In Dan’s Garage…#86

Hi Y’all! With all the super duper crazy shit that’s been going on here in  the good ol’ USA these days, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to offer up some good “wholesome” entertainment for you. So please, turn off the evening news for a while and indulge in some cool sounds from the 60s and 70s. You deserve it.

Blue Beats – Born In Chicago / I Can’t Get Close (To Her At All) (1966) We heard these guys in the last edition of IDG doing a nice garage/pop 2 sider. They stick to the same formula on the B side of this follow up, but try their hand at some gritty Yardbirds style blues on the top. The A side was written by Nick Gravenites who’s work was extensively covered by the likes of Janis Joplin, Mike Bloomfield, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Electric Flag, and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band who most famously covered “Born In Chicago”.

Saints – Out In The Street / Please Don’t Leave Me (1966) Not to be confused with the Aussie punk legends, these guys were (or at least the label was) from suburban Chicago. Absolutely nothing is known about this band except for the location and the fact that they attempted a Who cover. The flip is a nice Invasion styled ballad which is somewhat crude and inept as well. In other words, a GREAT 45!

Tears – Weatherman / Read All About It (1966) A fantastic Bay Area group that released one other 45 in 1968, but this one here is a standout, featuring way cool fuzz guitars and terrific vocals.

Agents – Gotta Help Me / Calling An Angel (1965) A West Coast group that sounds like they cashed in on the Byrds hype at the time by aping “Mr. Tambourine Man”, turning it sideways a bit, and changing the subject matter to girls (naturally). Genius.

Beaten Path – Doctor Stone / Never Never (1966) I’m not exactly sure if this is the same group from Reading, PA that delivered the awesome “Original Nothing People”, or if they are from Brooklyn, NY as some people claim, but either way this is an excellent version of the Leaves’ song. The label says that this was featured in the Warner Bros, film “The Cool Ones” (which I’ve yet to see by the way…) but The Leaves were the band that actually were featured in the flick, so it’s kind of like some “false advertising” if you will. In any case, I consider this to be the “superior” version. Only because I’ve heard it a gazillion times and it’s pretty much etched into my brain…..

Fantasmics – Wild One / Heaven Or Hell (1966) A group from Manchester, NH that melded some Sir Douglas vibe with Bo Diddley. Nice combo.

Uptowners – She’s Mine / Down The Pike (196?) Another take on “Willie & The Hand Jive”, this one from Fort Worth, TX. The flip is an early 60s style sax driven instro.

Liverpool Five – Cloudy / She’s (Got Plenty Of Love) (1967) We all know the story on these guys. Here’s another example of how they could take a song and truly make it their own. “Cloudy” is schmaltz but you gotta admire the way they tackle it and turn it into something cool, and I do like Paul Simon and think this is one of his better songs. “She’s Got Plenty Of Love” was a song from The Peeps and they slow it down and turn it into a moody classic. Genius.

Harrison – Rejected Me / There’s Time (196?) Another mystery group, this time from Minneapolis, MN. Not sure of the date either. It could possibly be from as late as 1970 but who knows for sure????? Excellent brooding garage with a prominent organ.

Act Of Creation – I’ve Just Seen You / Yesterday Noontime (1967) Holy Cats!!!!! Talk about sheer psychedelic GENIUS!!!!!!! This 45 is among the best in my humble opinion (as far as psychedelic songs go) because it embodies everything great about what is “psych”. Fuzz guitar, a dreamy double tracked harmonized vocal, some weird percussion in the background. Ahhhhh…perfect. Especially the bridge and it’s exit. Everything about this 45 is FANTASTIC! Why these guys didn't get any fame is beyond me.

Trend – Shot On Sight / Boyfriends And Girlfriends (1966) I’m not exactly sure of this group's history, but from what I gather, it’s an early effort of Mike Giles who at the time was in the “Trendsetters Limited” and eventually would go on to form “Giles,Giles & Fripp”, one of the great British psych bands that ended up as King Crimson.

Living Daylights – Live For Today / I’m Real (1967) There’s an interesting story with the famous song that is on the A side of this 45. Although it’s most associated with The Grass Roots, who did an excellent version of it, it originally was written and recorded by The Rokes (I’ll get to that one in the future) with Italian lyrics entitled “Piangi Con Me’ or translated as “Cry With Me. The Living Daylights actually were the first to release this great song, (beating out the Rokes) but alas had no real luck with it. The Grass Roots took care of that issue just days after this was released in the USA.

Skapegoat – Good Times, Bad Times / Annabel Lee (196?) Another mystery group, this time presumably from California, but I really can’t say for sure. They offer up a heavy rendition of the Stones’ “Good Times, Bad Times” on the A side and a cool heavy psych original on the flip.

Wild Cherries - You Know What Cha Want / Baby I See (1971) Hailing from Iowa, these guys were originally known a s “The Plastic Mushroom Band” and had some records released on local labels. They eventually changed their name to “Wild Cherries” managed to get a recording contract with powerhouse label Kapp, and put out this one excellent 45 in the early 70s. Check their story out HERE.

GET IT HERE