Song Of the Day: May 31, 2005
Neal Ford & the Fanatics-Shame On You
Hickory Records 45, 1967
This strange garage track with the vampire guy singing puzzles even Shamrock J. Cat, our resident authority on acne-ridden teenagers with Rickenbackers and Beatle Boots. We just can't decide to which sub-genre of 60s garage rock it belongs. Is it the "See you in Hell" category as exemplified by the Sonics' "He's Waitin'?" Or would it more correctly be placed in the "maniacal laughter" category along such classics as "Good Times" by Nobody's Children and "Little Girl" by the Syndicate of Sound? And anyway, how did something like this end up on what was for all intents and purposes a major label?
One thing we can tell you with considerable clarity is that Sundazed Records' new Garage Beat '66 series is what the kids like to call "the bomb." Great track selection with plenty of genuine rarities, including some tracks I'd been wanting to hear for years, excellent liner notes, and the best sound quality ever on any re-issue of this particular genre. "Shame On You" is on Vol. 1, as is the absolutely manic "Hipsville 29 B.C. (I Need Help)" by the Sparkles, a great jangly version of P.F. Sloan's "I'd Have To Be Out Of My Mind" by Words of Luv, and other oddball stuff tending toward the tougher, heavily fuzz-toned end of the genre. The other two volumes currently available are of similar quality, with two more due June 7. A bit more expensive than some of the other compilations, but absolutely worth it. Try one.
4 Comments:
Great, but what I'd really like to hear is whatever the vocal melody was going to be before the track was hijacked by the 'wacky' vocal. Perhaps someone can unearth the instrumental and us littlehits clientelle can submit our own variations of 'the melody'. Jon, I don't suppose this is in karaoke-able stereo your end, is it? It's mono in the MP3.
Yeah, those Garage Beat comps are KILLER. They're the first thing I recommend to people who already have the first Nuggets set and want more of the same. I'm hella psyched to hear vols 5 & 6.
I thought every garage band had a song called "Little Girl". It's like every hardcore band having a song called "Against The Wall".
And there should definately be a more sinister guitar sound to make the singing style make any sense.
Lanier Grieg had allot to do with this sound , playing keyboards , sometimes with his feet, still doing so today and way underrated! Went on to form ZZTOP with Gibons , so that whole stile of Music developed seems like all at once . Think Niel is a Preacher now but when this was recorded , they were big and deserving of a big label , at the time the music just changed.
Man , 13th Floor Elevators , Fever Tree , there are songs worth mining , great but different and hard to classify . Think Gibons is still pissed at Lanier for doing some interviews , what a shame both have survived all of these years and the Rock & Roll life stile takes a tole.
Houston , not a likely place back in the '60's for this type of Music , yet it was mind blowing . And should be rediscovered and Minded!
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