Dan's Garage: May 2010

Sunday, May 23, 2010

In Dan's Garage...#33

Greetings friends! Sorry for the week delay, but when the weather warms up a bit, I find myself doing a lot more outdoor activities, and vital home repairs which leaves me less time to do this, so the frequency of posts might suffer a bit through the summer. I'm not going to bloviate today. I'd just like to plug all the blogs in my list. They are all great with fantastic stuff and you should definitely check them out and become followers and leave them some very nice comments. OK? Let's go! Here's Dan's Garage #33!

Cardinals - Tomato Juice / I Want You (1965)

Yeah baby!!! SIXTY NININ" ON A SATURDAY NIGHT!!!! ALRIGHT!!!! YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I love how frat rockers got away with this kind of thing back when nobody knew what the hell they were really talking about. The Cardinals had three other 45's on Cha Cha (one of my favorite label names) all frat type affairs.

Fenways - I Move Around (1966)

Pittsburgh's Fenways are best known for backing up the The Vogues on "You're The One" and are considered one of the city's most beloved acts from the 1960's. Not exactly a garage/punk type group, they were a little more vocal oriented as we can hear on this one. They eventually became the Racket Squad and had two albums and a bunch of singles.

Gates Of Eden - Girls, Girls, Girls / Mini Skirts (1966)

A real obscure British outfit. They had at least three other 45s.

Kitchen Cinq - Still In Love With You Baby / Ride The Wind (1966)

From Amarillo, TX, they were once known as The Y'alls and had a single on Ruff Records. In '66 they became The Kitchen Cinq, and released an LP shortly thereafter which I think is pretty good.

Painted Faces - Anxious Color / Things We See (1967)

Incredible garage/psyche from Florida. This one is an absolute classic!!!!!

White Wash - You Better Think It Over / You Haven't Seen My Love (1968)

Sixties groups from what is known as the "Tri-State" area (New York City, Long Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, parts of Pennsylvania and New England) certainly had a very distinctive sound. Probably the two best known are The Young Rascals and The Vanilla Fudge who were immensely influential in that area. Soul, Motown, and R&B were the big thing with those guys, and they shunned the "cheesy" sounds of Vox and Farfisa organs for the big bad Hammond B-3, the trademark sound of all those groups. The White Wash from Providence, RI are a prime example of this.

Regina - Gotta Funny Kinda' Feelin' / If You're Gonna Love Me (1966)

Here's a real nice "girl group" type thing with sort of a folk/pop/garage flair on the A side. This was produced by Polhemus and Wyld, the same guys who had great success with The Blues Magoos.

Sano & The Saints Five - Mercy Mercy / Have Love Will Travel (1966)

Some more pumping Hammond B-3 sounds this time from the midwest. Unlike their east coast counterparts, these guys were definitely in the frat-rock camp with these two covers. Obviously, "Have Love" is closer to the original than the furious Sonics version.

Westhampton Barge - Can't Come Home / Lovin' Is (196?)

This one's a mystery to me, but it's possible that this is a Long Island group. Anyone out there know for sure???? (No longer a mystery...these guys were indeed from El Paso, TX)

Sintrifical Fours - Flashin' Thunderbolts Of Jupiter/Queen Of My Heart (1967)

I like Mr. G Records. They released a lot of 45s that were from native New York bands including The Declaration Of Independence which I recently learned through this blog were from Syracuse, and The Trillium who were from my hometown. These guys are somewhat of a stumper, but New York City would be a good guess...I think......

Tony Ritchie - Comin' On Strong / Could You Really Live Without Her (1968)

Ace mod/soul with terrific fuzz. Produced and co-written by Miki Dallon.

Mystic Number National Bank - Good Time Music / I Put A Spell On You (1968)

This was the first 45 by this Kansas City group, who later had a real bluesy affair released on ABC/Probe in 1969. This one here is definitely a garage 45.

UNKNOWN GROUP - Georgy Girl / Black Is Black (1967)

OK. I think all of you know the drill by now. I pull a handful of 45s out of a box, and basically wing it, unless I come across a real pooper that doesn't merit entry into these posts. Well, I passed this one over and when I was ready to record one more, I put this on for shits and giggles. You know, this isn't half bad. It sounds like some sort of cheesy studio group, and there are no horns or other offensive instruments. In fact it sounds like something that might have been used for a commercial background or soundtrack of some sort. The label also says this is an "educational" record. What the hell is up with that??

Family - So Much To Remember (1968)

Great pop/psyche from what was supposedly a studio group.

Weight - Flip, Flop, And Fly / Another Side Of This Life (1970)

For a 45 that was released in 1970, this one has a very low-fi appeal to it. Recorded live at Rick's Lounge in Walnut Creek, these guys were from the Bay Area and had an album as well.

Elders - It's Too Late To Change / Looking For The Answer (1971)

Let's end with some funky wah wah soaked psychedelia from a Dayton, OH group. It's hard to believe that these guys were once Jerry & The Others who recorded the awesome "Don't Cry To Me" which was featured on Back From The Grave Vol. 3.

Get it HERE

Sunday, May 9, 2010

In Dan's Garage...#32

Hey, how's everyone doing on this fine Mothers Day?? Upstate New York weather is so freaky this time of year ya know? So they called for "chilly weather" this weekend. I had no idea it was actually going to snow. It's not that I was shoveling, and nothing really stuck, but the thought of snow in May is pretty repulsive, unless you're living up in Greenland, Alaska, or the Yukon or something... So I went to a record show last week, and came home with a few goodies which I'll post today. This one is really all over the place. We've got garage, folk rock, some real psyche goodies, and a bunch of "happy, sunny, flowery, pop" gems that I hope you'll enjoy too. I've been getting into that stuff as of late. Not exactly "garage band fare", you know what I mean??? Let me bore you with some tales of my younger days... You see, back when I was a fledgling musician in the 10th Ward here in Rochester, I was considered a misfit of sorts. Both my older brothers were musicians, and they definitely had far more sophisticated tastes in music than my neighborhood pals. Back in '75, everyone in my neighborhood was playing guitar. I wish there were more guys playing bass and drums but that's another story. Anyway, GUITAR ROCK RULED. I mean good guitar rock man. Not this Grand Funk bullshit. Nope. Led Zeppelin ruled, as well as Lynrd Skynrd, The Allman Brothers. R.E.O. Speedwagon was pretty big before they totally sold out. Ted Nugent was a biggie too. He just cranked! The Who, although not a band that lended itself to soloing was big, and we were also into some other acts that were under the radar like Savoy Brown, early Foghat and Z.Z. Top, Wishbone Ash, and Rory Gallagher, who was and is still one of my favorites. But as the 70's rolled on, I found myself discovering other, shall we say..."alternative sounds". I remember going to a concert with my pals in '78. It was Foghat and the opening act was Cheap Trick who had just come out with "Heaven Tonight". I told my friends "you gotta check out this Cheap Trick band, they're fucking great!!!! So here they come, Robin Zander and Tom Petersson looking great as usual, and Rick Nielsen as goofy as ever, and Bun E. Carlos with the trademark tie and vest and cigarette in mouth. They did "Hello There", "I Want You To Want Me", and most of Heaven Tonight, and then Bun E. did this kooky drum solo with these gigantic drum sticks. I was blown away. My pals on the other hand weren't so impressed. They thought they flat out sucked. What a bunch of myopians. I also discovered punk very early on through some guys in high school who weren't from my neck of the woods. The Ramones were the first obviously, and then I saw a special on some late night show that did a thing about punk in Britain, and I said "wow, that's intense!". I think they did a profile on the Damned, so I went out and found their first LP in the import bin at "Record Theatre". Then I got turned on to Iggy's "Raw Power" and a bunch of other stuff that was cropping up in the late 70's. Of course I dabbled with everything at that time. I really got into Jazz and Blues for a couple of years, and even went through a hippie phase, but being brought up on 60's invasion sounds, I found myself gravitating towards that again. It all seemed so fresh sounding compared to post punk new wave sounds and the whole 1983 MTV thing. Ummmmm.....What was I talking about???? Oh yeah, it's about songs you see. There are a lot of people out there who are garage fanatics who actually parallel my old neighborhood buddies. "Well... if it aint got fuzz, it must suck", or the whole "It's gotta sound like Green Fuz or it's shit" mentality. Yeah, I get it. I love The Green Fuz, and The Worlocks, and The Keggs, and all those real hardcore garage bands, but good songs are good songs, and there's so much to be treasured out there, that I can't see myself being a myopian. Especially since I used to be one of those aforementioned guys. Okay, got that off my chest today. Enough jibber jabber already! Here's....In Dan's Garage...#32!!!!!

Bossmen - Baby Boy / You And I (1966)

Let's kick off with a good one from Flint, MI. Dick Wagner ia a prolific guitarist, songwriter, producer, session man, who's resume includes Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Aerosmith, and countless others. This one I believe is the second Bossmen 45, and includes a pre Grand Funk Mark Farner on the A side, as well as being produced by Terry Knight.

Sandmen - You Can't Judge A Book By Looking At The Cover / I Can Tell (1966)

Wow. This Minneapolis group must have really had a thing for Bo Diddley because they not only covered one, but both sides of one of his greatest 45s.

Floyd & Jerry with The Counterpoints - Believe In Things / Girl (1966)

We heard Floyd and Jerry do "Summer Kisses" in #20 of our series doing a real teenybopper type thing. This, their first, is a great poppy folk rocker and real different from the previous one we heard. From Phoenix, AZ.

Hard Times - They Said No / Sad, Sad, Sunshine (1967)

Why this band never made it real big is a mystery to me. The A side of this 45 is near perfect pop, and should have been a hit. The Hardtimes were originally from San Diego, and made numerous appearances on "Where The Action Is".

Night Crawlers - You Say / Night Crawlin' (1966)

Talk about fabulous folk rockers, this one is it! This here is a terrific 45 from a group of Minnesota guys, who are actually still together. I love this one!

Lords Of T.O.N.K. - Miniver Cheevy / The White Knight (1968)

I'm not exactly sure where this mystery group is from. In fact, aside from the Jamie discography which put it's release at 1968, nothing is known about this bunch. Apparently they seemed to be into medieval subject matter singing about knights and what not. Actually, this is an E.A. Robinson poem set to a teen garage combo backing. Nevertheless, this is a way cool garage/psyche 45 with some edgy fuzz thrown in.

Denims - The Ghost In Your House Is Me / I Do Love You (1966)

There's been some debate as to whether this is the same Denims that had records on Columbia, and did "The Adler Sock" (IDG#2). One thing I do know. This is the same group that did "White Ship" from Pebbles Vol. 7, and they were reportedly from Elmira, NY, but I'm having trouble confirming that.

Parade - Sunshine Girl (1967)

The epitome of sunshiny, poppy, sunshine pop tunes. This one actually charted in the summer of '67, and pretty much sums up the genre we all know as "Sunshine Pop". Slick production, perfect vocal harmonies, and that ever so optimistic outlook on things. They don't make 'em like this anymore....

Sunshine Company - Look, Here Comes The Sun / It's Sunday (1967)

Care for another dose???? This one's just as bright as the Parade's 45! More beautiful harmonies and impeccable production.

Swampseeds - Can I Carry Your Baloon (1967)

In northern New Jersey they were taking Vanilla Fudge styled blue eyed soul groups and converting them to East Coast versions of sunshine pop groups. Clearly there is a huge difference in the approach these guys take to the pop/psyche thing. This is much more boisterous that their west coast counterparts.

Herd - I Don't Want Our Loving To Die / Our Fairy Tale (1968)

Britain was not immune to poppy psyche sounds either as we all know. This one comes to us courtesy of a very young Peter Frampton about a year before he struck big with Humble Pie (another one of those "under the radar" bands that we used to love!). I really dig the Hammond organ on these tracks.

Timothy Clover - Great World Next Door / Trolley Car Line (1968)

Another great pop/psyche 45 from a bunch of Boston studio guys who also produced Teddy & The Pandas on Tower. Timothy Clover is not an actual guy, but just the name of this amalgam of musicians.

Beacon Street Union - South End Incident (1968)

As Long as we're in Boston, let's check out this magnificent, tense psyche number from The Beacon Street Union!

Wellington Arrangement - Love / The World Needs Our Love (1970)

The last of four 45s by this Philadelphia group. "Love" is really fantastic, and is quite out of place in 1970, a time when "progressive" and "heavy" rock bands were taking hold. A real gem.

Goliath - If Johnny Comes Marching Home / Yesterday's Children (1969)

Here's a real somber 45 from another Vanilla Fudge style group. Real heavy organ, and the guy sounds like a cross between David Clayton-Thomas and Graham Bond.

C.P.&W. (Cashman, Pistilli, & West) - Automatic Pilot / Midnight Man (1970)

You're all thinking I'm crazy for posting this. I know it's a straight up pop tune, but after wondering if Johnny was ever gonna come home, I had to have something to cheer us all up. And why not??? I really like this one!!! CP&W released an album of great psyche/pop in 1967 and this was possibly their last 45. Produced by Wes Farrell, the guy who gave us such diverse songs and acts such as "Hang On Sloopy", "The Beacon Street Union", and yes "The Partridge Family"

Get it HERE

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The great file sharing debate.....

I've had some concerns recently, and in the past in regards to Sharebee, the file sharing service I've been using for the vast majority of the Dan's Garage posts. Some of you are concerned with the pop ups and ads that come up when entering that website. I've been wrestling with this issue for a while now. On the one hand, Sharebee is very easy to upload to, it distributes the file to at least four different file sharing services, and it's free. I guess pop ups are the price you pay for using it. Besides, last time I checked there were well over 600 downloads of Dan's Garage #1 so most of you are content. I tried Sendspace and that too has pop ups. I've included an extra link in the last post to Media Fire. It's Free, and it seems to be the least pain in the ass. Let me know what YOU all think. I the meantime, don't let this stuff bring you down. You can easily get to the download page by clicking on the "skip this ad" button on the upper right corner of the page.
Keep Rockin', Dan

Monday, May 3, 2010

In Dan's Garage...#31 (Instrumental Edition)

Greetings friends and followers!!! How've you been for the last week or so??? I got caught up in a lot of family stuff last weekend, and was totally unable to complete the weekly post. Fortunately, there was a lot of good food and drink to keep me happy, so it wasn't a total loss. I went to a local record show here in Rochester yesterday, and came home with some cool stuff. We have this old factory that's been converted to a "mall"of sorts called "The Village Gate". It's full of real eclectic type shops and restaurants, and a groovy record store called "The Bop Shop". The Bop Shop is run by a guy named Tom Kohn who is probably the most preeminent collector of records in the city of Rochester, NY. I've been shopping there for years and a lot of what you see in this blog was acquired in his establishment. Well this year he commandeered an old restaurant that went belly up, and filled the place with records at $1 apiece!!!! I managed to score some nice stuff which I will feature in a future blog. As I promised earlier, I'm posting an "Instrumental Edition" of "In Dan's Garage" today. I'm going to dispense with comments on this one because a) I don't have a handle on all the info for these 45's and b) I just don't have the time today. What I will tell you though, is that these run the gamut from the late 50's to the late 60's, and it's fascinating to hear how in a ten year span ,you can see how Rock & Roll developed from the rather primitive sounds of The Rockin' R's to the psychedelic studio "wizardry" of The Music Explosion. Apologies for the condition of some of these, they are rather "crispy" to say the least. So sit back and enjoy this one. In Dan's Garage...#31.

Rockin' R's - The Beat (1957)