In Dan’s Garage…#80

Happy Thanksgiving all! I was thinking a bit today on what exactly to give thanks for, and there’s a lot so I won’t get into details except to say that I give thanks that I live a decent, albeit humble, life. That’s OK. I like it that way. I give thanks for my kids and my lovely wife and for the fantastic music that is presented here and everywhere else on this great earth. I do not give thanks to the 46+ bags of leaves that I’ve had to clean up over the past few weeks. Those sons-a-bitches can stay on the trees for all I care. OK, there’s my rant for the day! Here’s a nice Thanksgiving offering for all, including the ones out there who don’t celebrate it. Enjoy.

Wanted – In The Midnight Hour / Here To Stay (1966) A Detroit area band that had about 8 45s released, some having the same song on different labels. In any case, this one was nationally released on A&M and has a decent cover of Wilson Pickett’s “Midnight Hour” on the the top side, but the real genius tune is “Here To Stay” which is a top notch teen ballad that fits squarely into the “moody garage” category. Excellent.

Bob Troy – Tell You What I’m Gonna Do / I Never Worry (1966) Very cool “big production” recording but still has a good feel to it. I don’t know much about Bob Troy, who may have been a studio concoction, but John Simon who produced this worked The Cyrkle’s “Red Rubber Ball” as well as classic rock icon LP’s Big Brother & The Holding Co. (Cheap Thrills) and Blood, Sweat, & Tears.

Bootles – I’ll Let You Hold My Hand / Never Till Now (1965) Four totally hot chicks dressed in boots warbling about letting you hold their hand.

Jim Edger & The Roadrunners – Tennessee Stud / Wait A Little Longer (1966) It’s ironic that after posting DeWayne & The Beldettas’ version of this country classic last post, I’d come across another version by yet another Oklahoma based group. This one’s not quite as frantic, but good anyway. The flip is fairly decent too.

Palace Guard – Falling Sugar / Oh Blue (1965) One of my all time favorites. This group included a very young Emmit Rhodes at one point and I think My Three Sons star Don Grady was in this band too.

7 Sons – Don’t You Dare Say No (1966) Good soul influenced 45 from Iowa.

Pete Klint Quintet – Shake / Walkin’ Proud (1967) The Midwest was certainly a hotbed of “blue eyed soul” as evidenced by groups like The Fabulous Flippers from Kansas, and Iowa’s Pete Klint Quintet who covered Sam Cooke’s “Shake” very nicely on this 45.

Richie Bruce – I Plan My Life / Any Girl That Wants Me (1966) I’m not sure who Richie Bruce Is, but he’s probably Wayne Brewster the songwriter credited on this very obscure but cool 45.

Terry Knight & The Pack – A Change On The Way (1966) Deep thoughts from Terry Knight & the pre-Grand Funk Railroad gang.

Velvet Illusions – Velvet Illusions / I Was Born To Be A Rolling Stone (1967) One of the coolest WSAY finds ever. A great L.A. group that released four 45s including the classic “Acid Head”.

Ragamuffins – Four Days Of Rain / It Wasn’t Happening At All (1967) I gotta say that the A side of this 45 is perhaps one of the best folk-rock songs ever. Why this didn’t make it I can’t say for sure, but it wipes the floor with junk like “Eve Of Destruction” on the most overrated songs of all time (in my opinion).

Better Sweet – Like The Flowers / I Can’t Do It By Myself (1967) Good up-tempo garage by a Memphis group. These guys (and one gal drummer) were reportedly from New Jersey and were attending college in Tennessee.

Ides Of March – Give Your Mind Wings / My Foolish Pride (1967) Another fantastic effort by this Chicago group. The B side finds them heading into “Vehicle” territory.

Jesters – Cadillac Man / My Babe (1966) Rough and tumble R&B from a Memphis group that obviously shunned “The British Invasion” sound. One of the last 45s to be released on the original Sun label.

Pleasure Seekers – Theme From The Valley Of The Dolls / If You Climb On The Tigers Back (1967) I really wish I knew the story on this one. I’m not 100% sure these are the same gals from Detroit who’s “What A Way To Die” is an absolute garage punk classic, or some studio concoction by a bunch of corporate chumps who didn’t know if the “real” Pleasure Seekers even existed, or didn’t really care, because the band members never mention this 45 in any interviews I’ve read. In any case, it’s a nice lightweight piece of psych/pop especially the flip.

Arrows – Apache ‘65 (1965) Let’s end this party with a nice up-tempo version of Apache.

get it here

In Dan’s Garage…#79

Greetings friends and followers! Welcome to another edition of…In Dan’s Garage!!!!! I initially wrote this huge rant on a number of topics that have made me quite ornery lately, especially the file sharing snafu, but so many other things were nagging me, I decided to set the rant aside. That’s because as I was proofreading it (something I don’t do enough of) I began to bore myself, so if I’m bored, then you’re going to be. So instead, I’ll briefly touch on a few things here that have been on my mind….. First. Apologies for being a little testy in some of my replies to comments. I’m just trying to figure out ways to get these comps to people who really want them. Second. I’ve tried my best to make these links to the downloads as cryptic as possible. The password is in plain view and most of you out there are savvy enough to figure it out. Third. I don’t “censor” comments too often. I do get spam, which I don’t even count, and I have had requests not to post certain comments for privacy reasons. Some comments are requests for things that I unfortunately don’t have much time for, and some are political rants which get tossed out before I even finish reading them. Here’s my thought on those… We here in the USA live in what I consider the most TOXIC political landscape I’ve ever witnessed. We are a divided country and the last thing I want is to let people use this blog as a vehicle for more division. I personally do not care if you are a Conservative or a Liberal. The music that lies within this blog is something that unites us all. It is a common bond that should be celebrated regardless of political affiliation or personal philosophy. OK???? Good. Last. Hurricane Sandy hit us this past Monday and while I was relatively unscathed (I lost power for several hours and the screen on my back patio got blown out. Big whoop.), LOTS of people in the New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut areas truly have a long road to hoe. My thoughts go out to all of them. If any of you are followers of this blog, my prayers are with you. My wish is that hopefully some of the music here will ease a bit of the pain. Ladies and Gents…Number 79.

Rick And Ron & The Victors – Money / Let The Good Times Roll (1964) Another 45 on Ibis Records (which is presumably from California) that has some Jim Messina involvement. This one features Rick & Ron who try to be Righteous Bros. clones and do a decent job at it.

Fitz & Startz – I’m Not Running Away / So Sweet (1965) The Fitz & Startz were a group from the Manchester area and were basically a “local” act who played on various mixed bills with some bigger acts. Their claim to fame though is the fact that a very young, pre-Yardbird Jeff Beck played lead guitar on the A side of this very good 45.

Drafi – Marble Breaks And Iron Bends (1965) In IDG #35 we featured the German sung version of this tune. Here it is in English (duh).

DeWayne & The Beldettas – Tennessee Stud / I’ll Walk Along (1966) Well…I’m not sure how to categorize this one. It's definitely a country & western classic, but the delivery mixes the two genres, or three perhaps. Country, Rock & Roll, and Garage. DeWayne sings it like he’s on an episode of Hee Haw, but the band is chugging along Rock & Roll like. Real interesting. DeWayne & The Beldettas were from Oklahoma and DeWayne later became Cleveland County Sherriff.

Strangers – Plan On Someone New / What’s The Matter Baby (1966) A 45 that lies in an area where garage, do wop, and Beach Boys harmonies exist. No info available on this bunch.

Victorians – C’mon Dream (1966) Another unknown “vocal” group that featured a decent garage band backing them up. Most likely from California.

Episode Six – Mighty Morris Ten / Here, There, And Everywhere (1966) Here’s a group with some history! Episode Six were not a very successful group but they did have some longevity, and they did release this very good 45. Their claim to fame was that they had a pre-Deep Purple Ian Gillian and Roger Glover in their midst, and the weird thing is that this 45 sounds nothing like Deep Purple at all!

Hamilton King – Not Until (1964) Not much known about ol’ Hamilton here, but he’s somehow connected to Don Charles who’s “She’s Mine is featured in IDG #14. Alan Caddy who is credited on this disc played guitar in The Tornadoes so it’s more than likely this is a Joe Meek production.

Fastest Group Alive – The Bears / Beside (1966) I wish I knew a little bit more about these guys, but they are probably a west coast act and as far as I know had this one single, which is a neat “novelty” tune with some excellent vocal harmonies. This song is based on the A.A. Milne poem “Lines & Squares” which was made into a song by The Satans.

Chain Reaction – Ever Lovin’ Man (1968) A group from Yonkers, NY that is noteworthy for having Steve Tallarico as it’s lead vocalist. Steve changed his name to Steven Tyler, would form mega hit makers Aerosmith, and the rest is history.

Chicago Loop - (When She Wants Good Lovin') My Baby Comes To Me (1966) Typical “big” production from Bob Crewe on this one. Barry Goldberg was in this outfit and supposedly the great Mike Bloomfield played lead guitar on this cover of a Coasters tune.

Interns – Just Like Me (1966) Another group of Interns who are not related to the “Hard To Get” Interns on Uptown Records (which ironically was a subsidiary of Capitol). This band was from the UK and had three other 45s that I haven’t heard yet. It’s possible this was the only one to be released in the USA.

Beaver Patrol – E.S.P. (1967) The sole release from this Hollywood, FL group is this fuzzy rework of The Pretty Things’ L.S.D. Another great band moniker. Can you imagine some young lady telling her dad “my boyfriend plays in a band called The Beaver Patrol” YOW!

Dirty Shames – He’s Blown Your Mind (1967) Not the same as the ultra cool Dirty Shames of “Makin Love” fame, this trio was from Montana and that, unfortunately, is all I know. Great folky poppy vocals propped up by some excellent guitar work.

Jim Valley – Try, Try, Try (1967) A nice solo effort by the Paul Revere & The Raiders guitarist. Unlike the earlier “I’m Real”, which is a Pacific NW style pounder, this one is a great pop number.

Five By Five - I Ain't Gonna Be Your Fool No More (1968) Although this song was originally released in 1968 with a different B side, this issue is from 1970. Good use of a Uni-Vibe on this soul influenced song.

Unwanted Children – A Thing Of The Past / Without You (1969) Tough to find any info on this one except it was pressed in 1969. This lite psych two sider was probably recorded by a group from New York or Connecticut, but that is purely speculation on my part.

Wailers – Thinking Out Loud / You Can’t Fly (1967) The last 45 to be released by these Pacific NW legends. They definitely take somewhat of a sharp turn style-wise on this 45 as it vaguely resembles any of their earlier output, although “Thinking Out Loud” still has those pounding drums.

Bubble Puppy – Beginning / If I Had A Reason (1969) The second 45 released by this Houston, TX based band. This one has that familiar guitar work they are famous for, and echoes their first 45 “Hot Smoke And Sassafras”.

The Bears