Good Garage tunes

UnconSciUnconSci 824 Posts
edited January 2008 in Strut Central
I've been kinda getting into this genre and am pretty out of the know. I have been really looking for The Leaves - Other people 45 and the sneekers - Sneaker talk. Anyway... I was just curious what are some classics within the genre and who has some 45s to sell me! hehe. I just really dig the gritty big beat kinda sound and really wanna get more of this shit in my crates.

  Comments


  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    Cool that you mention this. I just had a friend of mine turn up to play records earlier & we played nothing but garage 45s for an hour. It was fun.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Start with some relatively easy-to-find hits & work your way up:
    - Gentrys - "Keep On Dancing" (MGM)
    - Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs - "Wooly Bully" (MGM)
    - Chartbusters - "She's The One" (Mutual)
    - Kingsmen - "Money," "Louie Louie" (Wand)
    - Human Beinz - "Nobody But Me" (Capitol)
    - Five By Five - "Fire"/"Hang Up" (Paula)
    - Paul Revere & the Raiders - "Just Like Me," "Kicks," "Steppin' Out", "The Great Airplane Strike" (Columbia)
    - ? & the Mysterians - "96 Tears" (Cameo)
    - Leaves - "Hey Joe" (Mira)
    - Five Americans - "I See The Light" (HBR)
    - Standells - "Dirty Water" (Tower)
    - Music Explosion - "Little Bit O'Soul"/"I See The Light" (Laurie)
    - Shadows Of Knight - "Gloria" (Dunwich)
    - Premiers - "Farmer John" (Warner Bros.)

    After you get past the hits, there are the lesser-knowns like the Sonics, Swamp Rats, Squires, Del-Vettes, Unrelated Segments and others...but here it's either get a reissue (lotta good compilations out there) or pay more for the originals.

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    There are some great cheap vinyl comps out there
    that can give you your fix and also a few clues to
    where to find some OG's. I really like the Fuzz, Flaykes & Shakes
    series on Dionysous. You can pick each one up
    for under $10, and they are a great mix of stuff you'll
    never find and things on labels you know that might turn up
    with just a little effort. The Teenage Shutdown! series is
    great, too, although the tracks on those will be harder
    in general to track down if you want an OG.

    A great cheap 45 along the lines of the Leaves:

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330152402235

    and this one is a cheapie that's a total killer:

    http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110214555728

  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    Here's a bunch of stuff to get started...my definition of garage ismaybe a bit loose, but a lot of these rock hard anyways.

    Richard & The Young Lions - You Can Make It & Nasty on Philips
    Blue Magoos - We Ain't Got Nothing Yet on Mercury
    The Bugs - Twist & Shout on Hit
    Count Five - Psychotic Reaction on Double Shot
    Five By Five - Apple Cider on Paula
    Max Frost & The Troopers - Free Lovin' on Tower (this actually may be a push to call garage, cool 45 though, I think I'm thinking of something else on Tower, that whole label's rock band roster is worth a listen if you find a bunch at a store with a listening post).
    Bobby Fuller Four - Take your pick with these dudes, some cool 45s, in New Zealand they are on London in the US I think they are on a label like Charger or Mustang??
    The Illusion - Don't Push It & Did You See Her Eyes on Steed - again maybe pushing the boundary of garage, but good, cheap rockers.
    Tommy James & The Shondells - Heaps of their stuff is cheap, some of it is good.
    The Kingsmen for sure, some great 45s
    The Knickerbockers - Maybe something like Lies or One Track Mind
    Magic Lanterns - maybe Shame Shame or Biding My Time
    Thee Midniters - Land Of 1000 Dances etc.
    The Mojo Men - Some of their 45s are cool-ish
    Music Explosion - Little Bit O Soul cosign also the Sunshine Games 45
    The Nightcrawlers cosign on that 45
    Noel Odom & The Group - Come On Down To Earth on Tower killer(I think this is the one I was thinking about above, regardless, this 45 is the shit).
    Music Machine - Talk Talk & Double Yellow Line on Original Sound
    The Outsiders - Respectable on Capitol
    ? & The Mysterians - add I Need Somebody/8 Teen to your list
    Paul Revere & The Raiders - cosign on these dudes too, inconsistent at times but there are so many worthwhile 45 sides of theirs worth exploring.
    Shadows Of Knight - there are some great sides on Dunwich
    The Shaggy Boys - Stop The Clock on Red Bird - listened to this today, it's cool.
    The Standells - cosign on Dirty Water, it's a classic.
    Syndicate Of Sound - Little Girl, Rumors etc.
    The Wailers - Tears on UA & You Can't Fly on Bell are just a couple of the good ones by these dudes.

  • phatmoneysackphatmoneysack Melbourne 1,124 Posts
    excuse my ignorance but what exactly is garage? I thought you were talking about the sound most commonly associated with this man


  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    excuse my ignorance but what exactly is garage?

    The kind of Beatles-inspired rock music from the sixties (roughly '64-68) that foreshadowed punk.

    And, I should add, this sound was called garage long before it became another genre of dance music.

  • Yea i mean... all definitions of garage, psych, rock, freakbeat, and whatever are all kinda interchangable... but not really... but it just seems when they were making that shit... they weren't Frickin' with the guidelines we judge them by today. I just picked up some cool 45s off ebay.

    anna black - the chicken thief woah!

    Riddles - its one thing to say this one smashes too, though less gritty.

    also got "Cast of Thousands - carters grove" though thats not garage but still a cool one from the same seller.... sabastian i think.

  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts
    excuse my ignorance but what exactly is garage?

    Here's a garage record I picked up this past weekend. It's killer, IMO.


  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts

    The kind of Beatles-inspired rock music from the sixties (roughly '64-68) that foreshadowed punk.

    I think the Rolling Stones (and to a lesser extent, the Yardbirds) have
    a pretty healthy claim to the paternity of garage - the R&B sounds that
    dominate the genre are directly drawn from the Stones. Of course, the
    Beatles are huge in the "everybody start a band" movement of 65 onward,
    and most bands knew and played the Bealtes catalog at every show, but
    the "punk" of garage punk was the very essence of the Stones fanboy.

  • yea thats a nice one break

    http://www.shingaling.com/ebay12a/annablack.mp3

    theres that chicken theif song. The vocals hit me so hard and the whole thing is so chunky.

  • meatyogremeatyogre 2,080 Posts
    My understanding is, the louder and scarier the scream, the better. Screams can take it to the 4 figure range.

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    My understanding is, the louder and scarier the scream, the better. Screams can take it to the 4 figure range.

    AKA "the rockabilly rule"

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts

    The kind of Beatles-inspired rock music from the sixties (roughly '64-68) that foreshadowed punk.

    I think the Rolling Stones (and to a lesser extent, the Yardbirds) have
    a pretty healthy claim to the paternity of garage - the R&B sounds that
    dominate the genre are directly drawn from the Stones. Of course, the
    Beatles are huge in the "everybody start a band" movement of 65 onward,
    and most bands knew and played the Bealtes catalog at every show, but
    the "punk" of garage punk was the very essence of the Stones fanboy.

    Not to take away from the Stones and the Yardbirds, but I chose the Beatles because chronologically they came first as far as America was concerned, and not everything that was inspired by them was blatantly poppish. Listen to the Beau Brummels' "That's If You Want Me To" - yeah, they were normally known as a Beatlesque folk-rock band, but they brought the raunch on that one song.

  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts
    My understanding is, the louder and scarier the scream, the better. Screams can take it to the 4 figure range.

    And Chicago's Noblemen might take the cake for rawest scream ever!




  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    The Beau Brummels rule.

    Still, garage bands always seem to me be more directly
    influenced by the Stones and even the Byrds than the Beatles.
    Again, not dismissing the overall hold the Beatles had on
    music throughout the era, but garage as a genre is just
    more aptly described (and of course over-simplified) as
    a bunch of Stones wannabees than a bunch of Beatle biters.

  • BreakSelfBreakSelf 2,925 Posts
    yea thats a nice one break

    http://www.shingaling.com/ebay12a/annablack.mp3

    theres that chicken theif song. The vocals hit me so hard and the whole thing is so chunky.

    I dig that!

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Yea i mean... all definitions of garage, psych, rock, freakbeat, and whatever are all kinda interchangable... but not really

    Definitely not. The Quicksilver Messenger Service are psychedelic without sounding garagey; the Sonics were garagey but were miles away from psychedelia. Garage and psych don't always mean the same thing.

    ... but it just seems when they were making that shit... they weren't Frickin' with the guidelines we judge them by today.

    They weren't, but you can definitely hear a difference between the styles.

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    the Sonics were garagey but were miles away from psychedelia

    DUDE.

    STRYCHNINE!

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Still, garage bands always seem to me be more directly
    influenced by the Stones and even the Byrds than the Beatles.
    Again, not dismissing the overall hold the Beatles had on
    music throughout the era, but garage as a genre is just
    more aptly described (and of course over-simplified) as
    a bunch of Stones wannabees than a bunch of Beatle biters.

    The Sir Douglas Quintet, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, and the Bobby Fuller Four - to name three garage bands - sounded nothing like the Beatles, Stones, Byrds OR Yardbirds. Yet they were just raunchy enough that they wouldn't be out of place on a garage compilation.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    the Sonics were garagey but were miles away from psychedelia

    DUDE.

    STRYCHNINE!

    You callin' THAT song "psychedelic"? Never THAT, son... ((grin))

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts

    Bobby Fuller Four - Take your pick with these dudes, some cool 45s, in New Zealand they are on London in the US I think they are on a label like Charger or Mustang??

    They were actually on quite a few labels, but had their hits on Mustang.

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts

    The Sir Douglas Quintet, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, and the Bobby Fuller Four - to name three garage bands - sounded nothing like the Beatles, Stones, Byrds OR Yardbirds. Yet they sound just raunchy enough that they wouldn't sound out of place on a garage compilation.

    I won't argue about them being garage bands, but all three of
    these bands share the fact that they started earlier than the
    timeline we were discussing, so it would make sense that they
    would not have a sound based upon the British Invasion, although
    the influence of the Beatles on the name and approach of the Sir
    Douglas Quintet has been well-documented.
    No small coincidence that they are all from Texas, too. If anything,
    the argument could be made that these 3 acts were influential on
    the garage bands we were discussing, especially in Texas, Louisiana,
    etc. And I can certainly say that the Byrds were influenced by Doug Sahm,
    although not really evident in their recordings until the late 60's.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts

    The Sir Douglas Quintet, Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs, and the Bobby Fuller Four - to name three garage bands - sounded nothing like the Beatles, Stones, Byrds OR Yardbirds. Yet they sound just raunchy enough that they wouldn't sound out of place on a garage compilation.

    I won't argue about them being garage bands, but all three of
    these bands share the fact that they started earlier than the
    timeline we were discussing, so it would make sense that they
    would not have a sound based upon the British Invasion, although
    the influence of the Beatles on the name and approach of the Sir
    Douglas Quintet has been well-documented.
    No small coincidence that they are all from Texas, too. If anything,
    the argument could be made that these 3 acts were influential on
    the garage bands we were discussing, especially in Texas, Louisiana,
    etc. And I can certainly say that the Byrds were influenced by Doug Sahm,
    although not really evident in their recordings until the late 60's.

    Yeah, a lot of those Southern bands may have grown their hair long, but still held on to their heritage. They didn't take the UK worship but SO far. Sam the Sham probably had more firsthand knowledge of the blues than Jim Sohns from the Shadows of Knight (which is saying something considering that Chicago, where the Shadows are from, has as big a blues heritage as Texas or Memphis, where Sam relocated).

  • ElectrodeElectrode Los Angeles 3,130 Posts
    I ride for The Birds

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    The British group?

  • ElectrodeElectrode Los Angeles 3,130 Posts
    Yeah.
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