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Sunday, September 16, 2012

In Dan’s Garage…#77

 
 
dg77front
  Greetings music lovers! I hope summer was great for all (winter down under), and the upcoming fall brings much happiness and joy to you. I love the fall (or autumn whichever you prefer) because the air gets a little crisper outside and I don’t sweat quite as much. Things are settling down nicely here at Dan’s Garage central and I’m confident I’ve nailed down a winning formula for getting the records digitally transferred.
   This post is a sort of eclectic in that it includes a variety of styles from the early 60s to an early 70s bubblegum treat, and perhaps a little emphasis on “vocal group” sounds. I hope everyone enjoys this one!
Tico & The Triumphs – Motorcycle (1961)tico triumphs
Last edition featured The Crestones “She’s A Bad Motorcycle”, a wild, frantic garage number. Here we find Jerry Landis, better known as Paul Simon winging his way through a super cool doo-wopish bopper. He later became a writer of “meaningful folk songs”, teamed up with Art Garfunkel (again), and the rest is history.
Andy & The Live Wires – You’ve Done It Again / Maggie (1960)
andy live wires
Robert (aka Andy) Anderson was a guy from Omaha, Nebraska who fronted several groups including The Manhattans, who’s “Double Mirror Wraparound Shades” has been on my want list for a while. This one released in 1960 has a great Bo Diddley style beat to it, and the flip is a good instrumental.
Oncomers – You Let Me Down / Every Day Now (1964)oncomers
McKeesport, PA (just outside of Pittsburgh) was the home of this band. “You Let Me Down” is a real moody garage tune, while the flip has that Doo-wop feel so popular with groups in that area at the time.
Denims – Sad Girl / Everybody Let’s Dance (1965)DENIMS
New York City group famous for shilling “The Adler Sock” in ‘66. Top side is a ballad, while the B side is more rockin’ and sounds a lot like “Turn On Your Lovelight”.
Fenways – Satisfied / Love Me For Myself (1966)fenwaysIIIII
Another Pittsburgh group with a penchant for group (doo-wop) vocals. They backed up the Vogues on “Five O'clock World”, and eventually morphed into The Racket Squad.
Furys – I Walk Away / Gone In The Night (1966)furysII
A Boston area group who had this originally released on the local Fleetwood label. Two very moody low key ballads here…..
Jack Eely & The Courrtmen – Louie Louie ‘66 / David’s Mood (1966)jack eely courtmen
Wow. Where do I start with this one???? Well…as we all know, Jack Eely was the vocalist on what is arguably thee definitive “garage band” tune, Louie Louie. I recommend you all try to read Don Gallucci’s story of that song in Ugly Things Vol. 25. It’s a hoot. Here’s the “Readers Digest” version… Since the Kingsmen were really not a vocal group at the time, Jack got elected to “sing” Louie Louie which was one of the most popular songs in the Pacific NW at the time, and was pretty much in every band’s repertiore. Apparently the engineer thought he was lousy so he kept raising the mike above Jack’s head, and Jack compensated by stretching his neck up, hence the tortured vocal sound on the final recording. The record initially was a flop because it was considered inferior compared to versions by Paul Revere, The Wailers, et. al. Enter a Boston DJ who locks himself in the studio and plays the song for three hours straight and it goes gangbusters. The rest is history. Jack left The Kingsmen sometime between the initial release and the time it became a hit, but by then Lynn Easton had taken over as front man and poor ol’ Jack was on the outside looking in. He formed a group called the Squires and also had a cool Louie Louie rip-off on RCA Victor as “Jack E. Lee” titled “Love That Louie”. I’ll get to that one in a future post. In the meantime, dig this remake which features organ in place of the electric piano, and groove on the instrumental flip as well.
Munx – Girls, Girls,Girls / Our Dream (1968)munx
A Cleveland, OH area group who’s members included Henry “H-Bomb” Weck of Brownsville Station fame, and one of my favorite bands from the 70s. Nice poppy psyche.
Ventures – 2000 Pound Bee Part 2 (1966)ventures
I hadda throw this piece of total coolness in this mix. Probably their coolest (and only) “garage” tune ever.
English Setters – Wake Up / She’s In Love (1967)englishsetters
A Washington DC area group who had two terrific garage 45s on Glad Hamp before releasing this comparatively light pop single in 1967. Guitarist Punky Meadows would go on to play in 70s glam rock band “Angel”.
Kent & The Candidates – Trouble / Take Me By The Hand (1967)kent and candidates
Here’s a real interesting 45 from a soul/R&B group out of Kansas who were rumored to be Brenton Wood’s backing band. I almost never do the “Northern Soul” thing but this 45 deserves inclusion because of it’s sparse “garage” like instrumentation and delivery. Yeah, it’s got soul, but it’s also got a different, garagey feel to it. I think both sides are great.
Charaydes – Lonely Mixed Up Girl / I’ll Cry (1966)charaydes
Not sure where these guys are from, but somewhere near Nashville would probably be a decent guess given the fact they were produced by wacky novelty song guy Ray Stevens. A side is a cover of a Vogues song, but the B side is a dark, moody garage number.
Laughing Wind – John Works Hard / The Bells (1967)laughing wind
Michael Lloyd is a prolific songwriter and producer who’s output ranges from The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band to the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack, to stuff like The Cattanooga Cats. Obviously a pretty talented guy. But before he got famous, he was Kim Fowley’s protégé (of sorts) and released this  45 in collaboration with him.
Boston Tea Party – Don’t Leave Me Alone / Is It Love (1967)bostonteapartyIIII
Supposedly the same West Coast outfit that recorded “Words” on Challenge Records, and had an album on Flick Disk. I’m not so sure. This 45 doesn’t sound like either 45, In fact I’m pretty sure this 45 originates somewhere in the Midwest. In any case, both sides are pretty good despite the horns. Some decent guitar work too.
T.I.M.E. – What Would Life Be Without It / Tripping Into Sunshine (1968)t.i.m.e.
This group evolved from The Hardtimes, and included bassist Nick St. Nicholas from Sparrow and Steppenwolf fame. T.I.M.E. stood for “Trust In Men Everywhere”.
Genesis – Dubble Bubble (1971)GENESIS
Gotta throw in this little piece of bubblegum in the mix. Not sure who these guys were but probably some sort of New York City area studio group, and certainly not the pretentious progressive British rockers.
Chalklit Milk Revue – Forever Bliss (1968)chalklit milk
The B side of a dreadful pop ballad. This is definitely a studio concoction, and a good one at that. A great soul tinged instrumental.
Esko Affair – On Broadway (1969)esko affair
A heavy Vanilla Fudge-like take on the Drifters classic. Cool fuzzy guitar and few horns but all in all a good effort from this Philadelphia outfit.

Zombie Jamboree!

20 comments:

  1. Having my Sunday morning coffee, and what do I find but a new Dan's garage comp. Many thanks as always.

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  2. Having my Sunday morning beer and what do i find? A new comp. Some of this stuff is new to me. Thanks Dan! Rick

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  3. I lived in Boston in '66 and had that Eely record. As I recall the other side was another cover of a northwest classic, David's Mood, and that was the side that got the most airplay. The big AM station used to play it at the top of the hour going into the news.

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    1. Yeah, I really love "Davids Mood" one of my favorite instumrntals.It just grooves along so nicely. Glad you're enjoying the music.

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  4. Thanks for what looks like another great comp. Can't wait to listen.

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  5. Thanks Dan, loved the Denims tracks! Never heard of the Laughing Wind but that was one good tune. You're audio quality is superb. I like that you don't sacrifice too much resolution just to get rid of all the snap crackles and pops. A little bit adds to the atmosphere anyways. In this overly digitized world anything reminiscent of the golden age of analog is a breath of fresh air:)Sounds like whatever you're doing is working out great.

    Scott

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    1. Scott,
      I figured out that recording straight from a receiver to the PC using a turntable with a MAGNETIC cartridge (something I was NOT doing in most of my preveious posts) makes a huge difference. The bass is deeper and there's much more "dimension" to the music even if the records are scratchy. Thanks so much for the compliments and support and stay tuned for #78 coming soon.

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  6. "some sort of New York City area studio group, and certainly not the pretentious progressive British rockers."

    No offense Dan, but the British Genesis are a much treasured band that were not nearly as "pretentious" as they have been made out to be. I love your site, and I love your choices, but some us like all kinds of music for different reasons, and I just think it's a shame when people like yourself who I consider to be some of the most knowledgeable people around have to resort to putting down other bands. There is room enough for everyone. Except Lady Gaga...(kidding!)

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    1. Uh oh, sorry if I struck a raw nerve with my "pretentious" comment, but I have to call things the way I see (or in this case hear) them. You must remember that this blog is dedicated to a simpler more "innocent" style of music that was very prevalent in that era. That being said, please do not get the impression that I'm some kind of closed minded "garage/punk" fanatic who will only listen to records with fuzz guitars, cheezy organs, and snotty vocals. I really do love all kinds of music, and while I do consider Genesis to be rather pretentious, I don't totally dislike them. I like their first few LPs including the "live" one, but I have a real hard time sitting through "Lamb Lies Down On Broadway". I know it was one of their crowning achievements, but I think it's a real clunker. As far the post Gabriel output, I"m just not a big fan. I had ALL those albums ("Trick Of The Tail" etc.) at one time and ended up selling them because they just didn't do anything for me, and I do not like Phil Collins at all. I did see Peter Gabriel back in '80 during his "Games Without Frontiers" tour and thought he was fantastic. On the other hand I saw Yes once in what was a very much anticipated (and expensive at the time) concert and fell asleep. My first concert ever was Emerson, Lake, & Palmer, considered by many to be THEE most pretentious of all the British "progressive" rockers. Totally mind blowing. I'll never forget it, it was that good. I really love Deep Purple, one of may favorite bands EVER, but they too are as pretentious as the day is long. "Pretentiousness" can apply to any number of bands, including bunches up here in the north east who ply their wares as garage, or punk, or whatever, in what is supposed to be the total antithesis of "pretentiousness" but feel the need to add some costume schtick to their act. For those guys it's about the gimmick and not the music. Very pretentious in my opinion.
      I see your point though. If you're a fan of a particular band or style of music, you feel the need to defend what you love. I have to do that all the time. Hell, I've had to defend myself for playing a Fender Stratocaster and not some cheap piece of junk that squeals and won't stay in tune, but "Hey it looks cool" and falls into the "garage" thing. Some of my dearest friends and band mates swear by this crap and I've taken lots of heat and even have been berated for not falling in lockstep with "the look". Sorry to get off track here, but I think you get the point. Please don't be offended by any comments I make. Just because I call 'em the way I see 'em doesn't necessarily mean I dislike something or am trying to put them down. You've got to admit, it's tough to love everything. We all hear music that rubs us the wrong way sometimes, you know, like....LADY GAGA. BLECCCCHHHH!!!!!!

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    2. I completely see your point as well Dan. I also apologize if I came off as snooty about it. Because some of the arrangements on some of the songs you have showcased are actually rather complex, I was just sort of surprised by your comment. And yes, you should call them like you see them, but there are some bands (in any genre) that end up being used as punching bags, and sometimes I end up defending them for aesthetic and "humanitarian" reasons. Sorry if I was a little thin skinned, because otherwise, this is one of the finest blogs around, and I like to read your comments about the songs, especially the ones I have actually owned in the past. It brings back the 14 year old in me!
      Cheers, and thank you for the lack of Lady Gaga!

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    3. No apology nessecary. Lots of bands that I really like are used as punching bags and Genesis is one of them. It's tough to admit you are a fan of certain groups. I take a lot of heat for being a fan of Led Zeppelin, and I get dirty looks when I tell people about how I took my lovely wife to see Styx (twice) and really liked them. Say what you will about those guys, they put on a great show and actually are very unapologetic about putting on a "big rock show" complete with gigantic stacks of amps et. al. Ooh ooh, I also get dirty looks when I tell people that I like Rush. Saw them a while back and they were also very good. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder. Listen to what you love, no matter what. Except Lady Gaga. I still can't figure that one out. BLECCCCHHHH!

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  7. Jack Eely's Squires aren't the same as the "Going All The Way" group, are they?

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    1. No. The "Going All The Way" Squires were from Connecticut. Jack Eely and the Kingsmen were from Portland, Oregon.

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  8. Dan,
    Have had a busy summer....but I want you to have my new album! Here are the links!
    Thanks for all this great music!!!





    https://rapidshare.com/files/394269843/McFadden_s_Parachute-Flashback_To_my_Hometown.rar

    https://rapidshare.com/files/394269843/McFadden_s_Parachute-Flashback_To_my_Hometown.rar

    Thanks for offering us such great music!!!

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  9. Hi Dan - I have been following your blog for six months or so and I have got to say, from somebody who has collected british beat music and usa garage bands for over 30 years, you have some fine stuff and the 'new' sound is really much better, well done keep it coming !!

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  10. Hey Dan, Here is another one - re-mastered and repackaged from a rare cassette release from 1994!
    Hope you dig these rough sounds!

    https://rapidshare.com/files/199971962/Black_and_White_Rainbows.zip

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  11. Long ago I follow your site, and I've heard all the "Dan's Garage" and all "obscure 60's garage".
    This volume download it a month ago, but my computer problem I erase me, Al re-download, Mediafire says:
    "This file has been Identified as a copyright protected work and can not be distributed using MediaFire."
    Mediafire has deleted things blogger friends, as Paradise of garage comps, garage tapes, boozetunes and many more and also in mine.
    http://tommentonenlacuadra.blogspot.com.es/
    This is a warning about Mediafire, I personally I have changed server, and other blogs too.

    I would like if possible reupload this volume.

    A greeting from Spain

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  12. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  13. psychedelic trips

    congratulations blog psychedelic forever

    password???????????????????????????????????????????? 77 ???????

    tanks very much friends 60s

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