The archetypal garage band is a group of pudding-bowl-haircutted teen or college age guys banging out Stones/Yardbirds style rock, with more enthusiasm than finesse, shouting their lyric of frustration (source of frustration usually being a chick who's dishonest/stuck up/bitchy/doesn't put out/all of the above). Local phenoms (maybe) who occasionally broke out of the pack and scored a single national hit.
This isn't entirely accurate, of course. Some of the garage bands predate the British Invasion identikit - The Wailers and Sonics, for example, had one foot in the predominant rock styles prior to The Beatles arrival. Some had a greater sprirtual/artistic reach - The MC5 and 13th Floor Elevators being prime examples - and earned themselves a greater reputation, no longer being lumped with the garage-istas. Likewise, a few others were genuinely original, and don't fit the mold at all - The Godz, for example, who probably don't belong here. There were a number of outfits who modeled themselves more on The Byrds and Beatles than Stones/Yardbirds. But they didn't kick as much ass.
So the bulk of the garage bands drew on a similar set of influences (mostly British Invasion), were local acts who might or might not have achieved some measure of fame in their hometown, and (rarely) had a moment or two of attention beyond their hometown, before school and the Vietnam war pulled them apart and away. Some members stayed in the game. Most left it forever. A few left it and came back. Many of them reassembled, on bases of varying permanence, in the 90;s, 00's and 10's - realizing they had something back then and wanting to explore it some more.
By the late 60's, as FM rock became a powerhouse and the music began to take itself seriously, the garage bands began to fade (1966 is considered the peak of the style). Rock music evolved and the bands, who either never got that hit or never got another one, dropped away. The music began to be looked down upon by many as little more than amateurish, teen drivel.
You could, of course, argue that there's some truth in that. Few of the bands sported virtuoso musicians (those that did generally graduated out of the class - MC5 again). Or songwriters. Or singers. They were mostly derivative. Their music was crudely played and often crudely recorded. For some this meant it was, therefore, junk. For kids just looking for something fun to dance to on the radio or at the teen club, they were just fine, thank you (thus the Top 10 status of some of these). For a few, who realized in retrospect, it was clear that while the music might have been crude, it was also a joyous expression of a moment. That it didn't really matter how well they could play or sing - as long as they could play or sing their moments of inspiration effectively enough to put it across - and they did. A decade-plus later the same thing would happen with hardcore (which, spiritually, is closer to this kind of thing than most 70's-era punk, which was derived from it, but is more self-conscious and arty - yes, that even goes for The Ramones).
One of the ones who got it was Lenny Kaye, rock crit and musician, who compiled the now-legendary Nuggets compilation, an album that made the then-shocking suggestion that the garage bands records might have some merit of their own, might be an expression of something that rock was now losing sight of. Of course, he was right.
The punks of the 70's rightly took the Nuggets album as a touchstone and an influence. Television used to cover "Psychotic Reaction". The Ramones whole look and sound seemed to echo it. Interest in garage-rock burbled, and in `78 the Pebbles comps began to appear, dredging up even more garage goodies. This led in turn to the Back From The Grave series in the early 80's. From there, the whole garage thing mushroomed. The list of garage comps linked below has over 200 titles. It's probably not complete. Rhino got in on the act with a series of Nuggets albums before finally kicking in with an expanded, 4-CD version of the original set. In New York and L.A. and Boston and San Diego, bands sprung up in tribute to garage rock, covering the songs from these albums, often adopting the pudding-bowl look. The Lyres, The Fuzztones, The Morlocks, The Gravedigger Five ... they recorded singles and albums. Like their predecessors, some of it was brilliant, some merely amusing. Some managed national or even international (they love garage rock in Europe) attention, others didn't.
Now, the other side of the coin. Like other rock and roll subgenres, garage has built up a cult following that swears by almost anything in the genre. The facts that Pebbles unearthed some buried treasures that Kaye missed can lead to the misguided belief that all 200+ of these albums are loaded with chunks of unrecognized genius on a par with "Pychotic Reaction" or "96 Tears", and that this is THE TRUE essence of rock and roll.
The idea, while amusing, ain't true. Not in my experience, anyway.
Okay - maybe I'm not entirely fit to judge. I only made it through volume 4 of Back To The Grave before diminishing returns and an unwillingness to further diminish my bank account in pursuit of same caused me to retire. But all the best stuff was on the first couple volumes, and there's only so many Stones/Yardbirds imitations you can sit through before getting bored. Oh, there's a part of me that would love to at least hear all those comps. I just don't think I'd care to own or keep many of them.
Similarly, while I find the crazed liner notes of Back To The Grave, trashing all non-garage and British bands a lot of fun, I doubt even the author believes them. I find the covers, depicting EC Comics-style zombies burning and burying disco, reggae, punk and prog albums ("Jimi and Janis - Glad Ya Died!" reads one platter being tossed into a bonfire) - and sometimes fans of same, the idea that these records contain the true essence is silly, however amusing.
But you still can't have my copy of Psychotic Reaction.
***
These are some of the more notable names in garage-iana, or at least the ones that rise to the top for moi.
The Alarm Clocks, a trio from Parma, Ohio, recorded one classic garage gem "Yeah"/"No Reason To Complain" in 1965, released on their own Awake label. "Yeah" and "No Reason" are really a wonder to behold - Stooge-like monoto-rock that pounds and plods away in a kind of stoned grumble. "No Reason" later got a definitive re-work by The Lyres. Norton released a comp and a couple reunion albums by these guys in the 00's. The rest of their repertoire was Stones/Who/Kinks covers.
The Barbarians from Cape Cod, were best known for (a) appearing in the T.A.M.I. Show film and (b) having a one-handed drummer (he sported a hook). They had a distinctive look (sandals, puffy shirts) and a minor hit ("Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl") which has never been a fave. Better was the autobiographical "Moulty", the story of their one-armed drummer and his quest for meaning and love. Legend has it, alas, that it was not The Barbarians but Levon and the Hawks(!!) who backed him on this 1966 gem.
The Bees from Covina, CA, pulled off one of the all-time whacked-out one-shots - "Voices Green and Purple" on the Livepool label, in 1966. This completely deranged slab was very much in the vein of "Psychotic Reaction" - i.e. The Bees were clearly Yardbirds fans. And probably dropped acid. At least, this record sounded like a bad trip. The original is horrifically rare and the small-run single, distributed to few beyond some local record stores and DJ's, was forgotten until it turned up on Pebbles Vol. 3.
The Chocolate Watchband from San Jose, CA were very much in the Stones mold, with a strong dose of The Yardbirds and Who. They actually produced a couple albums which are highly thought of by garage aficionados. They mix the usual Stones rips with some good rockers psychedelic oddities, some of which are pretty cool.
The Count Five also from San Jose, CA, were responsible for the ultimate garage classic, "Psychotic Reaction", a total gutbucket Yardbirds rip-off. I spent months searching for the original Psychotic Reaction album, which, despite a very cool cover, is, I regret to report, not a lost 60's classic. The title track is a high point and the rest is decent faux Who/Yardbirds. Not an embarassment by any means - the Five deserve their legend - but if you're expecting genius here, sorry, Lester Bangs was having you on.
The Godz from NYC - John Dougan from Allmusic.com describes The Godz as follows: "Few bands in the annals of rock & roll were stranger than the New York City-based Godz...the Godz coughed up some of the strangest, most dissonant, purposely incompetent rock noise ever produced...Sounding like a prototype for Half Japanese or the Shaggs, the Godz play as if they discovered their instruments ten minutes before the tape started rolling. The singing is intentionally off-key, almost parodic, and the songs...well, they sound more like improvised snippets than actual compositions. And while that may not be your idea of pop music, this works, in large part, due to the absolute glee and unself-consciousness with which they approached their peculiar brand of aural nonsense." Lester Bangs would say “The Godz were exciting to think about because they promised to break through and become even more outrageous by dynamiting all the stupid standards by which esthetic-minded critics and technique bound musicians sought to raise rock from pygmy squall to art form.” The Electric Eels and similar outfits owed a lot to The Godz. Their albums didn't do much for me, alas.
GONN from Keokuk, Iowa - Over the years, "Blackout of Gretely" has acquired a life of its own. Singer Craig Moore begins by intoning: "The universe is permeated with the odor of kerosene" over Gerry Gabel's muscular Vox organ, followed by his "blood curdling scream". Rex Garrett's infectious, fuzz-drenched guitar riffs take over at that point, which might be described as an amped-up interpretation of the opening guitar chords on "Satisfaction", or The Standells' "Dirty Water", which it closely resembles. The influences of the Standells and Count Five are also apparent. Moore screams while the howling vocals by Gerry Gabel are a tale in several verses where the singer cannot understand why everything looks so dark, only to discover when he arrives home that he has been wearing sunglasses the whole time. Greg Shaw states that "'Blackout of Gretely' is without doubt one of the Top 10 great punk records of all time" and noted that it had sold for as much as $1000.00 by the mid-1990s. In 2008, the UK publication MOJO Magazine also listed it in the Top 10 garage psych singles of all time. (wikipedia) Although they recorded another bit of weirdness ("Doin' Me In"), most of their repertoire was the usual. They reformed a few years ago and are recording again.
Kenny and the Casuals an ultra-clean-cut outfit from Texas recorded the startling "Journey To Time", which is definitely (and accidentally) in Stooges/Velvets territory. Another lost classic that eventually bubbled to the surface. Due to a revival of interest in their rare The IMPACT Sound of Kenny and the Kasuals Live At the Studio Club album, they ended up with a following in Europe, and opened for the likes of Patti Smith and Iggy. The band is still active, I believe.
The Knickerbockers from Bergenfeld, NJ recorded the classic Beatles pastiche, "Lies". Classic.
The Lollipop Shoppe from Portland, OR are another outfit that achieved notoriety after Pebbles rescued their "You Must Be A Witch" from the 45 Grave-yard. The band was originally known as The Weeds, and a listen to their tough, bluesy album tells me that was a more appropriate name, by far. Member Fred Cole is still active, and formed the legendary Dead Moon.
Mouse and the Traps from Tyler, Texas pulled off the uncanny Dylan rips "Public Execution" and "Maid Of Sugar, Maid Of Spice", both gems. Other releases were less obviously pastiches - also less obviously interesting.
The Music Machine from L.A., were basically the brainchild of Sean Bonniwell. Genuinely different, the MM had a fairly long career (into `69), and Bonniwell never stopped making music until his death in 2011. "Talk Talk" is their snot-nosed classic.
The Nightcrawlers from Daytona Beach, FL, landed on the radar with "Little Black Egg", a tender tale of love between a man and bird's rotten egg. Its hypnotic refrain was the first song I learned on guitar.
? and the Mysterians from Bay City, MI were fronted by ? aka Rudy Martinez, and responsible for the hypnotic "96 Tears". They have been sporadically active ever since, though recently without ?.
(Barry and) The Remains, from Boston, weren't, strictly speaking, a garage band - they were less subversive, more pop-oriented, and fairly professional. Actually, the One-ders, from the film That Thing You Do, remind me heavily of Barry and the Remains. Barry Tashian remains active in the music scene to this day, and the band has re-formed.
The Seeds from L.A. had a failry lengthy (multi-album) career, and even got Muddy Waters to somehow scrawl liner notes for one of their platters. After some time spent in religious cults, Sky Saxon reemerged in the 80's and became a kind of grand-old man figure in the garage revival crowd. He remained active until his death in 2009.
The Shadows Of Knight from Chicago got the hit with "Gloria" which should've gone to Them. Their best was "Bad Little Woman".
The Sonics from Tacoma, WA, are one of the oldest and narstiest of the garage bands, their snarling, Little Richard-influenced rawk, dark preoccupations and general bad attitude making them perennial favorites of garage-meisters. Songs like "The Witch", "Psycho", "He's Waiting" and "Strychnine" are garage staples to this day. Like many of these outfits, The Sonics are active again.
The Standells from LA (not Boston, sorry) were responsible for three major garage classics - "Dirty Water", "Riot On Sunset Strip" and "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White", all essentials.
The Syndicate Of Sound another San Jose outfite unleased the raving "Little Girl" in 1966. They still perform in the Bay Area from time to time.
The Wailers were another Tacoma outfit, dating back even earlier than The Sonics (their 1959 hit, "Tall Cool One" was also their best). The Wailers are something of a bridge between pre-British Invasion styles (instrumentals, etc) and the later garage bands.
Essential Listening
Nuggets this is the essential garage-rock collection, esp. in its expanded, multi-disc form. If you want one definitive garage-rock classics collection, this is as close as you're gonna get.
Back From The Grave (8 volumes) for those who can't be satisfied with the above. These lean heavily on the rawer, tougher bands, so "psychedelic" stuff is excluded. Some gems to be found here, among many guilty pleasures. The covers and liner notes are a scream.
Pebbles (28 volumes!) a number of buried treasures have emerged from this series. Whether 28 volumes worth has is another question. Nonetheless, worth checking out if you're a true garage-rock aficionado.
Michigan Brand Nuggets - hell, the cover alone is classic. This is an above average set that's elevated to greatness by the presence of some early, rare - and outstanding, MC5 cuts, and early, even rarer, and even more outstanding stuff by Bob Seger. Track this one down.
60sgaragebands.com seems to be aiming to be the definitive 60's garage resource
Beyond the Beat Generation - pretty fascinating site dedicated to all things garage
Extensive(!) List of Garage Rock and Psych Compilations - mind boggling list of known garage comps
Garage Compilation Database - even more mind-boggling cross-referencing of contents of the above
Garage Hangover - pretty amazing collection of garage memorabilia.
Some Blogs
Worth checking out...
Garage Music
Psychedelic Rock`n'Roll
Beyond the Beat Generation
There are tons of books on sixties garage rock, particularly in specific scenes. I can't comment on any of them, sorry. The links above are a gateway to the garage-world. I wish you luck in your journey...
