In Dan’s Garage…#62

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.

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