Those who luxuriated too long in a reefer haze in Strawberry Fields, or needed Mick and the gang to come to their Emotional Rescue, can be forgiven for forgetting that the early days of the British Invasion ushered in a brief and shining moment in music history that lasted from 1963 to 1967.
A sub-genre 'Golden Age' the garage rock years were influenced by the raw and stripped-down sound of the early Beatles and Stones (think of the fuzzbox driven 'Satisfaction'). Inspired, bands, all over America - not to mention Europe - pulled out their dusty Rickenbackers and started thrashing out chords in their garages. The DIY ethic of garage rock coupled with droning, buzzbomb guitars, hoarse-shouted vocals and minimalistic instrumentation to create a level playing field on which the disaffected youth of the day, the rock generation, could play out their fantasies of teenage rock'n'roll mayhem.
It was a short, shining moment with most of the garage bands of the mid-Sixties either tiring of the limitations of the form and following the Beatles on the quest for the perfect psychedelic trip in the wake of Sgt Pepper, or fading into obscurity. But for those few years, the garage milieu was so omnipresent that young Americans, in particular couldn't miss being influenced by it. The MC5, the Stooges and the Ramones served as the bridge from the fuzzbox garage rockers to the explosion of punk that took the music world by storm in the 1970s and saved the world from disco.
Today, garage rock is experiencing a well-deserved revival, as exemplified by acts such as Black Keys, Eagles of Death Metal, The Hives and Jet. But for now, Komodo Lounge hopes to provide some exposure for the genre's pioneers and unsung heroes.
Speak of the Devil by Things to Come (1966)
Coming out of Long Beach, California, Things to Come was formed in 1965 by vocalist Steve Runolfsson (vocals), Lynn Rominger (guitar), Bryan Garofalo (bass) and Russ Kunkel (drums). Listening to Runolfsson's deadpan vocal delivery (if not his snarling and growling), and given their home range, you've gotta wonder if Morrison - whose Doors also formed in '65 - ever saw these guys...
Makin' Love by the Dirty Shames (1966)
This track was a B-side of another garage classic, I Don't Care, and was a cover of a song originally performed by label-mates from Impression Records, The Sloths. The band's fate was sealed when they lost two members to the Vietnam draft, and today the group's leader, Marty Wons, is a realtor in San Diego.
[Unknown Song Title] by the Shags (circa 1965?)
Not to be confused with the monster garage band of the same name out of New Haven, Connecticut, these Shags were formed in Winnipeg in the mid-1960s by Bob (Blackie) Fitzsimmons and Clive Perry, and eventually would feature Greg Leskiw, who would go on to join the Guess Who. Hopefully Randy Bachman will talk about the Shags some night on Vinyl Tap!
Shake, Shout and Go by Brian Diamond and the Cutters (1964)
More or less contemporaries of the Beatles, Brian Diamond and the Cutters released their first single in 1963, Jealousy Will Get You Nowhere, but it sank virtually without a trace. This track, Shake, Shout and Go received somewhat more attention, and now we know where the B-52s stole the riff for Rock Lobster from...
Death Bells at Dawn by The Lords (1966)
Although they recorded for a professional label, Aldrich Records, it's not easy to find much information about New-Jersey-based group, The Lords. With this track, Death Bells at Dawn, they exemplified the move into psychedelia that so many garage bands would make, and also serves as a precursor to the much later Goth and dirge rock, for whom The Velvet Underground were to serve as godfathers.
Turn Over by Les Goths
Speaking of Goth...check out this number, courtesy of French garage rockers Les Goths, out of Normandy. Definitely diving into psych territory, they followed it up in '68 with their second and last single, Out of the Sun, a full-blown psychedelic trip.
Pipe Dream by Blues Magoos (1966)
Arguably the most famous name on the Komodo Lounge's list tonight is The Blues Magoos, who not only served as garage rock icons, but were also early pioneers in the infant psychedelic movement. This track is from their debut album, Psychedelic Lollipop, and served as the b-side to their second single, although it actually charted higher than the single did,
Just Dropped in by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (1968)
Hoo boy...! Just had to add this, as proof that Kenny Rogers had a life before he became "The Gambler" and recorded Islands in the Stream with Dolly Parton. This track is said to be a cautionary tale against the dangers of LSD....
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To finish things off, we present a grand example of the modern incarnation of garage rock. For your listening pleasure, here's Way Out by Heavy Trash formed in 2005 by Jon Spencer of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.
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