Here are some of my random thoughts and words about obscure and in-demand 1960s garage and psychedelic singles over the years.
The Yellow Payges – ’Never See The Good In Me’/’Sleeping Minds’ (Showplace WS-216) 1967
1960s Garage and Psychedelic singles: Another new addition this week is this record by The Yellow Payges, a group from Los Angeles who were regulars at venues on the Sunset Strip.
This was their debut disc from ’67 on Showplace, a subsidiary of Cameo Parkway. ’Never See The Good In Me’ has some tasty ’sitar’ leads and a quick tempo. Find it on Mindrocker Volume 11.
The pace is slowed right down for ’Sleeping Minds’ on the flip, this one has strings and things, sort of a baroque pop sound.
The Magic Cycle – ’Doctor Lollipop’/’Where Where You When I Needed You’ (Giant Records GR-904) January 1968
Here’s a new 45 addition to my collection by a group from Toronto, Canada. They would later drop the ’Magic’ from their name and would end their existence as The Cycle.
I’ve got their Tamarac Records album from 1970 but never realised it was the same band until I started doing some research.
’Doctor Lollipop’ is decent pop psych and was a small hit in Canada, reaching number #68 but they’re more than likely virtual unknowns outside of their locale.
The flip ’Where Were You When I Needed You’ is a cover of the Sloan-Barri folk-rocker, best known as being recorded by The Grass Roots.
The Tuneful Trolley – ’Island In The Sky’ (Now Sounds) original release 1969
I’ve bought a couple of CDs this month, both on the Now Sounds label. First one under the spotlight is the album by The Tuneful Trolley. I’ve got one of their 45s in my collection ’Sunny Days’/’My Apple Pie’, but had never heard this studio album before, so took an effort to track it down.
The Tuneful Trolley were discovered and championed by Jay and the Americans.
Listening to this CD confirms to me that they were primarily a pop psych outfit with a knack for writing and performing solid Beatlesque rock.
With a sizeable following in their home base of Long Island, New York, The Tuneful Trolley released ’Island In The Sky’ in 1969 to national indifference, this despite containing all the elements of an instant smash.
The album is a glorious atoll with landscapes of fuzz guitars, oboes, melodic Beach Boys harmonies with a garage edge. The boys were all still in their mid teens when the material was recorded.
1960s Garage and Psychedelic singles
The Bassetts – ’A Little Love From You’/’So Bad’ (Mercury 72624) October 1966
The new additions to my record collection in 2014 continue with this one from The Bassetts, who hailed from Long Island, NY. An online source suggests that they were assembled by Tony Amato, Artie Kornfeld and Steve Duboff. This 45 was their only release.
The top side was a rather novelty type tune called ’A Little Love From You’, written by the Kornfeld-Duboff partnership. It doesn’t register with me, although by all accounts it was a small hit in their locale.
Far superior is the fuzztoned beat of the Tony Amato original ’So Bad’. Comes complete with a cool ’66 guitar break. Both sides are uncompiled.
Lawson & 4 More – ’Smart Bird’/’If You Want Me, You Can Find Me’ (Ardent/Big Beat) 2013
This combo were from Memphis, TN and featured future engineer/producer Terry Manning. The fuzz laden ’66 punker ’Smart Bird’ is previously unreleased and makes it’s debut on this slab of vinyl. The vocals are full of snarl and may have been considered too un-commercial to release as a single.
The other side is the Stonsey ’If You Want Me, You Can Find Me’ and was indeed their first single in 1965. Copies of the record came housed in a picture sleeve. I don’t know if this re-issue is the same mix as the ’65 cut.
Both songs were written and produced by Jim Dickinson.
Denise – ’Boy, What’ll You Do Then’/’Chaos’ (Wee Records/Big Beat) 2013
Big Beat have recently began a series of vinyl only releases in limited quantity of rare and/or previously unreleased cuts. The first one under my spotlight is ’Boy, What’ll You Do Then’ by Denise Kaufman who would then go onto form SF group The Ace Of Cups.
Original copies are very rare and exchange hands for several thousand dollars, which is obviously outta the reach of most collectors. This is one reason to pick up this splendid re-issue before it becomes sold out.
The other reason being of course, that’s it’s a killer 1966 garage put-down, sung by a girl and aimed at her former boyfriend. This chick has been scorned.
The Big Beat re-issue used the even rarer second mix of the recordings which are wilder.
The Semi-Colons – ’Beachcomber’/’Set Aside’ (Cameo Parkway C-468) April 1967
For those who don’t know, The Semi-Colons were in fact ? and the Mysterians. Why Cameo Parkway released this 45 as The Semi-Colons is probably lost in time but if anyone knows be sure to contact me or leave a message.
’Beachcomber’ was first recorded and released by Bobby Darin in 1960. His original version is a slow piano instrumental. The Semi-Colons on the other hand whip up the tempo somewhat and transform it into a ’67 go-go dancer.
The flip ’Set-Aside’ can be found on the debut ? and the Mysterians album ’96 Tears’. This is quite a slow instro that doesn’t really go anywhere, although I do dig the guitar. Both sides were produced by Cameo Parkway staff producer Neil Bogart who would go onto Buddah Records and work on many hits during the bubblegum era.
LCS and the Bishops Four – ’It Doesn’t Seem Fair’/’I’m Gonna Show You Mary’ (Sevens International SI-1006) January 1970
Here’s a mystery group that I know nothing about with an even more puzzling 45. According to ’Teenbeat Mayhem’, LCS and the Bishops Four hailed from New Boston in Texas. Other information suggests that this record was released in 1970.
Both sides, most definitely have a late ’67/68 sound, so perhaps that was when the recordings took place but for whatever reason, the record didn’t come out until a few years down the line.
According to the soybomb database LCS and the Bishops Four cut ’Midnight Hour’ for a 1967 compilation on Normandy Records titled ”Battle Of The Bands” suggesting that the group were active at that point in time. I’ve not heard this album but the database indicates that it’s a live recording.
This brings me to this disc on Sevens International. ’It Doesn’t Seem Fair’ seems to be loosely based on the Monkees song ’She’. It’s quite a moody piece with echoey vocals and jangle, with subtle keyboards. Not the best production I’ve ever heard, the sound is a bit on the muddy side but the melody is a memorable one.
The top side ’I’m Gonna Show You Mary’ is great sunshine pop that brings to mind ’Trust’ by The Peppermint Trolley Company. Classy touch of baroque Beatlesesque brass, killer melody and strong vocals. I’m a little more than surprised to find out that both sides are non-comp so I’ve created a YouTube upload highlighting the jangler ’It Doesn’t Seem Fair’.
**** Ricky England, lead guitarist from LCS and the Bishops Four recently contacted me with the following information ****
You are correct the band is from New Boston, Texas. The record was made in 1968. line-up:
Lyndel Strippling (vocals / trumpet)
Bill Ratcliff (drums)
Danny Wilson (bass)
Ricky England (lead guitar) (12/01/14)
1960s Garage and Psychedelic singles
The Seeds – ’A Thousand Shadows’/’March Of The Flower Children’ (GNP Crescendo GNP-394) June 1967
By 1967, The Seeds had fully embraced psychedelia although they called their brand of music at this point in time ’flower music’. This 45 showcases their new style of flower music perfectly.
The top side ’A Thousand Shadows’ deserved to be a hit but the fuzz laden eerie sounds failed to spark much interest, even for the teens and twenties of Los Angeles.
Perhaps even more flipped out is the the child-like nursery rhyme ’March Of The Flower Children’ which pushes the boundaries even more.
Both sides can be found on their ’Future’ album, interestingly, both cuts were produced by Marcus Tybalt who was indeed Sky Saxon.
”March, march, march with me
Past the crooked forest
Through the field of flowers
Away from all the dragons
Where the sky is painted golden yellow
Come on along and go with me through the fairy castle now
Come on along and go with me”
The Neighb’rhood Childr’n – ’Behold The Lilies’/’I Want Action’ (Acta 45-828) July 1968
I remember way back in the mid 80s buying a bootleg copy of The Neighb’rhood Childr’n’s album and being totally knocked out by the mesmerizing psychedelia. It sounded like nothing I’d ever heard before merging Jefferson Airplane vibes with tripped-out Seeds like compact organ bursts.
Fast forward nearly thirty years later and I’m buying my first Neighb’rhood Childr’n 45, which no doubt will lead me on into collecting all of their single releases.
The Neighb’rhood Childr’n were based in San Francisco during the mid to late 60s and played many gigs supporting the major players with perhaps their biggest gig being an opening slot with The Who & Iron Butterfly at the Sacramento Civic Auditorium.
So what about this particular 45 under the spotlight? Both are non-LP with the flip ’I Want Action’ being a departure in their sound with soul influence using brass. Not my cuppa tea.
Way superior is the top side ’Behold The Lilies’ which is summery baroque psych with orchestration and is unsurprisingly just what the title suggests – viewing colourful lily flowers growing in a field..
’Behold The Lilies’ was written by singer/organist Dyan Hoffman although the label states her forename as Diana (possibly a misspelling).
The More-Tishans – ‘(I’ve Got) Nowhere To Run’/'(I’ve Got) Nowhere To Run’ (Peak Records P-4453) September 1967
This group are believed to have formed in Bloomington, Minneapolis and during the mid sixties built up a considerable reputation as a live group performing throughout Minnesota. Sadly, their recording legacy is just one single on Peak Records recorded at Dove Studios.
‘(I’ve Got) Nowhere To Run’ is a fantastic rocker with 12 string guitar and intricate harmonies all encapsulated in just over two minutes of charged coolness. The song wasn’t even composed by one of The More-Tishans! That honour goes to school friend called Mark LeBoutillier.
Maybe The More-Tishans didn’t have any more decent original songs available on the day they entered Dove Studios as the flip is just the instrumental version of the same song. Bit of a cop out if you ask me.
My copy of the 45 has the label on the wrong side of the disc which was obviously spotted before it was sent to radio stations etc as someone has scribbled ’vocal’ and stamped ’plug side’ on the ’instrumental side’. The ’vocal side’ plays the instrumental.
Over the years the song has been made available on a couple of Sundazed releases, namely the CDs ’Psychedelic Microdots #1’ and ’Garage Beat #2’.
About the photo: Minneapolis garage band The More-Tishans (Steve Peulen on vocals, Tom Cafferty on lead guitar, Chris Nelson on rhythm guitar, Hugh Kraemer on bass guitar and Roy “Pinky” Herschleb on drums) performing upstairs at the Mount Telemark Chalet, Cable, MN, 1966 . . .
1960s Garage and Psychedelic singles
Sagittarius – ’I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City’/’I Still Can See Your Face’ (Together T-122) September 1969
This year I’m going to attempt to write about every vinyl record I purchase in 2014, these items will be labelled ”2014” (obviously). I’ve been quite active as a vinyl collector already and have several titles to review. First up is the final single by pop psych outfit Sagittarius.
’I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City’ was written by Nilsson and is a sublime merge of country & western with harmony pop psych. The layers of rich harmonies with pedal steel guitar and the unusual sound of the Moog synthesizer produce a sublime sound.
This song was not on their second and last studio album ”Blue Marble” so is obviously one to track down. The flip ’I Still Can See Your Face’ written by Gary Usher is another country/pop psych master craft which can be found on the previously mentioned long-player.
Peabody – ”Days Of Rest” / ”Forever Eyes” (Busy-B 7) January 1968
I’ve finally managed to locate this 45 by New Orleans group Peabody and it’s taken quite some time, rarely appearing on eBay or collector sales lists leading me to believe that it’s one of the rarest Busy-B releases.
The simply beautiful folk-rock tune ’Forever Eyes’ was compiled way back on ’From The New World’, a compilation I wrote about some time ago. For fans of the folk-rock and baroque pop sound this album is essential.
The other side of the 45 ’Days Of Rest’ appears to have been the plug side, I’m only assuming this based on the ”X” marked on white label promos. This side is less immediate but still good. Both songs were written by Mike Presti who prior to joining Peabody was a member of The Zoofs.
’Days Of Rest’ can be found on a CD compilation from 1990 and was released on the Strange Things label which was put together by Phil Smee, no doubt in conjunction with his magazine of the same name from the late 80s.
According to Mike Presti (in an interview given to 60sgaragebands.com) he confirmed that Peabody were formally called Lady Chatterley’s Lovers but changed their name to Peabody during late 1967.
The line-up for Peabody was:
Mike Presti (lead guitar)
Mike Chassaniol (lead vocals)
Gary Furlow (rhythm guitar)
Clark Vreeland (drums)
Nick Buck (organ)
Sadly, Clark Vreeland, who became a well known musician in New Orleans during the 70s/80s died recently (26/12/13) aged 62.
His ex-wife contacted me a couple of days ago and sent me a fabulous colour photo of Peabody, which I’ll share here. Clark is pictured at the front wearing a cap and a claret scarf.
1960s Garage and Psychedelic singles
Mortimer – ’Dedicated Music Man’/’To Understand Someone’ (Philips BF 1664) May 1968
This group were from New York but recorded all of their material in London during the early part of 1968, maybe the location they used rubbed off on Mortimer as they sound very English indeed.
’Dedicated Music Man’ is an out and out classic psych pop tune with memorable bass runs that remind me of Paul McCartney’s, classy vocal harmonies and a melody to match. Don’t know why this wasn’t huge in ’68 but it wasn’t, and Mortimer would reflect on what could have been.
My UK copy is quite rare and doesn’t show up too often, the USA release (March 1968) came housed in a picture cover. Most of these copies used ’Dedicated Music Man’ on both sides with a mono and stereo mix. The UK release has ’To Understand Someone’, another fine pop nugget but without the immediacy of ’Music Man’.
Prior to recording as Mortimer the group released a 45 as Pinnochio and the Puppets.
And before the latter, they were known as The Teddy Boys and released several fine singles, non of which have appeared on my blog yet but I intend to change that soon.
Both sides of this disc remain uncompiled.
Surdy Greebus – ’Nothing New Under The Sun’/’The Red Room’ (Josie 45-983) 1967
I’ve had this strange sounding record for several years and did a little research at the time of purchase but found nothing. It appeared that Surdy Greebus would remain a mystery. However, earlier this month I took the record out of the box and remastered both sides then checked the internet hoping that some information had surfaced since my last search.
Sure enough the Buckeyebeat website have unearthed their story, indicating that Surdy Greebus were quite popular in their home area of Cincinnati but virtual unknowns outside of their usual confines apart from the odd gig in Louisville, KY.
’Nothing New Under The Sun’, written by Eugene Katona (ex Them – not the Northern Ireland group) is perhaps the safer song and was chosen as the ’plug side’ although I don’t think it sounds that commercial. It’s a folky mix of pop and psych but not really any particular bag, they generate quite a unique sound for 1967.
the red room
The flip, ’The Red Room’ is very weird with strange rhythms and backwards guitar. I’ve got no idea what the song is about but it must mean something. Think of The Lovin’ Spoonful mixing it up with the strangeness of Frank Zappa and you might get the idea.
I recently made contact with Surdy Greebus member Eugene Katona and I asked him about his time in the group.
”I was there with Stu Levy, Seymour Duncan, West Davis Tom Hogeback and Paulla Zalla. You are correct. We were very popular and like a bright flame we burned out quickly. The band lasted just over a year.
Seymour went to California and started Seymour Duncan Guitar Pickups Inc. Stu finished Medical School with his then girl friend and future wife Chris and they both moved to Portland Oregon and worked for Kaiser Permanente.
West and Tom went to Alaska and managed Resorts and went fishing (caught huge Halibut) and hunting etc., Paula remarried and works with her church helping those in need. West now has moved near Albany New York and resides with Celeste Plowden, a lovely gal, and he still makes music and just released a CD called ”Life Like Parts”,which is very good.
Seymour Duncan, of course, played lead guitar & other guitar parts. Stu Levy played Rhythm Guitar. Tom Hogeback played Bass. West Davis played drums and I played 12 string Guitar and assorted other instruments.
We also had an electric harpsichord and Paula played that along with another guy.
Acapella rehearsals
Every one sang and we often had 4 & 5 part harmonies such as on ”No where man” and ”And your bird can sing”. Stu Levy sang all Jimi Hendrix songs. West Davis sang The Left Bank songs ”Just Walk Away Rene” & ”Pretty Ballerina” West had a beautiful, high tonal, voice.
We often had acapella rehearsals in hallways & bathrooms, anywhere with a bit of echo or reverb, to make sure our harmonies were perfect and people who happened by while we were rehearsing in acapella were amazed at what they heard and that is partly how our following grew.
You might want to post the flip side ”The Red Room” just to demonstrate the psychotically weird side of the band. We had no fear whatsoever.”
I found some Surdy Greebus gig adverts from the University of Cincinnati.
These adverts are from a late 1967 edition of the University’s weekly newspaper.
1960s Garage and Psychedelic singles
The Nova Local – ’Nova 1’ (MCA MUPS 377) 1969
The Nova Local have featured on ’Flower Bomb Songs’ before when I reviewed their debut single ’If You Only Had The Time’. For the purpose of having everything about The Noval Local in one place on my blog I’ve copied that entry from February 2011 with this posting.
I was recently delighted to acquire an original copy of The Noval Local. I’ve bought this a few times over the years on dubious bootleg vinyl and CD but there’s NOTHING as good as a vintage copy on vinyl.
The copy I managed to find, at a reasonable price, is the rare UK release on MCA. This stereo album was released sometime in 1969 in Britain, which is a little strange as The Noval Local had long since disbanded the previous year.
’Nova 1’ was first released in USA on Decca during April 1968 and appears to have missed out on any attention at the time, which is a shame as the material is first rate, varied and interesting.
The original songs are really strong psychedelic contenders including the lysergic and West Coast sounding opener ’$5 A Ticket’ which kicks the album off in fine style. The listener expects it’s gonna be one long trip.
tripped-out psych
Another winning original song is the very Lovin’ Spoonful(esque) ’A Visit From It, The King’ this then leads into some brilliant tripped out psych with versions of ’Tobacco Road’, ’Hitch Hike’ and ’Morning Dew’.
These three songs alone are worth buying the album for.
Dig the seriously far-out psych leads on ’Morning Dew’ especially. Actually, I’ve decided that The Nova Local sound more like a ’67 English psych group than American. Maybe that’s why their album got a belated release in England.
The orchestrated and dreamy ’Forgotten Man’ was compiled in the late 80s on ’Baubles Volume 1’ and is probably where I first heard anything by The Nova Local. Other songs to receive the compilation treatment include the non-album ’Games’, which was the flip of ’If You Only Had The Time’, ’Other Girls’, another non-album flip side, is avaiable on ’Wyld Sydes Volume 5’.
other information:
Randy Winburn (rhythm guitar / vocals)
Joe Mendyk (lead guitar)
Cam Schinhan (organ)
Jim Opton (bass)
Bill LeVasseur (drums)
Phil Lambeth (guitar)
B.B. Saunders and Elliot Mazer (producers)
From Buffalo Billycan,
”This band were students at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Their album, which was recorded in New York in December 1966, is definitely worth investigating and is a minor collectable. Its very Anglophile sound garnered it a U.K. release, although the band had split by April 1967.
Bassist Jim Opton told U-Spaces:-
”We were a band that was making a pretty good living playing fraternity parties around the campus, and a few cellar clubs in Chapel Hill. My fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha, was sponsoring a charity concert for our scholarship fund, and we decided to go for broke that year and book a big name.
We contacted William Morris Agency in New York, and booked Chad and Jeremy. We needed an opening act, so I booked my own band… got us real cheap. The deal was that Rob Heller, who was with the Morris Agency would come and hear us play. He signed us immediately after the concert. A week later he hooked us up with Elliot Mazer, who became our producer. Elliot also worked as a song peddler for E.B. Marks Music, who published the music.
Decca contract
We got a recording contract with Decca, I don’t know how, but Rob put that deal together with Elliot, and the next thing I know, we are in the studio with all kinds of famous people that had us in awe for the first 35 seconds or so. I do know that somebody thought we were kind of special, because the studio was absolutely closed to visitors while we were there, and we were not allowed to take home raw tape to play for anyone.
We did a lot of things that were pretty advanced for our time. Listen carefully to Morning Dew for example. The strange vocal effects were done by feeding the vocals through a Leslie Tone Cabinet from a Hammond B3. Also, the bass lead is the first bass feedback lead I think I can remember in a rock song.
I blew up the amp doing it!! Cost me $750 (a LOT of money I didn’t have in 1966)!! But, it was a hell of a lick. The album was essentially recorded by five of us: Randy, Bill, Joe, Cam and me. Phil had departed for law school. I believe he is alive and well, and practicing law in Charlotte, N.C.”
”Actually, there is one little piece or two of rock and roll history that goes with that album. It was the first ever recorded using the very new, and relatively unknown, Dolby NR System. It took up a good size room at the time. The engineer for the album, Fred Catero, was also the engineer for Simon and Garfunkel.” (thanks to Paul Jacob Boller)
The Nova Local – ’If You Only Had The Time’/’Games’ (Decca 32138) May 1967
Decca Records had a lot of faith in teenage group The Nova Local offering them an album deal and taking out a full page colour advert in Billboard trade magazine in May 1967. A couple of singles were also released, ’If You Only Had The Time’ is on the long player but the flip ’Games’ is not.
By all accounts the group formed at Chapel Hill College in North Caroline and quickly established themselves on the local circuit but outside of NC they were virtually unknown.
’If You Only Had The Time’ is a delightful pop psych tune written and sung by Randy Winburn who now goes by the name Rand Winburn.
The Nova Local – ’John Knight’s Body’/’Other Girls’ (Decca 32194) September 1967
The second and last Nova Local single paired ’John Knight’s Body’ with the garage pop of ’Other Girls’. Both songs were written and sung by Randy Winburn.
’John Knight’s Body’ is quite a weird little pop song with it’s jaunty rhythm in stark contrast with dark lyrics about someone being framed for a murder he did not commit and pondering his life in a prison cell while waiting on death row for execution. Heavy shit for a pop record.
Reader comment:
I found the Nova Local LP in a thrift store some months back and I too thought they were British upon just reading their name; imagine my surprise.
It’s a great great record and I listen to it A LOT. As a perhaps-interesting aside, I had already heard ”If You Only Had The Time” sampled into a hip hop song by Dangerdoom long before I bought this record. The sample wasn’t credited that I remember, but it’s unmistakable.
1960s Garage and Psychedelic singles
Lancelot Link And The Evolution Revolution – (Probe SPBA 6258) November 1970
I had no idea about this classic psychedelic bubblegum combo until recently being turned on to their super sonic sounds. Fronted by a cool bunch of hippie chimps in all of their far out threads.
Checking the songwriter credits on the label surprised me somewhat as every nugget was written and probably sung by Steve Hoffman who people may recognise as the leader of The Mystic Astrologic Crystal Band.
Meet the band:
Lance Link: Our hero and Secret A.P.E. is the group’s lead guitarist. He’s a native of California and lives in a ranch house in Tarzana. Lance is a Scorpio, and is four feet tall in his stocking feet (he spent two years as a pre-med student and is violently against vivisection.)
Mata Hairi: Lance’s co-agent, is the group’s sex symbol. She’s a Virgo, weighs 48 pounds and is three feet two inches tall. She lives in a Beverly Hills Estate formally owned by Johnny Weismuller. Her ambition is to own a cloth coat – she hates fur.
Sweetwater Gibbons: is the creative genius of the group, playing all keyboard instruments. He’s just under three feet tall and, with his wide grin, flashing teeth, and floppy ears, he stands out in any crowd. He majored in Zoology in college and inherited his musical talent from his father who was an organ grinder.
Bananas Marmoset: is the drummer and hails from Thousand Oaks, California. He’s the oldest of nine children – all of who look alike. He digs listening to groovy music and his faves are Three Dog Night, Steppenwolf and the ever popular Thelonius Monk. He’s afraid of heights and hates haircuts.
The Leaves – ’Girl From The East’/’Get Out Of My Life Woman’ (Mira Records 231) September 1966
According to ’Teenbeat Mayhem’ the song ’Girl From The East’ was used on three different 45s by The Leaves.
It first appeared on (Mira 222) as the flip of ’Hey Joe’, then was used as the flip of ’Too Many People’ (Mira 227) and finally on (Mira 231) possibly having A-Side status on this disc backed by a version of Lee Dorsey’s ’Get Out Of My Life Woman’.
This is one of my recent additions and I was delighted to obtain it for the folk-rock winner ’Girl From The East’ which has some pleasant backing harmonies.
The original version written and recorded by Bobby Jameson is a much slower stripped down interlude with plaintive jangle and soul searching vocals. Both GREAT!
The Chylds – ’I Want More (Lovin)’/’Hay Girl’ (Giant Records 101) May 1967
Here’s a super 60s teenbeat double sider on Giant Records. The Chylds were from Canton, OH and were very popular in their area. So much so that a huge label like Warner Bros were impressed enough to sign them up and release this disc on their label in July ’67.
Both sides really MOVE with an R’N’B/soul crunch, seemingly very much influenced by Paul Revere & the Raiders with a coolsville Mysterians organ buzz.
The Gestures – ’Run, Run, Run’/’It Seems To Me’ (Stateside SS 379) January 1964
Mankato, Minnesota, was home to the four teenagers who made up The Gestures. Originally known as The Jesters, they changed their name rather suddenly – record presses actually halted to make adjustment after the unexpected discovery that another group of Jesters already existed.
’Run, Run, Run’ combines soaring Mersey-ish harmonies with surfish reverb guitar licks and an energetic, fast driving delivery. Released October 1964 by the Minneapolis based Soma label, it was a huge regional hit. Nationally it hit Billboard’s Top 50, but Soma was a small operation, unable to keep up with the demand and give the record the distribution it deserved.
The Gestures released only one more single before going their separate ways. (liners from Nuggets Box)
The scan shown is my British release on Stateside which came out during January 1965 and is quite a difficult 45 to find.
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