In Dan’s Garage…#69

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