Eight eyes in the jailhouse, four lips didn’t speak

Since the early eighties I’ve bought many hundreds of ’60s garage / psychedelic compilations. At the time they were about all I ever listened too. It was a voyage of discovery, a seemingly endless one at that.

Almost every week new way-out compilations would appear in the independent record shops and the countless dealer-lists I’d receive through the post.

I’d feverously buy the one’s I could afford out of my student loans, then dole money. The eighties weren’t so bad for music if you looked back to the sixties.

The time has come to revisit those glorious garage compilations.

THE GUYS WHO CAME UP FROM DOWNSTAIRS – ’Growth’/’Nothing We Can Do!’ (Disc-Guys 6836) 1968

’Growth’ is a pounding fuzz and farfisa punk tune by a combo of teens with one of the worst group names of the 60s. They arrived at the name because they used to practice downstairs in the basement at drummer Chuck Farnum’s house (natch)…

The Guys hailed from Iowa and may have even been stars in their own street. The flip ’Nothing We Can Do!’ is a jangly sad lament that could have been superb with some clattering tambourine.

line-up:
Chuck Farnum (vocals/drums)
Mark Hanchar (guitar)
Jack Goodenow (farfisa)
Rod Reynolds (bass)

That’s my dad’s band, how funny. They made it onto the TV show, Happening ’68. Guess they were not ”Happening” enough they lost. You should see the picture I have! (19/10/10)

FANTASTIC DEE-JAYS – ’Get Away Girl’ / ’Fight Fire’ (Tri Power TRB-421) 1966

The Fantastic Dee-Jays have been well documented over the years so I’ll keep it brief. Also this rare 45 has been re-issued on Get Hip in 1995. But there’s nothing like hearing the original mono 45, right?

The Fantastic Dee-Jays came from McKeesport, Pennsylvania and later became The Swamp Rats. The members on this Tri Power 45 were Bob Hocko (drums), Denny Nicholson (bass, vocals) and Dick Newton (guitar, vocals) all three would play in The Swamp Rats.

’Fight Fire’ is a cool folk punker with 12 string guitar buried in the mix over a pounding drum beat and tortured vocals.

The first time I heard this song was the cover by The Chesterfield Kings on their 1985 album ’Stop!’ That’s a really great cover as well folks.

The original ’Fight Fire’ was written by John Fogerty and Tom Fogerty when they were in The Golliwogs, and came out on Scorpio 405 in 1966. The Golliwogs would rename themselves Creedence Clearwater Revival of course.

Band original ’Get Away Girl’ is a fantastic 60s punk tune with selfish male to female put down lyrics. Just when you think it can’t get any better you’re ’punished’ by an outrageous 12 string guitar break. (10/08/07)

”Get away girl, I don’t want you any more,
And now it’s my turn to watch you cry,
And now it’s my turn to watch you die,
And now it’s my turn to see you fade away.”

The Prodigal, a group of musicians based in Tulare, has had its first record released.

“Reality,” recorded by Mercury records, has been out for three weeks and is doing quite well, according to Ignacio Perez, a member of the group.

“It got national listing the first week out and is predicted to hit the hot 100 before long,” said Perez. The flip side is called “You’ve Got Me.”

Perez and David Gomes are the two Tulareans in the group. Perez usually plays bass guitar, although he can play the drums and the organ. Gomes is the drummer.

Richard Dorado, Visalia, is on the organ, and Gary Hall, San Francisco, who is currently stationed at Lemoore NAS, plays lead guitar.

Perez used to play for The Charades of Tulare as a drummer.