TONIGHT ...

re:  THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME:

The big Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony is tonight.  Unless you happen to have a table-side seat, here's the latest on what you can expect to see once this airs on HBO beginning May 5th:

• The Beastie Boys will be inducted by Chuck D (LL Cool J to present)

• Donovan will be inducted by John Mellencamp, both of whom are scheduled to perform

• Small Faces / The Faces will be inducted by Stevie Van Zandt (The Small Faces / Faces will also perform during the induction ceremony)

• The Red Hot Chili Peppers will be inducted by Chris Rock, and they are also scheduled to perform.

• Laura Nyro will be inducted by Bette Midler  (See related article below, submitted by FH Reader Bob Merlis)

• Freddie King will be inducted by Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, who will also perform

• Don Kirshner will be inducted by Carole King  (Darlene Love will perform in conjunction with this induction)

• Cosimo Matassa, Tom Dowd and Glyn Johns will be inducted by Robbie Robertson

• The Blue Caps, the Comets, the Crickets, the Famous Flames, the Midnighters and the Miracles will be inducted by Smokey Robinson  

What you WON'T see ... although part of the Class of 2012 ... is Guns 'n' Roses being inducted.  Scheduled to be inducted by Green Day tonight, frontman Axl Rose has declined the "invitation" ... so The Rock Hall dropped them from the ceremony!  (They say that they'll still be inducted at some point during the weekend festivities ... but not as part of "The Main Event" ... The Rock Hall evidently doesn't want to draw any additional attention to this very public snub.)

Here is a copy of the statement released by Axl Rose earlier this week,  by way of an open letter to the L.A. Times:

To: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Guns N' Roses Fans and Whom It May Concern:

When the nominations for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame were first announced I had mixed emotions but, in an effort to be positive, wanting to make the most of things for the fans and with their enthusiasm, I was honored, excited and hoped that somehow this would be a good thing. Of course I realized as things stood, if Guns N' Roses were to be inducted it'd be somewhat of a complicated or awkward situation.  

Since then we've listened to fans, talked with members of the board of the Hall Of Fame, communicated with and read various public comments and jabs from former members of Guns N' Roses, had discussions with the president of the Hall Of Fame, read various press (some legit, some contrived) and read other artists' comments weighing in publicly on Guns and the Hall with their thoughts.  


Under the circumstances I feel we've been polite, courteous, and open to an amicable solution in our efforts to work something out. Taking into consideration the history of Guns N' Roses, those who plan to attend along with those the Hall for reasons of their own, have chosen to include in "our" induction (that for the record are decisions I don't agree with, support or feel the Hall has any right to make), and how (albeit no easy task) those involved with the Hall have handled things... no offense meant to anyone but the Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony doesn't appear to be somewhere I'm actually wanted or respected. 

For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from Guns their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It's their show not mine.

That said, I won't be attending The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction 2012 Ceremony and I respectfully decline my induction as a member of Guns N' Roses to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of "Guns N' Roses."

This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp's perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn. Though unfortunately I'm sure there will be those who take offense (God knows how long I'll have to contend with the fallout), I certainly don't intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision. Since the announcement of the nomination we've actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, "damned if I do, damned if I don't" scenario all the way around.

In regard to a reunion of any kind of either the Appetite or Illusion lineups, I've publicly made myself more than clear. Nothing's changed.

The only reason, at this point, under the circumstances, in my opinion whether under the guise of "for the fans" or whatever justification of the moment, for anyone to continue to ask, suggest or demand a reunion are misguided attempts to distract from our efforts with our current lineup of myself, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Frank Ferrer, Richard Fortus, Chris Pitman, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and DJ Ashba.

Izzy came out with us a few times back in '06 and I invited him to join us at our LA Forum show last year. Steven was at our show at the Hard Rock, later in '06 in Las Vegas, where I invited him to our after-party and was rewarded with his subsequent interviews filled with reunion lies. Lesson learned. Duff joined us in 2010 and again in '11 along with his band, Loaded, opening in Seattle and Vancouver. For me, with the exception of Izzy or Duff joining us on stage if they were so inclined somewhere in the future for a song or two, that's enough.

There's a seemingly endless amount of revisionism and fantasies out there for the sake of self-promotion and business opportunities masking the actual realities. Until every single one of those generating from or originating with the earlier lineups has been brought out in the light, there isn't room to consider a conversation let alone a reunion.

Maybe if it were you it'd be different. Maybe you'd do it for this reason or that. Peace, whatever. I love our band now. We're there for each other when the going get's rough. We love our fans and work to give them every ounce of energy and heart we can.

So let sleeping dogs lie or lying dogs sleep or whatever. Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn't owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another's, or in this case several others', expense.

But hey if ya gotta then maybe we can get the "no show, grandstanding, publicity stunt, disrespectful, he doesn't care about the fans" crap out of the way as quickly as we can and let's move on. No one's taking the ball and going home. Don't get it twisted. For more than a decade and a half we've endured the double standards, the greed of this industry and the ever present seemingly limitless supply of wannabes and unscrupulous, irresponsible media types. Not to imply anything in this particular circumstance, but from my perspective in regard to both the Hall and a reunion, the ball's never been in our court.

In closing, regardless of this decision and as hard to believe or as ironic as it may seem, I'd like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for Guns' induction. More importantly I'd like to thank the fans for being there over the years, making any success we've had possible and for enjoying and supporting Guns N' Roses music.

I wish the Hall a great show, congratulations to all the other artists being inducted and to our fans we look forward to seeing you on tour!!

Sincerely,
Axl Rose

P.S. RIP Armand, Long Live ABC III"

Ron Smith has posted a couple more "no shows" for tonight's induction ceremony on his www.oldiesmusic.com website:

Rod Stewart announced on Friday (April 13) that he has strep throat and will miss Saturday's induction of his old group, Faces, into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Faces will still perform, with Simply Red's Mick Hucknall singing, at the ceremonies. Rod was inducted as a solo artist in 1994.   

And the upcoming surgery of Crickets' bassist Joe B. Mauldin has the rest of the group cancelling their appearance for what is a long-overdue induction alongside Buddy Holly. Said Sonny Curtis, "He [Joe] is having surgery in a few days and cannot go to Cleveland. J.I. [Jerry Allison] and I decided that, if Joe B. can't go, we won't go.  On Saturday night, we are all going to gather at J.I.'s house, sip some champagne and celebrate being friends and rock 'n' roll buddies since the 1950s. We'll drink a toast to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and have a good ol' time."

-- Ron Smith

GIL BIANCHINI TO REPRESENT LAURA NYRO, HIS LATE MOTHER, AT  ROCK HALL INDUCTION THIS WEEKEND 

It has been announced that Bette Midler will induct Laura Nyro into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at ceremonies set for Cleveland this Saturday night.  The honor extend to the legendary and hugely influential singer-writer whose songs have been recorded by a pantheon of rock, pop and soul performers including The Fifth Dimension, Barbra Streisand, Peter, Paul & Mary, Three Dog Night, Blood, Sweat & Tears and, literally, hundreds of others will be accepted by her son and only child Gil Bianchini.

Earlier this week, Bianchini, a Harlem-based hip-hop artist whose rap name is Gil-T, spoke to the Cleveland Plain Dealer noting, "I'm proud to do it," adding that he and his mother "were very close."  Bianchini was only 17 when his mother passed away so, as it happens,  the lyrics to "And When I Die," arguably, her best known song have proven to be prophetic:

"And when I die

And when I'm gone

There'll be one child born

And a world to carry on"

Bianchini first got word that Laura Nyro was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame from a family member.  "I felt great, excited and happy for her."Gil-T uses samples from his mother's recordings in his own work, noting "she definitely influenced me as a person and musically, it's a spiritual connection."  He recalls, "I'd come out of my room and there she'd be, playing music, going over songs, writing and creating.  It made a big impression."  Of his own work, he comments, "I put her inside some of my songs and, you know, part of her is in me.  It's very personal but something I I wanted to do and to share."

-- Bob Merlis

Kent ...

I've got a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame question ...

Can anybody explain why ---------------- ??
Frankie Lymon & Teenagers get inducted at the same time.
Gladys Knight & Pips get inducted at the same time.
Bill Haley goes in solo, without the Comets.
Buddy Holly goes in solo, without the Crickets.
Frank B.

Clearly an oversight by The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame ... and one they're attempting to rectify this evening by finally inducting the "back-up groups" The Comets, The Crickets, The Miracles (can you believe Smokey Robinson was inducted without them?!?!?), Gene Vincent's Blue Caps, The Famous Flames and The Midnighters.  (Hard to imagine that such a knowledgeable group of experts such as The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominating Committee ... SO knowledgeable, in fact, as to rule out ANY audience participation in the nominating and / or voting process ... could have made such a snub ... but they did.  At least they're making it right tonight.  (Now maybe they should take a good, long look at our list of Deserving And Denied Artists and induct some of them, too!!!)

Chicago ... The Guess Who ... The Moody Blues ... Hall and Oates ... Chubby Checker ... The Monkees ... Heart ... Electric Light Orchestra ... Linda Ronstadt ... Three Dog Night ... Genesis ... Yes ... Paul Revere and the Raiders ... The Zombies ... Pat Benatar ... The Doobie Brothers ... Tommy James and the Shondells ... The Turtles ... Jan and Dean ... Herman's Hermits ... Glen Campbell ... Todd Rundgren ... Johnny Rivers ...As big as each and every one of these artists were, NONE of them have ever been inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  Maybe it's time to rectify THAT oversight, too ... with a mass-induction ceremony righting the wrong.  (In which case you can add Connie Francis, Pat Boone, Neil Sedaka and Paul Anka to this list, too!)

re:  OUR DESERVING AND DENIED LIST:

In all fairness, since our first big Rave-Out against The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame several years ago, many of the acts that originally made our Top 40 Most Deserving And Denied List HAVE, in fact, since been inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  These include:

ABBA - The Dave Clark Five - Alice Cooper - Neil Diamond - 
The Hollies - The Ventures - John Cougar Mellencamp

So we DO feel a little better about that.  Wanna vote for YOUR favorites, denied induction by those knowledgeable powers that be deciding these things for The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?

We promised that after this year's induction ceremony, we'd build a NEW list of Top 40 Eligibles, Deserving and Denied by The Rock Hall.

Send us your nominations now ... and, in a future edition of Forgotten Hits, we'll compile a brand new list of The Top 40 Most Deserving And Denied Artists!

ALSO TONIGHT:

Be sure to tune in and listen to Dave The Rave's 

"RELICS AND RARITIES" Program tonight on Top Shelf Oldies ...    

Click here: TopShelfOldies
 

Dave will be playing some of his favorite Garage Band selections ... and encourages Forgotten Hits Readers to call in with their requests, too:   

1 - 732 - 866 - 4475 .

The show kicks off at 10 PM Eastern Time / 9 PM Central and runs for five hours! And, time permitting, I may stop by the program for a little while this evening, too!

Garage Bands

So, quite arguably, many bands began as garage bands but we are more aware of them under other classifications.  Or maybe EVERYONE who formed together ON THEIR OWN and honed their craft in the dredges of basements and garages can fall into this qualification.  But how do we really know?  Can we judge by sound alone?  I admit I was confused when this topic started.  For me, it is much easier to assign garage band status in the 80's decade, when we have a resurgence of 60's cover bands.
Shelley J. Sweet-Tufano   

If it makes you feel any better, Shelley, you're not the only one that's confused.  We've received several letters just like yours wanting a clearer definition of what we mean by a "garage band".  (I stated right from the start that the lines have definitely blurred on this classification over the years ... and, as pointed out last week, we're getting nominations for everything from folk rock bands, surfer bands, psychedelia bands, blue eyed soul bands, bubblegum bands and virtually everything in between. 

I asked Mike Dugo, who runs the excellent 60sGarageBands website, if he would help to better clarify our definition.  After all, we want your votes to help us determine The Top 20 Greatest Garage Bands Of All-Time ... and if you're afraid to vote, we'll never paint an accurate picture.  (kk)  

Here's what Mike had to say ...

Kent,
Glad to see that you're still receiving comments on garage bands.  Very cool.

Regarding the term "garage band" ... I know exactly we're you're coming from when debating over Chicago groups like The Cryan' Shames and Ides Of March or even national groups like The Turtles.  None are (at least during their hit-making phases) garage bands, if adhering to the classic / stereotypical use of the term "garage band."  But The Cryan' Shames recorded 'Ben Franklin's Almanac' (a song you didn't single out by them), which is a classic garage band sound.  The Ides Of March Parrot singles (pre-'Vehicle') or New Colony Six Centaur / Sentar sides - while not completely representative of the proto-snarl and fuzz garage band sound - definitely qualify as well.  And 'Grim Reaper Of Love', 'Almost There' and 'Outside Chance' by The Turtles all nail the garage rock sound.
Of course, there wasn't really such things as "garage bands" in the '60s, since that term hadn't been created or assigned yet.  There were blues bands, soul bands, country bands, rock bands, etc.  Groups typically played what was popular on the radio, and their songs were influenced as such.  Today, the term "garage band" has many connotations.  Groups like The Electric Prunes and The Standells (examples of bands that are generally singled out as garage bands) are classified as such, but both recorded several albums, made many TV and / or film appearances, performed at major arenas and top clubs and scored national hits.  Can groups that successful, then, truly be classified as "garage bands"?  The answer is, of course, yes. 

In the '80's, when the great "lost" groups of the '60's first started to really receive their due, most of the '60's bands were referred to as "punk" bands (a term that today is more closely identified with '70's groups like the Clash and Sex Pistols).  The "punk" description was created more as a means of describing the band's musical "attitude".  Although called "garage bands" today, the terminology to collectors / fans still represents primarily an attitude / sound and NOT necessarily a degree of professionalism or ability; while The Electric Prunes and The Standells may have had the attitude, they were extremely capable groups musically and soared beyond what today's audience might think of as a "garage band": the band down the street that plays at the local bar or festival a couple of times a year.  Garage bands in the '60's (again, the term wasn't even used in that decade) could have been both the local act that played at the roller rink, or major groups like The Leaves or Shadows of Knight, i.e., groups that scored national hits and toured ... even though their primary fan base was on a local or regional level. 

Bands (or "garage bands") of the era recorded in all musical styles - ballads, folk, pop and of course the garage rock which they have become identified with.  That's why it's sometimes difficult today to pin the "garage" label on certain 1960's combos. 

Clear as mud?  Does this help at all?

Mike Dugo

Be sure to check out Mike's site here:  Click here: 1960s Garage Bands

You'll find all kinds of artists profiled here ... from the hit-makers to the obscure ... and everything in between.  (kk)


The Electric Prunes scored the #2 Song in our All-Time Favorite Psychedelic Songs Poll a few years ago with "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" ... 




And this Standells tracks is one of my all-time favorites.





Be sure to vote for YOUR favorites now!

We mentioned the other day that Chicago's own Shadows Of Knight had jumped out to a substantial lead in our on-going Favorite Garage Bands Poll.

But Chicago has a few other bands from the '60's that are making the list so far, too ...   

The Buckinghams:  Garage Band?  Not once they developed their slick, horn sound and turned into a hit-making machine in the mid-'60's.  But early on?  Maybe ... although I'd have to say they were more deeply rooted in R&B and The British Invasion than anything else.  That's why we were treated to early covers of James Brown and Beatles tunes like "I'll Go Crazy" and "I Call Your Name", each of which were given their own special spin by this talented young band.  Listen to these today and they're pretty raw ... as are early local hits like "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "I've Been Wrong", all from their first USA LP.  (Notice though that even at this early stage of development, the horns had been fully incorporated into the sound of The Buckinghams, all of which helped to make them the most successful band to come out of Chicago during this era.)  I'm not so sure I'd classify them as a garage band ... but they HAVE earned twelve of your votes so far ... so others are clearly thinking differently.

 

The New Colony Six:  Without a doubt, in the pre-Ronnie Rice / hit ballads days, these guys were one of the precursors to the whole punk rock movement that would develop a decade later.  (In fact, a few years ago they were invited to perform at Cavestomp, the ultimate tribute to Garage Rock Bands held out in New York.)  Early tracks like "I Confess", "I Lie Awake" and "At The River's Edge" are perfect examples of what garage band rock was all about in the middle '60's.  Then they went "pop" and expanded their audience with tracks like "You're Gonna Be Mine" and "Love You So Much" ... and eventually, soft-rock / adult contemporary / MOR with beautiful ballads like "I Will Always Think About You" and "Things I'd Like To Say".  If nothing else, it certainly proved the complete versatility of the band.  Watch them perform today and you'll find many of the early garage band tunes are back in the song line-up, playing right along side their biggest hits.  Second only to The Shadows Of Knight in our current poll amongst our local hit makers, The New Colony Six have already racked up 33 of your votes as a garage band favorite!

The Ides Of March:  Most of America only knows them because of "Vehicle", their #2 smash from 1970 ... but I actually used to stand outside the Berwyn home they practiced in and listen to these guys rehearse and, having gone to the same high school as they did, was able to watch them develop their sound over the years.  Those early tracks sound vintage and raw ... but oh so good!  Thanks largely to "You Wouldn't Listen", these guys have already earned thirteen of your votes thus far.  (Jim Peterik will tell you that "You Wouldn't Listen" was really a combination of a couple of sounds ... "Tired Of Waiting" by The Kinks and the soulful sound of The Impressions ... hardly what you think of when you think of your typical garage band influences.  Whatever their inspiration, the combination worked ... and "You Wouldn't Listen" hit The Top Ten here in Chicago in 1966.)

 

The Cryan' Shames:  Known for their beautiful melodies and perfect harmonies, this group may have been a little too slick and well-rehearsed to qualify as a garage band ... but so far 19 of you liked 'em enough to vote for them in our Favorite Garage Band Poll.  They put their own spin on The Searchers' "Sugar And Spice" and in the process made it THEIR song.  One of my early favorites, "I Wanna Meet You" was probably a little too "pop" to be considered garage ... but "Mr. Unreliable" wasn't ... and what about the hard-rockin' "Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles David Smith And Jones"???

Some of our Chicago neighbors are doing fairly well on the chart, too.  Votes have been cast for Michael and the Messengers, Underground Sunshine and The Robbs out of Wisconsin, The Amboy Dukes, Bob Seger and the Heard and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels out of Michigan and The Rivieras out of Indiana.

Every artist mentioned today is eligible for your votes ... and, in about a week or so, we'll give you a list of ALL the nominees thus far to help you guys decide which artists most deserve your votes.

Meanwhile, the polls are still open ... so vote early and vote often!  We're looking to determine The Top 20 All-Time Greatest Garage Bands as determined by The Readers of Forgotten Hits!

Garage Band ... Or NOT A Garage Band??? That Is The Question!

We're getting some GREAT nominees for our All-Time Favorite Garage Band Poll ... but we've ALSO received some nominations that have surprised us. 

For example ...  

The Beau Brummels ...

Garage Band??? I've always thought of them as more of a Folk / Rock combo.

Crazy Elephant ...

Garage Band???  I've always lumped these guys into the Bubblegum craze in my mind.

The Critters ... The Cyrkle ...

Garage Band???  Or soft rock / pop artists???

The Guess Who ...

The ORIGINAL Guess Who's recording of "Shakin' All Over", maybe ... but the other stuff???

Paul Revere and the Raiders ...

I can kinda see this one ... I mean these guys DID go toe-to-toe with The Kingsmen over "Louie Louie" ... but they were a pretty slick-sounding pop group after that.

Tommy James and the Shondells ...

Well, they probably started as a garage band ... but technically EVERY band EVER put together started as a garage band ... practicing in the basement or the garage was about the only option for a 13, 14 or 15 year old rock-star wanna be.  (Except maybe for The Monkees ... ALSO nominated ... who learned their craft on a soundstage while filming their television series!)  "Hanky Panky" maybe ... but Tommy James developed his own sound SO quickly after that, embracing SO many different styles of music along the way, that it's hard to classify them as any one type of artist.  (In all fairness, they scored very highly on our All-Time Best Psychedelic Songs Poll, too, with "Crimson And Clover" ... a far cry from the three-chord basics of "Hanky Panky" to be sure!)

The Young Rascals ...

C'mon ... these guys were Blue-Eyed Soul all the way ... and before that, they were playing twist hits at The Peppermint Lounge!

The Turtles ...

Their earliest roots were as a surf band ... then a brief stint in the rock protest song arena before scoring pop hit after pop hit with classics like "You Baby", "Happy Together", 'She'd Rather Be With Me", "Elenore" and "You Showed Me" ... 
I really can't classify ANY of these as garage band-sounding records.

The Troggs ... The Yardbirds ... Them ...

Did they have British garage bands?  I suppose so ... and if they did, there probably isn't a better example of one than The Troggs ... but The Yardbirds were fully vested in the blues, a far cry from the garage band sound we're talking about here.  As for Them ... well, they did do the ORIGINAL version of "Gloria", right???  That ought to be worth a vote or two!

As we go to press this morning, we've got a little over 1600 votes tabulated.  

Would any of these artists make YOUR list???

Watch for more suggestions in the days to come ... and then cast YOUR vote for your favorites.

***

I mentioned to Paul Revere that we were receiving several votes for them in our current garage band poll ... and asked him if he would have considered themselves a garage band when they were just first starting out.  
Here's what he had to say:

Dude, we absolutely were a kick ass garage band, although they didn't call it that back then.  But we really slammed it in the early days. Once Terry Melcher got involved and we started having hits, it did change the band quite a bit and we got a lot more slick. What could we say?  We were having big hit records and were happy to evolve into what most people think of when they think Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Paul Revere

 

If you checked out the "Louie Louie" link I sent earlier this week, you will see there is tons of "Louie" information that Eric Proedehl has gleaned over the decades.  I did extensive chart research for his film project.  The SONG charted for many years in a row locally.  From mid-63 thru 1966, I chronicled its local chartings.  Certainly, 1963 and 1964 had many and 1966 also had a resurgence, but in '65, it became a biggie top 10 on KOMA in OKC (Larry, remember?) and in So-Cal also!  Oddly, 1967 did not hold it, but I give the option that 1967 DID give us the VERY similar hit "Beg, Borrow and Steal" by the Ohio Express, so the Louie is always in transition, it would seem.  What a true garage rock gem for the ages.  Maybe it should be the first SONG entered into the RNR Hall of Fame?? 

WLSClark

I have lots of chart data, but am not finding it presently.  All of the above info I have charts for, but need my written data to locate the correct stations. 

The most telling for the Raiders early victories over the Kingsmen is this KIDO chart from 9/1/63 showing the Raiders' Columbia release (earlier released on Sande).  Most early chartings for the Raiders or Kingsmen are from October 1963 or later, but the Raiders I believe hit first.  The staying power of the song was evident early on in Boise, Idaho.  If you look closely below, you will find this chart of 9/1 amazingly early for the song's play by either group, yet look closely and see that it is in its FOURTEENTH week on the KIDO chart, making its' debut week at June 2, 1963!!! Amazing!!  

A battle of the "Louie"'s today in Forgotten Hits ... BOTH deserving of your votes.  The Kingsmen won the national battle hands down ... but as you can see from the KIDO / Boise, Iowa, chart above (from Paul Revere's home town), The Raiders were the ones charting with this hit in certain sections of the country.

Meanwhile, here's one of MY Favorite, Forgotten B-Sides ... 
"The Legend Of Paul Revere", where the group tells their own story in song.

When's The Last Time You Heard THIS One???

 

How Do You Know When Your Blockbuster, Mega Movie Career Is Officially Over?

When, after all these years, you sign to do dated sequels to "Bruce Almighty" and "Dumb And Dumber"

Your All-Time Favorite Garage Bands

We haven't mentioned our Favorite Garage Bands Poll for a little while ... but we are still tabulating your votes (which are, at this point, just trickling in ... probably because we haven't mentioned our Favorite Garage Bands Poll for a little while!!!  See how that works?!?!?)

Anyway, here are a few of your recent comments and suggestions ... and we'll run a few more later this week.  Meanwhile, be sure to vote for YOUR favorites.  We'll announce The Top 20 Favorites sometime after June 1st ... so cast your votes now!

Hey Kent,
I noticed that The Shadows of Knight is receiving many votes for your Best of the Garage Bands. Here's a story I'd like to share.

In the Summer of 1967, I was drumming in a local band called The Barons. We were fortunate to play in a battle of the bands weekend festival at the Civic Auditorium, downtown. The Shadows of Night was the headlining band on Saturday. They showed up with only their guitars, and the drummer was circulating around, scoping out drum sets from all the other bands. I was playing a fairly new set, made by the same company he endorsed. As our band was in the middle of our rockin' set, a festival worker got on stage, and came up behind me, right in the middle of a song. When he started yelling in my ear, it scared me, at first. "GUESS WHAT? The Shadows of Knight want to use YOUR drums!!" WOW! How could I turn THAT down? Having some bad experiences of loaning out my equipment in the past, and not liking the way I was smugly yelled at, while I was trying to play, I turned and, without missing a beat,  said to him, "I don't think so". The look on his face was classic, as if I had just turned down Ringo Starr! When I watched the "Shadows" finally play, the drummer had to settle on a cheapy drum set, that was not his brand!
Anyway, a while back,  I wrote about an unheralded band, called, FIVE BY FIVE, that had a great Jimi Hendrix cover hit of "Fire". I'd like to throw their hat into the ring for Best Garage Band.

-- John LaPuzza

Good story!  The Shadows of Knight have opened up a formidable lead in the voting ... but it's still early yet ... we're going to continue tabulating votes until June 1st ... so PLENTY of time to get your votes in.  And, for the record, Five By Five have already earned themselves a few votes in our latest FH Poll,too.  Thanks, John!  (kk)

OK, Top Garage Bands:

Major Label style:  Bobby Fuller 4, Love, Trashmen, Remains, Gants, Standells, Chocolate Watch Band, 5 Americans, Seeds, Blues Magoos, McCoys, Robbs, Choir, Electric Prunes  

Smaller label style:  Dovers, Grodes / Tongues Of Truth, Shadows Of Knight, Sonics, Fantastic Dee-Jays / Swamp Rats, We The People, Bad Seeds, Rivieras, Mouse & Traps, Zakary Thaks, Leaves, Guilloteens  

These groups had to have at least 3 records.  

Ken

Lots of folks have been nominating bands ...

Other folks are nominating specific songs.

We don't care ... we just want your votes!!!

And, once we compile The Top 20 Favorite Garage Bands, we'll probably feature a track or two from each of them!

So get your votes in now!  Polls close June 1st!  (kk)

I compiled this while dining on my lonely TV dinner in the break room today.  There are some Wisconsin acts  that get requested on my show.  The Robin and the 3 Hoods record was on a lot of juke boxes in Wisconsin and lots of local bands played it.  It sounds like it was truly recorded in a garage!  Once I got started with my list I couldn't stop until I hit 25. 

Phil Nee - WRCO

1.  Hey Joe - The Leaves

2.  I Wanna Do It - Robin and the 3 Hoods

3.  Roadrunner - The Gants

4.  Live - Merry Go Round

5.  Love's Made A Fool Of You - Bobby Fuller Four

6.  Midnight Hour - The Messengers

7.  Open My Eyes - Nazz

8.  Sometimes Good Guys - Standells

9.  At the Rivers Edge - New Colony Six

10. Oh Yeah - Shadows of Night

11. Little Girl - Count Five

12. 96 Tears - Question Mark

13. Question of Temperature - Balloon Farm

14. I Had Too Much To Dream - Electric Prunes

15. One Track Mind - Knickerbockers

16. Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl - Barbarians

17. Liar Liar - Castaways

18. Birthday - Underground Sunshine

19. Jolly Green Giant - Kingsmen

20. Words - Monkees

21. Roller Coaster - Ides Of March

22. Mr. Unreliable - Cryan'Shames

23. Come On Lets Go - McCoys

24. Bittersweet - The Robbs

25. Talk Talk - Music Machine

Some GREAT choices, Phil! (Who knows ... Phil Nee just may be counting down The Top 20 Favorite Garage Bands once the votes have been tallied!  So stay tuned for more info on that, too!)  kk

I've got a few garage bands for you. 

1. ? & the Mysterians - 96 Tears

2. The Spirit - I Got a Line on You (Nobody's mentioned them!)

3. The Sunrays - I Live for the Sun (They're also being overlooked.)

4. Blues Magoos - (You Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet

5. Electric Prunes - I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)

6. Standells - Why Pick on Me

7. The Seeds - Pushin' Too Hard

8. John's Children - Smashed! Blocked! (maybe the best example of British garage rock, if there is such a thing)

Dann Isbell

A few good nominees on the list today ...

Let's feature a couple of tracks to get your juices flowing! 

For starters, everybody keeps mentioning The Shadows Of Knight and their killer hit "Gloria" ... but you guys all know that one.

How about their follow-up hit "Oh Yeah", a #39 record in 1966 that went all the way to #13 here in their hometown of Chicago.

Next, "Fire" by Five By Five ... the hit version of the Jimi Hendrix album classic ... a #38 Hit in 1968 that made it to #5 here in Chi-Town.

And, finally, how about "Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen, described by one FH Reader as "the DEFINITIVE Garage Band" ... and he may be right.  Did ANYTHING else EVER sound THIS much "out of the garage" as THIS one?!?!?  (On the other hand, many folks will argue that by pure nature of its title alone "Surfin' Bird" is the definitive SURF anthem ... and is not a garage band song at all!  In all fairness, "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" entered surf lingo ... and pop culture ... as a direct result of this song ... and others like it by The Rivingtons and The Trashmen's follow up hit "Bird Dance Beat" ... so YOU decide!)  Meanwhile, Cowabunga, Dude!  (kk)

Email your votes in now!!!  (kk)