Max Mooney
Junior Member
Greetings from the Moonbase. I'm gonna get cozy with ya by the Lava Lamp and tell you the story of loser-underdog-teens that made incredible music. Take a seat and wait for the damn lava to melt and get goin'. It takes a while, y'know?
Weird by the Wee Four
This group comes from upstate New York. Rockin' Rochester, New York to be precise. 1966 release. In my opinion, both sides of this are great. Obviously this side is the one most people flock to because of it's pure emotional and moody FURY. The other side (Give Me A Try) is a heartfelt ballad but it's worth your time unlike a lot of ballads in the Garage Rock world. It has enough conviction to warrant it's place on the B side. It's nice. This was the only record these kids had and it's a damn shame. I often wonder what these guys being on stage at a teen night club would have been like being accompanied by one of their swingest lady friend classmates Go-Go-ing on the side. The song was probably about her though, unfortunately. We can't all be hip unfortunately but some us have the gift of swingin' 'em well.
Tiger-A-Go-Go by Don Snyder
From 1964 but you can be sure that this is before Beatlemania was in full effect. This is one of the kitschiest and most tasteless records you can even imagine. Low budget as all get out. The picture sleeve claiming his band is an orchestra is the icing on the cake. This guy must have been in a lot of Beach party type movies cause he looks the part for sure. The recording is steeped in 50's and early 60's Alpha Male and Go-Go Bar culture. You can feel the grease that can't be washed off your hands from the big bad hairdoo he pulls off daily. Saying all that, it sounds like I hate it. But hate it I do not. I live for this stuff! Don Snyder is the kind of guy that Bruno Mars is trying to...but could never be. Don Snyder is the old guy that is to this day hitting on the young cashier making everybody feel uncomfortable. Duck and cover if you see him. But we love Uncle Don for that reason. He's cooler than all the little L7 hipster punks runnin' around and trying to be him. He's got "teeth as white as snow." Come on, now. You know that nobody in the USA can afford dental care anymore. Ah. To be young in the Mid-Century. Hats off to you, Don. You really did it way past cool.
Feel So Good by Johnny Coglan & The Beau Havens
One part Byrds jangle. One part innocent romance. A hint of sexual intercourse. And a bit of an amatuerish band and you get this feel good number. These guys are comped on one of Tim Warren's legendary compilation series. With a different song, however! And for some reason, a different singer on that side of this same record! That compilation being Back From The Grave but not the song being covered here though. That song is Elizabeth. And while Elizabeth is a raucous and wild number, it's also even more disjointed than this one. Great. But perhaps the youthful cheer and jangle is what draws me to this one. These kids were obviously young. Some of them were likely just getting out of puberty or still going through it. But the passion is what counts and it's there. Fun stuff!
I'm Gonna Love You Too by the Jammers
Ugh. A Buddy Holly cover, you thought. But you were wrong!
"Baby, keep up with me
My love grows faster than you'll see
You're gonna love me too"
Let us take a gander at these Michigander teens who recorded this straight forward and mighty quick Garage Rocker clocking in at less that 2 minutes. You could say that this is basic and nothing incredible. You could say that they sing some parts out of tune...but then I'd say that YOUR EARS WERE OUT OF TUNE! Nah. Just kidding haha. I'm not that combative. Just a nice little ripper that gets ya movin' in your chair or on the floor a little bit with that great transistor organ sound that makes Maxi feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for more dementia and hearing loss. Look forward to more 60's and 50's later on. I should probably mention that I'm not this much of a jerk and that I love you. I truly do love this stuff but I like keeping it interesting and off-kilter like the music itself.
-Max
Weird by the Wee Four
This group comes from upstate New York. Rockin' Rochester, New York to be precise. 1966 release. In my opinion, both sides of this are great. Obviously this side is the one most people flock to because of it's pure emotional and moody FURY. The other side (Give Me A Try) is a heartfelt ballad but it's worth your time unlike a lot of ballads in the Garage Rock world. It has enough conviction to warrant it's place on the B side. It's nice. This was the only record these kids had and it's a damn shame. I often wonder what these guys being on stage at a teen night club would have been like being accompanied by one of their swingest lady friend classmates Go-Go-ing on the side. The song was probably about her though, unfortunately. We can't all be hip unfortunately but some us have the gift of swingin' 'em well.
Tiger-A-Go-Go by Don Snyder
From 1964 but you can be sure that this is before Beatlemania was in full effect. This is one of the kitschiest and most tasteless records you can even imagine. Low budget as all get out. The picture sleeve claiming his band is an orchestra is the icing on the cake. This guy must have been in a lot of Beach party type movies cause he looks the part for sure. The recording is steeped in 50's and early 60's Alpha Male and Go-Go Bar culture. You can feel the grease that can't be washed off your hands from the big bad hairdoo he pulls off daily. Saying all that, it sounds like I hate it. But hate it I do not. I live for this stuff! Don Snyder is the kind of guy that Bruno Mars is trying to...but could never be. Don Snyder is the old guy that is to this day hitting on the young cashier making everybody feel uncomfortable. Duck and cover if you see him. But we love Uncle Don for that reason. He's cooler than all the little L7 hipster punks runnin' around and trying to be him. He's got "teeth as white as snow." Come on, now. You know that nobody in the USA can afford dental care anymore. Ah. To be young in the Mid-Century. Hats off to you, Don. You really did it way past cool.
Feel So Good by Johnny Coglan & The Beau Havens
One part Byrds jangle. One part innocent romance. A hint of sexual intercourse. And a bit of an amatuerish band and you get this feel good number. These guys are comped on one of Tim Warren's legendary compilation series. With a different song, however! And for some reason, a different singer on that side of this same record! That compilation being Back From The Grave but not the song being covered here though. That song is Elizabeth. And while Elizabeth is a raucous and wild number, it's also even more disjointed than this one. Great. But perhaps the youthful cheer and jangle is what draws me to this one. These kids were obviously young. Some of them were likely just getting out of puberty or still going through it. But the passion is what counts and it's there. Fun stuff!
I'm Gonna Love You Too by the Jammers
Ugh. A Buddy Holly cover, you thought. But you were wrong!
"Baby, keep up with me
My love grows faster than you'll see
You're gonna love me too"
Let us take a gander at these Michigander teens who recorded this straight forward and mighty quick Garage Rocker clocking in at less that 2 minutes. You could say that this is basic and nothing incredible. You could say that they sing some parts out of tune...but then I'd say that YOUR EARS WERE OUT OF TUNE! Nah. Just kidding haha. I'm not that combative. Just a nice little ripper that gets ya movin' in your chair or on the floor a little bit with that great transistor organ sound that makes Maxi feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for more dementia and hearing loss. Look forward to more 60's and 50's later on. I should probably mention that I'm not this much of a jerk and that I love you. I truly do love this stuff but I like keeping it interesting and off-kilter like the music itself.
-Max
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