The Sonics - Here are the Sonics

The Sonics whose name it is said was inspired by both the Boeing factories in and around Seattle and the jetlike sound this fivesome produced. A premier garage band with hit after hit on the local charts, the band inexplicably was never able to break out nationally, leaving their sound largely undiluted for mass consumption. They played classic songs by Little Richard and Chuck Berry, but wrote their own work too. It is by those songs that the Sonics have reached the legendary status they still have. The horror inspired texts, distorted and loud guitar playing and the hysterically screaming vocals make songs such as “(She's a)Witch”, “Boss Hoss”, “Cinderella”, “Psycho” and “Strychnine” true classics.
The Sonics from Tacoma, Washington were formed in 1963 in the wake of the early 60s success of local favorites the Kingsmen and the Wailers (whose Etiquette label they recorded for). The original members were Gerry Roslie (lead singer and piano/organ), Andy Parypa (bass), Larry Parypa (guitar), Bob Bennett (drums), and Rob Lind (saxophone). The Sonics combined the classic Northwest-area teen-band raunch with early English band grit (particularly influenced by the Kinks), relentless rhythmic drive, and unabashed '50s-style blues shouting for a combination that still makes their brand of rock and roll perhaps the raunchiest ever captured on wax.Lead singer Gerry Roslie was no less than a White Little Richard, whose harrowing soul-screams were startling even to the Northwest teen audience, who liked their music powerful and driving with little regard to commercial subtleties.
The Sonics started out playing at St Mary's Parish Hall, then Tacoma's Red Carpet teen dance club, Olympia's Skateland, Evergreen Ballroom, Pearl's and the Spanish Castle Ballroom. It was the Wailers bassist, Buck Ormsby that discovered the band as he was out talent scouting for their label, Etiquette Records.Unlike what was customary in those days the Sonics used to play as loud as possible. One of the semi-legendary stories going around about their recording sessions tells that the Sonics were only satisfied about the studio sound when all VU-meters were continuously in the red, thus driving the technicians to despair. "The Witch" became a hit in November after the Sonics had performed at Tacoma's Curtis High School. Andy: "We had just played their homecoming dance and Pat O'Day (the regions biggest DJ) came in the next week to do one of his sockhops and give a few records away. A bunch of kids kept requesting, The Witch so I guess he finally played it and the place went nuts. The next day Pat started playing (the record on the air). The single then became the all-time best-selling local rock single in Northwest history.
In fact this radio station (KJR) wouldn't air the tune prior to 3pm. Andy: "O'Day later told me that eventually the song had reached No 1 in sales, but the station policy said it was too far out to chart at No 1. The station only played it after kids got out of schools".
Their first album was a masterpiece: rough, aggressive, distorted with sweaty and frantic rock and roll. The songs "(She's a) Witch", "Psycho" and "Strychnine" written by Gerry Roslie were outstanding. For those who are not familiar with the Sonics, the first lines of “Strychnine” give a nice impression of their world: “some people like water / some people like wine / but I like the taste ... / ... of straight Strychnine”
Their second album was not that frantic, but still fantastically good - (their "Louie Louie" is really the best version ever recorded!) In 1966 they were the opening act for the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Jay & the Americans, Ray Stevens, Herman's Hermits, the Righteous Brothers, the Kinks, Lovin' Spoonful, Mamas & Papas and the Byrds. They also played together with another garage band, the Liverpool 5 and the female trio, Shangri-Las.
Their third album, which was produced by Jerry Dennon of Jerden Records, was called Introducing The Sonics because it was their first on a major label. This album was later re-released in the late seventies under the title The Sonics' Original Northwest Punk.
The last 45 recorded by the original line-up was "Any Way The Wind Blows." After this members departed to go to college or join other bands with Rob Lind being the last original member to leave in 1968.
Breaking up in the late '60s, after attempting to water down their style for national attention, the Sonics continue today to be revered by '60s collectors the world over for their unique brand of rock & roll raunch

Sonics are a legendary group and were one of the pioneers of what was called as garage-punk rock and they influnced hundrends of groups on the forthcaming decades.

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The Strangeloves - I want candy

Formed in 1964 in New York City, USA, the Strangeloves consisted of songwriters and record producers Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer. Although they left their mark under the name Strangeloves with only four singles and one album, their fascinating story extends both before and beyond the group's brief tenure. Feldman and Goldstein had been childhood friends in Brooklyn, New York, and sang in street corner doo-wop groups. They began writing songs together and had their first success with "Big Beat", which disc jockey Alan Freed used as the theme song of his television show. By 1960 they had recorded some unsuccessful singles as Bob And Jerry when they met Bronx native Gottehrer, who was also writing songs. Before long the trio's compositions were being recorded by such major artists as Dion, Pat Boone, Freddy Cannon, Bobby Vee and the Jive Five. Their greatest success came in 1963 when Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer wrote and produced "My Boyfriend's Back", which became a number 1 hit for the Angels. By the following year, however, the landscape of pop music had changed with the arrival of the Beatles, and the trio had to rethink its approach. They created the Strangeloves (taking their name from the Stanley Kubrick/Peter Sellers film, Dr. Strangelove) and a mythical story to go with them. Wearing bizarre costumes, they said they were from the Australian outback and put on phony accents. Their names became Niles, Miles and Giles Strange. In 1965, they released their first single, "Love Love Love", on Swan Records, which failed to chart. They then signed to Bang Records and released "I Want Candy", a Bo Diddley-like rocker that reached number 11. Three further singles charted: "Cara-Lin" (number 39 in 1965), "Night Time" (number 30 in 1966) and "Hand Jive" (number 100 in 1966). Their only album also made the charts. In addition to their recordings as the Strangeloves, Goldstein And Feldman recorded as the Kittens, as Rome And Paris, as Bobby And the Beaus and as Ezra And The Iveys. The trio produced the McCoys' hit "Hang On Sloopy" and recorded as the Sheep. Following the break-up of the Strangeloves, Goldstein worked for Uni Records, and later produced the group War. Feldman continued to write music and produce, working with artists such as Jay And The Americans, Johnny Mathis, Freddy Cannon and Link Wray. Gottehrer became a partner in Sire Records and a successful record producer during the punk era, producing the first two albums by the Go-Go's, the debut album by Blondie and many others. Feldman recently formed a new Strangeloves group.

This LP cannot be characterised as pure garage but it certainly has a garage feeling where heavy saxophone has replaced fuzz guitars. It certainly worths to be listened.

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