NB: there are other singles on Warner. A seminal folk rock group from Los Angeles. Faryar had been in the Whiskeyhill Singers and Yester had been in the Inn Group. Both quit their respective bands and formed the Modern Folk Quartet with Hatelid (or Hatledid) and Diltz. Night Time Girl was produced by Jack Nitzsche and written by Al Kooper and Irwin Lewine. A pop raga with oriental instruments, it is quite interesting. Another 45, Don't You Wonder was composed by Hatelid and Bill Martin. When the group broke up, Douglas Hatelid, who was then known as Chip Douglas, joined The Turtles and Gene Clark for a short spell, before becoming a producer (Monkees, Turtles etc.). He also played with Fred Neil. Henry Diltz became a photographer and Eddie Hoh a session drummer (Barry Goldberg, Lee Michaels, Kim Fowley etc.). Jerry Yester joined the Lovin' Spoonful, replacing Zal Yanowsky. He also cut two solo singles and two albums with his wife, Judy Henske, before becoming a renowned producer and engineer (notably for Tim Buckley and Tom Waits). Cyrus Faryar became a session musician, notably with Fred Neil and Stone Poneys, and was also the voice of the Cosmic Sounds. In 1972 he cut a solo album on Elektra before moving to Hawaii where he produced local acts. Compilation appearances have included: Night Time Girl on Nuggets, Vol. 10 (LP); Don't You Wonder and Night Time Girl on Penny Arcade, Dunhill Folk Rock, Vol. 2 (LP). (Stephane Rebeschini)
This band hailed from Fort Worth. The 'A' side of their 45, a folk rock ballad, was originally written by Lennon-McCartney for Cilla Black, whilst the flip, had similarities to The Beatles' If I Needed Someone. Scott Fraser, incidentally, was a multi-instrumentalist who taught the rest of the band to play. In 1969, he would form Whistler, Chaucer, Detroit and Greenhill with Lively and in 1969 Space Opera. Compilation appearances include: It's For You on Acid Visions - Complete Collection, Vol. 3 (3-CD) and Texas Punk, Vol. 9 (LP); Days Mind The Time on The Cicadelic 60's, Vol. 3 (CD) and The Cicadelic 60's, Vol. 5 (LP). (Max Waller/Stephane Rebeschini)
Routine garage fare from a different Houston band. My Baby's Gone can be heard on Texas Flashback (The Best Of) (CD), Texas Flashbacks, Vol. 3 (LP & CD) and Flashback, Vol. 3 (LP). The flip was an instrumental.
A raw garage band from Toledo, Ohio. The flip, the story of a guy warning his cheating girl, features some raunchy harp and powerful guitar. Compilation appearances include: I Give You An Inch (And You Take A Mile) on Teenage Shutdown, Vol. 10 (LP & CD), Chosen Few Vol's 1 & 2 (CD) and The Chosen Few, Vol. 1 (LP); You Got Another Thing Comin' on Back From The Grave, Vol. 3 (LP) and Back From The Grave, Vol. 2 (CD). (Max Waller/George Gell)
Formed in 1964 in the Plainview area of Minnesota. They were originally known as The Impalas and their musical repertoire initially consisted of Beatles, Rolling Stones and Kinks covers. They recorded a Sue Petit/Steve Kath composition, Lost Again along with a cover of The Kinks', 'Till The End Of The Day to which they added a frantic garage style climax, in the summer of 1965, but it didn't get beyond the acetate stage. In the fall of 1965, Bill White left to go to Mankato State University and Tom McNeil came in as a replacement. Dave Franzen, a talented lead guitar player was drafted in too. The group finally fell apart when Sue Petit left to become female vocalist with a R & B group, The Happy Go Luckies. Later still she joined a Miami, Florida band called The Faculty.
This outfit from Allenhurst, New Jersey were a popular attraction on the teen-club circuit of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Their cover version of The Stones' Satisfaction has some surfish-styled guitar but the flip side is more in the Beach Boys genre. Their first 45, Ritual is more punkish. Compilation appearances have included: Satisfaction on Back From The Grave, Vol. 2 (LP) and Garage Kings (Dble LP); Ritual on Hang It Out To Dry (LP & CD). (Max Waller)
A teen quartet from Tampa, Florida, whose exuberant cover of the Stones' Empty Heart takes pride of place on Psychedelic States - Florida Vol. 2 (CD). The liners reveal that they were billed as Tampa's youngest pro band - they were barely in their teens. There's some fine ringing guitar in their cover of The Searchers' Sweets For My Sweet. Other compilation appearances include: Empty Heart and Sweets For My Sweets on Sixties Archive Vol. 4 (CD) and Florida Punk Groups From The Sixties (LP). (Vernon Joynson/Max Waller/Jeff Lemlich/Roger Maglio)
This outfit came from Mentor (near Cleveland), Ohio who and formed in the Fall of 1964. They recorded a demo in 1966. Two originals, In Love's Shadow and I'm Slippin', turned up on the Sundazed album Choir Practice. When they signed with Cleveland label Claridge, in 1966, they changed their name to The Choir.
Undistinguished garage punk. This time from San Marcos in Texas, The 'A' side later resurfaced on Texas Flashback (The Best Of) (CD), Texas Flashbacks, Vol. 4 (LP).
From Boston, an original garage psych singer, influenced by Zappa. It's rumoured that Harold Bronson of Rhino records was a member and that some of the members were in the late '70s L.A. punk band the Low Numbers. (Stephane Rebeschini/Kent Kritz)
Hailing from Eugene, Oregon, this outfit were originally known as The Centurians but they changed their name to The Moguls in December 1964. Their manager was convinced that after 'surf' music 'ski' music would be the next big thing. So he hired two go-go dancers in ski-bunny outfits and clad the group in ski pants, turtlenecks and ski boots. Their first 45 was a double-sided instrumental with snow sound effects. It won a local Battle Of The Bands competition and they got to record their next 45 free and it was produced by a member of Don and The Goodtimes. Their second 45, Ski Bum, is quite a pounder. Their third, Another Day, came out on the Tork label named after the Tork Club where they were regulars. This was a faster number with lots of mouth harp - probably their finest moment. They later became known as Music Prism but only lasted for about a year under that moniker. Compilation appearances include: Ski Bum on Northwest Battle Of The Bands, Vol. 1 - Flash And Crash (LP & CD); Try Me on Northwest Battle Of The Bands, Vol. 2 - Knock You Flat! (LP & CD) and Northwest Battle Of The Bands, Vol. 2 (CD); Another Day and Ski Burn on Back From The Grave, Vol. 7 (Dble LP); and Round Randy on Ho-Dad Hootenanny (LP). For more information, check the following website: http://theregents.net/moguls.html (Max Waller/Darryl F. Riffero/Sam Carlson)
NB: There have also been three compilations:- Dance With Me (Eva 12049) 1984, is a 16 track compilation of their 1965-1966 material; Why Ain't Supposed To Be (Sundazed SC 11028) 1996, concentrates on their period at Autumn, 1965-6, including nine previously unreleased tracks; Sit Down... It's The Mojo Men (Sundazed SC 11032) 1996, similarly concentrates on their period at Reprise, 1966-8 including many previously unreleased tracks.
NB: (11) as The Mojo. (12), (13) & (14) as Mojo. There's also a rare French EP with picture sleeve: Off The Hook/Mama's Little Baby/Dance With Me/Loneliest Boy In Town (Vogue INT 18050) 1966. Although this band was based in San Francisco some members originated from Florida. The original band formed in Coral Gables, Florida as The Valiants. Singer Jim Alaimo (cousin of singer Steve Alaimo) had early releases under the names Jimmy Sumers and The Slicks and Jimmy Paris. The Valiants also back Steve Alaimo on his 1961 album Twist With Steve Alaimo. It was pretty much the same line-up that moved to San Francisco in 1964 and became The Mojo Men. For much more info, see the liner notes of the Sundazed compilation Why's Ain't Supposed To Be. Sly Stone had left the band (to form Sly and The Family Stone) by the time the band signed to Reprise and achieved some success with Steve Still's Sit Down I Think I Love You. Their diminuitive female vocalist Jan Errico had earlier achieved much popularity on the West Coast as drummer and lead vocalist for The Vejtables. In late 1967 the band became known as Mojo because Jan Errico got tired of being known as a Mojo Man. They also changed labels to GRT so that they could record an album. Released in 1968 it was produced by Dave Hassinger. It contained their second single New York City, which sumered from sounding too much like The Mamas and Papas, and overall contained a number of mildly psychedelic, post-Seargant Pepper pop rock songs. The band finally split in 1969 when they realised their era had ended. There remains a lot of unissued material from both eras of The Mojo Men. From their time with Autumn fifteen tracks remained unissued although some of these later appeared on Eva's Dance With Me compilation and the superior Sundazed retrospective Why Ain't Supposed To Be. A further nineteen tracks were recorded but not released during their spell with Reprise. These include the long and experimental What King Of Man, which was reputed to be a letter-day venture into psychedelia by the band. Jim Alaimo later resurfaced in a '70s funk band called Jammer that recorded for the Avco-distributed Honey label. He later died of heart failure. Compilation coverage has so far included: Sit Down, I Think I Love You and She's My Baby on Nuggets Box (4-CD); Sit Down I Think I Love You on Nuggets Vol. 5 (LP), Nuggets - Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (Dble LP) and Sundazed Sampler, Vol. 2 (CD); Off The Hook on Sounds Of The Sixties San Francisco, Vol. 1 (LP); Dance With Me on Sound Of The Sixties (Dble LP), Sixties Archive Vol. 1 (CD) and We Have Come For Your Children; Dance With Me and She's My Baby on San Francisco Roots (LP), The Autumn Records Story (LP) and Nuggets, Vol. 7 (LP). All three of their Autumn singles also figure on the Autumn Single Box. More recently much of their material has featured on Big Beat's Nuggets From The Golden State series:- the Dance With Me CD contains Dance With Me plus a demo and six unreleased cuts from 1965 (She Goes With Me, Off The Hook, Something Bad, My Woman's Head, Can't You See That She's Mine, Why and As I Get Older); Someone To Love features four 1966 cuts - She's My Baby, Fire In My Heart and the unreleased Why Can't You Stay and Girl Won't You Go. (Vernon Joynson / Max Waller / Stephane Rebeschini / Jeff Lemlich)
From Fairfield, Connecticut. You'll also find Love Does Its Harm on New England Teen Scene, Vol. 1 (LP) and New England Teen Scene (CD). (Max Waller / Mike Markesich)
From Hurricane, West Virginia, both sides of this Mojos' 45 are fine Brit-Invasion inspired originals written by Joe Clatworthy. Compilation appearances have included: What She's Done To Me and Go on Sixties Rebellion, Vol. 14 (LP & CD); and What She's Done To Me on All Cops In Delerium - Good Roots (LP). They were later known as The Muffetts. (Max Waller)
NB: (1) reissued on CD (Lizard Records LR 0712-2).
Formed in Memphis in 1968 by Baker, who'd fronted local faves The Blazers, the initial line-up evolved to include drummer Durham, who'd been with The Group and The Rapscallions. Produced, written and arranged by Don Nix (ex Mar-Keys and Paris Pilot) in Memphis, Moloch is an excellent blues rock album, with some sound effects, noises and superb acid guitar solos by Lee Baker. Their single was recorded after the album with a later line-up and is extremely rare. Cocaine Katy has been compiled on It Came From Memphis (Upstart 022) 1995. A close friend of Jim Dickinson, Lee Baker would later work with Big Star and Alex Chilton and various other Memphis acts before forming Mud Boy and The Neutrons. He was tragically murdered in the late nineties. Their last bassist, Busta Jones, would later front White Lightnin'. (Stephane Rebeschini/Max Waller/Ron Hall)
This ten-piece outfit is sometimes described as "psychedelic", probably because they covered Spirit's Mr Skin on their debut album. They were in fact a horn rock group and as such both albums are best avoided. The cover of the original pressing of their debut is curious; it features a painting of a maid holding an apple pie, with a slice removed to reveal a vagina inside the apple pie. The second pressing is censured with the vagina being replaced by a barbed wire wall! This album was produced by Kenneth Hamann. The band are thought to have been affiliated with Terry Knight. (Stephane Rebeschini/Ed Worcester)
From Winterhaven, Florida. Don't Mess With Him was apparently quite popular locally, and the band played in the Tampa area.
The totally demented 1967 fuzz punker Up And Down has resurfaced on Turds On A Bum Ride, Vol. 2 (Dble LP), Turds On A Bum Ride Vol. 1 & 2 (Dble CD) and Pebbles Vol. 9 (CD). Thought to have been California based act, both this track and Yellow Pill were on the Freakout U.S.A.! (LP) Soundtrack album. Another track, Children In The Night is also featured on Riot On Sunset Strip (LP) Soundtrack album.
Orange County in California was home to this teen-beat quartet whose ages ranged from 11 to 16. They started life as The Masters and were later known as The Laurels before they finally settled on The Monacles as their name. I Can't Win, is a typical teen punk number written by Jim Newby. Compilation appearances have included: Heartaches and I Can't Win on Sixties Rebellion, Vol. 6 (LP & CD); I Can't Win on Back From The Grave, Vol. 3 (LP) and Everywhere Chainsaw Sound (LP); Everybody Thinks I'm Lonely on Bad Vibrations, Vol. 1 (LP). (Max Waller)
NB: (1) also issued in the UK (London HLR 10145) 1967. Although sometimes described as a mix of Donovan and Darius by imaginative dealers, this album is in fact composed of universally weak orchestrated pop tunes, written by Monahan and T. Lazoros. The album was recorded at the Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, arranged by Don Peake and produced for their York/Pala company by Charles Greene and Brian Stone, the managers of Buffalo Springfield and Iron Butterfly. The first two (and maybe the third) Kapp singles are from the album. The Flying Machine 45 was a "Trip Universal" production and might have appeared originally on that Miami label. Trip Universal had also placed the Heroes of Cranberry Farm and later co-owner Bill Stith with Jamie. Monahan also recorded (in a Roy Orbison style) for Vee Jay in the early 60s. His whereabouts are unknown. (Stephane Rebeschini/Jeff Lemlich)
NB: (1) as Junior and His Mondos. (2) 'B' side also seen as The Way Of The Mondo - confirmation anyone, please. (3) as Florian Monday and His Mondos. (4) as Monday's Mondos. This was an early sixties, circa 1961, garage rock'n'roll outfit, from Woonsockett, Rhode Island, who, as you can see, recorded under at least three different names. On the Monday's Mondos 45 they sounded very much like The Kingsmen. I'm Crying was a cover of The Animals track. Compilation appearances have included: I'm Cryin' on New England Teen Scene, Vol. 2 (LP) and Teenage Shutdown, Vol. 2 (LP & CD); Mondo on Garage Punk Unknowns, Vol. 6 (LP); and Rip It Up on Hipsville, Vol. 2 (LP). (Max Waller) |
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