Category Archives: Unknown

Categories: Greenville, North Carolina, Romat, Unknown

Clear Blue Sky

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Even years after first posting about the Clear Blue Sky, I haven’t been able to find much info about the band.

“Morning of Creation” is a mystical psychedelic number by John Kessler, with dense harmonies and a finely-wrought guitar solo.

The never-before-comped flip “Ugly Girl” is cruder, with the interesting refrain “There’s a place / behind that face / for a girl.” It was written by Douglas Hardie (D.E. Hardie on the 45 label).

Like other Romat 45s this was recorded at Pitt Sound Studios, located northwest of Greenville, on the way to Falkland.

Thanks to Carroll Jenkins for the label photo of “Morning of Creation” and transfer of “Ugly Girl”, and to Ken Friedman of Tobacco a Go Go, for the transfer of “Morning of Creation” and info about the Romat label.

Categories: Martin, Nashville, Nashville (Starday), Starday, Tennessee, Unknown

The Kenetics

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The Kenetics 45 is one of my very favorites in all garageland. The band may have been from Martin, Tennesee, three hours drive west of Nashville near the Kentucky and Missouri borders.

Buddy Deason wrote both the songs featured here, but I don’t know any other members’ names.

“Put Your Loving on Me” starts out with a simple riff then moves to barre chords over sustained organ notes and drum rolls, then launches into a catchy progression for the chorus where the band chants “Baby, baby put your loving on me.” When the verse starts the band lays off every other repetition while the lead singer hiccups his pleas to this chick. Otherwise the verse and chorus are identical. No bridge, just a simple solo break and it’s back to the chorus and verse pattern again. The instruments are finely balanced and there’s a nice echo applied to the vocals that blends with the organ.

“Jo Ann” is a throwback to an earlier era. The band tries hard to make the song work, but it falls flat compared to the top side.

Nashville was a custom label of Starday, based out of Madison, just outside Music City. The 45 was pressed at the nearby Columbia Records plant indicated by the dead wax “ZTSB-128084/5” in 1967.

Categories: California, Highland, Unknown

The Runaways

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I don’t know anything about the Runaways, there’s just this one fine 45 from 1966. From the opening melody played on a twelve string and bass in unison, the band moves through “It Don’t Mean a Thing” in all of 1:45. Vocals and drumming are solid, and the guitarist lays down a solo that barely strays from repeating the melody line!

Terry Johnson wrote both songs on the 45, the flip being the weeper “Please Do”. This was released as Highland 1170, with production by Phonic Arts.

The Highland label was owned by Sid Talmadge, releasing 45s from 1958 through 1980. Sonny Bono was doing A&R for Highland at this time and had a 45 on Highland 1160 as ‘Sonny’ – “I’ll Change” / “Try It Out on Me”. Perhaps he was involved in bringing them to the label.

Other garage 45s on Highland include the Insects’ “Girl That Sits There” / “Then You Came My Way” and Harry Hellings & the Radials’ “Tale of a Crystal Ship”.

Categories: California, Los Angeles, Unknown, Vault

The American Express

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A psychedelic ode to street walkers! Buried on the b-side of a heavy version of Peggy Sue with a good drum break.

Don’t know a thing about the American Express. “When the City Sleeps” was written by Mani and Fournier.

I’m sure there’s a tie to some other group, but who? Not the American Express from Wisconsin who cut “You & Me” / “You’re Going To Be The One” on the Teen Town label, produced by Jon Hall.

Max Waller connects this to Ed Fournier of the Challengers and Dave Mani – see his comment below for more info.

Delta # in the dead wax dates this to February 1969.

Categories: Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, Unknown, Wayne

The Escape Machine

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The Escape Machine produced their own 45, recorded at Wayne Sound in a small town called Jersey Shore, located not anywhere close to what most east coast folks would think of as the Jersey Shore. It’s in central Pennsylvania, about 50 miles northeast of State College and 95 miles north of Harrisburg.

“Stop!” is a gloomy psychedelic piece written by M. Paige and A. Womer.

The flip, “I’ll Go on Loving You” is totally different, a country vocal written by K. Shingara and E. Shingara. Engineer on both tracks was J. Goditus.

Categories: Fine, New York, Rochester, Unknown, Upstate New York

Little Peppy with the Bare Existence

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From Rochester, Little Peppy is Marlene Torre, writer and singer on both these sides. She and the band turn in a spirited performance on “It Can Happen!!” The designated a-side, “Since You’ve Gone Away” is a slow ballad about missing her lover drafted overseas.

This was a custom press recorded at Fine Studios in September, 1966, and released with their house label. The master tape that turned up with the remains of the studio has alternate takes of each song.

One mystery is who was the band backing her as the Bare Existence.

If anyone has a photo of Little Peppy aka Marlene Torre, or the Bare Existence please contact me.

Categories: Pasadena, Pic 1, Texas, Unknown

Gene Ricky and the Swingers

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Gene Ricky and the Swingers cut “What You Wanted Most” for Huey Meaux’s Pic 1 label of Pasadena, just SE of Houston. Gene sounds to me like a rockabilly singer adapting to the new style, but if so he does it well. I’d like to know who the Swingers were, they have that spare Texas sound down.

The plug side “If All Goes Well” (both sides written by Lynn Boudreaux) is milder music.

Gene Ricky had an earlier single with The Ravens that I haven’t heard yet, “There’s More for You” / “Without True Love” on Shane Records in 1964.

Another Texas band on Pic 1 is the Argyles with “Farmer John” / “White Lightnin'” released shortly after the Gene Ricky record.

Categories: California, Impression, Los Angeles, Unknown

The Dillons

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Here’s a 45 on the Impression label that I didn’t know about until finding it last week. It also happens to be the label’s first release on their revamped, yellow Impression label. I’m not sure who the Dillons were, but this 45 was written and produced by Dorsey Burnette.

Along with his younger brother Johnny Burnette and Paul Burlison, Dorsey was one of the Rock and Roll Trio, whose songs include the fuzzed-up version of “Train Kept a Rollin'” that the Yardbirds would cover.

“Simple Way of Living” is a truly fantastic garage tune, contemporary to the times musically, if not lyrically. The flip, “Night Winds”, is out of an earlier era, and was written by Burnette and Joe Osborn, bass player for Ricky Nelson.

I’d love to know the story behind this single! Freddy pointed out the clip from Shivaree, which shows the band as a duo backed by (according to a comment on the video) the Challengers:

More on the Impression label here..

Categories: California, MTA Records, Unknown

The Ferguson Tractor

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Another obscurity from the MTA label. Ferguson Tractor was the vehicle (hah, sorry for the pun!) for D. Ferguson, who wrote both these songs. “12 O’Clock High” has strong fuzz guitar backing the vocals and what sounds like a Leslie speaker for the guitar’s wah effect on the chorus.

“Desperation Blues” is very much like other psychedelic blues from 1967, like the Dead or Big Brother & the Holding Co. The guitar fills remind me of early Country Joe & the Fish especially. Neat watery effect on the organ. Anyone who likes blues in the style of the early Bay Area groups should dig this.

I’ve read that “Desperation Blues” was the last 45 released by the Moonglow label, in early 1967, but I’ve only ever seen it on MTA, a 1969 release. The Moonglow link, if it’s real (which I doubt), plus the general sound of the record strongly suggest this is a California group.

Categories: CBM, Gray Sounds, New Jersey, Sound of Soul, Springfield, Unknown

The Abstrack Sound / Abstract Sound “Blacked Out Mind”

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Something of a mystery, my understanding is that although their second 45 has a Brooklyn, NY address on the label, the band was actually from Springfield, NJ.

The misspelled “Your Gona Break My Heart” has some cool slide effects on the intro, a fine guitar break and lots of echo. It was released with the band listed as the Abstrack Sound, on the CBM label in 1966, with a moody “Judge Him If You Can” on the flip.

On their second record, the stomping “I’m Trying” backed with the wild “Blacked Out Mind”, they’re called the Abstract Sound. This one was released twice in 1967, on the Gray Sounds and Sound of Soul labels, and was produced by E. M. Gray.

Bill Monetti and C. Catena wrote their songs, along with Denis Dreher on the second 45. However, the Gray Sounds release lists Dreher as co-writing “I’m Trying” while the Sound of Soul release gives him co-credit on “Blacked Out Mind”. BMI lists him on both songs along with Monetti, and drops Catena altogether! Obviously someone screwed up the credits somewhere along the way. To make things still more confusing, the labels are reversed on my copy!

Anyone have a photo of the group or scans of the CBM or Sound of Soul labels?