Oldies: Pass the Fritos IV – Part 1

Summertime and oldies music go together like hot dogs and mustard and while summer may be officially over the Jean refuses to let it go without a fight. To me, ‘60s oldies- which also includes girl groups, surf, and Bril Building pop- is timeless, fun, far out, campy, and groovy- and represents good times and good vibes for all (not to mention non-stop, market driven hits and top shelf talent often accompanied by a legendary group of L.A. studio musicians known as the Wrecking Crew).

The Mamas & the Papas

With the exception of the Monkees, perhaps no group represents ‘60s oldies music better then the Mamas & The Papas. While I was always aware of their hits, it was not until about five years ago when I was living in Zambia that I took a chance and purchased All the Leaves Are Brown- a mammoth collection which includes all their ‘60s albums and which quickly became my go to album for hanging out at home on the weekends and cooking Italian food. Here are some of my favorite ‘60s oldies. Enjoy!

The 5th Dimension

01. The Knickerbockers – “Lies” (1965)

02. The Everly Brothers – “Bowling Green” (1967)

03. The 5th Dimension – “Wedding Bell Blues” (1969)

04. The Monkees – “Mary, Mary” (1966)

05. The 5th Dimension – “A Love Like Ours” (1970)

06. The Mamas and the Papas – “For the Love of Ivy” (1968)

07. The Mamas and the Papas – “Words of Love” (1966)

08. Harpers Bizarre – “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” (1967)

09. The Ventures – “Hawaii Five-O” (1969)

10. The Mamas and the Papas – “Dream a Little Dream of Me” (1968)

11. The Mamas and the Papas – “No Salt on Her Tail” (1966)

12. The Mamas and the Papas – “I Call Your Name” (1966)

13. The Bobby Fuller Four – “I Fought the Law” (1965)

14. The Mamas and the Papas – “Dancing Bear” (1966)

15. The Mamas and the Papas – “Sing for Your Supper” (1967)

16. The 5th Dimension – “(Last Night) I Didn’t Get to Sleep at All” (1972)

17. The Mamas and the Papas – “Frustration” (1967)

18. The Knickerbockers – “Stick with Me” (1966)

19. The Mamas and the Papas – “Once Was a Time I Thought” (1966)

20. The Castaways - “Liar, Liar” (1965)

21. The Mamas and the Papas – “Do You Wanna Dance” (1966)

22. The Mamas and the Papas – “Spanish Harlem” (1966)

The Knickerbockers

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Hawaii Five-O

Garage Freaks! II

‘60s garage rock pioneers and psychedelic music can sound very similar to each other especially American artists like Blues Magoos, the Litter, the 13th Floor Elevators, and the Seeds- bands whose musical styles straddle both sub-genres. But whereas psychedelic was more associated with hippies, love-ins, and LSD, you were much more likely to hear garage rock at a frat party or high school dance. Psychedelic music was experimental, questioning, and wanted to explore your mind; garage rock was snotty, rebellious, and wanted to punch you in the gut and steal your girlfriend.

The Sonics

They may be average looking, struggling to make ends meet, and dealing with girl problems, but for me garage rock pioneers still project a certain coolness, swagger, and mystique, and despite major setbacks they refuse to throw in the towel but instead brim with humor, defiance, and overconfidence. The success of the British Invasion definitely inspired garage rock but while garage rock pioneers may have been attempting to channel the Beatles or the Stones they actually ended up creating something altogether new and different- music that was tougher, angrier, and more primitive than anything British Invasion had to offer. Garage rock pioneers were in fact the first punks (and many garage rock singers were also surprisingly soulful- I always get a kick out of hearing white boys imitate Little Richard).

My earliest exposure to garage rock came when I was a kid watching my favorite TV shows- mostly ‘60s and ‘70s reruns like The Groovie Goolies, Gilligan’s Island, The Banana Splits, and Hanna-Barbera cartoons. By high school I was singing in my own garage band- Twinkie Force- and garage rock (along with all those children’s TV shows featuring kiddie versions of it) was a major influence on my early singing, songwriting, and attitude and helped prepare me for punk and hardcore music. 

About ten years ago I began tuning into Little Steven’s Underground Garage which features lots of classic garage rock and while I’ve listened to the Rosetta Stone of ‘60s garage rock and psychedleic compilations- Nuggets: Original Artifacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968- it was all a bit too much for me and I eventually settled on the single disc Nuggets from Nuggets which is briefer but packs a bigger punch. Here are some more of my favorite garage rock pioneers songs. Enjoy!

01. The Third Bardo – “Five Years Ahead of My Time” (1967)

02. The Syndicate of Sound – “Little Girl” (1966)

03. The Gants – “(You Can’t Blow) Smoke Rings” (1966)

04. Kit and the Outlaws – “Don’t Tread on Me” (1966)

05. Paul Revere & the Raiders – “Steppin’ Out” (1965)

06. The Barbarians – “Are You a Boy or a Girl” (1965)

07. Paul Revere & the Raiders – “Hungry” (1966)

08. The Litter – “Action Woman” (1967)

09. Larry and the Blue Notes – “Night of the Sadist” (1965)

10. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs – “Lil’ Red Riding Hood” (1966)

11. The Shadows of Knight – “Oh Yeah” (1966)

12. The Shadows of Knight – “I’m Gonna Make You Mine” (1966)

13. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs – “Ring Dang Do” (1966)

14. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs – “How Do You Catch a Girl” (1966)

15. Kenny and the Kasuals – “Journey to Tyme” (1966)

16. The Sonics – “Have Love, Will Travel” (1965)

17. The Standells – “Hey Joe, Where You Gonna Go?” (1966)

18. The Sonics – “Do You Love Me” (1965)

19. The Sonics – “The Witch” (1964)

20. The Sonics – “Psycho” (1965)

21. The Seeds – “Can’t Seem to Make You Mine” (1965)

22. The Standells – “Riot on Sunset Strip” (1967)

23. Blues Magoos – “(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet” (1966)

24. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs – “Red Hot” (1966)

25. The Sonics – “Leave My Kitten Alone” (1967)

The Gruesomes

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Recommended Links:

Flinstones – The Hatrocks & the Gruesomes

Little Steven's Underground Garage

The Mosquitoes – “Don’t Bug Me/He’s a Loser”