Guardsmen - Leaving Me (Laurie)
20. Ravin' Blue - Colors (Monument)
21. In Crowd - Let's Take A Walk (Abnak)
22. Ides Of Love - Hey Mister Wise Man (Talmu)
23. Aladdin & The Genies - Please Wait For Me (Great Scott)
24. Loners - Insight Out (Arco)
25. Loners - Old Man's Blues (Arco)
26. Autosalvage - Rampant Generalities (RCA Victor)
27. Autosalvage - Parahighway (RCA Victor)
28. Paper Cup - One Part Good (South Park)
29. Vagrants - A Sunny Summer Rain (Atco)
30. Vagrants - Beside The Sea (Atco)

PART 7
01. Teemates - Moving Out (Audio Fidelity)
02. Chancellors - Little Latin Lupe Lu (Soma)
03. Chancellors - Yo Yo (Soma)
04. Kit & The Outlaws - Don't Tread On Me (Philips)
05. Commanches - Missed Your Lovin' (Hickory)
06. 4th Amendment - Always Blue (Constitution)
07. 4th Amendment - Whiskey Man (Constitution)
08. Dimensions - She's Boss (HBR)
09. Four Frogs - Think I'm Losing You (Frogdeath)
10. Unrelated Segments - Where You Gonna Go (Liberty)
11. Telstars - Keep On Running (Columbia)
12. Black Sheep - It's My Mind (Columbia)
13. Chaps - Remember To Forget Her (Paula)
14. Chaps - You'll Be Back (Paula)
15. Four Below Zero - It's Sally's Birthday Today (Double Shot)
16. Four Below Zero - Don't Send Me Away (Double Shot)
17. Flower Children - Mini Skirt Blues (Allied)
18. Prophets - Fightin' For Sam (Stonel)
19. Elastik Band - Spazz (Atco)
20. Affection Collection - Girl (Evolution)
21. Forum - Trip On Me (Mira)
22. Cave Dwellers - Meditation (Bay Town)
23. Groop - Woman You're Breaking Me (Jamie)
24. Manhattens - Baby Right Now (Presice)
25. Manhattens - Time Goes By (Presice)
26. Raven - Calamity Jane (Rust)
27. Raven - Now She's Gone (Rust)
28. Feelies - Louie Louie (Jerden)
29. Fresh Air - Faces In The Fire (Amaret)

PART 8
01. Curiosities - Money (Seeburg)
02. Ducats - Hey Woman (Rock It)
03. Bruins - Go On And Cry (General American)
04. Clockwork Oranges - Ready Steady (Liberty)
05. Sun Set - Don't (Judge Me Baby) (Moonglow)
06. Sun Set - Man Without A Home (Moonglow)
07. Poore Boyes - Give (Uptown)
08. Poore Boyes - It's Love (Uptown)
09. Tikis - If I've Been Dreaming (Autumn)
10. Tikis - Pay Attention To Me (Autumn)
11. Association - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (Jubilee)
12. Dimensions - Penny (HBR)
13. Montanas - That's When Happiness Began (Warner Bros.)
14. Boston Tea Party - Words (Challenge)
15. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Who Do You Think You're Fooling (A&M)
16. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Diddy Wah Diddy (A&M)
17. New Colony Six - You're Gonna Be Mine (Sentar)
18. New Colony Six - Woman (Sentar)
19. Lindy Blaskey & The Lavells - Let It Be (Space)
20. Lindy Blaskey & The Lavells - You Aint Tuff (Space)
21. Brentwoods - Babe You Know (Our)
22. Fat Water - Santa Anna Speed Queen (MGM)
23. Improper Bostonians - Come To Me Baby (Minuteman)
24. Improper Bostonians - Set You Free This Time (Minuteman)
25. Grass Roots - Depressed Feeling (Dunhill)
26. Blues Project - No Time Like The Right Time (Verve Folkways)
27. Blues Project - Steve's Song (Verve Folkways)
28. Amboy Dukes - You Talk Sunshine, I Breathe Fire (Mainstream)
29. Yellow Payges - The Two Of Us (Uni)

In Dan’s Garage…#67

2011-12-10T09:49:00.002-05:00

Hello friends and followers! As another holiday season creeps up on us I’d like to extend best wishes to everyone out there reading this and enjoying the music presented here. I hope your holiday and the upcoming new year will be very enjoyable. I also hope my offerings here will in some way brighten your day too. I am literally swamped with records bought in the past year that haven’t been posted yet. You should see my desk (what I like to call “Dan’s Garage Central”), it’s a disaster area. You know how some people overeat when they’re somewhat sad or depressed? I buy records! But seriously folks, I have gone a bit bonkers lately especially when I have collector pals who are literally giving me records. That’s always fun! Well…for me anyway, my lovely wife gets a bit irritated but she copes well with my habit so to speak. So it is with great pleasure on this wonderful late fall day that I present the 67th edition of….”In Dan’s Garage”.

Curiosities – Twist & Shout (1965)
I think this is the last of my Seeburg offerings. As usual, very competent covers of Rock & Roll hits.

Wee Willy & The Pals – We’re Gonna Dance / Teardrop Strawberry Soda (1964)
An unknown group out of California that was produced by John Hodge & Larry Wilson, the gentlemen who also produced The Pyramids “Penetration”. This one is really strange with the weird Jew’s Harp in the background and the walling guitar playing along with it.

Dimensions – Turn Your Love On Me (1964)
Another totally unknown group from the south. A real good R&B influenced tune with references to the Fab Four.

Guilloteens – Hey You! / I Don’t Believe (1966)
The first of five 45s this Memphis group released, and in my opinion their best. They were Elvis’ favorite band at the time.

Dee Jay & The Runaways – Peter Rabbit / Are You Ready (1966)
The biggest band to ever come out of Iowa, this was their biggest hit., a great frat rocker with a “Sam The Sham” feel to it. The flip is a good up-tempo teen ballad.

Illusions – I Know / Take My Heart (1966)
A garage/punk classic in the true sense of the word. The top side of this 45 embodies all the ingredients of a great garage tune and stands up as one of the best to this day. They were from Palatka, FL near Jacksonville and hosted their own local TV show.

Zephyrs – She’s Lost You / There’s Something About You (1965)
Here’s an excellent 45 by a British group who’s claim to fame was that Mick Jagger said they stunk. What the hell does he know????? Produced by genius Shel Talmy, this is a perfect example of the mod/r&b hybrid so popular in the UK in the mid 60’s. Totally cool organ throughout.

Birdwatchers – I’m Gonna Do It To You / I Have No Worried Mind (1966)
Miami, FL group (NOT TAMPA!) who had a slew of 45s on a whole bunch of different labels, and who’s career lasted well into the 70’s. This is a great garage/pop number with a somewhat folky B side that has a goofy spoken word break in the middle.

Shadow Casters – It'll Be Too Late / Going To The Moon (1966)
A moody and crude 45 from the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Ill. Real great teen angst stuff right here.

Blue Things – Doll House / The Man On The Street (1966)
One of the best bands to emerge from the Midwest. It’s a shame they never hit it big because nearly everything they recorded was great, including this terrific two sider.

Bo Street Runners – Only Heaven Knows / Come On And Love Me (1968)
Another Midwest act who should not be confused with the Bo-Street Runners who released a 45 on Kr Records, The pop/psyche Bow Street Runners, or the British R&B group. These runners produced a nice, lightweight, folk rock affair with good jangly 12 string guitars. Real obscure.

Seeds – Daisy Mae / Can’t Seem To Make You Mine (1966)
I had to throw this one in! Here’s the original B side to “Can’t Seem To Make You Mine” and boy is it a hoot! The Seeds never recorded many “rockers” so this frantic tune really stands out.

Chapter V – Headshrinker / Dolly’s Magic (1967)
An act from Halifax, Nova Scotia with a very interesting history. They were led by Brian Ahern who is a very successful Nashville producer as well as producing fellow Canadian Anne Murray’s records on Capitol. Read more about them here.

Crabs – Chase Yourself / Bye Bye My Little Girl (1967)
A great two sider from a Houston, TX band.

Fogcutters – You Say / Cry, Cry, Cry (1965)
Awesome, moody two sider from a Colorado group who eventually relocated to California, and released two more 45s on the Charter label. A real cool version of “Casting My Spell” and the fantastic “That’s Where I’ll Be” featured on IDG #27. Reminds me a little bit of fellow Colorado group The Astronauts who also threw in some great moody tunes when they weren’t surfing in the Rockies.

Mustang – Why / Here, There, And Everywhere (1967)
I can’t tell you much about this one, except that the A side is a fast moving pounder with an awesome drum intro and break. By contrast, the B side is a routine rendition of “Here, There, & Everywhere”.

GET IT HERE

In Dan’s Garage…#66

2011-11-20T14:59:00.005-05:00

Holy Moly! It's been so long since my last post I almost forgot I was even blogging anymore. The past three weeks have been really hectic and as my mother would say (in slightly broken English) “It’s been a ‘holy coaster’”. The bright spot was my vacation this past week which was a 7 day cruise on the Crown Princess to The Bahamas, Curacao, and Aruba. Very lovely indeed, and I swam in the most beautiful blue waters on earth. Really breathtaking. Kudos to the folks at Princess cruise lines who really go out of their way to take care of you. I’ve been on several other cruises and Princess does a hell of a job. Highly recommended. On to this post. This has basically been in the can since October, but unforeseen circumstances kept me from doing what I usually do here, so what I’m offering is a double whammy. One volume with two parts, and you get them in the same post!!! This post in particular is strictly dedicated to pop sounds so if you’re looking for garage, punk, beat, or some wild psych, you’re not going to find it here. Also in an effort to get this out before the end of the day, I’ve dispensed with the label scans and my thought provoking commentary on each record. What you do get are 61 pop gems in many styles from slightly psychedelic. to good old sunshiny songs. I hope you all enjoy. It’s good to be back.

01. Marvin's Circus - Come To Me (MGM)
02. Marvin's Circus - Two Losers (MGM)
03. High Society - Star Of Eastern Street (Cameo)
04. High Society - People Passing By (Cameo)
05. Twice As Much - Sittin' On A Fence (MGM)
06. Twice As Much - Baby I Want You (MGM)
07. Standells - The Boy Next Door (Vee Jay)
08. Amazing Pickles - A Wish Of Love (Philips)
09. Amazing Pickles - I Like Ice Cream (Philips)
10. Deep Water Reunion - I Wanna Know (RCA Victor)
11. Deep Water Reunion - Ruby Foo (RCA Victor)
12. Bobby Vee & The Strangers - I May Be Gone (Liberty)
13. Bobby Vee & The Strangers - Beautiful People (Liberty)
14. Arch Of Triumph - Lands Of Shadow (Date)
15. Arch Of Triumph - Sunshine And You (Date)
16. Cornerstone - Holly Go Softly (Liberty)
17. Cornerstone - Love Nothing More (Liberty)
18. Garden Club - Little Girl Lost And Found (A&M)
19. Wizard & The Ahs' - Show Girl In Town (Elf)
20. Jim & Jean - People World (Verve Forecast)
21. Jim & Jean - Time Goes Backwards (Verve Forecast)
22. Jon & Robin And The In Crowd - Do It Again A Little Bit Slower (Abnak)
23. Jon & Robin And The In Crowd - If I Need Someone It's You (Abnak)
24. Music Explosion - Yes Sir (Laurie)
25. Smubbs - White Paper Sail (Monument)
26. Smubbs - Wait Another Heartache (Monument)
27. Zuckerman's Dream - Love Is Such An Easy Word To Say (Columbia)
28. Zuckerman's Dream - The Revolution Is Over (Columbia)
29. New York Rock & Roll Ensemble - Running Down The Highway (Columbia)
30. New York Rock & Roll Ensemble - Law And Order (Columbia)

01. Jet Stream - All's Quiet On West 23rd (Smash)
02. Jet Stream - Crazy Me (Smash)
03. Crew - Marty (Vergara)
04. Crew - Danger Signs (Vergara)
05. P.J. Proby - Niki Hoeky (Liberty)
06. Just II - Once Upon A Might Have Been (Westchester)
07. Arbors - The Letter (Date)
08. Best Of Friends - All The World Is Mine (Laurie)
09. Best Of Friends - Melodies (Laurie)
10. Brothers - Today Is Today (White Whale)
11. Brothers - With The Rain (White Whale)
12. Jackals - Linda Come Lately (Liberty)
13. Erik - Tell Me Are The Good Times Gone (General American)
14. Centuries - Don't Let It Fade Away (Rich)
15. Centuries - Just Today (Rich)
16. Thomas & Richard Frost - She's Got Love (Imperial)
17. Thomas & Richard Frost - The Word Is Love (Imperial)
18. John Fred & His Playboy Band - No Letter Today (Paula)
19. Deep Six - C'mon Baby (Blow Your Mind) (Liberty)
20. Deep Six - Image Of A Girl (Liberty)
21. Visions - Threshold Of Love (Uni)
22. Visions - How Can I Be Down (Uni)
23. Epic Splendor - It Could Be Wonderful (Hot Biscuit Record Co.)
24. Epic Splendor - She's High On Life (Hot Biscuit Record Co.)
25. Every Mothers Son - Pony With The Golden Mane (MGM)
26. Bravura - The Man Who Hears A Different Drummer (Bravura)
27. Hog Heaven - Happy (Roulette)
28. New Hope - Won't Find Better (Jamie)
29. New Hope - They Call It Love (Jamie)
30. Professor Morrison's Lollipop - You Got The Love (White Whale)
31. Society Of Seven - Frisco Bay (Uni)

PART 1

PART 2

In Dan's Garage…#65

2011-10-09T18:09:00.001-04:00

Ahhhh…another fine Sunday for blogging! I gotta say the weather here in Upstate NY this week has been rather lovely especially this weekend. Nice enough to sit on the front stoop and enjoy a stogie here at Dan’s Garage HQ. I broke my promise of not getting any new records and got a couple more this week. Oh well, I coulda spent my money somewhere else and have nothing to show for it I suppose. More good stuff for this edition, and I’m already working on the next post which will come out next weekend, and it’ll be very heavy on psych/pop sounds. I hope you enjoyed the L.S.D. Enigma entry also. It’s nice to see some good friends of mine do something cool and different. Hope you’re having a great day and please don’t forget to check out some of the blogs listed in the sidebar to the right of this page. Lots of good reading and music to along with it. Enjoy!

Paul Revere & The Raiders – Louie, Louie / Night Train (1963)

I can’t think of a better way to start this weeks edition off than one of the finer versions of this classic song. Of course The Kingsmen recorded the “definitive” version of this, but if you were a band playing in the Pacific NW during the early 60s, this was a must have in your repertoire, and Paul Revere & The Raiders were no exception. Theirs is a cool sax heavy rendition with an ace guitar break.

Curiosities – Johnny B. Goode (1965)

I don’t need to explain this one. More hits from the jukebox company. Although these were mostly “remakes” of hits, the quality of the group is pretty high.

California Suns – Masked Grandma / Little Bit Of Heaven (1966)

An answer record to “Little Old Lady From Pasadena” from a San Diego group. The song was written by Carol Connors who sang “To Know Him Is To Love Him” with the Teddy Bears, and Roger Christian a KRLA DJ. Real good surf vocals on both sides, but the flip, “Little Bit Of Heaven” is the real winner on this 45.

Clockwork Oranges – Ready Steady / After Tonight (1966)

As long as we’re on a surf kick, why don’t we travel to the U.K. where this stunning hybrid of surf, beat, and mod sounds are melded together in one of the most unique 45s I’ve ever heard. The story of this group is rather cryptic, as some of the members ended up in the Birds, and founder Terry Clarke was in The Herd with Peter Frampton. You can read more about them HERE.

Ducats – Hey Woman / Stay Awhile (1964)

A Canadian group from Port-Aux-Basques in Newfoundland, they apparently traveled down to Boston to record this rocker.

Association – Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You / Baby Can’t You Hear Me Call Your Name (1965)

The first 45 released by this very popular pop group. You can hear where this band was headed on this 45 with the lush vocals, but the band arrangement is very garagey which makes this a very cool record in my opinion. A lot different than “Cherish” wouldn’t you say?

Montanas – That’s When Happiness Began / Goodbye Little Girl (1966)

A British group who had quite a few 45s released in the US, including “You’ve Got To Be Loved” featured on IDG #5. Unlike most of their output which was very pop oriented, this one is straight up garage/beat with a most amazing fuzzed out guitar solo. This guy was “shredding” about 10 years ahead of his time!

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Who Do You Think You’re Fooling / Diddy Wah Diddy (1966)

The first 45 released by Captain Beefheart and although this isn’t “Trout Mask Replica”, it really is not way off from where he was headed. Both of these songs are superb, and the delivery is top notch.

Lindy Blaskey & The Lavells – You Ain’t Tuff / Let It Be (1966)

Another winner from Lindy Blaskey and in my opinion his best two sider. This was also released for national distribution on Challenge Records.

Oxfords – Time And Place / (There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me (1966)

A Louisville, KY band who released several 45s, this being their first and arguably their best. They did release an LP in 1970 called “Flying Up Through The Sky” which is very nice sunshine pop, but nothing like this fuzzed out number. The B side is an interesting folk rock version of Bacharach & David’s “Always Something There To Remind Me”.

Turfits – Losin’ One / If It’s Love You Want (1966)

Produced by Outsider (as in “Time Won’t Let Me”) Don King, this Cleveland, OH group was formed from members of The Vandaliers who also released a version of “If It's Love You Want”, although that version is somewhat slower. These are the guys who grace the cover of this weeks edition in some really far-out get ups. Read more about them HERE.

Tidal Waves – Big Boy Pete (1966)

A group from Detroit who had three 45s, all of them pretty good.

Chosen Lot – Time Was / If You Want To (1967)

Tony Brazis formed this group after he quit Tony & The Bandits, who’s “I’m Goin’ Away” is featured on IDG #61. From Cincinnati, OH.

Five Americans – No Communication / The Rain Maker (1967)

Yet another in a series of 45s these guys put out with a central theme: Letters, Zip Codes, Etc. This time they get right to the point and dispense with any specifics. Not bad though…..

III And A ½ – Don’t Cry To Me (1966)

It’s hard getting info on this tough sounding 45. These guys sound like they were from New York or Jersey, or possibly Philly but who knows…

Roman Rebellion – What Summer Brings (1968)

Another 45 from what I would assume to be the NY area. I don’t know much about this act, but they did have another similar 45 on RCA Victor about the same time as this one was released. This is a great 45 and it’s in stereo to boot!

Get It Here

The L.S.D. Enigma

2011-09-25T17:29:00.006-04:00

Greetings once again friends! I’d like to use this precious free time I have today to plug two dear friends of mine and this new project that they've embarked upon. I’m talking about The L.S.D. Enigma and this new CD they’ve released. Here’s a little background: The band consists of two members, Dave Anderson on guitar, vocal, and harmonica, and Darren Brennessel on drums, both veterans of Rochester’s music scene. Dave and I go way back as we were both members of The Projectiles and The Riviera Playboys. Darren has been releasing cassette tapes and CDs under his own banner, McFadden’s Parachute, Darren played all the instruments on those issues except for one where he had an entire band, and Dave was deeply involved in that project.
What we have here is tough to put a finger on because it’s just so different. Unlike most two man groups like The White Stripes, and The Flat Duo Jets, these guys take a more low key, folksy, yet definitely electric approach to their brand of garage/psyche. The results are an intoxicating, ambient stew that gets better the more you listen to it. The songs range from the driving garage of “All You Gotta Do Is Try”, to the outright psychedelia of “The Castle On The Hill” one of Darren’s originals. They even venture into Ennio Morricone territory with “El Duego Vaquero” where Dave dishes up some great Frankie Laine style vocals. Genius.
I’ve included a “teaser” here for you to listen to, but if you’d like to buy a copy you’ll have to contact Dave at www.jargonrecords.com.
Dig it….

All You Gotta Do Is Try

In Dan’s Garage…#64

2011-09-25T09:15:00.007-04:00

     Greetings! Well, summer has once again passed here in Upstate NY and the fall season is again upon us, but I love the fall. Football season starts, baseball playoffs and the World Series are in full swing, the weather is a tad bit cooler, grapes are being harvested in the Finger Lakes, leaves change their hue and start falling, apples are being picked by the bushel, outdoor grilling gives way to nice hot comfort foods…well…you get the picture. It’s a very pleasant time of the year. Here's some random thoughts though….
   As you all know I am a beer lover. I love cheap beer, expensive beer, ales, lagers, stouts, and a nice hearty I.P.A. as well. The fall is a great time for brewing, especially Oktoberfest style beers which are very abundant, but has anyone out there had this “pumpkin” lager stuff that goes around right about now???? Yuck! I know there are “fruity” beers like strawberry blondes, and cranberry ales, and I’ve often put a lime in a bottle of Corona, but I’m not sure if I want my beer tasting like pumpkin pie. Same goes for this maple and caramel stuff that goes around. Ew. The maple junk tastes like a stack of pancakes. But what do I know? I guess it sells well so that’s why they keep brewing it I suppose.
   I’ve put somewhat of a moratorium on buying records for the time being, only because I’m overwhelmed with new 45s and have some catching up to do. I have some real interesting stuff to post so stay tuned, things are going to start picking up as I have more free time to get this blog out more frequently. I hope everyone enjoys this offering……

Curiosities – Money (1965)
Here’s another Seeburg jukebox 45 from The Curiosities who were probably the same band as The Look Outs (IDG #45) and The Seeburg Spotlite Band (IDG #30). This time they go through a pretty happenin’ version of Barret Strong’s “Money”.

Lindy Blaskey & The Lavells – Sweets For My Sweet / Movin’ Away (1966)
Another fine record from Albuquerque's Lindy Blaskey. This was his last of four 45s on Space records. Top side is a great version of “Sweets For My Sweet” and the B side is a teen ballad.

Ritchie Dean – Goodbye Girl (1964)
Ritchie Dean is actually songwriter/producer Warren Schatz who is credited on some extremely cool 45s from the 60s. Most of his output was pop, but he did manage to release a couple of good songs most notably “Time”, and this one here.

Sun-Set – Don’t (Judge Me Baby) / Man Without A Home (1964)
I can’t say for sure where these guys are from, but they have a great British Invasion sound. I seems Dick Monda had something to do with this one, and his credits are also present on The Badd Boys’ “I Told You So” & “Never Going Back To Georgia” (IDG #17 & 40) which are both superb 45s.

Poore Boyes – Give / It’s Love (1966)
Another “mystery” group. I always thought this one was from Minnesota, but Fuzz, Acid, & Flowers has to screw with my head by stating that it ”might” be from Arizona. Whatever. All that horseshit is overshadowed by the subject matter of this song. Although “tragedy” records were nothing new at the time, this one goes to a whole other level, much like Little John & The Monks’ “Black Winds” but not quite as tragic as say The Whyte Boots’ “Nightmare”. This guy sings about the love of his life (Jean) and how great she is… then….he meets someone “new”. So he goes walkin’ and talkin’ with his new babe but he didn’t realize that Jean was stalking them, and a tad bit psycho as well. So Jean confronts them WITH A KNIFE! YIKES!!!! She comes at him with the weapon and he pushes her and she falls on it and DIES! Holy crap what a freakin’ horror! At the end he gets really maudlin about the whole episode and I guess the moral of the story is, don't date messed up women.

Tikis – If I’ve Been Dreaming / Pay Attention To Me (1965)
The Tikis were a surf group from San Francisco but released this cool merseybeat inspired 45 in 1965. They eventually renamed themselves Harper’s Bizarre, became a sunshine pop band, and had a couple of huge hits namely a remake of Simon & Garfunkel’s “59th Street Bridge Song”. Perhaps the most interesting is that Ted Templeman was the drummer on this 45, and he went on to produce some of rock music’s biggest classics including The Doobie Brothers, Van Halen, Van Morrison, and Sammy Hagar’s original band Montrose who’s first LP is one of my favorites. Yes, I’ll admit I do have a soft spot for early-mid 70s “hard rock”…..

Chips & Company – Ace Of Spades / Walk Tall (1966)
Two moody ballads from another mystery group, although the writing credits indicate that this is probably Gene Pistilli of Cashman, Pistilli, & West. They released at least one other 45 which I haven't heard.

Boston Tea Party – Words / Spinach (1967)
Released around the same time as the Monkees’ version, this is a completely different take on the song. The Boston Tea Party would release a so-so LP and had some other 45s on different labels as well.

New Colony Six – You’re Gonna Be Mine / Woman (1967)
One of the most popular bands to come out of Chicago, this was released when they still had some “garage” left in them. Although kinda lightweight, it’s still pretty good.

Brentwoods – Babe You Know / Yeah, Yeah, No, No (1967)
Long thought to be a Texas 45 due to it’s appearance on a Texas edition of “Highs In The Mid 60s”, it’s actually a group from Hobbs, New Mexico just down the road apiece from Clovis where Norman Petty’s studio is located and where this fantastic 45 was recorded. Great guy/gal vocals with superb organ flourishes highlight this gem.

Fat Water – Santa Anna Speed Queen / Amalynda Guinivere (1969)
Alas, another dead end on the info. What I’ve concluded from my searches on this 45 is that they most likely were from Chicago, not the west coast, and that they had little or nothing to do with the One Eyed Jacks from Champaign, IL. Anyway, this is a great fast paced late 60s hard rocker on the A side, and some excellent folk/pop on the flip. They had one LP which was pretty good too.

Underground Sunshine – Birthday / All I Want Is You (1969)
We last saw this band in IDG #43 and this time around we got a rather…well…I don’t want to say inept, but it aint that great either, version of The Beatles’ “Birthday”. I guess I chose to post this because if you compare it to the original, it’s pretty lame and falls well short of doing it justice. On the other hand, it’s a perfect example of how “garage” sensibilities (cheesy organs, etc.) and innocence still permeated pop music culture as late as 1969. The flip though is a pretty good garage/psyche number. This actually became a small hit and they did appear on American Bandstand.

Five By Five – Fire / Hang Up (1968)
Hailing from Magnolia, AK, these guys decided to cover Hendrix’ “Fire” and although it’s not spot on, it does a nice job with a real garage-like delivery and tons of fuzz. The flip aint too shabby either and is probably better than the A side in my opinion. They had gobs of 45s and an LP, all of them worth checking out.

Beau Allen – Georgia Ground / Fallen Angel (1970)
Beau was in a popular Vidalia, GA garage band called “Bo & The Weevils” and eventually went solo after a couple of decent 45s. This one from 1970 kind of has a “southern rock'” feel to it and was arranged by Atlanta Rhythm Section guitarist Barry Bailey who’s probably doing all the riffing.

Yellow Payges – The Two Of Us (1969)
Although these guys were a huge act locally (in L.A.), they unfortunately failed to hit the big time when their sole LP sort of fell flat, and then embarked on a failed ad campaign for the Yellow Pages (you know..”let your fingers do the walking”…). In any case, they did have quite a bit of output on Uni records covering a wide variety of styles including this heavy hitter.

Get It Here

In Dan’s Garage…#63

2011-08-27T13:43:00.002-04:00

Greetings!!! I’m enjoying a late summer day here in lovely Rochester, NY watching the Three Stooges, and doing one of my favorite things…writing this blog. I was going to get into this gigantic thing about my evolution as a record collector, but I think I’ll bore you with that some other time. Instead, I’ll just get right to the records at hand….

Teemates – Moving Out / Dream On Little Girl (1964)

Woah. Here’s a fast paced blaster from the NYC area to start off the festivities. They were considered a Beatles clone, but you can’t tell by the sound of these two tunes.

Chancellors – Little Latin Lupe Lu / Yo Yo (1964)
Great version by a bunch from Minneapolis, MN. It’s real indicative of the sound that was coming out in that area about that time sharing the same springy reverbed guitar sound with The Trashmen and other groups.

Billy Gary & The Grupe – Who Are You / Too Young (1966)
Lightweight, moody 12 string ballads from an unknown grupe.

Bruins – Go On And Cry / Can’t Believe You’ve Grown Up (1964)
Here’s a British band that had two other 45s released in the US, all of them share the same raw, yet restrained invasion style. I read somewhere that Eddie Phillips from the Creation was in this band but I’m probably wrong.

Dimensions – She’s Boss / Penny (1965)
A really great 45 from the Pacific NW, Seattle to be exact. I’m not sure if these guys became the “Nu Dimension” featured in IDG #9

Four Frogs – I Think I’m Losing You / Mr. Big (1964)
An unknown group from New Mexico on the infamous Frodeath label which was run by an El Paso DJ named Steve Crosno. I wish I knew more about this particular band, but they were label mates with Danny & The Counts, and Mike Renolds And The Infants Of Soul. Some copies even had a picture sleeve shown here…

Gil Bateman – How To Do It / The Night Before (1967)
Gil Bateman was also from the Pacific NW and had a string of singles on Piccadilly and Panorama records. This one is very pop oriented. The A side sounds a bit like the Lovin’ Spoonful and the B side is a slow moody version of The Beatles’ “The Night Before”. It sounds like The Springfield Rifle may be backing them up on that one.

Chaps – Remember To Forget Her / You’ll Be Back (1966)
The second 45 from this band of geniuses out of Pine Bluff, AK. The A side of this is one of finest examples of an American group emulating British sounds. The B side takes a riff from the George Harrison’s “I Need You”.

Upper Class – Help Me Find A Way / Can’t Wait (1967)
Nice upbeat pop sounds with good vocal harmonies from a Fort Worth, TX group. This would later be picked up for national release by Smash Records but unfortunately went nowhere…..

Improper Bostonians – Come To Me Baby / Set You Free This Time (1967)
I wish I knew more about these guys. They got a real nice folk rock sound on this one and do a great version of The Byrds’ “Set You Free This Time” on the B side which gets mucked up by a stupid kazoo solo.

Grass Roots – Depressed Feeing (1967)
The vastly overlooked flip side to their great “Let’s Live For Today”. The Grass Roots recorded some very good music before becoming a horn dominated pop group.

Blues Project – No Time Like The Right Time / Steve’s Song (1967)
One of the great bands to come out New York City during the 60’s. Guitarist Danny Kalb started the group after appearing solo on an album entitled “The Blues Project”, a collection of folk blues tracks by various artists. Al Kooper saw them in their early days and liked them so much he joined the band playing keyboards. These two songs were taken from the “Live At Town Hall” LP.

Blues Magoos – Pipe Dream / There’s A Chance We Can Make It (1967)
Another great New York City group who did the Greenwich Village scene with the aforementioned Blues Project. The Magoos’ sound was definitely of the psychedelic variety and it shows on this fantastic two sider.

Amboy Dukes – You Talk Sunshine, I Breathe Fire (1968)
Ted Nugent burns (as usual) on this wild follow up to “Journey To The Center Of The Mind”

Flamin’ Groovies – Somethin’ Else / Laurie Did It (1969)
Not much needs to be said about these legends of Power Pop. This 45 was taken from their debut LP on Epic.

GET IT HERE

In Dan’s Garage…#62

2011-08-06T18:38:00.004-04:00

Ahhhh. Back again after a somewhat busy and rather difficult June and July with the passing of my father at the ripe old age of 89.

He was a great man who contributed greatly to the Italian-American community of Rochester, NY by not only sponsoring many Italian immigrants in the 50s and 60s, but also was a HUGE fan of soccer and was a manager of the Italian American team which won the US National Amateur Cup in 1963, and was instrumental in helping bring a professional team to Rochester, namely the Rochester Lancers of the NASL. He was also an excellent chef who made pasta sauce which is considered one of the best in our city, and made real home style Italian sausage. I will now try to carry on his legacy in the cooking department. My family and I will miss him dearly.

Now that the dust has settled, I’m in a more comfortable position to write this blog, something which I very much enjoy doing. Summer here in Western NY has been rather toasty and an 82° day actually feels rather comfortable compared to the record breaking 98° day we had a few weeks ago (that’s about 37°C ). Hopefully August will be much quieter now that the heavy stuff is behind me. As far as this blog goes, I will be switching over all old links to Mediafire a little at a time. I previously thought Multiupload was a better way to go, but apparently the links don’t hold up for very long, except for the Megaupload link which you can still download from. I know it works, I’ve tested it myself. Some of you may balk at Mediafire, but it’s the best way to go for a blogger on a tight budget. In the meantime, I’ve been getting all sorts of great records and the last box I dipped into had some nice gems in it too, so there’ll be lots of great tunes to be heard in the future as this series keeps rolling on towards a possible 100 volumes. Wouldn’t THAT be cool! Have a great day and enjoy life.

Five Americans – I See The Light / The Outcast (1965)
Always thought to be a Texas group, they were actually from Durant, Oklahoma and had a bunch of singles including at least two that charted one being “I See The Light” and “Western Union” which hit #5 here in the U.S. Their sound ranged from gritty rock & roll to poppier bubblegum. All of their 45 are worth seeking out.

Kit & The Outlaws – Don’t Tread On Me / Midnight Hour (1966)
One of the all time greats. Originally known as simply “The Outlaws, leader Kit Massengil later added his name to their moniker about the time they recorded this classic in 1966.

Commanches – Missed You Lovin’ / Tomorrow (1964)
A solid beat raver from an obscure British group. It seems that Hickory records must have had some kind of arrangement with Pye to release records in the US because not only is this a “Pye Records Recording”, but they also released 45s by Donovan, The Overlanders, and The Monotones, all Pye Recording artists. Somehow they missed out on the Kinks…

4th Amendment – Always Blue / Whiskey Man (1968)
Totally inept and crude 45 that reportedly is from Georgia. I’m not sure of the date either, but I read somewhere it was from 1968 which makes the crudeness of this 45 even more bizarre. A true classic.

Beau Brummels – You Tell Me Why / I Want You (1965)
A perfect example of how The Beau Brummels were the preeminent folk rockers of the day. They deserve so much more credit and should be right on the top with the Byrds.

Unrelated Segments – Where You Gonna Go? / It’s Gonna Rain (1967)
One of the best bands to ever come out of Detroit. This is their second 45 and it’s hard to figure out which one is the best because they're all so damn good, but “Cry,Cry,Cry” gets my vote, and everything they ever released was top notch garage/punk, so it's really a toss up. Even the subdued “It's Gonna Rain” has a menacing attitude about it.

Telstars – Keep On Running / Hold Tight (1966)
There were a few “Telstars” running around the U.S. during the 60s, but this one is apparently from the D.C. area and give us a great version of “Keep On Running” a big hit for The Spencer Davis Group.

Black Sheep – It’s My Mind (1966)
This awesome folk rocker was reportedly an early effort by soft rockers Brewer & Shipley who had a hit in the early 70s with “One Toke Over The Line”. They shoulda stuck to to the Byrds formula…..

Dick & Dee Dee – Be My Baby (1965)
A mid 60s effort from the duo who gave us “The Mountain’s High” in 1961. This is a well produced but really hip tune that features Dee Dee growling on the vocals and a decent studio band backing them up.

Flower Children – Mini Skirt Blues / Marching Lovers (1967)
Here’s a group that not only wanted to cash in on L.A.’s “flower power scene”, but also the mini-skirt fad which was sweeping the country about that time. Unlike most flowery groups from that era that were slickly produced, these guys sound like they recorded this in a basement. True genius. Simon Stokes is said to have contributed to this 45.

Prophets – Fightin’ For Sam / Misty (1966)
A quasi protest song from a group out of Fredericksburg, Va. On the one hand, the singer laments the fact that he can’t go home and see his wife and talk to his kid for “just one night” but on the other he concedes the he is “Fighting For Sam”. You can read more about he Prophets HERE.

Tino & The Revlons – Lotta Lotta Lovin’ / Red Sails In The Sunset (1966)
We last heard these paisans in IDG #57. On this 45 they tackle Gene Vincent’s “Lotta Lotta Lovin” a lot differently than he might have.

Forum – Trip On Me (1967)
The Forum were a trio of very square pop vocalists, but managed to record this one song which begs us not to drop acid, but to “trip on me”. Wow.

Groop – Woman You’re Breaking Me / Mad Over You (1968)
A very good act from Melbourne, Australia who released a bunch of 45s and three LPs in the 60s.

Raven – Calamity Jane / Now She’s Gone (1967)
A 45 from a Tampa, FL group that is fetching enormous $$ on Ebay these days. It’s a really great two sider with a fuzz laden A side which also includes some brass, and a moody B side with some very cool organ.

Feelies – Louie Louie / Warm Woman (1968)
Another interesting take on Louie Louie. This Pacific NW group also included Gordon Kjellberg who did “Greensleeves” featured in IDG #5.

Fresh Air – For What It’s Worth / Faces In The Fire (1969)
A real different, heavy take on the Buffalo Springfield hit backed with a very nice psych B side. Fresh Air were from California and released a highly sought after LP which included these two tunes. Apparently this is the rarest release on Amaret Records whose biggest act was Crow.

GET IT HERE

Bad Links

2011-07-24T08:59:00.000-04:00

Sorry for any bad links. If you need to report one, comment on this post and I'll fix ASAP. Apologies for not posting any new stuff lately, but some personal issues got in the way. I'm working on a new one though and should have it ready very soon. See you all later.....Dan.

In Dan’s Garage…#61

2011-07-01T14:54:00.002-04:00

Hello all and welcome to summer! It’s a bit dreary (again) here in western NY, but I’m holding out for better weather this July. I can’t wait till 4th of July weekend where I can actually have four straight days off from work. WOO HOO! I’ll be brief here and just say that this offering is the usual melting pot of 60’s sounds. A little bit of this…and a little bit of that. I will say there are some weird ones here, and some R&B heavy stuff but for the most part it fits the “Dan’s Garage” mold. Whatever that might be.

Cry Baby Wah Advertisement (1967)
I’m sure many savvy collectors have heard The Electric Prunes do their endorsement of the “Vox Wah Wah Pedal” which was most notably featured on the Pebbles Vol. 2 LP. I found this at a record show back in ‘86 and it was one of those paper records but was glued to a 10” acetate of who knows what. Unlike the Vox ad which was precisely that, an “ad”, this is more of a promotional gimmick that may have been a mail in thing when you purchased one of these gizmos. It’s pretty hilarious the way they demonstrate the many uses of this widely used and sometimes hated guitar effect. After Clapton and Hendrix got a hold of these things, guitar playing would forever be changed. For better or for worse.

Kenny Dino – Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night (1961)
Kenny Dino was a teen rocker in the early 60s and actually had a hit with this one which was also covered by The Turtles. Although this is from 1961 it has a nice rockin’ grind to to it that fits in well with what we feature here.

Choir – It’s Cold Outside / I’m Going Home (1967)
A true bona fide garage classic. The Choir had a very complicated history, but to make things short, the ended up as the Raspberries in the early 70s. Although they had several releases, this is considered their finest moment, but “I’d Rather You Leave Me” is a close runner up

Del Counts – Let The Good Times Roll / Bird Dog (1966)
One of the most enduring bands from Minneapolis. This 45 is really indicative of what went on in the Twin Cities during the mid 60s. No frills rock and roll at it’s best.

Jim Doval & The Gauchos – Annie Ya Ya / Out Of Sight (1966)
We last saw Jim & his gang back in IDG#47 doing a great version of “Hey Mama Keep Yo Big Mouth Shut!” on Diplomacy. They re-do the flip side of that one, "She’s So Fine", and call it “Annie Ya-Ya” for the A side of this one and do a great version of James Brown's “Out Of Sight” on the flip.

Rubber Band – Charlena (1966)
A spirited version of this R&B classic by a bunch of Muscle Shoals studio guys. I read somewhere that the guitarist in this band named Tippy Armstrong was invited by Duane Allman to play in the Allman Bros. but turned it down for the studio gig.

Palace Guard – All Night Long / Playgirl (1965)
The second 45 to released by this L.A. group which included Emmit Rhodes who went on to form The Merry-Go-Round. They were a pretty big act around the L.A. area during ‘65/’66. It’s too bad they never achieved mass popularity because they had a great pop/garage formula with terrific vocals.

Tony & The Bandits - I'm Goin' Away / The Sun Don't Shine Now That You've Gone (1966)
The second of two absolutely terrific 45s by this group from the Cincinnati, OH area. They would later change their name to the Chosen Lot and release a great psychedelic 45.

Down 5 – I’m Takin’ It Home / Show Me (1967)
A New York City area group gives us this tough sounding R&B gem.

Four Below Zero – It’s Sally’s Birthday Today / Don’t Send Me Away (1967)
Geez, it’s tough getting info on groups that have the same name and this one is no exception. I think these guys are from the Pacific NW because there is a group with the same name on Jerden Records (not that that really means anything…) but there’s also a 70s act with the same name so that confuses things a bit. This here is a somewhat inept two sider for 1967 that blends garage and folk rock rather nicely.

Knights Of Day – Mr. Pitiful / Then There’s You (1968)
Some more soul influenced “garage” ( I hesitate to call this stuff garage because it doesn’t really fit the mold, but you gotta admit, these guys weren’t no hi-tech act either if you know what I mean…) from Wisconsin of all places. The A side is a rendition of Otis Redding’s “Mr. Pitiful” and the flip is some hilarious cheezy lounge music that’s so…well…cheezy, that I had to include it.

Elastik Band – Spazz / Paper Mache (1967)
What a great tune! The Elastik Band’s only fault was that they had the sheer balls to release this kooky gem at the birth of society’s hypersensitivity with mental issues and were buried because it was thought they were making fun of people with mental disabilities. But we all know what this song is really all about. I dig the flip a lot too.

Affection Collection – Girl / I’ll Be There (1969)
A group from Idaho Falls, ID that worked in Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis NM. Nice bubblegummy pop, and in stereo to boot.

Cave Dwellers – Meditation (1968)
A real kooky psychedelic 45 from the Bay area with lots of stream of consciousness lyrics that eventually builds up to a wild fuzz solo in the middle of the song. Light up some incense and get with it you groovy people out there…..

Manhattens – Baby Right Now / Time Goes By (196?)
Can’t pinpoint a date on this one but it sounds like early 60s stuff. Here we have a tale of two bands. Top side is an early 60s sax driven rocker that clocks in at an amazing 1:28! The flip sounds British Invasion influenced. Go figure….

Downbeats – Pain (1969)
A cover of a tune originally done by a South Carolina group called the Novas 9. The Downbeats must’ve been one of those “Beach Music” groups that were very popular in the southeast back in the 1960s.

Free Sample – Transition / Don’t Lose Touch (1968)
A bizarre arrangement produced by Music Machine mentor Brian Ross. Truly different.

Mike Finnigan & The Serfs – Help Me Somebody (1967)
More soul influenced garage, this time from Lawrence, KS. Great movin’ tune that reminds me of “Turn On Your Lovelight”.

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In Dan’s Garage…#60

2011-06-12T14:14:00.001-04:00

Hello once again friends and followers. As you can see the posts have been somewhat sparse these days. It’s not that I’m losing interest, it’s just that my work hours have shifted somewhat so I have to show up earlier than normal, and I’m not getting out any sooner either. I dig the overtime and all, but this whole deal has been messing with my mojo and I’m real pooped at the end of the day. Besides, now that it’s summer, I have more junk to deal with than usual. When I do have some time to meditate, I do it by spinning a bunch of 45s and passing them on. It’s all real cathartic, and therapeutic, and blah blah blah. I return to “normal” work hours next month, so hopefully I won’t be quite as tired.
I’m planning on doing a post real soon on Rochester eateries, specifically hot dog and burger joints. There are literally hundreds here in the area that specialize in these treats, and I’m not talking hot dog stands on the street. There’s bunches, so I’ll be waxing poetic on the subject of “Zweigles white hots”, “ground steaks”, “garbage plates”, and “hot sauce”. In the meantime enjoy this latest batch of platters. I opened a box last week which tuned out to be “common” stuff, but had a couple dozen obscurities thrown in there by mistake. I hope you like ‘em.

Ohio Express – Beg, Borrow, And Steal (1967)

This 45 is accompanied by one of the craziest stories I’ve ever heard. This 45 was indeed produced by Kasenetz & Katz, the “geniuses” behind such groups as The Music Explosion, and many bubblegum groups including The Ohio Express who’s “Yummy, Yummy, Yummy” was a huge hit. The problem is, this isn’t The Ohio Express. This is actually a New York group called The Rare Breed who “K&K” got a hold of in 1966 and released this very song on Attack records. The Rare Breed were not down with the way they were being handled and left K&K’s company. Being left without a group K&K reissued this as The Ohio Express and had a sizeable hit with it. The Rare Breed did have another 45 before they parted company with K&K, a great version of “Come On Down To My Boat” which ironically was a big hit for Every Mother’s Son.

Troggs – Give It To Me / You’re Lying (1967)

One of the best groups to come out of Britain, they were very consistent throughout their career and never really strayed much from their tough hard rocking sound. They are to this day still performing. I really like this one in particular as it’s one that gets overlooked quite a bit.

Catamorands – Never Say Goodbye / Over You (1966)

Two incredibly moody songs by this Erie, PA garage band. They recorded some more stuff, but it never made it vinyl. I’d love to hear it……

Vacels – You’re My Baby / Hey Girl, Stop Leading Me On (1965)

Kinda sorta like a garage/do-wop crossover, but pretty decent nonetheless. The first 45 to be issued on Kama Sutra Records which would release big hits by The Lovin’ Spoonful.

Chip & Dave – Soon Another Day (1965)

An odd Pacific NW duo which consisted of Chip Rawson and Dave Immer who played drums and keyboards respectively. I'm not sure how many records they put out, but they did release this one in ‘65. A guitar-less poppy number with great vocal harmonies that has a folk feel to it.

Naturals – Look At Me Now / It Was You (1964)

A fairly obscure British Invasion group that had a hit covering the Beatles’ “I Should Have Known Better”. On the A side of this they do a Mitch Murray composition, famous for “How Do You Do it?” and “I Like It” by Gerry & The Pacemakers. The B side is a good upbeat invasion number.

Coachmen – Mr. Moon / Nothing At All (1965)

Perhaps the best known of all the “Coachmen” that appeared during the 60s, and definitely more popular than the local Rochester group, they were from Lincoln, Nebraska and had a number of 45s including a cool version of The Who’s “My Generation”. This 45 was originally released on MMC but was re-released by Bear, a Minneapolis label. They called it quits in 1969.

Link Cromwell – Crazy Like A Fox / Shock Me (1965)

Link Cromwell is better known to all as guitarist, songwriter, and rock journalist Lenny Kaye who played with Patti Smith in the 70s and 80s and was most notably responsible for the “60s Garage Compilation” with his groundbreaking “Nuggets” collection. To this day, when someone asks me “what the hell is all this garage stuff about”, I point to Nuggets and it answers the question perfectly. He recorded this in 1965.

George Edwards – Never Mind, I’m Freezing / Norwegian Wood (1966)

A Chicago folkie who did session work for Dunwich, and sang some backup vocals with The Shadows Of Knight. He released this one in 1966 and subsequently went on to H.P. Lovecraft.

In Crowd – Let’s Take A Walk / Hanging From Your Lovin’ Tree (1967)

The Texas group who backed up Jon & Robin on their LPs. This was one of singles they did on their own and shows a diversity of styles on each side.

Teddy & The Pandas – Smokey Fire (1966)

Fame and fortune eluded Teddy & The Pandas from Beverly, MA and although they did release an LP on Tower in 1968, they couldn’t get over the hump so to speak.

Lewis & Clarke Expedition – Blue Revelations (1967)

Somewhat of a manufactured group, they did release a decent LP and this one song featured here which is beautifully crafted psyche/pop.

Peppermint Trolley Company – 9 O'clock Business Man (1968)

The flip side of their hit “Baby You Come Rolling Across My Mind”. This one is not quite a poppy and is pretty good.

London Phogg – The Times To Come / Takin’ It Easy (1968)

Probably a studio group, this cool slice of psychedelia was written by Keith Colley who worked with The Knickerbockers and other acts on Challenge Records and Knox Henderson who co-wrote Mouse's “A Public Execution”.

Autosalvage – Rampant Generalities / Parahighway (1968)

Often reported to be “discovered” by Frank Zappa in NYC, they did hang with him while he was there with The Mothers Of Invention in 1968, and did do a few shows with them as well. Zappa did like their style and complimented them. It’s unfortunate they could only muster this one 45 and an LP.

Vagrants – A Sunny Summer Rain / Beside The Sea (1967)

One of Long Island’s greatest featuring the early talents of guitar wizard Leslie West and songwriting talents of Felix Pappalardi. They would later join forces again in Mountain, one of the best hard rock groups ever.

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In Dan’s Garage…#59

2011-05-26T05:31:00.002-04:00

Ahhh, another rainy day in upstate New York! I love doing this on dismal days when I’m not mowing, or replacing windows, or when outdoor parties get cancelled. Yes, I just love to spin discs and pass them on to folks who truly dig them. I was going to feature a few of these in the “Upstate New York” posts, but I found out that they were all from Jersey, or Florida, or someplace other than New York. Good thing, because I look foolish enough when I don’t know what I’m talking about or “going out on a limb" like I did in the last post with The Bad Boys 45. I’ll try to be as accurate as possible with my info and when I can’t, I’ll let you put your two cents in! HIT IT!!!!

Paul Chaplain & His Emeralds – Shortnin’ Bread / Nicotine (1960)
Let’s throw out the first pitch and make it a curveball. A lot of people might consider this “rockabilly”, and it does have a hillbilly twinge to it, but I see it as a definitive bridge between rockabilly and garage. I guess Paul Chaplain was from somewhere in Massachusetts and from my knowledge had this one 45 which actually made the top 100. The flip is dedicated to my lovely wife who can’t seem to put down those smokes! This is true “proto-punk”.

Brass Tacks – Tell Me / What Is The Reason (1965)
Hoo boy! I love “inept” stuff, but I don’t know what the hell these guys were thinking when they hired the dude to sing these tracks ‘cause he’s literally tone deaf. OK, maybe I’m being a bit too harsh, but he’s having a little bit of difficulty. I’ll give him an A+ for enthusiasm though! Originally thought to be from Syracuse, NY, and there was even a rumor that this was actually Felix Cavaliere while he was attending Syracuse University.

Counts IV – Listen To Me / Lost Love (1966)
I featured this group in IDG #44 and also featured bass player Al Peluso’s solo effort in IDG #52. This was also supposed to be included in the whole “Upstate NY” thing, but since they were primarily from North Carolina, I backed off. Al Peluso was a Utica native who ended up down south, but I guess this one particular record was popular here in upstate NY because of Al’s involvement. As you can see, the sticker on this record shows the previous owner to be from Littler Falls, a mere hop skip & jump from Utica.

Ray Columbus & The Invaders – She’s A Mod / The Cruel Sea (1965)
New Zealander Ray Columbus had a fairly long career and led the Invaders for about three or four years until they split in ‘65, leaving us a few cool 45s including this one. Ray eventually moved to the US where he re-did the A side to this 45 with a San Francisco group called the Art Collection. The instrumental flip side of this sounds a cross between The Shadows and The Tornadoes.

James Richard – Just Before The Dawn Breaks / Baby Don’t You Know (196?)
Here’s a very cryptic 45 from….well I don’t know where it’s from, when it was recorded, or who James Richard is (or was for that matter). The A side is great garage/psych and the B side has a soul flavor to it. Possibly from Florida???????

Sidekicks – Not Now (1966)
The Sidekicks were a band of teenagers from New Jersey who originally started as The Redcoats, got a contract with RCA and released a few records, of which this one is the best, IMHO. If you want the WHOLE STORY, check it out HERE.

Razors Edge – Baby’s On His Way (1967)
Here’s one of those 45’s that were slated for the “Upsate” posts because it has BUFFALO, NY all over it. Well…I WAS WRONG! I guess this group is from Florida. They had several lightweight poppy 45s, but I think this one here is the coolest.

Szorenyi Levente - Meg Faj Menden Csok (1966)
Koncz Zsuzsa - Nincsen Olvan Ember (1966)

Every once in a while (well..more often really) I take a stab at something on Ebay beacause it looks cool, and it’s cheap. this 99¢ score is one one of the coolest things I’ve ever found scrounging around for records. What we have here is a 45 from Hungary, released during the thick of the cold war, and what we hear are two “artists”, a group that sound a bit like the Animals, and a chick who sounds like she’s being backed up by the same group. I don’t know Hungarian, although I do dig Hungarian cuisine a lot, so I won’t make an attempt at what the titles mean, but as you can se by these examples, Rock & Roll influenced everyone, even those teens tucked away behind the iron curtain. Further research shows that both these “artists” were extremely popular in Hungary at the time. Check out these videos…

Royal Guardsmen – Leaving Me (1966)

We all know these guys from the “Snoopy songs that pollute the airwaves of “oldies” stations worldwide, but we never knew these guys could actually play anything. This is by far one of their coolest songs ever, and a lot of this LP isn’t half bad either…..

Ravin’ Blue – Colors / In My Sorrow (1967)
Somewhat of a studio group with ties to Mississippi. The great “Love” was their first 45, and this one is definitely on the pop/psyche side, though really good. I love the lyrics on the A side.

Ides Of Love – Hey Mister Wise Man / Something So Pretty (1967)
This would just be another totally unknown New Jersey 45 if E. Street Band drummer Max Weinberg hadn’t played on it. Very good.

Aladdin & The Genies – Please Wait For Me / You Won’t See Me Anymore (1968)
An unknown group from the Cincinnati, OH area. This is a cool 45 with lots of fuzz guitar and a real “hip” go-go vibe to it with some cheesy chick backup vocals.

Big Brother & The Holding Company – The Last Time / Coo Coo (1967)
I have a love / hate relationship with Janis Joplin. On the one hand, you’ve got Cheap Thrills, which is a terrific LP and I really like it because of it’s raw energy, even though they were a bunch of hippies. On the other hand, you’ve got “Me & Bobby McGee” which makes me reach for a barf bag every time it comes on the radio. This very early 45 is definitely in the first category. Joplin is right on with her vocals, and is that some surfy sounding guitar I hear on Coo Coo?????

Loners – Insight Out / Old Man Blues (196?)

An interesting 45 that's pretty crude yet has a “progressive” twinge to it. You can tell these guys are trying to be “with it”, but they sound really, well, like they're not with it. They're getting down with the “subculture” on the A side and digging some blues on the B. In any case, it's great stuff in my opinion. Thought to be from Albany, NY, I’ve also seen a reference to them being from Tennessee, but no one knows for sure……

Paper Cup – One Part Good (19??)
Another one that totally escapes me. “She Needs Love” was featured in IDG #23 and I wasn't sure where they were from, but this 45 confirms that they were from Long Island, NY. This is a bit poppier than their other effort. I can’t pinpoint a date on this, but it might be from the early 70s.

Mercy – Fire Ball (1969)
Sometimes you find the coolest things in the weirdest places. Like this fuzzed out instro that sounds a bit like “Penetration”. This was actually the flip side of soft rock lullaby, “Love (Can Make You Happy)”, a big hit in 1969 by these one hit wonders from Florida. I’m not sure if this is actually them performing, or a studio group.

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In Dan’s Garage…#58

2011-05-07T11:30:00.001-04:00

May 1, 2011

Greetings friends and followers! I hope everyone had a nice holiday last weekend, and I hope you all enjoyed the last post. I’m starting to get back into a groove again here as I gather up some more 45s in my collection and head out to a record show today which I’m sure will yield a few cool items. Last time I went I couldn’t scrape up anything but some old LP’s for a $1 apiece (I’m cheap), but I hope today will be a bit better. LP’s are cool too but most of the ones I buy really don't fit into the theme of this particular blog. I’m usually all over the place with that stuff, and I’m rather keen on old 70’s junk that I used to listen to when I was a stupid teenager, as well as wacky LPs and some country and western which I’ve become rather fond of these days. Not that Brad Paisley shit, but Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, early Loretta Lynn, Porter Waggoner…you get the picture. I used to love Hee Haw when I was a kid and all that dopey corn-pone comedy, but there were some fine pickers on that show. Does anyone remember “The Porter Waggoner Show”? We used to laugh our asses off because he would always come out with a ridiculous sequined outfit, but he had a hell of a band, and I do remember a young Dolly Parton making regular appearances on that show decked out in a mile high beehive hairdo. Now those were the days!!!! Enough nostalgia, I got to get this thing moving….oh hell, I gotta get ready to go to the record show. I’ll return to this when I get back……………………..OK!

Well….that was a fun outing! As far as cool garage and psyche 45s it was pretty slim pickings, but I did manage to scarf up about ninety 45s of all types, a dozen LPs and I only spent $11.00!!!!!! Talk about bargains!!! Most of it was common stuff to fill holes in my collection, but I found some real strange junk too that I’ll probably use on my “I Found It In That Box” blog which I started a while back, but haven't updated for a long time. Well I guess now’s as good a time as any!!!! In the meantime enjoy this latest labor of love from yours truly. Have a great weekend all!

Rumblers – Boss Strikes Back / Sorry (For The Way I Treated You) (1963)

The “answer” to the legendary “Boss”. The Rumblers were a fine instrumental surf band from California who also did the great “I Don’t Need You No More”. Drummer Adrian Lloyd would release a solo 45 “Lorna” which is quite possibly one of the most insane garage 45’s I’ve ever heard…….

Fabulous Royals – She Told Me (That I Had To Wait) / At The Dance (1966)

An obscure one from the Chicago area. These guys probably all wore thick horn rimmed glasses and were losers at their high school. Great teenage laments on both sides although the flip is definitely more up-tempo.

Jerry Palmer – That’ll Be The Day / Together With Love (1965)

Canadian Jerry Palmer had a slew of releases in Canada on Gaiety Records, and this one was released in the U.S, on Chattahoochie. Jerry had a long and prolific career ans was a very popular singer in the mid 60’s. This is a nice take on Buddy Holly’s classic and the flip is some really nice beat/pop.

Apostles – While I’m Away / Cloudy Summer Afternoon (1965)

An unknown group from somewhere in Western New York, possibly Buffalo, as this shares much of the same info on the label as The Catalinas on Inco, and The Invictas 45s on Sahara. Pretty decent lightweight invasion sounds here with a couple of nice guitar breaks.

Me & Them – Show You Mean It Too / Everything I Do Is Wrong (1965)

Obscure British group that had at least three releases on Pye records in Britain. This one was released here on a rather unknown label and is a great pounding two sider with some tough sounding sax in the mix.

Bobby Vee & The Strangers – Look At Me Girl (1966)

I’m certainly not a Bobby Vee fan, and almost always shy away from teener 45s, unless they cost 20¢ like this one, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear that this is the same song that The Playboys Of Edinburgh recorded on Columbia. A good country influenced folk rock tune that is nothing like “Rubber Ball”.

Bad Boys - Love / Black Olives (1966)

Sensational fuzzy garage/punk from Frederick, MD, which is very close to Washington D.C. Country boy Charlie Daniels actually had a hand in this recording, and I have a theory, (although I’m probably WRONG but what the hell I’ll go out on a limb here…). If you listen to the guitar playing, especially on the B side “Black Olives” it sounds a hell of a lot like Tele master extraordinaire, Roy Buchannan, who, by the way, was working around the D.C. area at the time. Could he have been brought in to lay down those awesome guitar parts???? Hmmmmm….I wonder…….?????

Symon Grace & Tuesday Blues – You Won’t Get Me Workin’ (1966)

Released twice on Round (as shown here) and on Main Line, both outfits out of Cleveland, OH. I’m not sure who Symon was. but it’s possible he could be Dick Whittington who also released a 45 on the same label (we’ll get to that one in the future….). This one here is a great sinister sounding tune with some deadly fuzz guitar. This song should be an anthem for lazy slobs around the world.

Cryan Shames – I Wanna Meet You (1966)

A good one from their debut LP, and one of the better cuts they recorded before they moved into a total soft pop direction.

Wailers – You Won’t Lead Me On / Tears (Don’t Have To Fall) (1966)

A great rocker from this legendary Pacific NW band which also appered on their “Outburst” LP. The flip is a ballad, but I like moody stuff…..

J. Walker & The Pedestrians – Lie’s Too Short / Thinking Of You (1967)

Last post we featured The Undertakers who were label mates of this Orlando, FL area group. J. Walker is a little more subdued than his I-4 counterparts with this nice folk-rock influenced single.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Candy Man / Buy For Me The Rain (1966)

I was pleasantly surprised to hear this 1966 effort from a group that specialized in soft country-rock sounds. “Candy Man” definitely has that “jug band” feel to it but it’s definitely folk-rock, the flip on the other hand is some excellent sunshine pop.

Restless Feelin’s – Hey, Mama, You’ve Been On My Mind / A Million Things (1966)

A studio project arranged and produced by a guy named Eddie Reeves. The top side here is a brilliant folk-rocker and the flip has some extremely cool fuzz guitar throughout.

Spirit Of St. Louis – Goin’ Back To Miami (1967)

Not exactly a “garage” band, but a souped up blue eyed soul group who tackle Wayne Cochran’s “Going Back To Miami” with mucho gusto!

Tragedy – Unfaithful Love / The Entertainer (1968)

An obscure Pacific NW band who recorded this melancholy 45 late in 1968 when we were all getting worked up about the Vietnam war, Hendrix was at his peak, The Beatles’ White Album had come out….Goes to show you there was still some cool stuff floating around that period…..

Shame – Too Old To Go ’Way Little Girl / Dreams Don’t Bother Me (1967)

Wow. This is such a cool 45, not just because it’s great British psyche on both sides, but that it features a young Greg Lake (yes, the Lake in Emerson, Lake, & Palmer) singing and playing guitar. You wonder how guys who played such finely crafted tunes like this could evolve into the prog-rock bands who dominated much of the early 70’s.

GET IT HERE

In Dan’s Garage…#57

2011-04-25T18:52:00.001-04:00

YAY! I finally got around to another post! Sorry for neglecting this blog for the past few months, but I’ve been so busy, and I must say, the weather here (oh God here he goes complaining about the weather again…) totally sucks! It’s April already and we’re still getting snow, and the sun hasn’t shone much either so I’m in this tired funk where I feel like I’m drained every day. Okay, enough whining. This crop of 45s are things that have been in my collection for a long time. Some of my all time favorites. I hope you dig all of ‘em.

Easybeats – Gonna Have A Good Time (1969)

One of the last 45s issued by this fantastic group which brought us the great “Friday On My Mind”. This one got covered by several other groups including The Jamie Lyons Group and The Clingers. Both featured here on I.D.G.

(The Original) Sonics – Bama Lama Bama Loo / Dirty Old Man (1975)

Not exactly from ‘75. This was taken from the 1966 sessions which produced “You Got Your Head On Backwards”, etc. but apparently was released in ‘75 most likely to coincide with a reunion or another reissue of their material. As usual, the gang wails.

Chaps – Forget Me / Tell Me (1966)

Originally thought to be from Texas, this band of geniuses were from Pine Bluff, AR and genius they are. Superbly crafted invasion pop from way down south. These songs are near perfect….

Fenways – I’m A Mover (1966)

This Pittsburgh band backed the Vogues on their classic “Five O'clock World”, and this 45 in particular had future Jefferson Airplane member Joey Covington playing drums. Kind of a cross between “I’ve Been Everywhere” and “The Wanderer”, with hints of “La Bamba” and “Louie Louie”, it has a funky, unique wah guitar driving the whole thing. It almost sounds like the “Talkbox” that Peter Frampton and Joe Walsh made so famous in the 70’s.

Sir Douglas Quintet – Bacon Fat / The Rains Came (1965)

A slight departure from the usual Tex-Mex formula on the A side of this one, Sir Doug and the boys do André Williams’ classic “Bacon Fat (erroneously credited to King Records bigwig Sid Nathan). The B side gets back to pure Sir Doug with lots of country flavor mixed in. One of their best 45s.

Young Ones – Sour Grapes / Man Of Mystery (1965)

A group of youngsters from the NYC area who apparently played the World’s Fair, got discovered by Columbia Records, worked with producer John Simon (who handled such “greats” as Blood Sweat & Tears) and released this gem of a 45. Both sides are superb instrumentals and show maturity far beyond the ages of this young group.

Friedles – I Lost Her / I’m So Glad (1966)

Wicked cool garage sounds from a band of brothers out of south New Jersey. This was a second, “louder” release originally put out on Scope Records.

Tino & The Revlons – I’m Coming Home / Lazy Mary Memphis (1966)

A group of nice Italian boys from Michigan who did a lot of work here in Upstate New York, especially the Albany / Troy area. The A side of this is great garage but the B side is a goofy garage take on “Che La Luna”, a traditional Italian song done to the beat of Chuck Berry’s Memphis by way of Johnny Rivers. Bizarre.

Princetons – Georgianna / Killer Joe (1965)

Originally known as The Princeton Five, they shortened their name, and did this nice fratty version of The Critters’ “Georgianna” backed with a tame version of “Killer Joe”. Very popular in the Chicago area.

Vestells – Won’t You Tell Me / Please Walk Away (1966)

These guys were from Stroudsburg, PA and cut this one killer 45 that could be described as a perfect “garage/punk” record although the flip is a mellow garage ballad.

Unrelated Segment – Story Of My Life / It’s Unfair (1966)

One of the best Detroit groups, they had three 45 and this was their first. “It’s Unfair” would later be featured as the flip to “Cry,Cry,Cry”.

Striders – There’s A Storm Comin’ / Am I On Your Mind (1967)

Another one of Lindy Blaskey’s productions out of Albuquerque, NM. This is a great take on a Standells tune.

Bohemian Vendetta – Enough / Half The Time (1967)

One of the all time garage greats. If there was a “Garage Hall Of Fame” this tune would get first ballot honors.They were from Long Island and were originally known as the Rustics. Guitarist Nick Manzi also played with Faine Jade. A bona fide classic, and the flip “Half The Time” is pretty good too!

Stillroven – Hey Joe / Sunny Day (1967)

From the Minneapolis area, here’s one of the finest versions of this song. I think “Hey Joe” is second only to “Louie Louie” in covers department.

Undertakers – Love So Dear (1968)

Fantastic garage/psyche from Orlando, FL. Obviously these guys didn’t want to get busted singing the praises of ACID, so they, like many bands of the era, disguised their song with a “nice” title like “Love So Dear”.

Ramrods – Mary Mary / Flowers In My Mind (1967)

Originally known as the “Rockin’ Ramrods” who’s “She Lied” is another “first ballot” hall of fame punker. They evolved into a pretty good psychedelic act as evidenced by this freaky 45. They later changed their name to “Puff” and had a decent LP released on MGM Records in 1969.

Get it all here…….

Dans un garage de Dan ... # 56

2011-04-09T18:42:00.001-04:00

Saint-merde! Un poste d'ensemble des canadiens-français 60's 45s!! Holy smokes!!!!! An entire post of 45’s from Quebec and all in French!!!! Every once in a while I’ll bid on a ‘lot’ of 45s on Ebay, and the results usually are mixed, but I manage to score a few winners in the bunch. This time someone had 21 45s up for auction and although the shipping charges were totally out of line, the starting bid was really low, so took a stab at a lowball bid and scored the bunch! As usual, there were several duds in the batch, and some that were borderline, but overall it was a good score. These are mostly covers of songs that range anywhere from Roy Orbison to Manfred Mann. Some of this stuff is straight up pop music and I’ve added them because of the interesting way French Canadians approached this kind of stuff, and I have to say it sounds very…ummmm…French (duh). I mean that in an ethnic sense, I guess, as I must admit to being very ignorant of French Canadian culture since I’ve never really visited Quebec, even though it’s mere hours from where I live. Language aside, there seems to be something distinct permeating these grooves. Something I certainly don’t hear in the records from Ontario and the other provinces of Canada which were obviously influenced heavily by British and American groups. This stuff here definitely sounds like it’s coming from someplace else entirely but I shouldn’t paint French Canadian rock with too broad a brush though. There were some killer garage/punk cuts that came out of mid 60s Quebec, unfortunately none of them are here. What I’m presenting would seem to be more mainstream pop oriented songs, and remakes of English speaking hits re-done for the French Canadian masses. Anyway you slice it, it’s a fascinating look into this culture and I’m sure you’ll enjoy most of, if not all, of this unique post. Enjoy!!!!

Les Tear Drops – Oh! Jolie Fille / Michele (1964)

Let’s start off with an attempt at Roy Orbison’s “Oh! Pretty Woman, done here by what looks to be a “vocal” group with the addition of an “orchestra” which doesn’t totally ruin the song, but makes it a little more palatable to the masses, or maybe they were just trying to screw around with the arrangement. Aside from the fact that they were obviously from Quebec, they had 3 other 45s.

Les Gendarmes – Il Fait Bon D’a Voir 20 Ans / Reviens Vers Moi (1965)

From Montreal, they were led by Guy Harvey and released 11 45s including this one, a take on Neil Sedaka’s “Happy Birthday Sweet 16” and “Stardust”.

Les Baronets – Ca Reccommence / Est-Ce Que Tu M’Aimes (1964)

A very popular group, these guys specialized in Beatles covers and even had a record sung in English released in the US on Vee Jay records. Here’s two covers, the A side is an interpretation of “It Wont Be Long” and the B side is a take on “Do You Love Me”. I really like both of them.

Les Baronets - Oh Je Veux Etre A Toi / C'est Fou Mais C'est Tout (1964)

Here are Les Baronets again covering not one, but two of The Beatles’ finest. “I Wanna Be Your Man” & “Hold Me Tight”. While these aren't exactly killers, they are pretty good, in my opinion…..

Tony Roman Et Ses Dauphins – Do Wah Diddy Diddy / Ne Triche Pas (1965)

Another prolific artist from Quebec. It looks like he was a big fan of Manfred Mann because he not only covered Do Wah Diddy Diddy but….

Tony Roman Et Ses Dauphins – Sha La La / Rappelle Toi (1965)

…he also covered “Sha La La”. Both of these are done in the same style like so many of these groups. They took popular songs, and rearranged them for the masses, kind of like the “Hit” record label which specialized in covers of then famous hits.

Hou-Lops - Tout Ira Tres Bien / Quand Les Roses (1965)

Another very popular group who in it’s early years sounded much like The Shadows. Here they cover Gerry & The Pacemakers’ “It’s Gonna Be Alright”.

Les Bel-Air - Marchant Dans La Plaine / Merveilleuse Nuit D'amour (1967)

This original sounds quite a bit like “Spread It On Thick” by The Gentrys with that organ riff going on, and the flip is a cover of the Rockin’ Berries’ cover of Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight”.

Les Classels - Les Soirs D'Hiver / Chaque Fois Que La Neige (1966)

The next six 45s are going to feature a band that was considered “The French Canadian Beatles” as they certainly were one of the most prolific. They all wore white suits, played whit Fender guitars, and had their hair dyed white too! Later they would do away with the monochrome shtick and don multi colored suits. Each member wore a different color! This first 45 is a perfect example of that “French” thing I was trying to explain in my opening comments.

Les Classels - Mon Premier Amour / Qu'est Devenu Notre Passe (1966)

The most "garagey” of the 45s that I got, this one is a terrific beat pounder!

Les Classels - Oui C'est Toi / Avant De Me Dire Adieu (1966)

Another pretty good one. This 45 shows how they could sound very much like The Shadows.

Les Classels - C'est Toi (1969)

This was actually one of their last from 1969, but it’s pretty rockin’ compared to the next two we’re about to hear….

Les Classels - En Marchant Sur La Plage / Cette Chanson La (196?)

This could quite possibly be from the 70’s but I can’t say for sure. The A side is a pretty hokey pop piece and I debated on whether to include it or not. The B side is definitely pop, but has this whacked out echoey wha guitar, and it sounds like their trying really hard to be hip…..

Les Classels – Perdu / Les Trois Cloches (1968)

Another couple of pop numbers, this time both are on the brassy side, Perdu sounds a bit like The I’des Of March’s “Vehicle” with some psychedelic wah guitar thrown in.

Les Bel-Air – Cupidon / Quand Le Jour Viendra (1969)

Yeah, this one’s definitely the hokiest, sorry for even including it…..

Papillon - N'oublie Pas Ce Poeme (1969)

Let’s end this “partie” with a rather weird one. A French version of “Teen Angel”. From 1969, the year of Woodstock……..

GET IT HERE

In Dan’s Garage…#55

2011-03-26T10:40:00.001-04:00

Wow, I thought I’d never get this one out! I’ve had a rather busy month of March weekend-wise, so I haven't had a whole lotta time to do my thing so to speak, but I got up real early this past Sunday and spun records for a couple of hours to get this one going. Through all the time I spent doing the Upstate NY post, I’d been receiving a lot of records (including a wad of French Canadian 45s!!!), and this post has a good bit of them. What’s featured here is a real bunch of oddballs. A bit of garage, some psychedelic stuff, some very sunshiny pop stuff, and a couple that defy description. So if you're a hardcore garage punk fanatic, this post probably isn’t for you, but what the hell check it out anyway. You might like what you hear…..

X-Cellents – Hey, Little Willy (1965)

We first heard The X-Cellents on IDG #19 doing “Little Wooden House” which was their second released in 1966. This is their first from ‘65 and has the same kind of groove to it.

C.T. & The Castaways – My Young Dove’s Is Calling (1964)

A kind of strange hybrid of country, rockabilly, soul, and garage…I think. I’m guessing C.T. and his gang were from Ohio. Most likely from the Dayton area.

Cannon Brothers – Surfin’ In Bermuda (1965)

A nice surf number from a pretty obscure group. I wish I was in Bermuda right now…….

Thirteenth Committee – Sha La La / You Really Got A Hold On Me (1966)

Another oddball that’s kind of garagey, I mean, it’s lo-fi and it’s got this fuzz guitar blasting underneath, but the vocals are a little sappy and it has a sort of teen thing going on. The flip’s a decent cover of Smokey Robinson’s hit.

Gary & The Hornets – Patty Girl (1967)

Here’s one that’s no mystery. Gary & The Hornets were three brothers, Steve, Gary, and Greg Calvert who were 7, 11, and 14 years old respectively.
This is the third of their three 45s on Smash. I haven’t heard the others but this one is half and half. Hi Hi Hazel is a goofy song with a kazoo blaring through it, but the flip here is a real decent folk rocker. They also made some TV appearances including this one where they do “Money”

Gary & The Hornets –“Money”

Daytrippers – You Cheated / That’s Part Of The Game (1966)

Garage with some do-wop influence to it. Indications are that this group is from Pittsburgh

Rain – City Lovin’ / Take It Away (1966)

Another obscurity and totally unrelated to the act produced by Brian Ross. Top side is a Lovin’ Spoonful kind of number and the flip is a cool garage tune with Dylan inspired vocals.

King Bees – Lost In The Shuffle (1966)

The same group I featured in IDG# 4 & 16. Not to be confused with the Canadian group, these guys we’re from New York and some of them became prominent session musicians. This one has a heavy R&B/Soul influence

Canterbury Music Festival – First Spring Rain / Poor Man (1968)

Originally released as “We Ugly Dogs”, this is a terrific bit of sunshine pop that sounds a bit like the Left Banke. If you’re into that kind of thing then this 45 is for you.

Caesar & The Romans – Jailhouse Rock / Leaving My Past Behind (1969)

This one kind of slipped by me as I probably should have featured it in the Upstate series. Caesar and The Romans were from Buffalo and had two really good 45 on GJM records “Green Grass Makes It Better” and “Black Lantern”. This was one of two they had on Scepter and it’s a good one too and kind of shows them leaning towards a “retro” 50’s sound. They would later change their name to “Big Wheelie & The Hubcaps” and do just that, become a Sha Na Na type act. They were very popular around these parts and I did see them once.

Joyride – The Crystal Ship (1967)

Totally cool rendition of The Doors tune that is very original. In fact it may be an improvement. This was a studio project by a guy named Clark Burroughs who was in a vocal group called the Hi-Lo’s, who sound nothing like this gem.

Dawnbreakers – Looking For Evergreens (1967)

Another studio project by a bunch who were into the Bahá'í faith, and included none other than Seals & Crofts. You can hear the direction they were headed in by listening to this most sunshiny of sunshine poppers.

Dust – Gone – I Know, I Know (1969)

Real obscure psyche with some kooky lyrics from a totally unknown group. They had at least one other 45 that I know of and are not related to the hard rock group from New York with the same name.

Corporation – You Make Me Feel Good / Sitting By The Sea (1969)

These guys hailed from Milwaukee and actually had an entire album on Capitol Records. This one, I believe, was from sessions for a second Capitol release that never happened, so they put it out on this local label.

Sounds Of Phase III – Special Citation / La Bomba (1967)

Oh boy, this one’s real weird. There’s so much going on I’m not sure how to accurately describe it, but I can say one thing….It’s original! “Special Citation” kind of starts out bluesy then picks up speed after the first verse and after that has about three more tempo changes with a B-3 blasting in the background and a flute solo just to keep things slightly off balance. This one really grew on me. I had to include the flip which is a frantic take on “La Bamba” with a lot of yelping, more chaos, tempo changes and a verse from “Like A Rolling Stone” for good measure!

Now – Déjà vu (1968)

Obscure pop/psyche 45 whose origin is unknown. Great arrangement though…

American Dream – Good Times / I Ain’t Searching (1969)

A group from Philadelphia produced by Todd Rundgren about the time he was with the Nazz and becoming sought after for his work. The Nazz influence really shows on this one….

Studd Pump – Floating / Spare The Children (1970)

A British group that was supposedly together long enough to record an album and perform a “few gigs”.

Get it HERE

For the love of Mick…….

2011-03-24T18:22:00.001-04:00

Over the last month or so I’ve been featuring bands and such from Upstate New York’s rich rock and roll history, and have put an emphasis on my hometown of Rochester, NY. That is where I grew up, developed my “talents” and made lots of friends and colleagues over the last 30 years. So it was rather ironic that in the midst of all of my blather about 60’s bands from Rochester, I was involved in what I think was one of the most stunning gatherings of Rochester talent in many a year, all for the benefit of a guy who never really was in many bands (one I think), but who’s contribution to the music scene here in Rochester during the 80’s was as vital as any band or single artist. That guy is a very unassuming fellow named Mick Alber. Mick (pictured above on the left with fellow DJ Mike Murray) was co-host with good friend Mike Murray of the radio show known as “The Boss Beat”. They almost exclusively focused on 60’s Garage and Psyche, and featured many of the “neo” garage bands of the day on their show as well as lots of local talent, like myself and the band I was in, “The Projectiles”. Mick eventually left the show in the mid 90’s and Mike went solo changing the show’s name to “Whole Lotta Shakin’” which airs every Saturday for two hours. Mick got married, had kids etc. etc. and it seems as life was AOK. Well, Mick has had a stroke of bad luck recently. A messy and expensive divorce, loss of employment, and to put icing on the cake he developed ulcerative colitis, a nasty condition which required some very expensive surgery and a long expensive hospital stay. Mike Murray and another musician and personality extraordinaire, Stan Merrel, organized a benefit to raise funds for our stricken brother. What was to unfold on Sunday March 6th was one of the most amazing days I had in quite a while.

Ten acts spent the better part of a day at Abilene Bar & Lounge providing top notch entertainment for the fund raiser, but it was more. Oh, it was much more. It was the most exiting gathering I had been to in ages. It was an eclectic mix of electric and acoustic, rock & roll with hints of rockabilly and Americana. Straight up garage, and punk. It was all there in full view for the sake of one of our own. The old mingled with the young and all of us were treated to a nine hour Rock & Roll feast. Which brings me back to our city, and the wealth of talent that is here. My faith in the local “scene” was renewed and yes there is room for all of us here. Young and old. God bless you Mick. We hope you have a speedy recovery, and we all hope to see you in our midst very soon.
Love, Dan

The Ohm

Yours Truly…

D.F.T.B. w/ Mike Murray

D.F.T.B. drummer Greg Andrews

D.F.T.B. (Yours Truly, Greg Andrews, and Jerry Flanagan)

The Chinchillas

The Enablers

The Pawns

In Dan’s Garage…#54

2011-02-27T04:18:00.001-05:00

Upstate N.Y Vol. 5

Check these babies out!!! I could have put a cool pic of The Groop Ltd. or The Young Tyrants on the front of this, but I went with this photo of The Genesee Breweries’ three gigantic holding tanks dressed up like cans o’ suds! I usually don’t drive by the brewery too often, but I was heading downtown via St. Paul St., caught a glimpse of these and said to myself, “self, you gotta use this pic for the next post!”! Genesee has been around for as long as I can remember, and has been the beer of choice among Rochestarians for decades. Is it the best??? Not really, but it’s a decent “cold” beer that’s very refreshing, and it’s a hell of a lot better and cheaper than Budweiser, the worst beer on the planet. Stay away from the Cream Ale stuff though. It’s pretty raunchy. Apparently folks outside of Rochester love that stuff. I guess there’s no accounting for taste. There used to be a Genny “Red” that my best buddy Marty O’Keefe swore by, but they stopped making that a while back. That used to be pretty damn good beer. Every year around this time they brew a “special edition” Bock Beer which I must say is rather tasty and a 12 pack runs well under $10.

I love the cheesy old style can too!

That reminds me, I really should go out and get some before it’s all gone ‘cause when they’re out, there’ll be no more till next year!!! A while back a company called “High Falls” bought out what was formally known as The Genesee Brewery. This was a good move because quality was not very consistent, and these guys took care of that. They also contracted the brewery to guys like Sam Adams (yes they brew Sam Adams in Rochester for this market), some stuff called Dundee’s Honey Brown, Smirnoff Ice Malt Beverages, and good old “Genny”. Here’s a pic of the brewery from a distance….

In 2009 a capital investment firm called KPS Capital bought the brewery and it went back to Genesee Brewing Company under North American Breweries which also handles Labatts Beer from Canada, another very tasty product.

I really didn’t want to make this a history lesson on Rochester Breweries, but I love beer and since this is a post on Rochester and upstate NY I figured what the heck. There used to be some stuff way back when called Standard Dry Ale and Topper, but they closed up in 1970 and the building suffered a gigantic fire shortly afterward. I remember that happening when I was a kid because the brewery was practically around the block from where I lived.

And so goes the story (in brief) of Rochester’s rich brewing history. We also had quite a few rock and roll bands who were probably drinking up gobs of these suds at one time or another, myself included. This will be the last in this series of Upstate NY posts (for now) and is slightly thinner in content than the previous, but let’s emphasize quality not quantity on this one OK? Kind of like a 6 pack of Double Dog IPA in a sense. There are a couple from downstate also but since they’re good old New Yorkers, we’ll let ‘em pass. So without further adieu….NUMBER 54!!!!!!

Groop LTD. – As Time Goes Bye / Tomorrow (1964)

A real popular group from Irondequoit who were a big Beatles cover band. They travelled to Buffalo to record this Beatlesque gem, and is one of the finest rock and roll 45s to come out of Rochester. Featured Kim Kapli who would later show up in The Heard. Read more about them HERE.

Shandels – No Way Out / Treat Me Like A Man (1965)

Okay, this isn’t an “Upstate” group, in fact, I think they’re from Long Island, but it’s one of the coolest 45s I’ve ever heard and somewhat unique in that it has no guitars. What they do use for a lead instrument is a thing called a Cordovox, essentially a keyboard that sounds like an accordion (although Cordovox did indeed make accordions so the jury is out on this one) and they use it to great effect too. Excellent, moody folk rockish garage!

Invictas – Stuff / I’m Alright / Long Tall Shortie / Opp Poop Pa Do (1964)

”Music so raw and wild, it was frightening”. Those were a sample of words from the liner notes on the back of this E.P. released in 1980 to coincide with the return of the Invictas who had gotten back together at the time to wreak havoc on bars in the Rochester area. Four unreleased cuts left in the can from what I would presume to be a Fine Recording studio session. Different takes, or versions of Stuff, I’m Alright, Long Tall Shortie, and the unreleased Opp Poop Pa Do . I’m not sure if if these were the original versions or remakes of the singles, but I think they’re superior to the “official” releases nonetheless.

Druids – Doctor Friend / She’s Got A Secret (To Hide) (196?)

Superb moody garage from the Buffalo area, whose lyrics make some outside references to drugs ala “Doctor Roberts” or “Mr. Pharmacist”. The flip is a cool Zombies type number.

Little Peppy with The Bare Existence – It Can Happen! / Since You’ve Gone Away (1966)

Little Peppy was Marlene Torre, a local Rochestarian who gave it her best shot on this groovy 45 backed by The Bare Existence, a group that I wish I knew more about. Real typical Fine Recording production on this one….

Young Tyrants – I Try! / She Don’t Got The Right! (1967)

If ever there was a bona fide garage classic from Rochester, this would have to be it (OK The Heard is a classic too, but who’s counting???). The Tyrants, “Those Rocking Rulers” as it read on their business card, were guys that went to East High School here in the city and modeled their name after the Young Rascals, although they certainly didn’t sound much like them. I Try, is one of the greatest garage punkers ever, and the flip “She Don’t Got The Right” is a slow moody number that builds up near the end with some blood curdling screams. There’s a great story about this 45 too. At one time this was regarded as one of THEE rarest local garage 45s until guitarist Carl Lundquist caught wind of the fact that it was becoming a treasured garage classic. Well, he apparently had an entire unopened box of these stashed away, and was actually selling them at a Chesterfield Kings show. He even signed one for me….

Not to be outdone Carl also made an appearance on “The Boss Beat” around 1986 (I was there) with good friends Mick & Mike, and you can hear that interview HERE. I’ve included this cool pic too…

For a more detailed interview check out this one that Greg Prevost of the Chesterfield Kings did a while back with singer Louie Grillo.

Stingrays Of Newburgh – Fool / If I Needed Someone (1966)

Let’s travel downstate a bit to Newburgh, NY in the Hudson Valley where these guys put out this great 45 with some nice blistering guitar work.

Monterays – Conquistador / If Wishes Were Horses (1968)

We heard The Monterays from Syracuse in Vol. 2 of our Upstate series doing a straight up garage tune reminiscent of the era. Fast forward three years and we see how “progressive” rock and psychedelia took over. The flip of this one apparently made it to #88 on the Cashbox charts. This is a decent version of Procol Harum’s classic hit, and these guys claim to have done this first before the Procols had a hit with it, but I’m not too sure of that…

Terry Pillittere – It’s Not That Way / You Wouldn’t Believe Me (1967)

Terry Pilittere was the guitarist and singer in Brighton’s Wee Four who’s ”Weird” is another bona fide (what again???) Rochester classic. This is a solo effort from Terry that was recorded and released on Nu-Sound in ‘67. Although this isn’t a “killer” by garage standards, it’s still a cool moody 45, and I’m pretty lucky to have scored a metal acetate of it much less a stock copy.

Weird Street Carnival – Subterranean Edible Fungus / The Inner Truth (1967)

A group from Mt. Kisco, NY which is a bit closer to NYC but considered “upstate” nonetheless, gave us this very cool 45 which is a great parody of Dylanisms and other stream of consciousness style lyrics. The Inner Truth on the flip is even better. If you want a real in depth look at this group, check it out HERE.

Trillium – Queen Alice / News (1968)

Sometimes you hear a song and say ”that’s near perfect”. I’m very much an aficionado of 60's garage bands, and I love great punkers and crude garage rockers and the like, but I really have a soft spot in my heart for finely crafted psych songs that kinda get you “right here”, you know what I mean??? If you don’t, then one listen to “Queen Alice” will answer all of your questions. A superb arrangement of 12 string guitars, farfisa organs, cool bass lines., and to add icing on to the cake, it’s in stereo. Terry Davis was the genius behind all of this and ironically, he did a short stint with my former band The Riviera Playboys back in 2005.

Get It HERE

In Dan’s Garage…#53

2011-02-20T19:40:00.003-05:00

Upstate N.Y. Vol. 4

Happy Sunday everyone! We had a nice little thaw here in Rochester this last week, which shaved down these gigantic hills of snow that were covering the landscape, but unfortunately we went back to snow wind and cold yesterday. Well….It was a nice break while it lasted. I was working on the “artwork” for this post, and I couldn’t for the life of me find a suitable band pic, you know, an act that's featured in this volume. So with baseball’s spring training commencing, I decided to put this picture of the front gate of the old Red Wing Stadium on Norton St. where our AAA team The Red Wings (natch) used to swing the bats. This pic is from a 1962 game where they were playing the Atlanta Crackers!!!! Note how many old folks are going through the gate. I guess it must’ve been an AARP day! This was a real old timey type place that had an open outfield with no seats as you can in this pic from 1958 where they’re playing the Miami Marlins…

They closed the old stadium in ‘96 and moved the team downtown to Frontier Field, a real nice place to go see a ballgame. Here’s another cool pic, this time it’s one of the ‘81 team…

Great! OK, let’s get back to some Rock & Roll shall we? I have about 50 tunes left to post so these next two volumes wont have quite as many songs on them, but you’ll enjoy it just the same. If I run into the same problem with the next post’s cover, I may just do a tribute to Genesee beer! Cheers!

Frank Sandy with The Mel Thomas Trio – Tarrantela Rock (1958)
Hilarious attempt at taking the Italian equivalent of Hava Nagila, and trying to make a Rock ‘n Roll tune out of it. I guess ol’ Frank did pretty well, because this was picked up for national distribution by MGM.

Gene Cornish – Let’s Do The Capri / Lonely I Will Stay (1963)
As we all know, Gene was the guitarist in The Young Rascals, but before he hit the big time he was a local hero and scored several local hits including this teen number from around 1963.

Invictas – Stuff / I’m Alright (1964)
Here’s the 1st 45 from these hometown legends, and it’s a great example of how wild their shows were.

Madisons – Stagger / Only A Fool (196?)
Here’s another 45 from Syracuse’s Madisons, again, done in do-wop greaser style with backing vocal group. I can’t pinpoint a date on it, but the wah-wah guitar on the intro suggests it’s post 1966. Very interesting to see do-woppers still going at it at that point, however, The 4 Seasons were still churning out hits at the same time, so what do I know????

Blades Of Grass – It Isn’t Easy / My Someone (1970)
Here’s a stumper. Let’s fast forward to 1970 shall we? This is where we find a group that I would assume is from Rochester, releasing a 45 on Fine Records, and it’s pretty decent too, kind of like “Pushin’ Too Hard” by The Seeds, but wasn’t there already a group called The Blades Of Grass who released an album of lightweight sunshine pop on Jubilee Records???? Someone once told me these were the same guys, but I can’t find any references anywhere that would indicate such a thing. Does anyone out there know for sure who these Blades Of Grass were??????

Coachmen – Drambuie / Land Of Olden (1966)
A real crude, moody two sider from Rochester. The Coachmen were led by a guy named Dick Leschorn who was the guitarist on these tracks and wrote the classic “Drambuie”. Dick also played with Rochester legends The Quirks who unfortunately had no official releases (BUT there are 3 or 4 songs from the Fine Records archives floating around!), and later formed a local group called Old Salt who were an extremely popular and successful act in the 70’s. Dick is now a solo artist.

Declaration Of Independence – House / Next Stop Dead End Street (1967)
A group from Morrisville, NY which is somewhere between Syracuse and Utica, although they are considered a Syracuse area act. They relocated to NYC where they recorded two fine 45s, this one being the second. Both records show two different sides of the group. On the one hand they had a great pop sensibility, and on the other they did some great garagey folk-rock.

Rogues – Train Kept A Rollin’ / You Better Look Now (1966)
Another heavy hitter from Audition Records. This time we get The Rogues who were one of Buffalo’s top bands in the ‘60s. This one’s about as solid as a two sider gets with an ace rendition of “Train Kept A Rollin” backed with one of the finest folk rock janglers ever “You Better Look Now”. I can see why The Chesterfield Kings chose to include a fantastic cover of the latter on their debut LP.

Sure Cure – Anything You Want / I Wanna Do It (1966)
Ed Wool and The Nomads were one of the most popular acts in Watertown, NY which is in a relatively remote area of the state called “Tug Hill’ at the east end of Lake Ontario near 1000 Islands where it becomes the St. Lawrence river. I swear they must get about 100 feet of snow a year in that area. Anyway, Ed Wool had a great 45 on RCA Victor called “I Need Somebody” and then followed it up with this single as “The Sure Cure” on Parkway. He later did one as The Pineapple Heard and an LP and several 45 as “Wool” who we’ll get to later in this post.

The Charles – Motorcycle / Down By The Riverside (19??)
This one here is one of my favorites. I don’t know much about The Charles except that this was released on a Buffalo, NY label, and that the infamous “Dr. Dirty”, John Valby was the keyboard player on these cuts. I can’t say for sure if this is a late 60s or early 70s cut, all I know is tat both sides are great, especially “Motorcycle”, a classic biker anthem if I’ve ever heard one.

Tweeds – We Got Time / I Want Her To Know (1967)
The second 45 by this great Buffalo group. Check out their first in IDG #52.

Utica Club Natural Carbonation Band – The Utica Club Natural Carbonation Song (1968)

There aren’t too many breweries in New York State, in fact aside from Genesee (or High Falls Brewing Corp.) , Saranac, and Brooklyn Lager, I can’t off hand think of any others. Oh, there's plenty of micro brewers, but not too many that do it on a large scale like Genesee. I do recommend Southern Tier IPA. It’s freakin’ awesome. An explosion of flavor in every sip. Utica, NY. Now there's New York’s Mecca for brewing! Utica Club was a very popular brand back in the 40s through the 70s, and then they fell off the face of the earth. They recently have made a comeback and are one of my top 10 cheap beer choices! Utica is also the home of Saranac Brewing, a mass producer of high quality brews that are a tremendous value. Every year they do a “12 Beers Of Winter” and a “12 Beers Of Summer” package, and they are both great! Oh, I forgot to mention this 45 which was part of a “hip” ad campaign by Utica Club Beer in 1968. It’s not all that bad and has a “Green Tambourine” style echo break in the middle!

Livin’ End – La La / Round, Round (I’m Your Clown) (1969)
Don’t know much about this late 60’s effort, except that it was recorded here in Rochester at “Up Tight Sounds” in my old zip code (which means this was recorded right in my old neighborhood!), but was released on a Syracuse label. Great fuzz guitar workout on the A side. (Actually I did find some valuable info on these guys. This band evolved from Sam & The Twisters one of Syracuse's most popular groups in the 60s. The Twisters backed Baron Demon on "Transylvania Twist" and released a 45 as The Original Soundtracks on Lawn records.)

Wool – Combination Of The Two / The Boy With The Green Eyes (1969)
Here we see Ed Wool again, doing a Big Brother & The Holding Co. thing. They got to release this one fairly decent LP and then had a few 45s that were kind of progressive on Columbia records. Ed Wool is still at it entertaining folks with a band that features a horn section. Thanks Ed.

Get it HERE

In Dan's Garage…#52

2011-02-13T09:50:00.004-05:00

Upstate New York Vol. 3

Welcome back to another volume of our “exploration” of Upstate NY bands. In the last volume we heard a bunch of Rochester, NY groups. On this one I’m back to mixing it up in and around the state, so buckle up and take another spin around “The Empire State”.

Humans – Warning / Take A Taxi (1966)

Probably the second best garage 45 ever (IMHO), this one is equally as vicious as The Heard 45 only these guys had an organist!!!! Seriously though, if you don’t agree with my assessment, you gotta admit it’s ranked pretty high on the coolness level. The Humans were from Albion, NY a canal town about 30 min. west of Rochester. As you can see, this was another 45 released on Audition which also had The Heard, The Vaqueros, and The Rogues (they'll be featured in an upcoming volume) a literal grand slam of great records if you ask me.

Angry Men – Come With Me / Love Is Gone (1966)

These guys shouldn’t be confused with another local group called The Angry Young Men who were from Henrietta. I can't find any solid info on this moody garage ballad except that 986 Joseph Ave. is now a church.

Tweeds – What’s Your Name / A Thing Of The Past (1967)

The Tweeds were from Buffalo and apperently were quite popular from 67 to 69. The band acquired bassist Billy Sheehan in 1969 and then changed their name to Talas in 1970 and became one of western NY’s most popular hard rock acts in the 70s. I remember them playing at the Penny Arcade, Rochester's #1 rock club of that era many times. Billy Sheehan went on to become one of Rock's premier bassists and played in David Lee Roth’s band and Mr. Big. Guitarist Dave Consatntino and drummer Paul Vargo reformed The Tweeds and continue playing to this day.

Invictas – The Hook / Do It (1966)

As you’ve probably already noticed, The Invictas were one of the more prolific local groups in terms of vinyl produced. They even had a full length LP at the time which as we all know was a really big deal back in those days. For some reason the guys re-did The Hump and called it “The Hook”. This isn’t just a voice over, but a completely different take, and a much faster and ballsier one than the original Hump. The flip “Do It” is also great and I remember The Projectiles covering both of these back in the 80s.

Edge Of Darkness – Mean Town / So Many Years (1967)

One of the coolest upstate 45s ever. Cool ambiance, and wicked organ and fuzz guitars. These guys were from Oswego, NY, a college town situated on Lake Ontario about 45 min. east of Rochester They were led by bassist Sam Domicolo who now does a solo gig down in Florida.

Wee Four – Weird / Give Me A Try (1966)

Another popular local group from Brighton, a suburb southeast of Roch., who left us with this garage/punk masterpiece. Guitarist Terry Pilittere would leave the band in ‘67 and release a solo 45 on the same label. Aside from recording these two songs, there is a test pressing floating around with an extra track!

Endless Knights – Don’t Shoot Me Down / I Love You (1966)
These guys were from Syracuse and do a great cover of The Zombie’s “I Love You” (actually the A side) on the flip. They once opened a show for the Rolling Stones, McCoys, Standells, and Syndicate Of Sound. Screw Woodstock, there's a concert! This was co-produced by Warren Schatz and was released on a label out of Levittown which is on Long Island. Go figure….

Monterays – I’ll Be Around (1965)\

The Monterays were another bunch out of Syracuse and are still together today claiming to be the longest running musical act in western NY. They released this, their second 45 with The Madisons on the flip. Dig their backline and matching guitars. Way cool!

Madisons – Valerie (1965)
As you can see, this is the flip of the aforementioned Monterays 45. Apparently 500 of these were pressed which would make this one pretty scarce. Although they were featured on the ”History Of Syracuse Music”, I've seen references to them being from Utica. In any case, this tune has a real teen do-wop thing going, but they're backed by a garage combo. About midway through the singer kind of freaks out and breaks down cause he can't live without this chick and at the end he totally loses it. Awesome.

Saints & Sinners – Ooh Pooh Pah Doo / Mercy Mercy (1966)
I’ve included this this one because Long Island & “city” residents consider New Rochelle “upstate”. This was recorded “live” at The Glen Island Casino, a real ritzy joint which was once Glenn Miller’s stomping grounds. Both sides of this 45 are raunchy sounding frat rockers.

Show Stoppers – If You Want To, Why Don’t You / Once More With Love (1966)
Going back to Rochester, we have the second 45 by the fantastic Show Stoppers. I was just a young lad of 6 or 7 when these guys were doing their thing, but nearly EVERYONE I talk to that was around during ‘66 and ‘67 remembers these guys and how great they were. This one here is my favorite and a local classic.

Other Half – I Won’t Be Back / It’s Been A Good Bay (1966)
The Other Half were formed at Hartwick College which is in Oneonta, smack dab in the middle of New York State. This one’s a great two sider, both moody folk rockers.

Ron Wray Light Show – Speed (196?)
Ron Wray was a Syracuse DJ and the driving force behind the “History Of Syracuse Music” compilations. I also suspect Eciep was his label too. This one here is a crazed, fuzzed out “instrumental” with what I gather is Ron belting out “speeeeeeed baby……ohhh…..I need some speeeeeeeeed”.

Don Bombard & Headstone II – Satisfaction Is Guaranteed (196?)
The flip of “Speed” and look…It’s autographed by Don himself!!!! He was another big Syracuse DJ who moved to Pittsburgh in the 70s and the hit NYC and became an important radio guy there working for WCBS. Headstone II backs him on this track also, doing a decent job of Van Trevor’s “Satisfaction Is Guaranteed”, but I’m not exactly sure who that group was as this is the only 45 they appear on, or that I know of anyway…..

Unsettled Society – 17 Diamond Studded Cadillacs / Passion Seeds (196?)
Wow, this 45 has such a creepy feel to it. It’s definitely a late 60s release with the wah wah guitars, but it’s so lo-fi, it sounds like it was recorded in a rubber room with one microphone in the corner. This group might be from Baldwinsville, which is north of Syracuse, but I can't say for sure. This one's real obscure.

Al Peluso – You Ain’t Going Nowhere / Blue Teardrops (19??)
Al Peluso was originally from Utica and moved down to North Carolina where he was in the Counts IV which released a few 45s, most notably “Spoonful” on Date records. He eventually moved back to New York where he did a solo thing and released this great folksy cover of Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere”. Certainly not garage, but I like it!

Get it HERE

In Dan's Garage...#51

2011-02-06T07:23:00.004-05:00

Upstate New York Vol. 2

Hey everybody! Here in the USA it's "Super Bowl Sunday" which has become a holiday of sorts. While I get totally annoyed by the hype that surrounds it, I do look forward to watching a good competitive match. The halftime show I could do without and that time is usually spent eating. Today we're making chili and it's gonna be good! You may be wondering "why the hell did it take Dan a month to get the last post out and 1 day to get this next one out?" Well, instead of doing the transfers, scans, etc. one post at a time, I did it all at once! Clever eh? Seriously though, this next one is strictly Rochester. That is all the groups featured here were from Rochester or from the nearby suburbs. One of the unique things about our city is that the Genessee river runs right through it,splitting the city in two. This makes for an interesting west side/east side dynamic. The west side (where I was born, raised and still live) was and still is clearly blue collar working class. Kodak was situated there and many of it's workers live nearby. I live within a stones throw of what was once known as "Kodak Park" a facility that had a 25 mile perimeter that ran through the entire northwest side of the city. In it's heyday it was a city within a city. Now that the digital revolution ahs taken over, buildings that manufactured, processed and stored film are either empty, have been leased to other companies, or have been leveled. The east side on the other hand is far more affluent. Doctors, lawyers, sleazy politicians, and all sorts of muckity mucks make their home there. I love talking to people from Fairport, or any of the other burbs on that side of town. When asked where I live I get, "oh that's WAY OVER on the west side", like I lived in some kind of third world country. It's really funny though. When I grew up there was no west or east side. We lived in Rochester. Period. OK, I'm done with part two of my brief history lesson. Let's get on with the records then....

Catalinas - My Misery / Be Mine (1963)

If one could use a benchmark for the "Rochester" sound, this would have to be a pretty good example. Fine Recording was established by a Big Band sax player named Vince Giancursio (aka Vince Jan) around 1955. From what I gather this was the only game in town so the vast majority of musical acts from gospel to rock & roll recorded there. Check out the "fine" Fine Recording Studio website here for an in depth peek into what went on there from 1955 till it shut down in 1977. As for the Catalinas, they were an extremely popular group around town and I think had another 45 on Inco records but there's some dispute as to whether it is the same band.

Two Kats And A Kitten - Kit Kat Rock / Perfidia (1957)

Here's a good one. Obviously a "lounge" act who is trying to cash in on the Rock & Roll craze, it sounds like an accordion player and a drummer with a girl singing along. This one is so hokey that I fall off my chair laughing every time I hear it. Lot's of energy though! I love the "kat" sound effects too. I included the flip "Perfidia" because it's so damn cheesy.

Shorty Prescott's Velvetones - Bring It On Home To Me/ Honky Tonk Today (1963)

It's tough finding good info on some of these locals, and Shorty Prescott is no exception. All I really know is that Shorty had an accordion in the group (real popular instrument here in town I guess) and that this was "produced" at the infamous Fine Recording studio.

Continentals - Cathy's Clown / Maybe Baby (1962)

Another bunch of locals who recorded at Fine. We have here a couple of real inept renditions of some classics with some most impressive vocals as well. I'm not sure what's up with this 45 but as you can see by the top scan, John gives someone "best wishes" and then he (or someone) proceeds to cross out Continentals and write in "The Accents"!

Bobby Francis - At The Beach / Summer's Coming (1963)

Not sure if this was recorded here in Rochester, and I'm not even sure if Bobby lived in Rochester at the time. What I do know is, is that Frank Filardo aka "Bobby Francis" is the father of local drummer/musician Rob Filardo who plays in (or played in) about six different bands at once including The Quitters, one of Rochester's best acts.

Don And Tony & The Knighthawks - Lightning (1960)

Real cool savage instro by Don & Tony who were big on the country circuit around town. Tony Starr had a relatively long running stint on late night public access TV doing his thing at locl gigs where he performed with his fur covered Fender Musicmaster and canned backup music. Ahhh...the good old days of late night TV!

Vistas - Moon Relay / No Return (1963)

Whoa dad!!!! This wild surf instrumental is pretty hard to beat even by west coast standards, and holds it's own with California's best offerings. I can see guys at Charlotte Beach waiting for those massive two footers to come in while this is blasting in the background. Look out for those dead fish dude!!!!

Steve Alaimo & The Redcoats - Blue Fire (1960)

Here's Steve Alaimo once again this time doing somewhat of a pop/lounge type thing with a definite exotic twinge to it.

Gene Cornish & The Unbeetables - I Wanna Be A Beetle / Oh Misery (1964)

One of hundreds, if not THOUSANDS of Beatles "answer" records released in 1964 designed to capitalize on Beatlemania. I think Gene's effort was a pretty good one though. The A side is kinda goofy (Like a teddy bear?) but the B side is a fantastic take on all the cool Beatles cliches. This one reminds me a bit like "Don't Bother Me"

Invictas - The Detroit Move / Shake A Tail Feather (1966)

I believe this was the last 45 issued by the Invictas on Sahara Records (or any other label for that matter) and is a superb example of what they were doing in '65/'66. They were without a doubt the most popular "garage" act in Rochester at the time.....

Vic Pernell & The Hangmen - Live For Today / Sad Boy (1966)

I don't have the entire story on this bunch, but I think The Hangmen were a local teen combo who were kind of hornswaggled into backing up this Vic Pernell guy. I think the results were great and I wished The Hangmen had made a 45 on their own. Recorded at Fine (natch).

Heard - Stop It Baby / Laugh With The Wind (1966)

OK.Call me a homer for being from Rochester and blah, blah, blah, but for many years I have considered "Stop It Baby" to be the absolute epitome of everything a garage/punk 45 should be. Raunchy guitars, snotty vocals, a wild stop-go tempo, and KILLER guitar AND harp solos. All of you garage punkers out there can make your case for other tunes, but for my money THIS IS THE REAL SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Church Mice - College Psychology On Love / Babe, We Are Not Part Of Society (1965)

Quite possibly one of the crudest 45's ever recorded. Right up there with "Green Fuz" and "Leave My House". The Church Mice were led by local music store owner Armand Schaurbroeck who in fact established the The House Of Guitars quite possibly the greatest music store on earth, and I"m serious about that. There is no place like it on earth. As for the 45, it it's not only crude, but it's probably one of the first "underground" records beating guys like The Fugs and The Velvet Underground to the punch by at least a year.

Darelycks - Bad Trip / Wait For Me (1966)

Another great garage 45 recorded at Fine. The Derelycks were from nearby Fairport (an "east side" suburb) and were rather obscure, although they managed to record this great 45 at Fine. A nice interview with guitarist Steve Lareau can be found on the finerecordingstudio.com website.

America's Childern - Blow On / New World (1968)

Our last entry in this post is by a group I know nothing about. Obviously they were a bunch of wannabe hippies doing a sort of "progressive" Mamas and Papas thing, but real lo-fi like you know what I mean? Meh. Maybe not. Anyway I suspect they may have been from Irondequoit, an adjacent suburb to the city.

Get it HERE