Here are some of my random thoughts and words about obscure and in-demand ’60s garage and psychedelic singles over the years.
CARNIVAL CONNECTION – ”Poster Man” / ”Alfred Appleby” (Capitol P 2244) Aug 1968
60s garage and psychedelic: Carnival Connection from Montreal, Canada released this delightful pop psych 45 in the Summer of 1968. It didn’t make any great waves and barely dented the charts. Indeed the band remain largely unknown outside of their Canadian base.
The band started life in the Merseybeat era of ’64 plying their trade as J.B and the Playboys but decided to change their name sometime in 1966 to The Jaybees. This was because people were confusing them for hit band Gary Lewis and the Playboys.
They then changed their name for a third time to Peter and the Pipers before settling for Carnival Connection in mid ’68. ’Poster Man’ is classic paisley pop and was written and produced by ex Changin’ Times member Artie Kornfield at Capitol’s New York City studios.
The flip ’Alfred Appleby’ is an English styled pop psych ditty and is not as immediate as ’Poster Man’ and is very much of the time.
Reader comment:
I think some of the members became the group The Freedom North.
60s garage and psychedelic
SOUL SURVIVORS – ’Expressway To Your Heart’ / Hey Gyp’ (Stateside HSS 1226) Aug 1967
Philadelphia outfit Soul Survivors hit big with the soul of ’Expressway To Your Heart’ which is not really my bag.
So I was surprised to find a rather GREAT version of ’Hey Gyp’ on the flip.
This rendition, originally made famous by Donovan, is a hard core LS dee-lite groover with weird sound effects and turned on background organ. It all becomes a little bit trippy mid way through the song and is bound to please.
JOHNNY THUNDER – ’I’m Alive’ / ’Verbal Expressions Of T.V.’ (Disques Vogue Int. 80182) April 1969
’I’m Alive’ is an outrageous mod swinger with crunchin’ fuzz and awesome vocals by Johnny Thunder. He started out as a lead singer for The Drifters in the late 50s then went solo. Non of his music apart from this memorable two sider is ’Flower Bomb Song’ material.
‘I’m Alive’ is a Tommy James and the Shondells cover. The original is also great but lacks the vocal prowess of Mr Thunder. Unsurprisingly, the 45 is a sought after disc by European mods hip to the killer sound.
The flip ’Verbal Expressions Of T.V.’ is a weird funkadelic work-out.
This 45 was first released in USA on Calla Records in late ’68.
THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION – ’Trouble Comin’ Every Day’ / ’Who Are The Brain Police?’ (Verve VK-10458) 1966
I suppose The Mothers Of Invention are an acquired taste and I’ve never had my mind opened enough to let Frank Zappa into my little world except for the garage jewel ’Trouble Comin’ Every Day’.
It was produced by Tom Wilson who also worked with many bands in the mid 60s including The Velvet Underground, The Blues Project and Bob Dylan.
I’ve done some brief research about the song and Zappa once confirmed that it was his response to watching the 1965 Watts Riots in Los Angeles on television.
The Verve Records archives indicate that ’Trouble Comin’ Every Day’ was recorded at their New York studios in October 1966.
60s garage and psychedelic
LONDON AND THE BRIDGES – ’It Just Ain’t Right’ / ’Leave Her Alone’ (Date 2-1502) March 1966
Teenage band London and the Bridges formed in Great Neck, New York. They got a contract with Columbia Records and had three singles released on their subsidiary label Date. But despite some promotion and even TV work on Upbeat, no hits followed.
’It Just Ain’t Right’ was their debut 45 and it perfectly captures the Brit Invasion sound that spread quickly throughout USA in the mid 60s and influenced so many bands.
It was perhaps no surprise either that the record company came up with the band name to cash in on all that English fervour.
THE ROGUES – ’Wanted: Dead Or Alive’ / ’One Day’ (Living Legend LL-723) 11/1965
This was an early Michael Lloyd and Shaun Harris outfit. Those two of course would eventually form The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. But it’s still 1965 on this record and they’re probably just messing about in the studio under the supervision of Living Legend Records owner Kim Fowley.
’Wanted: Dead Or Alive’ is the best ’Hey Joe’ re-write you’ll ever hear. It’s killer from start to finish and of course pure Hollywood, Sunset Strip. The flip ’One Day’ is another folk rock gem but this tune is moody and fragile.
Tom, a regular reader of my blog sent me the following information about The Rogues.
Hello Colin: I remembered seeing something about this tune… and had to search it out. Its in The Trash Box (box CD set) on Hit Records. Cd #1 / cut 18.In the booklet the set comes with … Wanted Dead Or Alive, there’s a story behind the tune…quote …
This amazing, slow re-write of ”Hey Joe” features some rather well known names behind its nondescript moniker.
60s garage and psychedelic
Masterminded by Kim Fowley, it was recorded in a Hollywood bedroom in ’65, while the Byrds and The Leaves were on the air with the original ”Hey Joe” and a thousand garage bands across the land were trying to work out the song for themselves.
Kim’s inspiration was to keep the chords and the feel of the hit. Adding new lyrics and making it a sequel. Shaun Harris, soon to form the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, handed the vocals, while hotshot teen mogul Michael Lloyd (who’s still around as a hit producer) kept time drumming with his knuckles on the floor. One of them, or some other legendary L.A. character, played a marvellous raga-rock guitar solo.
Colin I liked this tune right off … the backing vocal reminded me of a Ennio Morricone spaghetti western sound track. Best Regards: TomK
KEITH KESSLER – ‘Don’t Crowd Me’ / ’Sunshine Morning’ (MTW 102) Aug 1968
According to an online source, Keith Kessler from Renton Washington, recorded pissed off punker ’Don’t Crowd Me’ in 1966 with his band The Impulses. With it’s snotty vocals and pounding organ it certainly could have been from ’66 although the 45 wasn’t released until late Aug 1968.
Some copies came with a picture sleeve.
THE PLAGUE – ’Money’ 1966
This band look like they would run over your pet cat on purpose and that teen rebellion was put to good use on their recording of ’Money’. It was never released on record in the 60s and only survived as an acetate.
The acetate was patched up and compiled on Hipsville Volume 2 in the mid 80s.
According to the liners The Plague were from Bismarck, New Delaware.
60s garage and psychedelic
THE VIKINGS – ’Blue Feeling’ 1965
The Vikings from Taunton, Massachusetts were one of those many promising teen bands that recorded a few songs then disbanded when a couple of their members got the call to fight the ’yellow man’ on the other side of the world.
Judging from the band picture they were a suited and booted combo with long hair for ’65.
’Blue Feeling’ was never released in the 60s but fortunately it got exposure when The Vikings music was compiled way back in 1980 on the Star Rhythm LP ’Bay State Rock Volume 1’.
It’s a confident version and I’m sure The Vikings would have produced more good work if circumstance had not intervened.
S.J. & The CROSSROADS – ’Funny Woman’ 1966
Another band with six members were a set of school kids from Beaumont, Texas called S.J. and the Crossroads. They were locally famous for having a group member with the widest gait in pop music. That’s him pictured right out in front.
’Funny Woman’ was never released in the 60s and it remained unheard until Texas Punk Volume 10 (Cicadelic Records) compiled it in 1987. The song was recorded in drummer S.J. Serio’s garage.
Reader comment:
Heard these guys MANY times at various parties and dances around town when I was in high school. GREAT party band in their day. I ended up with the bass player, Philip Battaglia’s Fender Jazz bass and still gig with it today!
THE HEADSTONES – ’Bad Day Blues’ / ’My Kind Of Girl’ (Pharaoh 152) 1966
For some reason The Headstones had six band members but sadly only four songs during their recording history for Pharaoh Records out of McAllen, Texas.
’Bad Day Blues’ was the follow up 45 to the local hit ’Wish She Was Mine’ – According to the liners of Texas Punk Volume 5 (Cicadelic LP-991) ’Bad Day Blues’ did even better in McAllen, spending two weeks at number 1 giving The Headstones their short lived brush with fame.
60s garage and psychedelic
THE WIG – ’Little By Little’ 1966
One of the LPs that got played many times in the mid 80s was The Wig collection released by Texas Archive Recordings in 1983. The LP in question is titled ’The Wig Live At The Jade Room’.
I never owned a copy of this album until this week and it took me over 20 years to track a copy down! Everything on the album had never been heard before. Most of the record is taken up with blistering live recordings from 1966 of standard 60s fair such as ’Everybody Needs Somebody’, ’Gimme Some Lovin’, ’Gloria’ etc…you get the picture….but it does contain both sides of The Wig’s aborted first 45 ’Little By Little’ / ’Forever And A Day’
The Wig hailed from Austin and along with the 13th Floor Elevators were considered to be one of the most popular 60s groups in Central Texas.
THE LEATHER BOY – ’Shadows’ / ’I’m A Leather Boy’ (MGM K13724) April 1967
’Shadows’ is an outstanding slice of psychedelia with whispered vocals and a trippy melody line full of echo. I can remember being blown away by this as a teenager when I first heard it on Pebbles Vol 11.
It’s a killer B-Side and is far superior than the novelty top side ’I’m A Leather Boy’.
I’ve read online somewhere else that The Leather Boy appeared on TV Show ”Upbeat” performing ’I’m A Leather Boy’. The record wasn’t a hit however and is a hard 45 to locate, especially in the tasty picture sleeve.
Leather Boy was also known as Milan and lots of 45s have been released under various guises such as Milan, World Of Milan, The Leather Boy and The Licorice Schtik.
He also put together a band and released an album as The Head Shop in late 1969.
Milan’s work is surely ripe for a retrospective, although I’m sure a legit release will almost certainly never happen because so many different record labels would be involved.
Sadly Milan died of a brain tumour in 1971.
60s garage and psychedelic
SOUND VENDOR – ’Mister Sun’ / ‘In Paradise’ (Liquid Stereo LS-25) 1967
Here’s a record that remains elusive to me. It was up for auction on eBay a couple of years ago but I got outbid by a couple of $$$; it went for about $170 in the end.
So this is a copy of the song ’Mister Sun’ taken from ’Voyages Into Psychedelia Vol 2. The label scan is taken from popsike.
One day I’ll own this amazing psychedelic 45!! Listen out for a minutes worth of freak out action as the song comes to an end. Certainly is Liquid Stereo Diethylamide.
Reader comments:
Didn’t Bobby Sherman have a hit records called ”Mister Sun” ca. 1969 or so?
I don’t know anything about Bobby Sherman. Sound Vendor were from Portland, Oregon and formed out of the ashes of Mr Lucky and The Gamblers. They used Producer Rick Keefer who also helped create both United Travel Service 45s.
Note: Sound Vendor comes from Portland Oregon. Jim Dunlap on Vocals, Allan Gunter on Bass and Backgroud vox, Jim Graziano on Drums Dave Maitland on Guitar and Gregg Perry on B3 organ. Thanks Ricky G
Saw them many times at the Crystal Ballroom while working in the light show. They were a favorite of Gary Ewing’s. When I saw them at the Civic Auditorium opening for Steppenwolf, they literally blew that big name band off the stage.
I was the drummer in the band, and I might have some copies of the record. Nice to hear comments about the music 40+ years later. 4 members are still alive, 3 of them still living in Portland.
P.J. ORION and the MAGNATES – Love Minus Zero (Eva 12023)
French re-issue label Eva Records put out this rare album by student garage band P.J. Orion and the Magnates in 1984.
It was one of Eva’s first releases and I probably bought this when it appeared on the scene from a mail order firm called Funhouse Records.
This prep school album is different from other preppy school one off’s because this band go for the folk rock sound in a big way. Even their covers of British Invasion tunes like ’As Tears Go By’, ’We Gotta Get Out Of This Place’ and EVEN ’Gloria’ have got electric folk rock jangle all over them instead of the English beat sound.
This is perhaps why I love this album so much. Every cut is a cover version but The Magnates add their own special ingredient into the mix.
The information about each band member on the album back cover is a piss-take but at least it provides their names and the instruments they struggled to play.
I’m not sure where the band came from but I’ve read online that they attended a college in Groton, Massachusetts and recorded this album and had it manufactured in 1966.
An original LP is scarce and will probably cost at least $350 and the release on Eva has more or less vanished as well.
Surprisingly, only ’We Gotta Get Out Of This Place’ has ever been compiled and that was in 1982 on Oil Stains Vol 1. No CD re-issue exists as far as I know.
I wrote this review of the debut 45 by Stone Country back in April 2007. Last year Rev-ola thankfully re-issued their 1968 album as well as some/all of their singles??? I don’t know for sure because I don’t have this CD re-issue.
STONE COUNTRY – ’Time Isn’t There (Anymore)’ / Life Stands Daring’ (RCA 47-9301) Sept 1967
Excellent late 60s group of country rockers from California. Not sure what part of California exactly but their recordings were made in Hollywood.
Stone Country consisted of Dann Barry (bass), Steve Young (lead guitar), Don Beck (12 string guitar and banjo), Dennis Conway (drums), Richard Lockmiller (rhythm guitar) and Doug Brooks (also rhythm guitar).
Steve Young would go on to become a country rock star when Stone Country disbanded and Don Beck would later work with Dillard and Clark.
This was their first 45 for RCA Victor. They would release three more, as well as an awesome album in 1968. Well I think it’s an amazing album, very hard to categorise but I’ll have a go and say it’s psychedelic country (whatever that means) but you can get the picture.
Basically if you dig late period Byrds and in particular their Notorious Byrd Brothers phaze, you’ll dig not only the album but you’ll want to own their 45s as well.
country tinged
The plug side of this 45 was the Dann Barry and Doug Brooks song ’Time Isn’t There (Anymore)’. It’s a beautiful country tinged psych tune full of harmonies and a wall of guitar sound. Pretty damned cool bass runs as well.
This song was recently compiled on ’turned-on’ CD Soft Sounds For Gentle People Volume 2. The uncompiled ’Life Stands Daring Me’ again treads a country psych path and is just as good as the top side. Notable for the closing raga guitar sound. This song was written by Don Beck.
It’s also worth mentioning that Stone Country were slated to do recordings and possibly appear in some scenes in the late 60s LSD comedy caper Skidoo starring Mickey Rooney and Groucho Marx.
Unfortunately this never materialized and all of the songs for the film were Harry Nilsson’s.
I’ve did some diggin’ around for information about Stone Country and there isn’t a great deal on offer. Maybe the liners come up with some interesting details about the band.
I do know that they were led by Steve Young who formed Stone Country in 1967. They got signed to RCA and an album was released in March 1968.
It appears to have sank without trace, which is a shame because it contains many highlights including raga psych winner ’Mantra’ and the harmony pop psych of ’Everywhere I Turn’.
60s garage and psychedelic
These two songs would have made a really strong 45 follow up to ’Life Stands Daring Me’ but for some strange reason the record company opted to release the rather ordinary ’Ballad Of Bonnie & Clyde’.
It’s also got to be said that the LP cover is appalling. Just what the art department were thinking of is anyone’s guess. Drawing the faces of the band on some stones because they are called Stone Country is rather lame indeed.
So, the cover would not have got the impulse buyers handing over their cash. Back in 1968 record buyers probably wanted something a little more garish and psychedelic looking.
It’s also worth noting that Rev-ola used the stereo mix for their re-issue release. My album copy is the mono issue and probably sounds a whole lot better.
The album was mentioned as a ’spotlight’ release on the KFXM Radio chart coming at you from San Bernardino, California in March ’68.
The Producer for all Stone Country recordings was Rick Jarrard. He was making a name for himself on the West Coast by also twiddling the knobs for The Family Tree, Loading Zone, Nilsson and more famously The Jefferson Airplane. He produced their ’Surrealistic Pillow’.
The band or perhaps RCA also utilized songwriters Diane Hilderbrand. She wrote some songs recorded by The Monkees such as ’Early Morning Blues And Greens’ and co-wrote ’Goin’ Down’ and ’Your Auntie Grizelda’.
The song writing team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil contributed ’Angelica’ which I don’t think works for a psychedelic country rock band like Stone Country.
60s garage and psychedelic
After one album and four singles Stone Country split sometime in 1969 when Steve Young quit and signed for A&M Records as a solo artist.
Discography:
Time Isn’t There (Anymore) / Life Stands Daring (RCA Victor 47-9301)
Ballad Of Bonnie & Clyde / Ballad Of Bonnie & Clyde instrumental (RCA Victor 47-9397)
Love Psalm / Magnolias (RCA Victor 47-9472)
Wheels On Fire / Million Dollar Bash (RCA Victor 47-9534)
Stone Country LP (RCA-Victor LPM 3958)
THE GENTLEMEN – ’It’s A Cry’n Shame’/’You Can’t Be True’ (Vandan) 1967
I loaded this one on to my computer to use months ago but forgot about it. Then I decided to pay a visit to my 70s punk and new wave record boxes so The Gentlemen were forgotten about which come to think about it isn’t very gentlemanly of me is it?
So here goes. The MP3 comes from my burn from the IMO best ’pound for pound’ garage punk compilation LP ever – ’I Was A Teenage Caveman’ – this disc kills every other contender including those overrated ’Back From The Graves’ and ’Teenage Shutdowns’.
JOURNEY TO A HIGHER KEY – ’The Best of Sitar Psychedelia: Volume 1 (Nava Rasa Records) 1998
Mention the word ’sitar’ to your local knuckle draggin’ garage inbreed and you’ll probably get laughed at then stabbed by one of his/her cuban heels.
I too, was one of those garage inbreeds in an earlier embodiment but I strangely always had a relaxed mynd to seek out psychedelia and in particular music containing a sitar.
This rare and obscure comp LP came out in the late 90s with a limited pressing of 350 copies. Try finding one now! They’re rarely offered for sale.
The track I’ve chosen to represent the album is ’Barshat’ by a Swedish mushroom munchin’ sage called Handgjort. It’s from his impossible to find 1970 LP on Silence Records.
So get out your bong and light up, for you’re about to be taken to a higher key.
Hi! The name is actually Handgjort in one word and means ”made by hand” or ”home made”
THE MUSIC EXPLOSION – ’Sunshine Games’ / ’Can’t Stop Now’ (Laurie LR 3400) Aug 1967
’Sunshine Games’ was a sizable hit for The Music Explosion and I can see why because it’s a catchy bubblegum tune. The song was compiled in the 80s on Mindrocker Volume 5.
The flip ’Can’t Stop Now’ credited to hitmakers Kasenetz-Katz & Chiprut has some fuzz, brass and organ (farfisa?) and remains uncomped. Hmmn, did The Music Explosion actually play on this record or was it studio musicians??
They were from Mansfield, Ohio by the way and when singer Jamie Lyons went out on his own ,the band eventually morphed into The Crazy Elephant.
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