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

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

Recommended Links:

Flinstones – The Hatrocks & the Gruesomes

Little Steven's Underground Garage

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