Dan's Garage: 2023

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Accidents will happen...

So, thanks to The Hound, who's ears are finely tuned to this blog, he (or she) noticed that the file for The Move's "Yellow Rainbow" was missing sound in one channel. That's because I hastily edited it without doing any "proof-listening". Lazy on my end. Here's a link to a proper MONO track. Have fun.

The Move - Yellow Rainbow (A&M)

Sunday, April 30, 2023

In Dan's Garage...#147

Greetings music lovers!!!!! I started this post last weekend after attening "Record Store Day" for the very first time in my life last week. I was at one of these events back in 2012, but I was playing with The True Believers that day in a live music event that was tied in to the whole affair and was promoted by a local record store guy. I really didn't do any record shopping 'cause I was so distracted by setting up, playing, blah, blah, blah, and I had just returned from a trip to D.C. that really cut into my schedule, but I had to be there.

So last Saturday I went mostly to go see one of my bandmates who was playing a gig at this rather large record store in Rochester, but being a record collector I had to really witness the "hoopla" involved with "Record Store Day". Turns out, my buddy got sick and wasn't even playing, and the atmosphere was...eh...chaotic? I didn't know where they were keeping the so-called "valuable' "Record Store Day" stuff so I migrated towards the bargain bins (where bottom feeders like me usually reside), and scoured all of them. Long story short, I spent $20 and walked away with 10 L.P.'s including a decent copy of Badfinger's "Straight Up', a huge hole in my collection of albums.

I'm certain that there's mixed feelings about this event. I get that "exclusives" are part of what record collecting is about. You want that cool stuff that is limited so you can say, "I got that one", but I'm not so sure the cost of these things are worth it. I can safely say I got Badfinger's "Straight Up" now, but do I really need a copy of Dave Mason's "Alone Together Again" for 30+ dollars? Probably not. I know some of you friends out there will strongly disagree with me and that's OK, we love to collect records and revel in the joy of dropping the needle on them, but personally, I think going out for a day and spending four figures on a bunch of records is way over the top, at least for my budget. Even if I had that kind of money to spend, I'd be looking for originals, and not some repacked stuff on colored vinyl. That's just my opinion.

Glad to be here again, and I'm striving to make this at least a monthly thing. This time around we have some very cool 45's featured so dig in and enjoy!!!!

American Four - Luci Baines / Soul Food (1965)

Here's a pre-Love Arthur Lee re-making the classic "Louie Louie" riff into a serenade for Lyndon Johnson's hip swingin' daughter Luci Baines. I'm not sure if this was a hit, but it sure is a classic. Lee would then go on to form Love, and become a cult hero.

Belairs - Mr. Moto / Little Brown Jug (1962)

I rarely feature instrumentals because A: they don't exactly fit with the general theme of this blog (although that may change sooner than later) and B: I don't collect many of them. This however, is one of my all time favorite instros of all time and it took me years to come across a copy and this one was in decent shape and affordable! The Belairs were from L.A. and featured Eddie Bertrand of Eddie & The Showmen fame and a pre-Standells Dick Dodd. Richard Delvy replaced Dodd on the drums and after the Belairs split up formed The Challengers, another boss surf group that released a slew of cool stuff on Del-Fi.

Overtones - La La La La La / Please Let Me Know (1965)

Here's a great garage band from The Bronx that actually released FOUR 45's on the Ajax record label. I've heard at least one other and it's also very good. On this one they cover The Blendell's "La La La La La" with a very moody flip side.

5X5 - Shake A Tail Feather / Tell Me What To Do (1967)

The Five By Five, as some of you may know, had a slew of 45's on Paula Records. They hailed from Magnolia, Arkansas and released EIGHT 45's and a full length LP on that label. This was their first and is a decent rendition of "Shake A Tail Feather". A lot of people dig the flip side which is a cover of The Uniques' "Tell Me What To Do" which ironically was released on the same label a year before. I need two more Five By Five 45's to complete my collection.....

E-Cellents - And I'm Cryin' / The Slide (1966)

The "E-Cellents" were actually better known as the "X-cellents". They were from Dayton, Ohio and released three 45's, two on Sure Play and one on Smash, a nationally distributed label. Apparently, they misspelled the band's name on this 45 which caused some confusion amongst the Dayton, OH record buying public.

Deadlys - On The Road Again (1966)

Penetrations - Midnight Hour (1966)

I don't like to feature re-issues or bootleg 45's on this blog because I try to find originals. In the case of this 45 there is no "original 45" as both of these songs were taken from a "sampler L.P." that came out on Hillside Records, a label out of Columbus, Ohio that had a dozen or so 45's released on it, most being Country and a bit of Soul. They did though, release an L.P. of local bands in 1966 which is very sought after by collectors of Garage bands and these two songs were taken from it. I'm not sure if these are the best examples from that record, but I do know that The Deadlys "On The Road Again" was on a "Highs In The Mid Sixties" comp and is certainly deadly in terms of garage band cred. "Midnight Hour" is no slouch either. It seems as if all of this was recorded in a high school auditorium on the same day, because there's really no difference in in the quality of the recordings (next up...THE DEADLYS!). There's a few of these 45's floating around on Ebay at a decent price. By the way...dig the colored vinyl! Highly recommended.

Esquires - It's A Dirty Shame / Love Hides A Multitude Of Sins (1966)

The Esquires were a Canadian band out of Ottawa, Ontario that started as an instrumental group, they backed Any Kim early in their career and kind of migrated towards being a vocal band. They released several 45's and once had Don Norman (of The Other 4) and Bruce Cockburn in the group. Both sides of this 45 are really hip and it's one of my better finds from 2022.

Cut-Ups - Everything's Yellow (1967)

Here's a 45 that I came across very early in my days of crate digging at "Fat Chuck's" warehouse in downtown Rochester. Fat Chuck bought the entire library of records from former radio station WSAY, a LEGENDARY spot on the dial that was run by on old guy named Gordon Brown. After he passed on, the station got sold along with it's contents, but I digress.

Chuck's inventory was literally in cardboard boxes. Boxes of all types including fruit boxes and the like, but it was an amazing place! Lot's of things were sorted by label which is where I found my copies of The Sparkles "Hipsville 29 B.C. and Neal Ford And The Fanatics' "Shame On You" as well as Roy Jr.'s "Victim Of Circumstance".

So anytime I'd come across a record on the Hickory label I was thinking, "good stuff here" right??? Well.....maybe not so much. I played this one and after the first 15 seconds or so I thought, yeah baby, KILLER! No, not so much. This isn't a Horrible record, but it's rather unique in it's mashup of garage and pop. I was able to find a nice copy for real cheap because, hell, I wouldn't pay a lot for this, but it has strangely grown on me over the years....

Three People - Have You Ever Been There / The Good Times (1966)

I like this 45 because it reminds me of The Seekers, and I love that group because they had this rather innocent style of folk music unlike the folk groups in the U.S. that were mainly into political and social issues. Not being into politics when you're trying to reach the public can be a good thing IN MY HONEST OPINION, should be avoided. But that's just MY HONEST OPINION. That being said, Three People, who were from Manchester released three 45's, three in the U.K. and this lonely one here in the U.S. Apparently, Deep Purple bassist and producer Roger Glover wrote the A side to this and Episode Six made a demo of it before Three People got a hold of it and turned it into a very nice meaningful folk rock tune.

Lovin' Cohens - Noshville Katz / Shoily Klien (1966)

I don't usually feature "novelty" songs on this blog unless they're really cool. This is one of them. I'm going to keep this short, because I love Jewish culture, and it really is like Italian culture (where I was brought up) where food is an important component to daily living.

This tune, which is a re-make of The Lovin' Spoonful's "Nashville Cats" is hilarious! The 'B' side is not bad either, so if you're near a nice kosher deli grab a potato knish, or a corned beef on rye, and play this while you're noshing. Eat darling, eat.

Koffee Beans - Orange Colored Penguin / Ad Man (1970)

Koffee Beans were a group out of the Baltimore, MD area and once were The Henchmen, a band that released a KILLER 45 on Ru-Jac. Obviously as the years went on, they went a bit "progressive", changed their name to Koffee Beans and released two 45's on the Format label. Both of these are really good and this one is a little more on the psychedelic side.

Move - Something / Yellow Rainbow (1968)

I love The Move. They were one of the British bands that straddled the line between freakbeat, mod, and total psychedelia. In my opinion, they were one of the greatest "pre-power pop" bands ever. They had quite a few 45's released here in the U.S. as well as the U.K. and their history is somewhat hard to keep track of, but the main characters in the band were, Roy Wood, Trevor Burton, Ace Kefford, Jeff Lynne... almost a revolving door of British superstars. They would split up several times in their career, evolved into the Electric Light Orchestra, and left us with some very cool music. This 45 from 1968 is one of their best.

Bob Seger - Tales Of Lucy Blue (1968)

I was at a record show (or 'fair" as some folks call them these days) and came across a seller who was basically trying to get rid of shit. Seriously, he had a box of 45's that were mostly garbage, but had a few cool things in it and asked me if I would take the entire box off his hands for $25. I declined, as a dear friend of mine (Rox, are you reading this???) gave me three large shopping bags full of 45's a few months before, and I'm still trying to sort though all of them. Anyway....I did buy a half dozen or so from him at 25¢ apiece and this was one of them. I gotta admit, I love Seger's early work on Cameo Records, but I kinda have to put my foot through the radio when I hear the typical "classic rock" stuff that's played 500 times a day on FM radio. This tune here was the flip of "Rambin' Gamblin' Man" one of his better songs that transitioned him into an FM mainstay. I'm posting this one, because it's really freakin' cool and possibly one of his last garage/psyche songs ever to be released.

Neil MacArthur - She's Not There / World Of Glass (1969)

Neil MacArthur is one of my favorites and was actually Colin Blunstone post Zombies and released three 45's that were produced by Mike Hurst a guy that was involved with Dusty Springfield in "The Springfields", a band called "The Methods" that included Tony Ashton and Jimmy Page, and then discovered Cat Stevens and produced some of his early hits on Deram, as well as producing Manfred Mann's "Mighty Quinn", Marc Bolan's "The Wizard", The Spencer Davis Group (post Steve Winwood), The Move, plus scores of others. His imprint on these 45's by MacArthur are not exactly "rock", but a fusion of pop and psychedelia that's rather unique and quite catchy. I love this version of "She's Not There" and I first discovered it watching the Netflix series "The Crown" where they used it for the closing credits of an episode.

HERE

Sunday, March 26, 2023

In Dan's Garage...#146

Greetings music lovers! As promised at the beginning of the year, I would at some point resume this blog, something I've neglected to do for way too long. I started this post last year and started ripping 45's and scanning labels. At some point I reshuffled stuff and the un-scanned 45's got lost in one of my many boxes of records laying around my workstation so I put it off until I could retrieve them. This week I got lucky and happened to find them so I resumed the task of ripping and scanning and this one came together quite nicely. Records haven't been pouring in, but whatever I do get seems to be of good quality and I'm happy to share some of them this time around. Good news is, as I've said before, I have LOADS of stuff yet to be posted. I'm just not as organized as I should be!!!! So please dig in to this newest edition of "Dan's Garage", I'm sure you'll all enjoy it.

P.S. Thanks to all of my friends and followers who have stuck around for this. You're what makes this blog worthwhile.

Idle Few - Farmer John (1966)

The Idle Few were from Indianapolis and released this great version of "Farmer John" with a very lame flip side. Actually, the flip was the 'A', but this tune is way better IMHO. This also came out on Dunwich records.

Tri-Counts - You've Got It (1965?)

I can't exactly nail down a date on this particular 45. BRB Records had only three releases that I'm aware of, and trying to figure out where they are from also turns up a lot of dead ends. My best guess is that this is an east coast band, perhaps from Pennsylvania? I don't know, but I really love this cheezy re-work of the Bell Notes' "I've Had It" into "You've Got It"!

Jim & Monica - Slippin' And Slidin' (1964)

Jim And Monica were from the Chicago area, and from what I gather were a popular act. Somewhere along the way, people started thinking that this was Jimmy Gilmer from the Fireballs, but I guess that theory has been debunked.

Ian & The Zodiacs - The Crying Game / Livin' Lovin' Wreck (1964)

Ian & The Zodiacs were a pretty good band from Liverpool, unfortunately, they never achieved the fame and fortune that The Beatles acquired, not that they weren't decent musicians, they just "were who they were", a really good band that played some really good songs that never quite made it. I, for one, think they were very good, in fact I have all their 45's that were released here in the U.S. and "Why Can't It Be Me" is right up there with any Beatles song from the pre Rubber Soul era. That being said, Ian & The Zodiacs will unfortunately be just a footnote in the history of "Merseybeat". It should also be noted that the band travelled to Hamburg to play the Star Club in '64 and became so popular there that they stayed on for another three years.

Volcanoes - Someone Like You / Two Of A Kind (1966)

Here's one that threw me off. Upon listening to this 45 I always assumed (when you ASSUME you make an ASS of U and ME) that this was a group from the south. Thanks to the fine people at garagehangover.com, I got the straight scoop. These guys were actually from Burlington, Vermont, not exactly a hotbed of garage band activity, but hey, even teenagers in Burlington needed to let loose once and a while, and I guess The Volcanoes were the band that delivered!

Jack Eely & The Courtmen - Louie Go Home / Ride Ride Baby (1966)

Ya gotta love Jack Eely. He was thee undisputed voice, of "Louie Louie", but when he got back from a stint in the armed forces,and was ready to resume his duties as The Kingsmen's lead vocalist, Lynn Easton kind of shut him out, soooooo, he formed the Squires and had a superb 45 on RCA (as Jake E. Lee) with "Love That Louie" which rivals "Louie", and then moved on to Bang records where he, and The Courtmen, released two 45's in typical Pacific Northwest form. The first being "Louie Louie '66" and the second, this rendition of the classic "Louie Go Home". Unfortunately Jack Eely's career faded at this point, but at least he left us with some true frat-rock classics.

Lords Of London - Time Waits For No One / Cornflakes And Ice Cream (1967)

The Lords Of London were a group from Toronto, Ontario, Canada that released three 45's up north and two here in the U.S. I'm giving the 'B' side on this one feature status, not because it stinks, but because "Time Waits For No One" is clearly the superior track. "Cornflakes And Ice Cream" is pretty much what the title describes. Very good Bubblegum Rock.

Critters - No One But You / I'm Telling Everyone (1967)

Not sure what the real story is on this 45, apparently this record was released in '67 in the wake of the success The Critters had with "Mr. Diengnly Sad" as a cash in? These sides are supposedly either Critters demos from '65 or so, or not even them at all. There were also lawsuits filed to get it pulled off the market. I think this is better than anything else they ever put out, a nice moody garage band two sider.

Easybeats - Falling Off The Edge Of The World / Remember Sam (1967)

I love the Easybeats, one of the best beat groups from the'60's, a band that should have gone further even though "Friday On My Mind" was a smash in the U.S. The released two L.P.'s in the States, "Friday On My Mind", which was produced by Shel Talmy and "Falling Off The Edge Of The World" (Titled "Vigil" everywhere else) produced by Mike Vaughn an recorded here in the U.S. while they were on tour. Side 'A' is from the latter and side 'B' from the former. Personally, I consider the stuff produced by Talmy to be far superior and all the cuts he produced for them are my favorites, especially "Remember Sam" one of the best songs ever. A gem.

Nazar Blues - Ninety Nine And A Half / Hubie (1967?)

Heres one that I have a little bit of info on. The Nazar Blues were from the Columbus, OH area and I guess according to Buckeye Beat, were quite popular. Decent R&B/Soul with a blues instro on the 'B' side.

Group Therapy - Thoughts / Come On (1967)

Joe Renzetti was a session guitarist and producer that did a lot of work for Mercury, Philips, & Smash records including producing Keith's "98.6" and Sunny by Bobby Hebb. This must've been some kind of one-off studio concoction as both sides are quite different from each other. one's real psychedelic and the other is R&B/Soul. Renzetti was from Philadelphia by the way and did play guitar on a lot of Cameo/Parkway records including "Let's Twist Again".

Sidewalk Skipper Band - Strawberry Tuesday / Cynthia At The Garden (1967)

This group was from Milwaukee, WI and released two 45's on Capitol which were recorded at Universal Recording in Chicago and one on Teen Town, a local Milwaukee label. Very nice pop/psyche on this 45.

Ronnie Burns - All The Kings Horses / Coalman (1967)

Ronnie Burns was a popular guy in Australia during the mid-sixties and his career extended into the 80's although he apparently moved towards "Adult-Contemporary" music. He started his career with The Flies who were a pretty good beat group and went solo around the end of 1966. In 1967, he hooked up with the Gibb brothers of Bee Gees fame, that had recorded a bunch of material, and Ronnie laid vocal tracks over them. This excellent two sider is a great example and "Coalman" is the standout track here.

Fearn's Foundry - Now I Taste The Tears / Love, Sink, and Drown (1968)

Here's a real sad tale o' woe. I featured this song way back in 2018 on IDG #130 and was done by The Smiths. I guess this is the original version? It was written by Buzz Clifford, a guitarist, songwriter, and producer. He was also a member of Hamilton Streetcar and Carp with Gary Busey. Fearns Foundry was was a Mod/Soul band from the U.K. and was knowns as "Fearns Brass Foundry". As for Noel Walker who produced this, his name shows up on many Decca and Deram records so it's probably safe to assume he was a staff producer. A few of his credits include The Big Three, The Bachelors, The Eyes Of Blue, The Fortunes, The Amen Corner, plus scores of others.

Spectrum - London Bridge Is Falling Down (1968)

Pretty good pop/psyche from a band out of the U.K., even if it is a re-work of a nursery rhyme.

Brimstone - Blowin' In The Wind / Trinket (1969)

I'm not certain of where Brimstone is from, but they're not related to a band with the same name that was from Ohio. I've read some info that these guys were from Florida, but it's on a N.Y.C. label. "Trinket" is good Soul/Psyche and their version of "Blowin' In The Wind" has an interesting gospel flair to it.

Esko Affair - Morning Dull Fires (1969)

Of the four sides these guys recorded, two were blue eyed soul, one was "On Broadway" done in a heavy Vanilla Fudge style, and then this wicked ass piece of psychedelia which is by far their best song. Unfortunately, my copy is pretty scratchy, but plays well enough (I guess) to enjoy. I wish I knew what the words to the chorus were because I don't know what "Morning Dull Fires" refer to. From Philadelphia.