Merry Christmas!!!!

Greetings friends and followers! I got up early this cold and snowy Christmas morning before my lovely wife did, and pretty much do what I always do when I have some "alone time" to myself. Work on this blog. Although I did post a bunch of new stuff the other day (or was it yesterday? I feel like I'm in a time warp right now) I decided at the suggestion of Paul from Australia (who is having a barbecue today!) to do a "best of" for volume #50. I had a better idea. I just compiled my favorites and came up with 7 parts, because it would have been just too freakin' hard for me to settle on just 20 or 25. So here you have it. A nice little Christmas package from me to you. I wish I had more time to respond to the many people who have reached out to me in the past year or so, especially the people who were actually in these bands, and their sons, daughters relatives. As a New Years resolution I will make a special effort to communicate with them and at some point I'd like to get more pictures and info and do feature posts on each of these groups who's have made some contact with me. You all know who you are. As I stated in my last post, Upstate New York groups will be featured for the next two, possibly three posts, so look for that stuff soon. As for this one, I wish I could do all the scans etc. but to get it out before the end of the day I'm just including track lists and some covers. Look at it as a "budget" release! Once again, thanks to all of you for your support this past year, best wishes to all, and I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday (including Boxing Day!) 

Merry Christmas to All!!!! Dan

Part 1

01. Tony Rivers & The Castaways - I Love The Way You Walk (Constellation)
02. Burgundy Blues - I'll Take You Back Again (Argee)
03. Jack London & The Sparrows - If You Don't Want My Love (Capitol)
04. Fish 'N Chips - Four Times faster (Joy)
05. Substantial Evidence - Death Angel (Groovy Grape)
06. Clefs Of Lavender Hill - It Won't Be Long (Date)
07. Clefs Of Lavender Hill - Play With Fire (Date)
08. Cryan Shames - Ben Franklin's Almanac (Destination)
09. Household Sponge - Scars (Murbo)
10. Geers - I Need You (SSS International)
11. Sweet Younguns - Dog Eat Dog (Shurfine)
12. Classmen - Any Old Time (Pearce)
13. Royale Coachmen - Killer Of Men (Jowar)
14. Sparkles - Hipsville 29 B.C. (Hickory)
15. Ty Wagner - I'm A No Count (Chattahoochie)
16. Lloyd & The Village Squires - Hear What I Say (Jubilee)
17. Lloyd & The Village Squires - Baby Be Mine (Jubilee)
18. M.G. & The Escorts - Next To Nowhere (Reo)
19. Mark V - You Make Me Lose My Mind (Blast)
20. Mark V - I Want To Say (Blast)
21. Rave Ons - Love Pill (Twin Town)
22. Romancers - She Took My Oldsmobile (Linda)
23. Shags - Hide Away (Laurie)
24. Ray Sanders & Friend - Karate (Sheb)
25. Ron Gray - Hold Back The Sunrise (HBR)
26. Denny Ezba's Gold - Queen Mary (Jamie)
27. Electric Prunes - Hideaway (Reprise)
28. Rainy Daze - Make Me Laugh (White Whale)
29. White Knights - Run, Run, Baby (Gaiety)
30. Yorkshire Puddin' - Ain't Gonna Love You No More (Dellwood)

Part 2

01. Furys - Little Queenie (Sound City)
02. Checkerlads - Baby Send For Me (RCA Victor)
03. Checkerlads - Shake Yourself Down (RCA Victor)
04. Dee & Tee - Something's Comin' (Coral)
05. Untamed - Someday Baby (Royal Scot)
06. Jason Eddie & The Centremen - Singing The Blues (Capitol)
07. King Bees - What She Does To Me (RCA)
08. Vandals - Ballad Of A Loser (Big Rock)
09. Vandals - My Girl (Big Rock)
10. Badd Boys - I Told You So (Epic)
11. Bob Morrison - Hey! Puppet Man (Columbia)
12. Live Five - I Must Move (Piccadilly)
13. Primates - Knock On My Door (Marko)
14. Chevelles - Tears (SD)
15. Talon Brothers - I Think There's Something Sleeping In My Refrigerator (Columbia)
16. Urban Roots - You Make My Heart Ring (Like A Bell)
17. Ed Wool & The Nomads - I Need Somebody (RCA Victor)
18. Gentlemen - Elephants (Spirit)
19. Jury - Who Dat (Port)
20. London Knights - Go To Him (Mike)
21. 'Twas Brillig - Dirty Old Man (Date)
22. 'Twas Brillig - This Week's Children (Date)
23. Decleration Of Independence - Letter To Ruth (Mr. G)
24. Fifth Estate - That's Love (Stateside)
25. Newluvs - Be My Girl (Barclay)
26. Original Intrigues - I've Tried My Best (BRC)
27. Young & Wild - For What I Am (Wig-Wag)
28. Second Summers - Bad Vibrations (Conn)
29. Smoke - My Friend Jack (Capitol)
30. MC5 - Looking At You (A2) 

Part 3

 01. Fairviews and The Fifth Dimension - A New Direction (Spin-It)
02. Scorpions - (Ain't That) Just Like Me (CNR)
03. Hangmen - What A Girl Can't Do (Monument)
04. Palace Guard - A Girl You Can Depend On (Orange Empire)
05. 5 Of A Kind - Please Tell Me (They Were Wrong) (Sidra)
06. Lost - Maybe More Than You (Capitol)
07. Fogcutters - That's Where I'll Be (Charter)
08. Lost - Back Door Blues (Capitol)
09. Other Half - It's Been A Good Day (Bell Sound)
10. Baxters Chat - Don't Come Around Today (Pearce)
11. Dantes - Can't Get Enough Of Your Love (Jamie)
12. Other Half - I Won't Be Back (Bell Sound)
13. Chosen Few - Why Can't I Love Her (Co-Op)
14. Front Page News - Thoughts (Dial)
15. Terry Knight & The Pack - Numbers (Lucky Eleven)
16. Third Booth - Sound Inc. (Thunder)
17. Troyes - Rainbow Chaser (Space)
18. Front Page News - You Better Behave (Dial)
19. Pride & Joy - If You're Ready (Dunwich)
20. Cast Of Thousands - Girl Do What You Gonna Do (Tower)
21. Evil - Always Runnin' Around (Capitol)
22. Hysterical Society - I Know (United Artists)
23. Collectors - Make It Easy (Warner Bros.)
24. Neal Ford & The Fanatics - Shame On You (Hickory)
25. Kidds - Children In Love (Nestor)
26. Kidds - You Were Wrong (Nestor)
27. Capes Of Good Hope - Lady Margaret (Round)
28. Tree - No Good Woman (Barvis)
29. Teddy Boys - Where Have All The Good Times Gone (Cameo)
30. Gregorians - Dialated Eyes (ABC)

Part 4

01. Alva Starr - Light Of A 1000 Years (Golden Records)
02. Floyd & Jerry with The Counterpoints - Believe In Things (Presta)
03. Hard Times - They Said No (World Pacific)
04. New Arrivals - Let's Get With It (Southbay)
05. Cloudwalkers - Sunglasses (Capco)
06. Palace Guard - A Girl You Can Depend On (Orange Empire)
07. Night Crawlers - You Say (MAAD)
08. Lords Of T.O.N.K. - Miniver Cheevy (Jamie)
09. Lost - Maybe More Than You (Capitol)
10. Only Ones - You're The Reason (Panik)
11. Lost - Back Door Blues (Capitol)
12. Lyndells - Contentment (Farad)
13. Pattens - You Should Know (Stature)
14. I'des Of March - I'll Keep Searching (Parrot)
15. Randy & The Radiants - My Way Of Thinking (Sun)
16. Richard Kent Style - Go Go Children (Coral)
17. Front Page News - Thoughts (Dial)
18. Lazy Eggs - I'm Gonna Love You (Enterprise)
19. Front Page News - You Better Behave (Dial)
20. Hysterical Society - I Know (United Artists)
21. Us - You Say (Hour Productions)
22. Fe Fi Four Plus 2 - Mr. Sweet Stuff (Odex)
23. Groundspeed - In A Dream (Decca)
24. Katz Kradle - Bad Case Of You (Shur Shot)
25. Kidds - You Were Wrong (Nestor)
26. Kidds - Children In Love (Nestor)
27. Wellington Arrangement - Love (Decca)
28. Rain - E.S.P. (London)
29. Californians - Nausea Beast (Crazy Horse) 

Part 5

01. Fabulous Counts - Money (Kim)
02. Liverpool Five - Thats What I Want (RCA Victor)
03. Velveteens - Ching Bam Bah (Golden Artists)
04. Liverpool Five - Everything's Al'right (RCA Victor)
05. Avengers - When It's Over (F-G)
06. 8th Wonders Of The World - You You Yeah (Coed)
07. Cruds - On Lovers Lane (Rik)
08. Blues Magoos - The People Had No Faces (Verve Folkways)
09. Gestures - Don't Mess Around (Soma)
10. New Breed - Green Eyed Woman (Diplomacy)
11. Sheffields - Fool Minus A Heart (Fenton)
12. Blues Magoos - So I'm Wrong And You Are Right (Verve Folkways)
13. Medallions - Leave Me Alone (Warped)
14. M.P.D. Limited - Little Boy Sad (LTD International)
15. Pat Farrell & The Believers - Gotta Find Her (Diamond)
16. Shy Guys - We Gotta Go (Panik)
17. Warlocks - The Temper Tantrum (Decca)
18. Mick & The Shambles - Lonely Nights Again (Verve Folkways)
19. New Colony Six - Cadillac (Sentar)
20. Teddy Boys - Jezebel (MGM)
21. Tony Turow - What I Think About You (Zaraks)
22. J.J. Lancaster - So Unkind (Date)
23. Endd - Out Of My Hands (Seascape)
24. Fabulous Pharoahs - Hold Me Tight (Reprize)
25. Wreck-A-Mended - Dirty Old Man (United Artists)
26. Group Love Corp. - Love Corporation (Pride)
27. Front End - Remember (Walking In The Sand) (Smash)
28. Eyes Of Blue - Supermarket Full Of Cans (Deram)
29. Arnim-Hamilton - Pepperman (International Artists)
30. Sorce - Tomorrow Won't See Me (Bulb) 

Part 6

01. Applejacks - Everybody Fall Down (Decca UK)
02. Renegades - Cadillac (Hansa)
03. Castells - Save A Chance (Black Gold)
04. Boys Blue - Take A Heart (ABC Paramount)
05. Boys Blue - You Got What I Want (ABC Paramount)
06. Countdowns - You Know I Do (Fiji)
07. Stonemen - No More (Big Topper)
08. Black & Blues - Bye Bye Baby (United Artists)
09. Keyes - She's The One (Top Dog)
10. M.H. Royals - She's Gone Forever (ABC)
11. Great Scots - The Light Hurts My Eyes (Triumph)
12. Great Scots - You Know What You Can Do (Triumph)
13. Bit' A Sweet - Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind (MGM)
14. Randy & The Holidays - Paul Revere 250 (Hickory)
15. Dillons - Simple Way Of Living (Impression)
16. Romans - You Do Something To Me (My)
17. Romans - I'll Find A Way (My)
18. Wig Wags - I'm On My Way Down The Road (Sama)
19. 6 Tickets To Shangri-La - I've Got To Find A Way (Talmu)
20. Rockin' Rebellions - Don't Let Go (Gold Groove)
21. Sapians - Love Ain't Makin' It No More (Mercury)
22. Sapians - Ask Yourself Why Babe (Mercury)
23. Little Bits Of Sound - Girls Who Paint Designs (Roulette)
24. Siler Bros. - The Spring Thing (Celanese)
25. Them - But It's Alright (Tower)
26. Fire, Rhythm, & Smoke - Fire And Rhythm (Sissies)
27. Wylde Heard - Stop It Girl (Philips)
28. Kingsmen - The Wolf Of Manhattan (Wand)
29. Herbies People - Residential Area (Okeh)
30. Aardvark - Salty Dog (Bullet)
31. Young Californians - In A Garden (Flick City)

Part 7

 01. Joe Frank & The Knights - Can't Find A Way (ABC Paramount)
02. Thee Midnighters - I Found A Peanut (Whittier)
03. Age Of Reason - (Your Love Is Like A) Magnet (Ascot)
04. Knickerbockers - I Must Be Doing Something Right (Challenge)
05. Others - I Can't Stand This Love, Goodbye (RCA Victor)
06. Dillons - Simple Way Of Living (Impression)
07. Revelles - Something Good About Living (Jim-Ko)
08. Link Wray & The Ray Men - Branded (Swan)
09. Mark Markham & The Jesters - I Don't Need You (RCA Victor)
10. Outsiders - I'm Not Trying To Hurt You (Capitol)
11. Very-Ations - She Can't Be Won (Rink)
12. Mark V - Hey Conductor (Counterpart)
13. Sonics - Cinderella (Etiquette)
14. Sonics - Louie Louie (Etiquette)
15. Wylde Main-iacs - Why Ain't Love Fair (Main-Iac)
16. Wylde Main-iacs - Not The One For Me (Main-Iac)
17. Shades Of Time - I Need Some Love (Payle)
18. Shades Of Time - Teardrops (Payle)
19. Tropics - This Must Be The Place (Columbia)
20. Mor Loks - Lookin' For A New Day (Decca)
21. Out Of Order - It's Alright (Lauren)
22. Flowerz - Flyte (Kingston)
23. Flowerz - Talken About Love (Kingston)
24. lyme & cybelle - Follow Me (White Whale)
25. Id - Boil The Kettle Mother (RCA Victor)
26. Albatross - I Can't See Why (Big Bird)
27. Albatross - Peices Of My Life (Big Bird)
28. Beau Allen - Give Me Your Love (HFA)
29. Sagittarius - My World Fell Down (Columbia)
30. Legendary Stardust Cowboy - Paralyzed (Mercury)

In Dan's Garage...#49

Mercy! It's only a few days till Christmas so I figured while I have a few extra minutes I'll put together another post for the holiday. I wish I could do a "garage/psyche" Christmas thing, but there just isn't enough stuff out there and I don't have any of it in my collection! I was going to go on an extended rant regarding the Rock & Roll "hall of fame" and it's nominations for this years (or next year's I don't know nor do I give a shit) "inductees". But since time is of the essence I'll put it off for the next post which will be (at the suggestion of a few followers) a "Best Of" which will consist of my favorites and will also be a "two disc" set. I promised myself after the 50 volume milestone that I would begin posting 45s from The Upstate New York area, so be on the lookout for that around New Years! In the meantime, I'd like to wish all of you out there a very Merry Christmas, and a safe and very prosperous New Year!!!

Joe Frank & The Knights - Can't Find A Way / Wont You Come On Home (1966)

I just had to lead off with this 45, one of my all time faves. These guys were from Memphis and originally released this on the Block label and was later picked up by ABC. The drummer on this tune is one of the best I've ever heard, and the rest of the group is pretty good too. Joe Frank eventually went on to become the Joe Frank of "Hamilton, Joe Frank, & Reynolds" of "Don't Pull Your Love" fame. They also were the guys who recorded "No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)" with the T-Bones.

Mark Four - Just My Dream / Swingin' Hangout (1965)

 I have very little info on this one that is most likely from California. They had another 45 that I featured in IDG #8. This is the better of the two.

Age Of Reason - (Your Love Is Like A) Magnet / I'm A Free Man (1967)

 A superb two sided garage classic from The Bronx, NY. You can read some more detail about them on Chas Kit's fantastic website "Garage Hangover" .

Saucer Men - Another Chance / Don't Do It (1966)

 Homemade garage goodness from a Patterson, NJ group. Looks like this one was autographed by all the band members!!!!!

Others - I Can't Stand This Love, Goodbye / Until I Heard It From You (1966)

Garage classic from Rhode Islad, and another one of my all timers. They had one other on RCA and a psych/pop effort on Jubilee that I don't think I've ever heard.

Link Wray & The Ray Men - Branded / Hang On (1965)

This one turned up in the box and even though some would classify this as strictly instrumental, I think it's as garage as it gets. We all know Link (some of my followers better than others!) and I don't need to get into a bio here. This is one of his most viscous performances and the whacked out solo is one one of his best.

Mark V - Hey Conductor / You Bring These Tears To Me (1967)

Led by singer Sonny Flaharty, they were from Dayton, OH. Although Sonny had several 45s with other groups in various styles, this was the only one credited to the Mark V. Also released on the Philips label.

Mouse & The Traps - Beg, Borrow, And Steal (1967)

The sixth 45 released by these legends from Tyler, TX. This is one of the coolest with it's "raga" intro played on what sounds to me like a banjo!

New Breed - Want Ad Reader / One More For The Good Guys (1966)

Sacramento, Ca group who also released the great "Green Eyed Woman" on Diplomacy (featured in IDG #38) Here's a weird tale of a guy who checks out the "classified ads" AKA "the personals" and finds himself on a blind date with a real two bagger. At the end he decides that only "losers" advertise for dates in the want ads. The flip is an cool, but rather extended guitar workout.

McCoys - Don't Worry Mother (1966)

Led by guitarist and vocalist Rick Zehringer AKA Rick Derringer of "Rock And Roll Hootchie Coo" fame. The McCoys struck it big with"Hang On Sloopy" and are Ohio legends. This however is a pretty decent pop/psyche tune that I feel is somewhat overlooked.

Dick Wagner & The Frosts - Sunshine (1967)

Dick Wagner led Flint, Michigan's Bossmen of which two 45s are featured in IDG #30 & #32. He eventually had great success with The Frost in the early 70s but had a couple of 45s on Date in between. This one here is a great psyche tune and is fetching some pretty big bucks these days.

Seeds - Satisfy You / 900 Million People Daily (1967)

Recorded "Raw And Alive" this one is certainly one their best.

Move - Fire Brigade / Walk Upon The Water (1968)

One of the great British acts to come out in the 60's, they had several lineup changes which at times featured Roy Wood, Bev Bevan, and Jeff Lynne who went on to from the atrocious ELO. This one here is one of my personal favorites.

Smubbs - Rosary Anne / Mr. Open Minded (1969)

I featured an early 45 by this group rom 1966 in IDG #6 which was a moody, reverb drenched garage two sider. This one however is straight up psychedelia.

Vamp - Floatin' / Thinkin' Too Much (1968)

One of two singles released by this rather obscure UK group. They did include former Pretty Thing Viv Prince on drums and Pete Sears on bass who would relocate to the US and join Jefferson Starship.

Capt. Groovy & His Bubblegum Army - Capt. Groovy And His Bubblegum Army (1969)

 I was looking for a one sider to round out this set and came up with this "groovy" tune from the Kasenetz/Katz crew. Although it's typical bubblegum fare, it's got way cool fuzzy guitars on it.

Get it HERE

In Dan's Garage...#48

Greetings music lovers! Sorry for the slow trickle of posts these days, but the recent holiday and extensive road trip last month really took quite a bit of my time. Without getting into more detail, I think I've nailed down a good process for transferring these 45s and I hope the results sound good to all of your ears. Speaking of road trip, I was dreaming of roadside antique and collector shops brimming with records, but unfortunately a guy like me would need an extra two weeks, a boatload of $$$, and a truck to pull something like that off. I just never had the time to detour myself away from more important events on the trip. Thanks again to all for the little tidbits of info, and especially to Laura Talon who's dad recorded the fabulously nutty "I Think There's Something Sleeping In My Refrigerator" on Columbia records (IDG #15). We hope to hear more in the future. As usual I've assembled another pastiche of groovy 45s from the 60s that run the gamut from early rockers to some heavy stuff, with a healthy dose of garage as you would expect. So let's get with it shall we????

Bobby Comstock & The Counts - Bony Maronie / Do That Little Thing (1960)

Every once and a while I like to throw in an early rocker or "proto garage" 45 if you will, and this is a great one. Bobby Comstock from Ithaca was a very popular entertainer here in Central New York and toured with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Dave Clark 5, and Gerry & The Pacemakers. His "Let's Stomp" and "I Wanna Do It" are classics. You can read an interview with him here.

Castells - Save A Chance / Children Who Dream (1965)

 Oh yeah! This is absolutely one of my favorite 45s ever! It just moves along so nicely with those neat drums, the jangly 12 string guitar, and that cool bass line. The "British accents" are great too! The Castells were from Memphis and were led by twin brothers Dave and Don Miller. This was actually the second version of this song as it was previously recorded and released on Wildfire Records. I have it on a comp somewhere but I'm having trouble finding it. You can read more about The Castells here.

Kingsmen - Death Of An Angel / Searching For Love (1964)

 In the wake "Louie Louie's" success, the Kingsmen proceeded to release a mother lode of 45s. There were 16 on Wand records alone and this is one of my favorites. A great, moody garage number.

Knickerbockers - One Track Mind / I Must Be Doing Something Right (1966)

 This is the follow up to their smash hit "Lies", and although it's relatively well known, what gets overlooked is the superb B side which I think is a genius piece of beat/pop.

Charity Shayne - Ain't It?, Babe (1965)

 Brought to us by the same folks who gave us The Beau Brummels, this is a rather obscure one on this label and I've not seen it around quite often. It's a nice, if not lightweight folk rocker, and Charity has a nice innocent vocal style. Charity reportedly ended up in Charlie Manson's crew and is now a born again Christian.

Dillons - Simple Way Of Living (1965)

 Way cool folk rocker from California that was produced by none other than Dorsey Burnette of Rock And Roll Trio fame. Impression put out some excellent records including The Sloth's unbelievably rare "Makin' Love".

Outsiders - I'm Not Trying To Hurt You (1967)

 Not to be confused with the over hyped Dutch band (I know. I'm gonna take a lot of heat for that comment, but I stand by it.) these guys were from Cleveland, OH and had a hit with "Time Won't Let Me". Most of their stuff was pretty ordinary but once and a while they'd cut loose with a great one like this.

Palace Guard - Saturday's Child / Party Lights (1966)

 One of the last 45s released by this bunch from L.A. Emit Rhodes was in the Palace Guard and would go on to record with "The Merry Go Round" whose "Live" is one of my favorites. I'm not sure whose version of "Saturday's Child" came first The Monkees or these guys, but this one's awfully good.

Shades Of Time - I Need Some Love / Teardrops (196?)

 Every once and a while I'll score a truly ace 45 for cheap and this is one of them. I know absolutely nothing about this real crude, inept effort, but it's one of the coolest garage 45s I've ever heard. I'm not certain of the date, but it's not a mid 60s thing. My guess would be that it's some obscure group playing around with fuzz boxes and especially wah wahs which weren't popular until 67or 68.

Sheep - Hide & Seek / Twelve Months Later (1966)

 I guess this was the Strangeloves in disguise as it sounds a lot like them and has Feldman, Goldstein, & Gottherer all over the label. Terrific cover of Bunker Hill's classic. A real pounder and great party music.

Dino, Desi, & Billy - She's So Far Out She's In (1966)

 In IDG #46 we heard the Power Plant's version of this tune. This time around we have Dino, Desi, & Billy, not exactly the most respected combo in Rock & Roll's rich history. The sons of mega stars, they were as fabricated a group as say The Monkees and most of their output is pretty bland although they had a few winners, not that they actually played on any of their records. They were accused, and rightfully so of stealing away resources from Reprise Records from more deserving groups such as The Kinks for example, although The Kinks had many more hits than this bunch anyway. I like this one though.

Flowerz - Flyte / Talken About Love (1968)

 Cool as hell 45 from this Reading, PA group. Great guitars and cheesy organ.

Seeds - A Thousand Shadows / March Of The Flower Children (1967)

  Sky Saxon and The Seeds were genius. Only they could take the same riff and make it work twice (at least). The flip of this one is truly hilarious, and I had to include it even if it's real goofy.

Sagittarius - My World Fell Down (1967)

 Speaking of genius, it doesn't get a whole lot better than this. Cut from the same mold as The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds", this "studio" group which featured Gary Usher and Terry Melcher released this gem in '67. Apparently Glen Campbell was also in on the session and sang the vocals, but I don't think it sounds anything like him, although I could be wrong. This song is truly a thing of beauty and along with Pet Sounds, the gold standard for this type of beautiful pop/psyche from the 60s.

Young Savages - Sitting On A Plane / Wait A Minute Baby (1968)

 I'm not sure if this is the same as the Wisconsin group that had "The Invasion Is Coming". In fact it probably isn't because this is a heavier psyche/rock thing. Very good though.

Smokestack Lightnin' - Somethings Got A Hold On Me (1969)

 This definitely is not a garage 45, more of a soul tune, but it is from the 60s and it moves along very nicely with great vocals, although the gospel like background chicks are a bit annoying. I like it though so I bring it here to you.

 Catfish - Hound Dog / 2120 South Michigan Avenue (1969)

 I always have trouble locating info on this heavy rock group. Gruff vocals on this heavy take of Elvis' classic. The flip is pretty good too. I have another one by this band and it's in the same style. You can't blame 'em for being consistent.

Get it HERE

Better Living Through MONO part 2

I hope everyone is enjoying the most recent post, and what I perceive to be improvements on the overall sound of the files. I would like to make some clarifications though....

When I say "that's the way they were meant to be listened to", I speak specifically of MONO records. Perhaps I should have elaborated on my "Dark Side Of The Moon" comment. There are several 45 from the late 60s that were recorded and released in stereo. The Californians "Nausea Beast" is a fine example, or better yet, all the Seeburg 45s which were released ca. 1966. If that's the way they were released, that's the way I'll keep them. But the vast majority of these records are in mono, and the ones recorded and released in stereo are few and far between. As far as the recording of the files, I am using Adobe Audition 3. A fine peice of software in my opinion. I use it because I was able to get my hands on an affordable copy, and I'm very familiar with the interface. In saving files to mp3 though, it only allows 128k max when saving to mono. I believe it's because when saved to stereo, it's actually two mono files side by side so to speak, and it's not necessary to keep the files "split". Much of this is pure mumbo jumbo to me, but there are forums on the web that explore this topic. The bottom line is, let your ears decide, and remember, we are dealing with an old technology here. There is only so much sprucing up you can do before you start messing up the original product. Thanks to all for the comments and support. I'm enjoying some sunny weather here in Florida till next monday, and will start working on a new batch of records next weekend. In the meantime, I'm keeping my eyes open for cool records down this way. I wish you all a great Thanksgiving and a nice weekend. Cheers!

In Dan's Garage...#47

The theme of this post is "Better Living Through Mono". In all my infinite wisdom as an "audiophile", I have in the recent past overlooked so many minute details of what makes digital transfers sound good. In the old days I had a component stereo system with a nice cassette tape deck (which I still own and still serves me well), and a turntable to play my records. I would make tape mixes and play the crap out of them in my car until they snapped. In this "digital age" we live in today, those practices have gone by the wayside. We now do everything with the PC or Mac including archiving our precious vinyl records, and sharing them with music lovers across the globe. We make CD-Rs to listen to in our vehicles, or better yet load a couple thousand songs on an mp3 player and shuffle our way to musical nirvana. All this is great, but there is a price to pay. In all that transfer from 20th to 21st century technology we lose that nice warm and fuzzy tone that we got from listening to a "real" sound system. Somewhere along the way, they become harsh and brittle and sometimes offensive to the ears. There's nothing you can do about a scratchy record, but most of the time I'll live with the pops and crackles as opposed to the digital versions of most of my favorites. I'll take the Beatles' "Please Please Me" in mono on an old Vee Jay 45 any day as opposed to some of the horrid mixes that have been released claiming to be an improvement. This all relates to recordings of the 50s and 60s mind you. I'm not suggesting you put on a pair of headphones and listen to "Dark Side Of The Moon" in mono, but some things were meant to be listened to that way. Like scratchy old 45s from the 60s. So, with the advice of some of the very helpful people who read this blog, I've decided to do a little extra work, and post these songs they way they were meant to be listened to. In mono. The result (IMHO) is a more robust sounding file with less noise and a little better bottom end. The files are also smaller. They are only at 128k BUT since they are a mono file it is like listening to half a 256k file. As I try to expand my horizons here with my recording system, I will eventually (at the suggestion of followers Mike and EXPO 67, a fine blogger in his own right) set my turntable up with a mono cartridge. In the meantime, I'm working at making the best sounding files possible. Not an easy task, but I'm getting there. For now I'm using the cleaner half of the file and doing minimal cleanup. Let me know what all of you think. In the meantime, I'm re upping a few of the recent posts from #42 to #46. It seems that much of the fizzy crackle present on these posts are not due to records, needles, and the combinations thereof, but some weird thing going on between my turnable and my sound card. If any of you out there know what might be causing this dilemma, let me know.  Your input (no pun intended) will be valuable. Thanks again to all for the great suggestions on improving this little project. I'll let you know when all have been re upped.

I recently have had several requests for copies of some of my records. I would love nothing more than to have multiple copies of everything, but alas this cannot be. I am planning on putting some of my duplicates on Ebay in the near future. I do have doubles on a few things, and I also have a few 70's punk 45 that I will be auctioning off also, not to mention some musical instruments. I probably wont get to it till early next year, but I will give everyone a heads up. Also, I will be on a road trip from Nov. 17 to the 24th so you wont see another post till after the Thanksgiving holiday. I hope everyone enjoys theirs. Enough banter already. Let's get on with it!

Jim Doval & The Gauchos - Mama Keep Yo! Big Mouth Shut / She's So Fine (1965)

Yo! Jim Doval and The Gauchos were a Chicano group out of Fresno, Ca who were a lot like the Premiers, Thee Midnighters, etc. They appeared quite often on Shindig! and almost made it to The Ed Sullivan show. This is a great version of "Hey Mama" and the flip was redone on ABC as "Annie Ya Ya".

Berrys - Midnight Hour / Sand And Sea (1966)

This was one of Lindy Baskey's productions from Albequerque, NM, along with The Striders and The Burgundy Runn. They were formerly known as the Viscount V.

Earl Royce & The Olympics - Guess Things Happen That Way / Sure To Fall (1965)

Earl Royce & The Olympics' claim to fame was their appearance in "Ferry Cross The Mersey", doing a spirited rendition of "Shake A Tail Feather", easily one of the best songs on the soundtrack. They were along with the Pacemakers and The Beatles, one of several beat groups to come out of Liverpool that were produced by George Martin, who in fact plays piano on this 45. Not as good as "Tail Feather", but a decent representation of hat was going on in Liverpool at the time.

Ron Dels - Lose Your Money / Picture Of You (1965)

The Ron Dels were the duo of Ronnie Kelly and Country star Delbert McClinton. They were a long standing group out of Fort Worth, TX and released a bunch of 45s in different styles. This cover of an obscure Moody Blues tune is a gem though. They give it a real Tex-Mex treatment and the flip is no slouch either. A great up tempo pop ballad.

Revelles - Little Girl / Somethings Good About Living (1966)

A real good poppy folk rocker from Chicago. A couple of members would end up in The New Colony Six and The Flock. Can't you tell????

Mark Markham & The Jesters - I Don't Need You / Marlboro Country (1966)

From Fort Lauderdale, FL comes this garage classic. Why does Fuzz, Acid, and Flowers call Marlboro Country "country influenced"???? Because they never listened to it that's why. If they had, they would have known that it's a bona fide "Louie Louie" rip off. Not exactly "country" if you ask me.

Sonics - Cinderella / Louie Louie (1966)

 Two good reasons for having ears.

Mor Loks - Looking For A New Day / What My Baby Wants (1966)

 Another great punker from Fort Lauderdale. One of the members ended up in a band called The Truth. I wonder if it's the same Truth featured on IDG #43??????

Out Of Order - Lonely Sentry / It's Alright (1967)

 A mystery group from what looks to be Providence, R.I., although they could be from anywhere.......Here's a great two sider with a "protest" tune on the A side, and some great fuzzy garage on the flip.

Scepters - Little Girls Were Made To Love / Love You Baby All The Time (1966)

 A one shot deal from a Memphis, TN group. Both sides are pretty cool, but the title of the A side kind of gives me the creeps.

Subconscious Mind - On The Way Home (1967)

 A nice, lightweight take on the Buffalo Springfield hit. From Buffalo, NY.

Royal Ascots - Just The Wind / Things We Did Together (196?)

 A laid back, two sided folky pop 45 from the Ft. Lauderdale / Miami area. I can't find anything on this one.

Sir Douglas - She Digs My Love / When I Sing The Blues (1966)

The last 45 on Tribe records credits only Sir Doug himself and is a bit on the blues side, but you still have that "She's About A Mover" riff going on with the help of a horn section.

Troggs - Evil Woman / Heads Or Tails (1969)

In my opinion, The Troggs were perhaps one of the most underrated and overlooked British groups of the 60s. They were also one of the most long lived and prolific as they continued to perform and release records well into the 80s. This one from '69 is one of my favorites, and shows them getting a little heavier, but still retaining all the attitude that made them great.


Get it HERE