In Dan’s Garage…#91

I haven’t got much to say today, mainly because an extremely NASTY virus infected my computer (courtesy of my loveable son) and has put me in a foul mood. But I did get it fixed so’s I can get this here post out. So please, enjoy this day’s offerings, and keep smiling!

Bobby Kent & The Kentones – Don’t Go’way / Summertime Is Through (1959) Let’s start off with an early rocker from the Salem, MA area. A side is a great mover and the B is typical teen heartthrob fare. Booby Kent’s real name was Bob Kassiotis and was apparently from Lynn, Ma.

Johnny & The Jays – Baby Do / Lugene (1960) I can’t say I know the complete history of this particular rocker, but it was also recorded by Jackie Lee Cochran and was never released except for the acetate making a couple of appearances on various comps. A nice up-tempo rocker backed by another teen crooner.

Chartbusters – Why / Stop The Music (1964) The second 45 by these D.C. legends, and they follow up “She’s The One” with another Invasion styled doozy. The flip was written by Big Al Dowling who they backed up as the Poe Kats back in the 50’s.

Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas – Bad To Me / Little Children (1964) OK, I know this is not garage or psyche or anything related (well I stand corrected, they were a “beat” group), and yeah, it’s a common 45, but this was in the stack and I played it and…you know what??? I’ve heard countless CDs over the years proclaiming superior sound, and re-mastered this, and digitally enhanced that, and the whole argument that digital music is better than pure analog music (e.g. VINYL), and that you don’t have to deal with pops and scratches and BLAH BLAH BLAH. Well I’m here to say…FUCK CDS!!!!!!!!!. I hate those fucking things. You know what happens when a CD gets scratched?? IT’S FUCKED! You can’t play the goddamned thing anymore and it skips even worse than a piece of scratched vinyl does. Plus the sound is usually horrendous. It’s all tinny and there’s a general ice pick to the ear quality about it. Ever hear a copy of “Please Please Me” by the Beatles on VJ Records in pure mono? It’s glorious. Even with the pops and scratches, which is why I included this here 45 in this post. I played it and it just sounds so good in all it’s monophonic glory. Scratches and all. Sorry for the vulgarities, but I had to get that off my chest……..whew! Oh, yeah, Billy J. was from Liverpool (actually nearby Bootle) and a pal of the above mentioned Beatles. He was rather successful for a bit, but couldn’t keep up with the changes that the late 60s brought about. His handful of hits are excellent IMHO.

Fenways – Humpty Dumpty (1964) Pittsburgh’s Fenways are probably best known for backing up the Vogues who also recorded a version of this tune probably using The Fenways as a backing band for that one as well. This “solo” effort, if you will, is different from the Vogues track.

Leaves – Hey Joe / Funny Little World (1965) Released twice by Mira records, this is the second and more famous version of the song.There is a bit of debate as to which version is better, but I think both are great. The fist one might be a bit “garagier” than the second as it lacks the prominent fuzz guitar of the second.

Leaves – Get Out Of My Life Woman (1966) Another one by the Leaves, this time something a little more soul influenced. I swear I have a version of this same 45 in one of my boxes that is a different mix with some atrocious horns tacked on to it.

Vejtables – I Still Love You / Anything (1965) The Vejtables were one of the finest acts to come out of the Bay Area in the mid sixties before the Haight/Ashbury hype became prominent. They, along with other folk rock groups like The Beau Brummels and We Five created a unique sound that was somewhat different than their SoCal counterparts in LA. Both sides of this 45 are great and it’s too bad they never got the exposure they deserved. Drummer Jan Errico would eventually quit and join The Mojo Men who had a minor hit with Stephen Stills’ “Sit Down I Think I Love You”.

Combenashuns – What’cha Gonna Do? / Hey! Uncle Sam (1966) All I know about this somewhat lo-fi 45 is that they were from Bethlehem, PA. Anyone out there know more????

Life – Snake Bite / One O'clock Noon Time (1967) A group that was based in Auburn, AL, they formed in college and travelled up to Memphis and recorded this neat two sider at Hi studios. I could tell you more, but if you click HERE, It’ll take you to a very nice blog that’ll give you tons more info than I can offer.

Happy Return – To Give Your Lovin’ / I Thought I Loved Her (1969) I found a little bit of info on this group from St. Louis. The band members consisted of Steve Noack (vocals, lead guitar), Tom Noack (rhythm guitar), Jim Cunningham (organ), Jimmy Albright (bass), and Rich Carroll (drums). Apparently Norman Petty was involved in this affair as it shows up on a website of Norman Petty Productions. Nice fuzzed out heaviness on the A side with a much softer B side.

Movers – Leave Me Loose / Birmingham (1969) Another hard edged 45 from ‘69. Pretty good for something that came out so late in the decade. From New Port Richey, FL.

End – Shades Of Orange / Loving, Sacred Loving (1968) Long thought to be The Rolling Stones incognito because of Bill Wyman’s involvement, it appeared on many bootleg LPs before people finally realized they were in fact NOT the Stones. Their debut 45 which is more ‘mod’ than psyche can be found on IDG# 25.

Genesis – Angeline / Suzanne (1969) I’ll just politely point out that this is not the British super group, but an entirely different crew from the USA. They recorded an LP which was a mixed bag of pop and psyche, but this heavy number really stands out.

Hype – Waiting For The Man / White Light, White Heat (1970) Well, this 45 appeared in my stack and I wasn't sure whether to include it or not. For those who are unaware, The Hype was a band that was formed by David Bowie in 1970, and were sort of a bridge between Space Oddity and Hunky Dory, although you can hear what was to become the basis for Ziggy Stardust on both sides, which are covers of two famous Velvet Underground songs. Band members were Mick Ronson [guitar], Tony Visconti [bass] and John Cambridge [drums] as well as Bowie who played rhythm and sang vocals (naturally). The Hype never really had many performances except for a few appearances on the BBC which is where these recordings were most likely taken from. This 45 is obviously some sort of a bootleg and I’m including it here more for historical value, although I must say they’re both excellent performances and don’t really seem too out of place. I thought this was some kind of super rarity, but it turns out it really doesn’t fetch very much $$$ on the market.

get it here