collage

collage

Monday, April 25, 2011

In Dan’s Garage…#57

dg57front
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)easybeats
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)
sonics 4
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)chaps
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)fenways2
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)sir doug3
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)young ones pic
young ones
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)friedles
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)tino revlon
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)princetons
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)vestells
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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)unrelated segments 2
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)striders
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)bohemian vendetta
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)stillroven
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)undertakers
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)ramrods
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.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Dans un garage de Dan ... # 56

dg56front
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)les tear drops
les tear drops
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)les gendarmes
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)
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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)les baronets2
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)Tony Roman et ses Dauphins 1
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)Tony Roman et ses Dauphins 2
…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)hou lops
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)Les Bel-Air 1
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)Les Classels 1
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)Les Classels 2
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)Les Classels 3
Another pretty good one. This 45 shows how they could sound very much like The Shadows.
Les Classels - C'est Toi (1969)Les Classels 4
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?)Les Classels 5
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)Les Classels 6
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)Les Bel-Air 2
Yeah, this one’s definitely the hokiest, sorry for even including it…..
Papillon - N'oublie Pas Ce Poeme (1969)Papillion
Let’s end this “partie” with a rather weird one. A French version of “Teen Angel”. From 1969, the year of Woodstock……..