The Gestures: S.t. (1964-65)

BAND INFO

This Mankato based group had a fab top 50 Billboard hit in 1964, "Run, Run, Run". Soma couldn't keep up with the record demand and the band folded soon (about 1 year) after. Gus Dewey went on to play with City Mouse. Gus passed away in January, 2004.Page down for more info on Gus.

One of the first American garage bands to write and perform British Invasion-derived material, the Gestures only recorded two singles in the mid-'60s. But one of those, "Run, Run, Run," was an excellent effort indeed, with its blend of surf-styled guitar, terrific pummeling drums, and Beatlesque harmonies. It made #44 nationally in late 1964, and made the Top Ten in several cities, but the Minnesota group only made one follow-up before disbanding. Recording for a tiny regional label, there wasn't enough of a support network to build the Gestures into a bigger act, although some strong original songs — which employed pleasing harmonies and unusual, almost jazzy chord structures — indicated that the group had considerable potential. As it was, they're just another in a line of young groups whose prospects were short-circuited by limited opportunities, although "Run, Run, Run" is now acknowledged as one of the earliest and best garage 45s, especially after it was reissued on Pebbles, Vol. 9.

ALBUM REVIEW

The Gestures never released an album during their brief existence. This 16-track disc was patched together by combining all four songs from their two singles with 12 previously unreleased cuts that were recorded for a projected (but unreleased album). "Run, Run, Run" is a stone classic, from its opening rush of ascending chords to its final chorus. Gestures songwriter Dale Menten penned a couple of other neat, more subdued tunes that bridged surf-frat rock with British Invasion styles. Most of the unreleased stuff, though, is competent, but not overly stunning, covers of mid-'60s hits from both the U.K. and the U.S. As such, it's more a testament to what might have been than a notable document, although garageheads will find it entertaining.

THIS ALBUM CONTAINS THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS OF THE BAND, THEY NEVER RELEASED AN OFFICIAL ALBUM, SO HERES THEIR STATMENT, RAW EARLY GARAGE SOUND, ITS A GREAT ALBUM FOR ME, CONTAINING THE CLASSIC "RUN RUN RUN".

LINK: YOU`D BETTER ¡¡¡ RUUN, RUUNN, RUUUNNNN !!!!

The Master's Apprentices: Complete Recordings (1965-68)

BAND INFO

One could easily make the case for designating the Master's Apprentices as the best Australian rock band of the '60s. Featuring singer Jim Keays and songwriter/rhythm guitarist Mick Bower, the band's earliest recordings combined the gritty R&B/rock of Brits like the Pretty Things with the minor-key melodies of the Yardbirds. The compelling "Wars or Hands of Time" and the dreamy psychedelia of "Living in a Child's Dream" were undiscovered classics, although the latter was a Top Ten hit in Australia. Bower left the group after suffering a nervous breakdown in late 1967, and the Masters grew steadily less interesting, moving from flower pop and hard rock to progressive and acoustic sounds. Plagued by instability (undergoing eight personnel changes between 1966 and 1968), the group moved to England in the early '70s, achieving some cult success with progressive rock albums before breaking up in 1972.

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RAW ROCK MIXED WITH PSYCHEDELIC, THIS COMPILATION CAPTURES ALL THE BAND EARLY RECORDINGS. GIVE IT A TRY.

LINK: THEME FOR A SOCIAL CLIMBER ! ! ! (LIKE ME !!!)

The Wailers: Outburst (1966)

ALBUM INFO

A reissue of the group's 1966 album for United Artists. By this time in the band's history, they had honed themselves into a tough-as-nails combo, more than capable of slugging it out toe to toe with any British beat group. Tracks like the opener "You Won't Lead Me On," "I Want to Walk With You," and "Out of Our Tree" show a band with an ability to update their sound and still have some guts in the process. Even though it's toward the end of the reign, here's another important chapter in the band's history worth picking up.

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MASTERPIECE, THIS ALBUM MUST BE IN EVERY GARAGE COLLECTION, CLASSIC GARAGE ROCK, GREAT INSTRUMENTAL, AND THEY ARE THE WAILERS ! ! ! NOTHING MORE TO SAY.

LINK: OUT OF OUR TREE (THERE`S A BLOG CALLED "GARAGE MUSIC")

The Beat Merchants: The Beats Go on...(UK Freakbeat,1963-67)

BAND INFO

The Beat Merchants were formed in Horsham, Sussex in 1962. Initially known as the Hustlers, the line-up consisted of Ralph Worman on lead guitar, his cousin Geoff Farndell on bass, Gavin Daneski playing rhythm guitar and Les Rogers on drums. In the early days, heavily influenced by Britain's leading group of the time, The Shadows, the fledgling group concentrated on instrumental numbers.
They added singer Peter Toal to the line-up, but lost drummer Rogers following a motorcycle accident. He was replaced by Vic Sendall from another local group, the Texans.
During 1963 they recorded a demo which aroused the interest of famed EMI producer Norrie Paramor. Meanwhile they were building up a strong fan-base at venues on the south coast. They began to switch to more R'n'B material after supporting the Rolling Stones. Also during that year, singer Toal left the group to emigrate to Australia. His replacement was another former member of the Texans, Chris Boyle. It was around this time that they changed their name to the Merchants.
In '64 they signed with Bob Gaitley, a leading impresario on the south coast. Against their wishes, he insisted on the adding the "Beat" prefix to their name and they turned professional in the middle of that year.
The Beat Merchants successfully auditioned for both Columbia and Decca. They chose Columbia and the debut single, "Pretty Face" was released at the end of September. They appeared on TV's "Thank Your Lucky Stars" and "Scene At 6.30". These appearances helped push the record into Melody Maker's charts.
They then embarked on a nationwide package tour along with the Applejacks, Lulu & the Luvvers, the Honeycombs, Millie and American rocker Gene Vincent. In fact they spent a large part of the next two years on the road.
The second single, "So Fine" was issued in February 1965. The record did not chart in the UK. However, the song did reach No.1 in the USA when it was put on the flip side of Freddie & the Dreamers' "You Were Made For Me".
The Beat Merchants' founder, Ralph Worman, quit the group in '65 and Rick MacEvoy was drafted in to replace him. McEvoy's stay with the group was brief however, and he was soon replaced by Alan Piggott. Another change soon followed when vocalist Boyle was ousted. The Merchants were now a quartet with Farndell and Daneski handling the vocal duties. Their problems were further compounded when EMI dropped them. Undeterred, the group began to concentrate more on original material written by Farndell and Daneski. Demo recordings of the new songs were made in December 1965 but they didn't generate sufficient enthusiasm from the record companies to earn them a new contract.
After spending much of 1966 touring Europe they played a triumphant homecoming gig in Horsham, but disillusionment was setting in and the band fell apart shortly afterwards.
Both the bands' 45s as well as demo recordings made at various points in their career have recently been made available by Circle Records.

ALBUM REVIEW

Listening to this 19-song compilation of official singles and demo tracks by the Beat Merchants, one just wants to ask, "What the hell went wrong?" Based on these sides, these guys had it all, a distinctive guitar attack, nicely coarse vocals, and a ton of collective charisma, but they never made it as a recording act. Whether they're engaging in Beatles-like balladry ("Was Before") or going head-to-head with the Rolling Stones on Muddy Waters' "Messin' With the Man," the Beat Merchants were making entertaining, exciting, and interesting records; even "Does It Show," a sub-Who hard rock ballad, is utterly diverting, and the best of the cuts here, "Pretty Face," "Moanin'," "Reasons," "So Fine," "On a Summer Day," "Pretty Thing," and "Not Guilty" — the latter a sneering punk anthem from very late in their history, which shows they still had what it took as players and songwriter in 1966, without a recording contract to their names — are as good as any archival releases by the Yardbirds and the Kinks et al.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, SUPERB COMPILATION, PAY ATTENTION, BRITISH INVATION AND HIGH FREAKBEAT STUFF.

LINK: ALL SHE WANT IS ME ! ! ! ( A GARAGE MAN...)

The Sorrows: Take a Heart, with bonus-42 songs (Mod Freakbeat,1965)

BAND INFO

One of the most overlooked bands of the British Invasion, the Sorrows offered a tough brand of R&B-infused rock that recalled the Pretty Things (though not as R&B-oriented) and the Kinks (though not as pop-oriented). Their biggest British hit, "Take a Heart," stopped just outside the U.K. Top 20; several other fine mid-'60s singles met with either slim or a total lack of success. With the rich, gritty vocals of Don Fardon, taut raunchy guitars, and good material (both self-penned and from outside writers), they rank as one of the better British bands of their era, and certainly among the very best never to achieve success of any kind in the U.S. After their sole LP (also titled Take a Heart), they issued a couple of singles with psychedelic and Dylanesque overtones, and had somehow relocated to Italy in the late '60s, where they played out their string with material in a much more progressive (and less distinctive) vein. Don Fardon had a Top 20 hit in America with a pre-Raiders version of "Indian Reservation" in 1968.

The Sorrows were the raunchiest, hard-edged, most agressive band in England in 1965. Their brand of thumping R & B/Blues/Rock at the time was groundbreaking and way ahead of it's time. Their music made The Stones sound like easy listening, which was no mean feat. The musicianship is excellent for the era, the lead guitar breaks by Pip Witcher are lightning fast and raw. The drumming of Bruce Finley is frantic yet still tight. The pounding, booming vocals by Don Maughn literally take your breath away. Formed in 1963, they were from the gloomy industrial city of Coventry, which is close to Birmingham and not all that far from where Ozzy Osbourne grew up, although by their sound, you could easily mistake them for being from NYC or Detroit. I was lucky enough to grow up listening to The Sorrows, my Father having purchased the album 'Take a Heart' back when it was originally released. I am led to believe that it is rather rare nowadays and can fetch a pretty penny. However, if you do manage to get hold of an original you will be surely in for a treat.(Geo info a testimony)

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ALBUM REVIEW (42 songs...aaa...perfect)

A reissue of their mid-'60s album, with eight bonus tracks, including the fine non-LP singles by the original lineup and foreign-language versions of some tunes. One of the best obscure British Invasion records. This double beauty has 42 songs that will leave you with no breath or rest for more ! ! ! freakbeat tons, mod rock, classic, great vocals arrangments, very complete. THIS ALBUM IS A MUST-HAVE.

LINK1: NOOO NOOO NOOO NOOO ! ! !
LINK2: PLEASE TO ALL OF YOU, DONT SING SAD SONGS FOR ME ! ! ! ! !

Sandy Coast: And their name is...(Dutch,beat rock, 1967)

BAND INFO

Formed in 1961 in Voorburg as the Sandy Coast Skiffle Group, they had the following names: the Sandy Coast Five, Sandy Coast Rockers and, finally, Sandy Coast. Thanks to the Hitwezen magazine-organised talent search, they were awarded a record contract with Negram in 1965. Featured members: Hans Vermeulen (vocals, guitar, keyboards), his brother Jan (bass and guitar), Jos de Jager (bass, 1964-67), Henk Smitskamp (bass, ex-Livin' Blues, from 1970 till 1971, to Shocking Blue), Onno Bevoort (drums, in 1970 temporarily replaced by Will Morkus, in 1974 to Water), Ron Westerbeek (vocals, guitar, keyboards, ex-Daddy's Act, to Water), Charles Kersbergen (guitar, until 1965) and Marianne Nobles (vocals, ex-solo, 1972). In 1974, Sandy Coast disbanded; Hans formed Rainbow Train together with his brother Jan.

1961 Originally called the Sandy Coast Skiffle Group, but when the skiffle craze has blown over the band changes its name into Sandy Coast Rockers.
1963 Sandy Coast wins a talent show, which results in a record deal.
1964 - 1966 The band's debut single Being In Love is released.
1967 - 1968 The band's success is on the increase and the singles A Girl Like You and And Her Name Is? become sizable hits.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ALBUM, GREAT BEAT CLASSIC ROCK, FINE TUNES AND SOME POP MOMENTS. YOU MUST HEAR THIS DUTCH BAND.
GREAT SONGS LIKE "BACK TO THE CITY", THE MASTERPIECE " CAPITAL PUNISHMENT" ! ! ! GREAT ! ! ! . "MY FRIEND ABDULLAH" IS A REALLY STRANGE!. HEAR THIS BEAUTY.

LINK: AAAA... SORY, SHE IS MIIINEE ! ! ! !

The Roulettes: Stakes and Chips (British Invasion, 1963-66)

BAND INFO (am)

An underrated British quartet made up of John Rogan (bass), Russ Ballard (lead guitar), Peter Thorpe (rhythm guitar), and Bob Henrit (drums), the Roulettes featured future Argent alumnus Russ Ballard on lead guitar. They were originally formed as a backing band for vocalist Adam Faith, who enjoyed a massively successful light rock & roll career in the early '60s in England. Beginning in 1963 with the start of the rock & roll explosion coming out of Liverpool, the group was somewhat reorganized, and their and Faith's work together became much more assertive; the result was Faith's last big hit, "The First Time," in August of 1963. The group began recording on their own for EMI in late 1963 and revealed themselves as an above-average group, fully competitive on a musical level with acts like the Searchers and the Hollies. Their records, though fewer in number, display many of the same virtues found on the better-known work of the Beatles and the Searchers, including soaring harmonies behind strong lead vocals, crisp guitar playing, and a good ear for memorable hooks. Ballard and Henrit also appeared on "Concrete and Clay," a major hit for the acoustic rock outfit Unit Four Plus Two, but the Roulettes' own records stubbornly failed to make the charts. By 1965, they'd split with Adam Faith, but the concentration on their own careers didn't change the inexplicably lackluster performance of their records. The group soldiered on through 1967 without any chart success, playing shows on the European continent, where any good British rock band could still earn a decent living. Finally, Ballard and Henrit joined Unit Four Plus Two, while Thorpe and Rogan left the music business. Following the breakup of Unit Four Plus Two in 1968, Ballard and Henrit hooked up with Rod Argent and Chris White, late of the Zombies, and formed Argent, a quartet that, for a brief time in the early 1970s, enjoyed some of the chart success that had eluded the Roulettes throughout their history.

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ALBUM REVIEW

The definitive Roulettes collection, 22 songs covering the group's entire recorded history, with more highlights than one would expect to find. "Bad Time," "I'll Remember Tonight" (which is more familiar to Americans in its cover version by the Mugwumps), "Stubborn Kind of Fellow," and "I Hope He Breaks Your Heart" are priceless, and most of the rest isn't far behind. The sound is excellent, and the notes are entertaining and wonderfully detailed.

MORE INFO

The Roulettes, from Hertfordshire, were formed in 1963 as a backing band for the early 60's pop idol Adam Faith when he decided to jump onto the beat music bandwagon.
They began recording in their own right late in '63. None of their own records hit the charts, but they did have four chart entries with Faith.
Bass guitarist Rodgers was killed in a car accident and his place was taken by John "Mod" Rogan. They split with Faith in 1965 and the group broke up in 1967 without achieving the success that their talents undoubtably warranted.
Ballard and Henrit joined a late line-up of Unit 4+2 before re-surfacicing during the 70's in the prog-rock band Argent, led by ex-Zombie Rod Argent.

NEW LINK: SSSSSHHHHAAAKKKKEEEEE ! ! ! !

NOT TO TOUCH THIS LINKS (DOWN HERE)/ NO USAR ESTOS LINKS DE ACA ABAJO
LINK FOR PASSWORD: BRITISH DUDES ROCK ! (sory, this wont happen no more!)
LINK ALBUM: SSSSSHHHHHAAAAAKKKKEEEEEEE ! ! ! !

The La De Las: La De Las (1966)

BAND INFO

Rutherford High School in Te Atatu Auckland was the origins of what was to become the La De Da's. Schoolmates Kevin Borich, Brett Neilsen and Trevor Wilson got together in late 1963 and formed a band, calling themselves the Mergers. They were inspired, like so many other groups around Auckland at the time, by the sounds of the Shadows. They managed to play at a number of local dances and socials. They very soon became such hot property on the Auckland school / football club circuit that the occasional weekend work became a regular occupation and mid-week engagements began to roll in as well.

In January 1966, Eldred Stebbing invited the band to record a couple of songs he had from the US that he thought could be local hits. The songs featured an organ, which is why he was interested in hearing the group play them. Because the songs were so obscure, there seems to be some contention as to whether the songs were by the Blues Magoos or the Changin' Times. The songs were "How Is The Air Up There" and "Pied Piper". The single came out on the Phillips label in late February and was an instant hit with Auckland teenagers. On May 13 the song entered the recently started New Zealand Hit Parade, eventually peaking at number 4. The song was picked up by Sydney radio stations and before long it was number one on the Sydney charts. For the next two years, nobody in New Zealand could rival them for popularity and record sales. Only Larry's Rebels came near. Despite being featured regularly on the "C'Mon" television show, the La De Da's generally lacked a strong public relations machine and more written space seemed to be devoted to the Gremlins and Larry's Rebels. Although Stebbing was an effective manager, his flair was more toward production than promotion.

EARLY YEARS, 1ST ALBUM 1965-66

Despite the unexpected success of "How Is The Air Up There" in Sydney, the La De Da's decided to build up their New Zealand following before venturing further afield. They toured the country extensively before releasing their follow-up single. It was a Howard-Wilson original called "Don't You Stand In My Way" backed with "I Take What I Want". The single was a dismal failure and didn't even chart, prompting Stebbing to insist on another cover for the next release.
They chose a John Mayall song called "On Top Of The World". The single was released in November 1966 with "Hey Girl" on the reverse and before long it was number two on the National charts. Now with two hits behind them, Eldred Stebbing offered the group residency at his nightclub, the Galaxie. They accepted and the fashion conscious band adopted a Mod image, setting Auckland trends with their tartan trousers, satin shirts and buckle shoes.
In November 1966 they reached the finals of the Loxene Golden Disk awards with "How Is The Air Up There". There were a lot of rock fans who felt that they should have won, but that's history. In the meantime they began laying down tracks for their self titled debut album. It was a collection of their stage favourites and although they were all covers, each one was a gem. The "La De Da's" LP was released prior to Christmas 1966 and sold out of its first pressing.

+INFO ABOUT THE BAND (am)

Aside from Ray Columbus & the Invaders, the La De Das were New Zealand's most popular rock group of the '60s. As big fish in a very small pond, their work doesn't hold up to scrutiny in the company of the era's top American and English acts. But they did record some fine garage/pop numbers in the spirit of the Rolling Stones in the mid-'60s. A few of these ("How Is the Air Up There?" and "All Purpose Low") were big N.Z. hits, and they reached the Top Ten with covers of John Mayall's "On Top of the World" and a version of Bruce Channel's "Hey Baby." In 1968, they recorded a psychedelic-tinged children's concept LP, The Happy Prince; which bears resemblance to modern twee. After a failed attempt to crack the British market, the group soldiered on for quite some time with pedestrian hard rock that — like even the best of their early work — was very derivative of overseas trends.

The La De Das were a leading New Zealand / Australian rock band of the 1960s and early 1970s. Formed in New Zealand in 1963 (as The Mergers), they enjoyed considerable local success in this period in both countries until their split in 1975. The band is probably best known as the lanching place for the career of guitarist Kevin Borich, and for their recording of Australia's first concept album, The Happy Prince (EMI, 1968).(W)

NEW LINK

LINK: I SAID: NA na na na na na na na !!! oouuhh yeeeahh !!! (come on do it !!!)

(OLD,PASSW TROUBLES, NOT TOUCH THIS ONE/NO USAR ESTOS LINKS:

Na na na na na na na na na Na ! ! ! ooouuhh yeah ! ! ! ... (come on do it !)

LINK OF PASSWORD: SORY,OLD POST AND PASS TROUBLES)

Paul Revere & The Raiders: Something Happening (1968)

ALBUM INFO

Having previously scored big through their association with the Dick Clark TV show Where The Action Is, Paul Revere & the Raiders seemed a good bet — from the point of view of Columbia Records — to hit again in Clark's new series, Happening '68 (later renamed It's Happening. Unfortunately, 1968 wasn't 1965, and the group had neither the command of the most relevant rock sounds of the later era nor the ear of younger teen listeners in the same way. Something Happening showcased this problem: Soemthing was, indeed, happening to the group's sound, and it wasn't good. Paul Revere & the Raiders had abandoned the sneering garage band sound that had fueled their earlier success, taken one detour to a white soul sound through Chips Moman's studio on Goin' To Memphis (essentially a Mark Lindsay solo record), then tried to come back with this album, the first produced entirely by Lindsay. This time out, the group delivers some melodic but very tepid psychedelia ("Happens Every Day," "Free," "The Good TImes") and lightweight pop-rock ("Love Makes The World Go Round," interspersed with tracks that do manifest a sharper edge, such as "Get Out Of My Head," where the mix of punk defiance, light textured string section, and horn back-up is genuinely exciting and engaging (but to get to it, one has to listen through a minute of sound effects and a trippy fade-down); and "Don't Take It So Hard," a punchy imitation "Paperback Writer"; and the extended punk-psychedelic jam "Communication." On the group's earlier records, songs like these would have been the tolerable flatter spots in between the moments of greatness, but on Something Happening they are the album's peaks. As to the semi-title track, "Happening '68," it does present some pleasant guitar and keyboard flourishes but is othewise undistinguished. The 1996 Sundazed reissue sounds great, but the bonus tracks mostly associated with the show Happening '68, all combining to make this one of the less compelling re-releases of the group's work.

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OK...FOR ME ALL THE ALBUMS OF THIS BAND ARE AMAZING (UNTIL 1970) THIS BAND REALLY KICKED SOME ASS BACK IN THE DAYS ... IMPORTANT.

LINK: DON`T TAKE IT SO HARD ! ! ! !

Paul Revere & The Raiders: Revolution! (1967)

ALBUM INFO (Sdz)

Their Northwest party sounds exploded across the nation and evolved into the tuffest teen rock of the 60's. Thirty years hence, Sundazed reignites the fuse, rocketing Paul Revere and the Raiders back to their rightful place in the rock cosmos. This was the real thing!

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If not as consistently a knockout as Spirit of '67, Revolution! is nevertheless right on its heels, containing as it does an even greater degree of pop experimentation within the form. Suffice to say that this group managed to make the transition from the simple, tough R&B-flavored rock they helped found to the more psychedelic popcraft/acidic majesty that soon unfolded behind the 1964-1965 Beatles' lead. And if Spirit is the Raiders' Revolver, then Revolution! is their less wacked-out Sgt. Pepper. Beginning with one of their most supreme moments — the rough-and-tumble, aggressive yet amazingly catchy "Him or Me — What's It Gonna Be" — the LP takes the same twists and turns as its predecessor through a multitude of entertaining styles, from the sharp laze blues of "Reno" to the quintessential upbeat smack of "Mo'reen" and especially "Gone-Movin' On." Through it all, bandleader Mark Lindsay is a minor marvel. Lindsay may not have been blessed with a classic pop voice croon, but his exciting lower-range grunt and snarl compliments his upper-range prettier voice in a way that adds bushels of unfiltered attitude. His gutsy, versatile style totally blends with the rough edges of both the production and playing, which belies the more gilded pop moments. Lindsay is the glue that holds what would have been a willy-nilly collection together. Truly 1967 was the most magical year in pure pop history. But if many with-it fans have already bathed in the unbelievable sonic pleasures of that year, far too few have given the Raiders their rightful place in this pantheon, even though they certainly held such a place in their time. There can be no reason for this oversight to continue, for here is the evidence once again laid bare.

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Here too

SUCH A GREAT ALBUM HERE... JUST LISTEN ... A CLASSIC...

LINK: MAKE IT WITH ME ! ! ! !

The Choir: Practice (1966-69)

BAND INFO

Stars in their Cleveland hometown, unknown elsewhere (except for the minor national hit "It's Cold Outside"), the Choir played an accomplished, if a bit anachronistic, British Invasion-influenced pop/rock in the late '60s. The Mersey-mod hybrid "It's Cold Outside" went to number one in Cleveland in 1967. The group was then picked up by Roulette, but a couple of subsequent singles were subject to inappropriate material and over-production, and stiffed. Obscure and unissued material by the Choir is beginning to appear on CD, and reveals them branching out from power-pop to encompass progressive sounds as they changed personnel in the late '60s. Members of the group later played in the Raspberries, and the Choir is still fondly remembered in Cleveland for their strong and melodic original material.

ALBUM REVIEW

This 18-song CD is the first official compilation of their work that covers their entire career, from 1966 to 1969. As the group cut only a few singles during their lifetime, most of this is previously unissued, culled from their generous vault of demos. Much anticipated by 1960s collectors, it's frankly a bit of a disappointment, despite a fair number of highlights. The Americanized mod-Merseybeat of "It's Cold Outside" is delightful; other originals like "I'd Rather You Leave Me" and "Don't Change Your Mind" show similarly irresistible harmony vocals, crafting a catchy '60s pop-rock sound that avoids sappiness. The final tracks, cut in 1969 after several personnel changes, have slightly updated progressive rock influences, but retain a core of smart pop-rock hooks. Some of the demos, though, are a bit weak, particularly the soul-rockish ones from 1968. Most crucially, though, it fails to include a number of fine previously available tracks, like the version of the beautiful ballad "Treeberry" that was briefly available on a Bomp EP (the sketchy acoustic demo here pales by comparison), and several moody numbers from the 1969 lineup (also available for a time on a cassette-only reissue in the 1980s). The crunchy Stones-ish B-side of "It's Cold Outside," "I'm Going Home," is also inexplicably missing. Perhaps this is because the compilers made every effort to include material from the original master tapes and couldn't locate the masters for those tracks. It's still not a bad compilation for '60s collectors, but it could have been better.

LINK: I`D RATHER YOU LEAVE ME ! ! !

GARAGE BEAT 66 VOL 1 RE-UPLOAD, NEW LINK WORKING.

Garage Beat '66, Volume 4: I'm in Need! (jolly great)

ALBUM INFO

Sundazed picks up its Garage Beat '66 series where it left off, with the fourth volume, subtitled I'm in Need!, following the same pattern as the first three, serving up 20 garage rock sides from the latter half of the '60s (1966 is ground zero for this comp, but it features tracks recorded between 1965 and 1970). While this series does have something to offer serious collectors — primarily excellent sound quality and a handful of previously unreleased tracks — it isn't intended for garage fanatics: it's designed as the next step for listeners who love Nuggets but don't have the time, inclination, or patience to sort through the various Pebbles and Rubble series. It's also for listeners who have a fairly strict definition of garage, preferring American bands inspired by the Rolling Stones and Yardbirds bashing out blues-influenced primitive rockers, not the psychedelia that runs rampant through Nuggets, because there's precious little of that to be found here. Which isn't to say that Garage Beat is monotonous (well, no more than any other garage rock comp, but anybody interested in this music knows that going into the disc). There's a good variety of sounds and attitudes on I'm in Need!, from the snide, harmonica-fueled opener of the Haunted's "1-2-5" and Rob Kirk & the Word's minor-key, trippy "Girl Talk" to Nobody's Children's fuzzy, sneering "Good Times" and the Torquays' tense, Yardbirds-styled "Harmonica Man (From London Town)." There are three previously unissued cuts here, all noteworthy: the Counts IV's dense, wordy "Discussion of the Unorthodox Council," the Groupies' version of Willie Dixon's "Down in the Bottom," which is a rowdy barnstormer, and the Rahgoos' "Do the Rahgoo," an exhilarating manic two-minute blast of chaos. While there are no big hits here and a couple of cuts don't rise above the appealingly generic, this is a tight, compulsively listenable collection of some of the best second-tier garage rock singles. Much of this can be found elsewhere or is well known to hardened collectors, but for those listeners who don't want to amass a large collection of garage comps, this volume of Garage Beat, like the others, is an excellent distillation of some of the best lesser-known sides of the genre.

GARAGE soul.

LINK: DONT LOSE YOUR MIND ! ! ! (WITH THIS ALBUM)

Garage Beat '66, Volume 3: Feeling Zero... (Delightful)

ALBUM INFO

The third volume in Sundazed's Garage Beat '66 follows the same format as the preceding installments, the 20 tracks hailing from all over North America, most of them quite rare, all of them sourced from the original masters. Mid-'60s garage rock is the main course here, but it does allow for some different shades than the stereotypical snarling fuzz-laden pounders, including some psychedelic and pop-influenced productions. The Music Machine is the only group here that had a big hit (though they're represented by a non-charting 1968 single, "Mother Nature/Father Earth"), and while some of the other songs and artists will be fairly familiar to '60s collectors who specialize in this area, most listeners who've only just digested the Nuggets box set will find most of it virgin territory. It occupies a somewhat peculiar niche, though, in that collectors who dig this stuff might be apt to already have the better cuts here — Southwest F.O.B.'s pop-psychedelic "Smell of Incense," the first-rate harmonized pop/rock of the E-Types' "She Moves Me," the Preachers' fierce version of "Who Do You Love," the Brogues' Pretty Things-inspired "Don't Shoot Me Down" (with a couple of future members of Quicksilver Messenger Service), and the Mourning Reign's moody "Satisfaction Guaranteed." The other songs are mostly below the standard of the aforementioned items, but a few goodies do lurk here, particularly the mix of stomping rhythms and tag-team harmonies in the Answer's "I'll Be In" and the Mile Ends' "Bottle Up and Go," a galvanizing slice of blues-pop-garage that's one of the best such efforts not to show up on too many compilations.

THIS IS JUST GREAT

LINK: CRYSTALIZE YOUR MIND ! ! ! (WITH GARAGE MUSIC)

Garage Beat '66, Volume 2: Chicks Are for Kids! (2nd part,Beautiful)

ALBUM INFO

The second volume in Sundazed's Garage Beat '66 series follows much the same format as its predecessor: 20 garage rockers from all over America, though generally from the rawer end of the spectrum rather than the poppier side. There's a slightly higher concentration of names that'll be at least somewhat known to some of the less specialized listeners, though, including the Guess Who (their 1966 single "Believe Me"), the Remains, the Barbarians (with their crude Merseybeat-influenced debut 45, "Hey Little Bird," which was their best recording), the Litter, the Five Americans (with their 1964 single "I'm Feeling O.K."), We the People, the Spiders (who evolved into Alice Cooper), the Ugly Ducklings (with a previously unreleased version of "I'm a Man"), and the Sonics. That alone is enough to make it a better than average '60s garage compilation, and the sound quality (mastered, unusually for a garage anthology, from original sources) and detailed track-by-track annotation by Ugly Things publisher Mike Stax are other bonuses. As for the rarer, less-anthologized items here, some of these tend toward the more run-of-the-mill garage rock of the era, though the Bold's lewd "Gotta Get Some" (which recalls Paul Revere & the Raiders' toughest moments) and the weird ringing guitar of the Go-Betweens' "Have You for My Own" are ear-catching. The Jynx's 1965 cover of Them's "Little Girl" isn't nearly as exciting as the original, but does possess historical interest for featuring future Big Star member Chris Bell on lead guitar.

LIKE I SAID : BEAUTIFUL

LINK: DONT BLOW YOUR MIND ! ! ! (WATCH OUT ! ! !)

Garage Beat '66, Volume 1: Like What, Me Worry?! (Great and essential)

ALBUM INFO

Sundazed's Garage Beat '66 series of mid-'60s garage rock takes much the same approach as hundreds, if not thousands, of such compilations that have been issued since the late '70s. Each volume has an assortment of tracks from all over North America, many of them rare, none of them national hits, and most of the acts known only within their region, if at all. The emphasis is on raw, fuzzy outrage, often inspired by (but not as polished as) the more R&B-aligned end of the British Invasion. It's not as good as the Nuggets box set (in part because it's lacking in pop hooks as strong as those that made many of the Nuggets selections actual hits), and not as good as the best of the many sub-Nuggets comps of '60s garage. It's better than the average '60s garage rock anthology, though, in part because unlike virtually all other such animals, the tracks are mastered from the original sources, and the liner notes include copious commentary on each selection by garage rock authorities. So if you're the kind of fan likely to collect such stuff, although you may well already have items like 006's "Like What, Me Worry," the Fe-Fi-Four Plus 2's "I Wanna Come Back (From the World of LSD)," and the Sparkles' "Hipsville 29 B.C. (I Need Help)" elsewhere, you may well not have them in as good fidelity as they boast here. While the songs do tend toward basic bluesy teen rants, there's room for some eclecticism, particularly in the inclusion of John Hammond's cover of Billy Boy Arnold's "I Wish You Would" from a 1966 single (with Bill Wyman on bass and Robbie Robertson on guitar, and a different version than the one that appears on his album So Many Roads); Matthew Moore Plus Four's garage-folk-rock cover of Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Codyne (She's Real)"; and Words of Luv's version of an obscure P.F. Sloan folk-rocker, "I'd Have to Be Outta My Mind." The no-holds-barred absurdity of the aforementioned "I Wanna Come Back (From the World of LSD)" and the crunching soul-rock-pop of the Sparkles' "No Friend of Mine" stick out as the highlights, however.

BANDS IN THIS COMPILATION

1. 006 2. Country Gentlemen 3. Fever Tree 4. Sparkles 5. Century's 6. The Kreeg 7. The In 8. The Ban 9. Executioners 10. The Odyssey 11. Matthew Moore Plus Four 12. Words of Luv 13. The Five of Us 14. John Hammond 15. Just Two Guys 16. Olivers 17. Neal Ford & the Fanatics 18. Somestack Lightnin' 19. Sparkles 20. Fe-Fi-Four Plus 2

DONT YOU HAVE IT ? ? ? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING ? ? ? ! ! !
A GARAGE MUST.

NEW LINK: I Wanna Come Back (From The World Of LSD) ! ! ! !

The Marketts: Out of Limits (1964,surf rock, instrumental,garage influenced)

Ok here we have a great band, especially great surf rock (highly influenced by the "old old" school garage, Wailers,Ventures,and others) and amazing instrumental songs.

BAND INFO

The Marketts are sometimes classified as a surf group because of their hit instrumental "Out of Limits," one of the last big surf singles, which made #3 in early 1964. In reality, they were something of an all-purpose contemporary instrumental group with elements of surf, rock, pop, and even easy listening. And they were not really a group, but a fluid collection of Los Angeles session musicians, working under the direction of producer Joe Saraceno. Saraceno was the principal man behind the concept of the Marketts, although he himself did not play or arrange anything on their records, or even write all of the material. He was sharp enough to latch onto the surf craze in 1962 for one of the earliest instrumental surf hits, "Surfer's Stomp," which made the Top Forty on Liberty in 1962. While working at Liberty, he also produced the Ventures for a time, and the influence of the Ventures' cleanly-picked guitar lines is very evident on "Out of Limits" and some other Marketts tracks. With their blend of surfy guitar leads, film soundtrack horns, and spooky organ, the Marketts' sound is best described not as surf, but as rock-influenced instrumental pop with a futuristic (by early '60s standards) touch. Many of their songs seemed to be doing their best to evoke space travel and science fiction flicks, sometimes with the help of what sounds like a theremin. They could be said to have filled the void between surf music and space age pop, which is not a criticism; their music is not terribly substantial, but it is fun, and has a pretty good groove. After "Out of Limits," the Marketts would enter the Top Twenty one more time with the "Batman Theme" in early 1966, and release records as late as 1977. Saraceno, in addition to his work with the Marketts and the Ventures, would also produce Bobby Vee, the Sunshine Company, Martin Denny, and many other acts.

Buy this album

ALBUM INFO

Their 1964 album includes their big hit, plus other fairly hard swinging numbers in a Twilight Zone theme-meets-surf vein. Fun stuff, though as is the custom, nothing else is as good as the single. The CD reissue adds three bonus tracks from singles of the time, although the group's other hits, "Surfer's Stomp" and "Batman Theme, " are unfortunately not included.

PAY ATTENTION TO THIS BEAUTY ... YOU LL LOVE IT ! ! ! ... YEAH ... SURFING TIME ...

LINK: HYPER SPACE ! ! !

The American Breed: Bend me, Shape me - The Best of (Compilation)

BAND INFO

The American Breed were a '60s rock quartet from Cicero, IL, led by Gary Loizzo. They scored a gold Top Ten hit in early 1968 with "Bend Me, Shape Me." Later, drummer Andre Fischer and keyboard player Kevin Murphy were members of Rufus. (next lines from Wiki)

The group was formed in Cicero, Illinois as Gary & The Nite Lites. The group's greatest success was the single, "Bend Me, Shape Me," which reached number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968. The song, written by Scott English ((born 10 January 1943, Brooklyn, New York) and Larry Weiss, was a remake of a recording by The Outsiders that had been released the year before. The group also appeared on the 16 December 1967 episode of the television show American Bandstand, along with Pink Floyd.
The original members of the group were Gary Loizzo on vocals, Charles Colbert, Jr. on bass guitar, Al Ciner on guitar, and Lee Graziano on drums. All members were from the greater Chicago area. As Gary & The Nite Lites, they were somewhat successful in Chicago and put out one single. Soon afterwards, the group underwent several changes. They moved to the Acta record label and renamed themselves The American Breed. Two new members were also added by 1968: Kevin Murphy on keyboards and Andre Fischer on drums.
The band enjoyed its greatest success in 1967 and 1968. They put five singles on the charts, including "Step Out Of Your Mind", "Green Light" and "Bend Me, Shape Me". The group disbanded the following year, and Fischer went on to form Rufus (with Chaka Khan). He later married Natalie Cole. A compilation album, Bend Me, Shape Me: The Best of the American Breed, was released in 1994. "Bend Me, Shape Me" continues to receive occasional airplay on oldies radio stations.
In celebration of the 2005 baseball World Championship of the Chicago White Sox, the American Breed issued a CD single entitled "Rock with the Sox." The single was produced by Gary Loizzo.

Buy this album

ALBUM INFO

Out of The American Breed's three Top 40 hits, only "Bend Me, Shape Me" has become a staple of oldies radio. Similarly, its the most memorable thing on Bend Me, Shape Me, an extensive single-disc compilation of the group's career. Even though the rest of the material is a bit weak, the band was able to exploit their slightly polished and psychedelized garage-rock sound, making several enjoyable songs, including the hits "Step out of Your Mind" and "Green Light."

LINK: I DONT THINK YOU KNOW ME ... ( DO YOU ? )

NEW LINK: SHAPE ME

The Outsiders (Cleveland): Collectors Series (1966-67)

BAND INFO

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the Outsiders was the brainchild of Tom King, a guitarist, composer and arranger. Initially known as Tom King And The Starfires, the line-up was completed by Al Austin (guitar), Met Madsen (bass) and Rick Biagiola/Baker (drums). The group was just a garden-variety bar band until the 1965 addition of eighteen year old vocalist Sonny Geraci infused the group with new life.
Tom King and his brother-in-law, Chet Kelley co-wrote a song called "Time Won't Let Me" and recorded it on their own. The song blended the group's core sound to brass and horn sections, in what was a fairly complex arrangement. On the strength of the recording, the group was signed by Capitol Records, but the label insisted that the band take a new name. King had been forced to abandon Pama Records, the label for which the Starfires had cut a dozen tunes and was owned by his uncle, who accused his nephew of being an "outsider" to the family.
"Time Won't Let Me" was issued in January of 1966, rising to number five on the national charts and selling over a million copies. An infectious slice of classic American pop, it introduced a series of similarly excellent top 40 songs, that included "Girl in Love" which went to #21.
By the spring of 1966, Capitol was ready for the group to record their debut album and Tom King called up Jimmy Fox, who had been the drummer for a slightly earlier line-up of the Starfires, to play on those sessions. Fox had left the group to attend college, but he came back to play on the album. In the wake of his brief reunion with his bandmates, Fox decided to forego college in favour of forming a band of his own, which would find their own success as the James Gang.
The sessions for some of the songs that would be on the group's second album (Outsiders #2) had already taken place and one of them, a version of the Isley Brothers number, "Respectable" was pegged as their third single, released in July of that year. The song rose to number 15 nationally in the summer of 1966, followed by "Help Me Girl" which stalled at #37 when it was successfully covered by Eric Burdon And The Animals.
Only six months after their big break, bad luck seemed to follow The Outsiders. They had access to a song called "Bend Me, Shape Me" ahead of anyone else, but turned it down as a single release, thus allowing the American Breed to rack up a major hit in 1968. The group's third L.P., "In", released in April of 1967, never charted and none of the group's subsequent singles reached the Top 100.
A single called "Gotta Leave Us Alone" rose to number 121, which apparently was sufficient to get the band a tentative go-ahead for a fourth album. By that time, King and Kelley had begun working with a Cleveland-based songwriter named Bob Turek, and the group's line-up had shifted somewhat. Mert Madsen had decided to get married and get off the road, and was succeeded on bass by an ex-member of the Starfires, Richard D'Amato.
The intended fourth album was scrapped partway through and instead, a "concert" album, entitled "Happening Live", appeared in its place. As was quite common in the mid-sixties, the producers went back to the multi-tracks of the originals and removed the overdubbed strings, brass, and horns, and simply added crowd noise to the existing recordings. The L.P. sold poorly and turned out to be the last for The Outsiders.
By 1968, with band members coming and going, Tom King quit the group and Sonny Geraci was left to keep the band alive. In tandem with Walter Nims, the pair attempted to record, but a law suit was launched over the right to use the name "The Outsiders" which King won in 1970.
Geraci and Nims went on to form a new group called Climax. Their first effort was a Nims written tune called "Precious and Few", which went to #1 nationally and was awarded a gold record in 1971. Climax toured the world and appeared on the current television shows of the time, The Smothers Brothers, Hulabaloo, Shindig, Where The Action Is, and American Bandstand.
The song "Rock and Roll Heaven" (a hit for the Righteous Brothers) was written originally for Climax and Sonny Geraci by their keyboard player, John Stevenson, although their version failed to sell. Further releases by Climax also flopped and Geraci returned to the Cleveland area, performing a night club act for casinos, cruises and corporate parties.
By 1980, Geraci had retired from music and went to work for his family's home improvement business. Five years later, he started getting calls to play at rock and roll revival shows and put a group back together. They have been doing summer tours since then.
Another Outsiders album called "30 Years Live" was released by a re-formed band that featured original guitarist Tom King, but minus Sonny Geraci. Predictably, it failed to gain any attention.

About this album

In 1985, Rhino Records acknowledged the group's legacy with a decent best-of LP, and in 1991, Capitol Records finally gave the group their long overdue recognition by adding them to its Capitol Collectors Series with a very good 25-song compilation

+ Although they really only had a three-year recording career, Cleveland's the Outsiders managed at least two enduring pop hits, 1966's "Time Won't Let Me" and "Respectable," and churned out four fairly decent albums for Capitol Records, each of which shows a sharply defined garage pop sound with artful use of horns and other suitable arrangement effects. This set has everything essential, including the above hits and near misses like "Girl in Love."

Buy this album

LINK: ooohhhh .... HOW IT HURTS ! ! !

The Mustangs: and that`s for sure! (1965-66)

Riverside Garage Legends

Two minutes and five seconds of tough fuzz, stomp and bad attitude The Mustangs 1965 single "That`s for sure" is considered one of the Holy grails of 60`s garage rock. That one hopelessly rare 45 would be their only release (buuuu). However, in January 66 the Mustangs went into Locy Sound in Riverside Ca, and recorded 14 more songs, demostrating not only their dynamism and versatility as a live cover band, but also a remarkable talent for original material, from wailing rockers to haunting Beatlesque ballads. All the tracks here with "That`s for sure" and its grooving instrumental flipside "Nova Blues".

HANDLE WITH CAUTION: THIS IS TEENAGE GARAGE ROCK DYNAMITE... AND THAT`S FOR SURE ! ! !

Raw garage, a primitive version of "Gloria", a rare version of "Summertime" and the great instrumental "Nova Blues".

LINK: ... NEVER FALL IN LOVE ...

The Light: Turn on...The Light ...(1967,garage psych)

Garage & Psychedelic Sound From Southern California, 1967

The Light was a dynamic, multi talented supergroup from California`s Inland Empire. Initially trading in both fuzzed out music. Music Machine inspired punk and melodic. Left Banke poppy style, they envolved into an Incendiary West Coast Psychedelic rock comparable to the Buffalo Springfield and Moby Grape, but with the dual guitar firepower of the Beck-Page Yardbirds. This albums includes their sole 45 release plus 23 dazzling previously unreleased cuts.

Accross the album you ll find live recorded stuff, from 67 and some unreleased material too. Very Complete Album.

I know... this album would perfectly fit in Mza-acid, but i prefer their garage raw and wild style. A great reppertoire of covers including The Kinks and Zombies. Great dose of psych mixed with fast furious garage. Highly Recommended.

LINK: WHAT YOU NEED (IS ME, OR THIS BLOG!) ...

The Beefeaters: Beefeaters (1967)

BAND INFO

A precursor to this band was formed in Copenhagen in early 1964, but their strong orientation towards blues-rock began only with the arrival of Peter Thorup in 1966. In 1967, The Beefeaters played as support band for Jimi Hendrix, John Mayall and Pink Floyd during their concerts in Denmark. Both albums were top-notch "real" blues-rock efforts to file along albums by John Mayall, early Fleetwood Mac and even Cuby & The Blizzards. The first album was, along with Steppeulvene, the most important Danish album of 1967. The Beefeaters weren't entirely blues purists either, they also displayed beat and soul influences. The sound (very well developed for 1967) was largely based on Thorup's talents as vocalist and guitarist, but Kjærumsgård's Farfisa organ (sometimes replaced by piano) obviously augmented the group’s sound. Burnin' Red Ivanhoe was one of many groups who later copied this distinctive organ sound.

Very Good record, garage with bluesy dark and psych moments, very good wild organ driven! Highly Recommended.

LINK: IT AINT NECESSARILY SO ! ! ! ! !

The Loot: Singles A`s & B`s (Singles Compilation)

BAND INFO

The Loot were something of a poppier, minor-league Troggs. Like the Troggs, they came from Andover. Guitarist Dave Wright had been an early member of the Troggs, and briefly replaced Chris Britton in the Troggs when Britton left the band for a short spell in 1967. The Loot recorded for Page One, the label run by Troggs manager Larry Page, and issued "Baby Come Closer" as their 1966 debut single; the song would also be done by the Troggs on their second LP. The Loot never did have anything close to a hit, in large part because they never did corral the right song for any of their half-dozen 1966-1969 singles. They played fair but hardly outstanding moddish pop/rock, a bit lusty and raw sometimes, but not nearly as much so as the Troggs. Seven of the 12 songs from their singles are included on the various-artists compilation Untamed & Innocent, which also has rarities from fellow collector-favorite mod bands the Sorrows, the Untamed, and the Thoughts.

Listen this good album by The Loot, great Troggs alike, this one contains all their singles.

LINK: SHE IS A WINNER ! ! ! ? ? ? ! ! !

The Human Beinz: Nobody but me (1967) + Evolutions (1968) + Live in Japan (1968)

BAND INFO

Best-known for its version of "Nobody but Me," Youngstown, OH's frat rock quartet the Human Beinz featured rhythm guitarist Ting Markulin, lead guitarist Richard Belley, bassist Mel Pachuta, and drummer Mike Tatman. Originally known as the Human Beings, the group was a local favorite and was discovered playing at a Youngstown bar. Their early releases include covers of Bob Dylan's "Times They Are A-Changin'" and Them's "Gloria," as well as renditions of the Who and Yardbirds songs; they released their first singles on the local Gateway imprint. In 1967, the group signed to Capitol Records and scored a Top Ten hit with their cover of the Isley Brothers' "Nobody but Me." On their debut album, which was also named Nobody but Me, the band found their name changed to the Human Beinz, a play on the hippie phrase "be-in." The following year, the group issued Evolutions, which showcased a more original side to the Human Beinz' music, but the album did little and the band ultimately broke up.

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This Ohio, USA-based quartet - Richard Belley (lead guitar), Ting Markulin (rhythm guitar), Mel Pachuta (bass) and Mike Tatman (drums) - made their recording debut on the local Gateway label. Their early releases featured spirited versions of Bob Dylan's "Times They Are A-Changin'" and Them's "Gloria" while other covers revealed an affection for the Who and Yardbirds. Signed to Capitol Records in 1967, the Beinz enjoyed a US Top 10 hit that year with an interpretation of "Nobody But Me", originally recorded by the Isley Brothers. The quartet embraced a more original direction with the competent Evolutions, but disbanded when this brand of superior pop/rock proved unsuccessful.

FROM WIKI

The Beinz started in 1964 as The Premiers, launching their professional career to build a devoted local fan base. In 1966, they changed their name to The Human Beingz because their old name was too 50's & early 60's. They recorded covers of songs by Them, The Yardbirds, The Who and Bob Dylan. The group was also the first to record a cover of "Gloria" by Them, which became a hit for The Shadows of Knight, and covered "The Pied Piper", which later became a hit for Crispian St. Peters. Overall, the Human Beingz enjoyed a reputation as masters of song interpretation.

NOBODY BUT ME (1967)

It's hard to imagine what the kids must have made of the Human Beinz' first album when it was released back in 1968. The band was riding high on the charts with their feedback-enhanced cover of the Isley Brothers' bold statement of dance prowess, "Nobody But Me", and folks who bought their subsequent LP must have been expecting thirty minutes of similar high-swagger garage rock. However, the band and their producer, Lex De Azevdo, had more ambitious stuff in mind, and the closest things on Nobody But Me to the hit single were a clunky cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" and a guitar-heavy tribute to a voodoo priest, "The Shaman", neither of which are likely to fill any dance floors. Instead, there's the tongue-in-cheek, pseudo-Left Banke pop of "It's Fun To Be Clean", a droning, string-laden interpretation of "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair", a rootsy take on "Turn On Your Love Light" which suggests the Grateful Dead's version without the jamming, and a couple exercises in moody introspection written by the band, "Sueno" and "Flower Grave". Nobody But Me is more than a bit pretentious, but it's also better than you might expect, and it builds on its psychedelic ambitions with greater success than the majority of Nehru-clad Midwesterners of the era. Still, one can't help but wish someone had persuaded the Human Beinz to cut a few more R&B covers while they were in the studio, since that's clearly where their greatest strength lay.

EVOLUTIONS (1968)

In 1967, the Human Beinz scored a hit single with their feeback-laced cover of The Isley Brothers' "Nobody But Me", and for a brief and fleeting moment the boys from Youngstown, Ohio were bone fide rock stars. While their first album wasn't anything out of the ordinary, when they went into the studio to record their second LP, they were determined to create something unusual, and you can't argue that they succeeded with Evolutions. An amusing pastiche of neo-psychedelic excess, Evolutions is a far cry from the slightly trippy frat rock of their hit; "The Face" is a tale of lost love drenched with horns and strings, "Close Your Eyes" is a delicate mostly-acoustic plea for hippie-era togetherness, "My Animal" is an oblique pseudo-protest number leavened with sound effects, and "I've Got To Keep On Pushing" is a showcase for Richard Belley's snarling guitar leads. But the real descent into the maelstrom comes with the album's last two tracks; the country rock workout "Two Of A Kind" concludes with the sound of someone tearing apart a piano for several minutes, and the seven-minute "April 15th" gives Belley room for all the guitar freak-out-age he ever dreamed of, which may be a bit more than most fans actually wanted to hear. The Human Beinz are a better and more imaginative band than one might expect on Evolutions; Mel Pachuta, Ting Markulin and Mike Tatman are a solid rhythm section, the songs (mostly written by Lex De Azevedo, who also produced and arranged the album) are pretty good, and even when the album's pretensions seem silly, they don't quite sink into embarrassment. But a cloud of Nehru folly hangs over this album, and while the Human Beinz pull it off (just barely), Evolutions is still the work of a band struggling desperately to chew what they've bitten off.

LIVE IN JAPAN (1968)

A frenetic concert performance from the US psych punks, originally only released in Japan (and now incredibly rare). This contains songs from their first album as well as some storming cover versions including "Mister Soul" and "Foxy Lady"... Bonus tracks include non LP 45 cuts too!

So, I think here you have a little bit of Beinz to enjoy ah? Pay attention to this 3 albums, if you have them take a listen again and if you don`t, what are you waiting for ? A great mix of psychedelic music with garage (sometimes more Psych than raw garage!) Exceptions behind, these albums are classics, highly recommended ! ! ! The three are great. I insist ! Leave your comment of what do you think of these guys !

LINK NOBODY BUT ME: no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no ...

LINK EVOLUTIONS: MY ANIMAL ! ! !

LINK LIVE IN JAPAN: BOOOOGGGGIEEE !!!