Monocled Alchemist

Primitive, Raw, Wild & Loud Mid-60s Punk-Rock Thumpers!

MUSTANGS—That’s For Sure
For alla you who’ve dug this song since its first inclusion on BOULDERS VOLUME 3, here it is in its TRUE FULL GLORY, not muffled and inaudible due to cheaping out on recording and mastering, which is a lame thing to do when the whole point of these reissues is to make these obscure tracks affordable and listenable.

These Riverside, California teens unleashed this incredibly violent fuzz-punk snarler in July ’65, which was surprisingly early for this level of intensity and attack, as most punkers from the mid-’65 era have a “frat-rock” or “surf”-ish influence. The organ player got into music at age 8 in 1956, and by age 12 he was playing along with the piano parts on rock ‘n roll songs he heard on the radio.

Back From The Grave | Volume 7 (Part Two) | (Crypt) 1988

In ’61 he met up with two guitar players who’d just bought Fender Strats, they jammed a bit, and decided to start a group. They dug up a drummer and bass player, then a sax player, because “sax was something EVERY ‘surf’ band HAD to have.”

They adopted THE RESSACS as a moniker and began practicing, MUCH to the disapproval of the un-rockin’ neighbours, in their parents’ garages, blasting forth a “loud, undisciplined noise.”

Their shows were at the usual array of schools, churches, and Elks Lodges. where the elder Elks would anxiously wait for them to finish so they could get back to the usual C&W.

By ’63 they started to get a pretty good local following, and to keep up with the times they’d slip in a few vocal numbers amongst the instros. The RESSACS called it quits in ’64, but three of the guys met up with a guy from another band, and put out ads looking for a guy with a Jagger-ish voice. And they sure picked the right guy, ‘cauz he even out-sneers ole big-lips hisself!

They chose The Mustangs as the new name because “names of animals were ‘in,’ so we decided we’d do it as well.” The drummer’s Jagger-ish vocals proved to be a real drawing card, and they were soon playing up to 3 shows per week. Some high school pals dug them so much that they formed a record company, NERO, and funded the release of this great 45, which was recorded at Western Studios in Glendale.

Sadly, but typically, the record received very little local action on the radio, and with graduation and such, the group started to split up. and by December ’66, the Mustangs were no more, but their legacy of raw soundblast will live forever!

TYME—Land of 1000 Dances
(Turning things over to WILD BILL NADOLNY again, because he grew up with and experienced FIRSTHAND the rockin’ fury of TYME.) “TYME (not ‘The Tyme’—just ‘TYME) recorded this paint-peeling version in 1966 at Syncron Sound Studio, as the B-side to a fine original called “Cry for the Trees.”

A handful of acetates were pressed and passed out to local radio stations, but got virtually no airplay. All members attended North-western Regional High School in Winsted, Connecticut.

ALWAYS out of tune, they tried to make up for their ineptness by playing LOUD, sounding like a cross between SWAMP RATS and the KEGGS. What they could do to “Mustang Sally” and “Louie Louie” was unbelievable! They had great style and spirit, but local competition—the Friars and Snoopy’s Crew—were more popular because of their ability to exactly copy the hits of the time. But TYME turned all their covers into GARAGE PUNK!!!”—B.M.

(Well, I gotta agree with Bill most heartily on that last remark, ‘cauz this track annihilates every other version into dog poop.)

NOBLEMEN—Short Time
Here’s a real LOUD Chicago screecher, from a crew a tad older than mosta the high-school teens rattlin’ the majority of this alb. These guys were a four-piece of freshman students at the University of Chicago who formed in 1967, practiced at the U of C dorms, and recorded this prime cut about being stood up at the infamous ORLYN Studios (home also to Half-Pint and the Fifths, the Monteras, Other Half, etc.).

All four members had previously played in high-school bands, and guitarist Jim Pearie had his first taste at wailin’ during ’65-’66 in the Marauders, back in his home-town in Pennsylvania. The only other U of C group were the Knights of Soul. who were white guys trying soul covers and not doing too well, so the Noblemen ruled the dorm keg-party scene.

In ’68, with school-work getting a bit too extensive to keep up the practice sessions and gigs, they called it quits. Then again, if you hadda let loose a scream like the one here, you’d have a rough time too.

Back From The Grave | Volume 7 (Part Two) | (Crypt) 1988

INVASION—Do You Like What You See?
’67 Milwaukee fuzz-blastin’ organ-grinder, the band’s second of two singles, and pressed up on DYNAMIC Records. The drummer was the leader of the group, which formed in late ’66/early ’67 after two members of his first group, The ETHICS (1964-66), quit, leaving them as a four-piece, and freeing them to switch over to the raunchier style which they dug.

They were trying to find a new name when a local record label hustler approached them to record a song he’d written, called “The Invasion Is Coming,” a cool ditty about a UFO visit. He named them The Invasion to push the song, and sent them to Chicago’s Universal Studios on South Michigan Ave. to record the tune.

The 45 got a bit of airplay, so they headed back to down to record this wild screamer, in which they tried their best to sound like their heroes, THEM. Unfortunately there were disagreements between the label dude and the group over the song, and as a result only 250 copies were pressed up. The complications continued, and by late ’67 they splintered off into two groups and both gave up the name.

Back From The Grave | Volume 7 (Part Two) | (Crypt) 1988

TRAVEL AGENCY—Jailbait
CRUNCH! SLAP! Brutal garage CRUSHER about the dangers of foolin’ with them underage nubiles, recorded about 10 years after legendary R&B wildman Andre Williams set down his twisted document on the same subject. Dig that opening line: “Hey little girl, laying there on the grass, You know you shouldn’t do that, it’s bad for your . . . back!”

This Chicago raunch-combo was formed by the bassist at age 16 after his first band, the FOURBIDDEN PLEASURES, broke up due to his guitar-playing brother’s draft notice and another member’s new duties as road manager for the Shadows Of Knight.

The 4-Bidden’s P’s split in ’66, so the just-formed Travel Agency took over as top cats of the local scene, competing against the poppy Saturdays Children and another group called IT’S US (not the guys coming up in 2 songs).

Unlike most teen bands, these guys played 95% of their shows at nightclubs rather than the usual school-dance circuit. (Mebbe the reason for their getting away with such a risque tune?) They worked a gruelling 9 PM-3 AM shift of five-set shows five nights a week, grabbing a meagre early-AM and late-after-noon snoozes to rest up.

One night at JAYWIRES’ club their under-age status was discovered, resulting in a quick boot out the door. To insure against future bums-rushes, they would dab bits of skin-darkener to make their young faces appear a bit more “mature” and “world-weary.”

They recorded this raw chunk ‘o’ punk and a cool B-side, “Hard Times,” in 1967 at the Zordan Studios in the Roseland area of south Chicago. Zordan then waxed it up on their home label. They continued until graduation in June ’68, several members going on to play in other bands, but the bassist/songwriter turned his back on music due to his disgust with the stupid ‘psychedelic era,’ which was by this time in full swing, (no doubt to the delight of the music industry, which prob’ty invented psychedelia so as to destroy the rough teenage edge of rock’n’roll and sap millions into buying crap like “Whiter Shade Of Pale” and other such garbage.)

LATE NOTE: I SCREWED UP AND FORGOT TO PUT THE TRAVEL AGENCY’S NAME UNDER THEIR PHOTO. THE TOP RIGHT PHOTO INSIDE THE JACKET IS THE TRAVEL AGENCY.

Back From The Grave | Volume 7 (Part Two) | (Crypt) 1988

RON-DE-VOOS—The Maid
Great Indiana garage ode to a barmaid, to keep with the theme of teen lust set by the Travel Agency. The drummer started banging away at the skins at age 4, and played his first dance at that early age in his older brother’s band. Eight years later in ’65, he joined up with three school pals to play a school dance, having only 6 songs in their repertoire.

First few months saw ’em under the name of The Blue Flames, before grasping their next name from a local bar, the Rendezvous. (Presumably also the inspiration for the tune you’re treated to here.) Being from a very small school and ALSO the ONLY band in town, they were heavily supported by all the kids, who went to all their shows, including the wild shows they played at the drive-in theatre before and after movies.

The school kids further supported them by signing a paper saying they’d buy the Ron-De-Voos record, so they went to a radio station studio, set up in a circle around one mike and BLASTED away, resulting in this cool number plus a RAW version of “Pipeline” (See “STRUMMIN’ MENTAL VOLUME 5” for this).

They ished it on their own label, CYCLE RECORDS, and sold ’em all quickly to their loyal fans. Their popularity got a bit too much in some cases, such as a gig where three girls from different towns showed up at the same show, all of them a bit peeved to find out that they were all “steady” with the drummer. He survived that night, but by 1967 and graduation they decided to call it quits, moving on to jobs and wives.

IT’S US—Don’t Want Your Lovin’
Folk-punkish coolity with LOUD geetar for that extra CRUNCH! Kenellon, New Jersey was home for this crew, who formed in ’65 to raise a ruckus and provide Butler High School with relief from square teachers and what-all.

The odd name came about when the drummer’s mom, an artist, saw the drum head in the kitchen and touched it up with the “IT’S US” logo. Since it was painted on, they figured why not stick with it.

This was their only 45, recorded at the Roulette studios in NYC in 1966, and ished on the group’s own ARAB label: Their gigs took them all over central and northern New Jersey, and even to the big apple, where they tore up the BITTER END on Bleecker Street.

They were interviewed in SEVENTEEN magazine in either ’66 or ’67, so if anyone gets a hold of the ish, please get in touch! (I donned some clean garb, shaved, and tried to look respectable, then drove to Butler High and had to get the vice-principal’s permission to dig through the old yearbooks in an attempt to locate a photo of ’em, but no dice.)

Then again, the photo in question was of their last show, Graduation Party in June ’68, where they ended their show and career in a crazed equipment trashing, so no doubt the squares at school musta hidden the photo, rather than preserve IT’S US’ infamy.

MOGULS—Ski Bum
Dig this hep thumper by our pals from SIDE ONE. This time ’round they’re praising the easy life of down-hill down-home. And dig on dis boss prose: “I got a little Volkswagen, Wasn’t made to go, But it holds my skis, baby And runs good on snow!”

This was their second 45, which they got to record free as a result of winning a big Battle Of The Bands.

SPIDERS—Don’t Blow Your Mind
Incredibly powerful fuzz-punk with BRUTALLY snotty lyrics and raw sneering by a teenage ALICE COOPER, in his days back in Tucson, Arizona, before moving to Detroit and hitting the big-time.

The Spiders released a single before this, covering “Hitchhike” and a raw version of Gerry & The Pacemakers’ “Why Don’t You Love Me.” After these two 45s, the Spiders became the NAZZ (not to be confused with Todd Rundgren’s NAZZ) in ’68, releasing one 45, more in a psychedelic style.

The Spiders included Alice, Dennis Dunaway, and Glen Buxton, who continued together as the nucleus of the Alice Cooper band through the mid-’70s.

GRIFS—Keep Dreamin’
Why let up on the snarlin’? Here’s a real headache from the guys that are better known for the poppier (tho’ cool) “Catch A Ride” on the 5-D label. The guy’s throat prob’ly hurt for weeks after recording this—man, what a screech! A PALMER label release.

SPIDERS – No Price Tag
“There ain’t no price tag hangin’ on me!” shouts this brilliant anthem for all misfits unwilling to go along with society’s Moronic ideals. The Spiders return with the flip to this side’s opener, with not a touch of restraint. Sheer genius!

Back From The Grave | Volume 7 (Part Two) | (Crypt) 1988

RETREDS—Black Mona Lisa
Hoo-doggees! Dig that geetar riff that pushes this extra-sharp ditty ’bout a local femme fatale. Rivaling “The Witch” was this evil gal, who’s “been practicing her JUDO so watch it, yer gonna get tossed!”

This Acton, Massachusetts teen combo first formed as a four-piece, the AVANTIES, then when the bass-player quit, they became a six-piece because the new bass-player said he’d only join if his two pals could be in as well. So then along came another guy who wailed a MEAN harmonica, wrote great lyrics (as if I hadda tell ya) and snarled a great lead vocal.

The seven-piece line-up didn’t last too long, as the drummer and second rhythm guitarist quit, so the third rhythm guitarist moved to drums, and this line-up seemed to hit the spot. Friends and school-mates all dug the band, while the principal thought that rock ‘n’ roll bands were all “a bunch of parasitic sissies!”

The Boss Todes/Mauve were the other band in town, switching line-ups almost as much as the Retreds. (“RETRED” was slang for a mentally retarded person, in case that wasn’t a term used in your area.) The Retreds played all over eastern Mass at school dances, the RAT and WHERE IT’S AT in Boston, The ATLANTIC ROOM in Provincetown, and at big shows with the LOST and LITTLE EVA.

A Westford, Mass Battle of the Bands at the Junior College turned out a crowd of 600 wild kids, most of ’em screaming girls. But their wildest show was a record hop for WBZ-Radio in Whitingsville, where the girls were screaming their lungs out, shouting out their phone numbers, and begging for autographs, making the Retreds the local Stones.

The local Stones they were, as the Retreds were very blues-influenced, and even tried to dress like the Stones. Dylan’s wacky lyrics also figured as an influence, rather evidently what with lines like: “You better crawl on the walls,/ ‘Cause there’s rats sleeping on her floors.” (We’ll let you guess what’s the meaning of the cryptic line: “You better watch it, man, she’s a portable vacuum machine!”)

This awesome disc was recorded in 1966 in a small basement studio in Newton, Mass with a ripping cover of “Johnny B Goode” on the flip-side. Parents loaned the group the funds to record and press the 45, and were paid back with the proceeds from the sales made at shows and local record stores.

The group split up in the summer of ’66 when rhythm guitarist Brian graduated high school, leaving the others, who were one year younger. Brian kept at music, playing in blues-based bands over the years, and now turns the public on to blues obscurities via his radio show on public radio.

(By the way, if anyone out there’s got a copy of a movie called “IT’S NEVER TOO LATE” (I think) with Paul Ford and Connie Stevens (circa ’66), look close, ‘cauz there’s a scene filmed in Concord, Mass at the Concord Music Store, and hanging in the window is a RETREDS’ CONCERT POSTER!! Send me a PICTURE if y’got one!)

MIKE’S MESSENGERS—Gone and Left Me
Yerp! Here’s a real corker in terms of snotty rantin’! Genius lyrics displayin’ SEVERE indifference to his chick’s departure: “My LOVE-LIFE is EMPTY, but my POCKETBOOK is FULL!” Definitely not an ” ’80s kind of guy,” and Mike’s probably not in the screenwriting staff fer “thirtysomething.” But then again, on the flip-side, “Cause of All Mankind,” Mike displays his more “sensitive” side in a nice folk-punk delve into society’s troubles. Released on the group’s own EL-EZ-DE label, tho’ there ain’t a speck o’ dorky psukhedelia on this lir kicker!

Back From The Grave | Volume 7 (Part Two) | (Crypt) 1988

MYSTIC FIVE—Are You For Real, Girl?
When asked why they started a band, the singer stated “We got tired of hearing HERMAN’S HERMITS!!” Hep response or WHAT?!! His response to a question about how parents and teachers thought of their group: “You can’t please all of the people all of the time!” Well, these wildcats sure as heck kicked Herman’s little geek-face wimp-rock flat on down the block, and ADULTS at the time were probably rockin’ out to Sinatra and “When I’m 64,” so what do those squares know about anything!

The group got together in ’65 when they were 10th-graders in Venetia, Pennsylvania, started practicing, and were offered a gig playing a Halloween dance, but didn’t have a set group name yet. The dance organizers needed a name for the posters, so they said “Why don’t we call you the Mystic Five?”, as it seemed “spooky” to fit the night’s theme. The name stuck, and the guys kept practicing, working up to a live repertoire of 19 instrumentals and 92 covers, 26 of which being Stones’ songs.

In ’66, after a year honing their primitive’ roar to a tough edge, they ventured to Wintersville, Ohio to the studio of a friend, where they cranked out this snotty cruncher and a raw, loose, and RAUNCHY version of Buddy Holly’s “I’m Gonna Love You Too,” waxing it up on a great hand-lettered label, GO-GO. Sales went darn well, as they not only played all over their county, but also made it over several borders to shows in Steubenville, Ohio, Wheeling and Folansbee, West Virginia, and several other bordering towns in Ohio and West Virginia.

CAVALIERS—Seven Days of Cryin’
Way cool Lynwood, California punker on CRISIS Records. Crisis indeed was trying to track the group down, as the address on the label is a roadside of shrubbery, not a trace of any houses at all. Sorry, but I’m ‘fraid I can’t hip ya to any other info than that. Just turn it up loud and imagine your own version of the Cavaliers’ story.

HIDES—Don’t Be Difficult
Guitar-bendin’ Diddley-stomp by this group of four teen sultans from Pittsburgh’s southern suburbs. Forming from the ashes of The Ban-Lons and The Runaways in early ’65, they were hard-pressed as to what their new name would be. The drummer had a cow-hide on his bass-drum head, so they decided to be The HIDES!

Pittsburgh was a pretty hot town for rock ‘n’ roll, what with WILD disc jockeys like MAD MIKE and PORKY CHEDWYCK spinning the sickest in drunken rhythm & blues and instrumental obscurities, not giving a bean about the “Top 40.” The Hides nailed down lotsa shows with their rep as a hot, rockin’ crew, even with tuff neighbourhood competition like THE MORBIDS (great name!) and the infamous SWAMP RATS/FANTASTIC DEE JAYS.

One really memorable show they played took place at the Silver Dollar Lounge, where a topless go-go girl danced in front of the band, which lead guitarist John Marsiglio said “was pretty heady stuff for a 16-year-old.”

They recorded four original tunes in ’66 in Gateway Studios, then settled on this thumpin’ plonker and a ballad for their single, and paid a local label, SCOTTY, to press ’em up. The record sold fairly well and got a bit of radio play, but by spring of ’67, they grew tired of all the time they had to spend on the band, so they split up. Oh yeah, one last note: One spring morn in ’66 at 3 AM, they hit the stage for a TV Variety Club Telethon on WTAE, and musta rattled a lotta squares expectin’ the usual sub-Vegas crooners.

TY WAGNER—Slander
From the same brilliant mind that unleashed the awesome punk anthem “I’m a No-Count” comes this cool follow-up, with more stingin’ lashes o’ snotty wit: “I thought you were HIP/ You’re just a BUM TRIP/ Close your LYIN’ LIP!” Definitely not a cat to mess with. Ty & Co. were from Los Angeles, but to this date nobody’s been able to unearth this truly talented king o’ punk prose ‘n’ attitude.

Liner notes taken from Volume 7. Read more Graves here.