THE GREATEST GARAGE BANDS OF ALL-TIME!!!

It all started innocently enough ... one of our readers sent in an email asking about the group ? and the Mysterians and, during the course of her letter, mentioned that, thanks to their #1 Hit "96 Tears", they had to be the greatest garage group of all time. After we published her letter, we started to get a ton of responses ... "What are you, crazy?!?! The greatest garage group of all time has to be The Kingsmen ... there is NO greater garage song than 'Louie Louie'!" ... which, in turn, prompted, "What about The Standells and 'Dirty Water'?" and "How can you even talk about garage bands and leave out The Shadows Of Knight? 'Gloria' is the ULTIMATE Garage Band song." More letters followed, nominating artists and tracks like "Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen, "Wild Thing" by The Troggs and "Wooly Bully" by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs.

Suddenly, we knew we were on to something here ... so, in 2012, we decided to poll our readers in order to determine, once and for all, who are The Greatest Garage Bands of All-Time!!! Just over 9000 votes came in (9008 to be exact!) and, with THAT kind of response, I think we've been able to assemble the definitive list.

We counted down The Top 20 in Forgotten Hits (with 13 Runners Up ... we felt that any band that earned more than 100 votes deserved at least SOME sort of recognition!) and, during the course of the series mentioned that the band who WOULD have come in next (with 98 votes) would have been The Ides Of March, thanks to their 1966 Hit "You Wouldn't Listen".

We partnered with Mike Dugo of the excellent website 60sGarageBands.com and wrote brief bios on each of the finalists ... and then decided to expand the list to include The Top 50 so that we could permanently post something on the website. And that's what you're reading here today ... the results of our Forgotten Hits Survey to determine

THE GREATEST GARAGE BANDS OF ALL-TIME!!!

Enjoy!

#50 - The Nightcrawlers

An absolute garage band classic — and a staple for thousands of teen bands that performed during the prime garage band era — ‘Little Black Egg’ was recorded by Florida’s Nightcrawlers. Led by Chuck Conlon, the ‘Crawlers recorded a handful of singles, but their lone hit has been responsible for an Ace / Big Beat Records full CD retrospective, as well Cracking’ The Egg: The Untold Story of The Nightcrawlers, an excellent documentary released in 2008. (Mike Dugo)

"Little Black Egg" didn't chart here in Chicago ... so I wasn't familiar with it until the early '80's when a woman at work mentioned that it was her all-time favorite song ... and was the ONLY song that she could play on the guitar! Being the "music guy" that I am, I couldn't understand how a song that I had never even HEARD of before could be somebody's favorite ... so I did some research. Although The Nightcrawlers were out of Florida (where "Little Black Egg" was a #1 Hit), this girl grew up in Ohio where, she said, it was ALSO a huge hit ... so SOMEBODY had to be playing it! (I can't believe our AM Powerhouses WLS and WCFL passed on this track ... it perfectly fits in with the music they were playing on their stations at this time!) It ultimately peaked at #78 nationally ... not a huge hit by any stretch ... but a garage band classic nevertheless ... and enough of our readers felt so to award The Nightcrawlers the #50 position in our All-Time Favorite Garage Bands countdown.

By the way, the girl who turned me on to this track makes an excellent point ... not only about THIS song but about most garage band songs in general ... they were simple enough that virtually ANYBODY could learn to play them on the guitar! Three or four simple guitar chord changes and you were in business. These records weren't perfect ... far from it, in many cases ... but this was all part of their appeal. The fact that 9000 votes came in some 40+ years later certainly proves THAT point ... this music touched our lives ... and we still love it today! (kk)

#49 – Nazz

The opening of ‘Open My Eyes’, the Nazz’ best-known song, was without question inspired by the Who’s ‘Can’t Explain.’ Philadelphia’s Nazz also incorporated the Who’s earlier mod rock look as well, at a time when psychedelia and bubblegum were taking over the airwaves. Okay ... we’ve gone beyond 50 words into our write-up and have yet to mention Todd Rundgren, who formed The Nazz and assuredly requires no introduction to Forgotten Hits readers. Be sure to check out the Nazz’ much slower take on Rundgren’s ’70 solos smash, ‘Hello It’s Me’. (Mike Dugo)

Numerous attempts to make both "Hello It's Me" (a very slowed-down version of the HUGE hit Todd Rundgren would go on to have as a solo artist) and "Open My Eyes" earned Nazz a bit of a cult following in the late '60's and early '70's ... but not much chart success. (Their version of "Hello It's Me" ultimately peaked at #47 after at least three separate single releases.) You voted them as your 49th Favorite Garage Band of All-Time. (kk)

#48 - Michael and the Messengers

For the true scoop on this Milwaukee group, be sure to pick up Mike Markesich’s garage rock book, Teenbeat Mayhem! Two recording groups using the Michael & The Messengers’s moniker scored hits, covers of ‘In The Midnight Hour’ and ‘(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet’. Markesich’s book spells it all out, and is necessary reading for anybody that is reading this list. (Mike Dugo)

Might I also suggest the definitive book on Wisconsin Rock by Gary Myers. Michael and the Messengers scored big here in The Midwest, despite never hitting Billboard's Top Singles Chart ... "In The Midnight Hour" hit #5 and their version of "Romeo And Juliet" went to #12.  (kk)

#47 - The Gentrys

Memphis, Tennessee’s Gentrys recorded hits into the early ‘70’s, but none came close to topping 1965’s ‘Keep On Dancin’. A classic dance ‘n’ stomp tune, it made the Top 5 and solidified the Gentrys’ standing

as a teen band to be reckoned with. Follow up songs included ‘Brown Paper Sack’ (a very minor hit in 1966), ‘Every Day I Have To Cry’ and ‘Cinnamon Girl’. (Mike Dugo)

"Keep On Dancin'" is a personal favorite ... this song STILL sounds great today, so full of energy. (A whole new generation discovered this tune when it was for a "Little Boppers" advertising campaign!)

Click here: 80's Little Boppers Toy Commercial - YouTube

Jimmy Hart went on to become well-known in the Wrestling World as "The Mouth Of The South". (kk)

#46 - The Fifth Estate

‘Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead’ is completely removed from what garage rock is commonly defined as, but there’s no denying the song’s appeal. It is, of course, based on the classic Wizard Of Oz song, and no doubt its genesis has been explained previously here within Forgotten Hits. Drummer Ken ‘Furvus’ Evans, who I’m thankful to call a friend, has assembled a new line up of The Fifth Estate, and the group released a well-received CD in 2011. Due to Wayne Wadhams’ (‘Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead’ arranger) unfortunate passing a few years ago, Evans’ has also been largely responsible for reissuing the band’s ‘60s recordings, of which many, many are truly great – including those by The D-Men, an earlier incarnation of the Connecticut combo. (Mike Dugo)

Furv has been a good friend to Forgotten Hits as well over the past few years ... and their "Anthology, Volume One" was just released in late 2012. It presents the wide variety of music these guys tackled over the years. And they're still sounding great ... their 2011 release "Time Tunnel", featuring all new material, remains true to their '60's roots while still offering a contemporary sound for today's audience. (kk)

#45 - The Strawberry Alarm Clock

Has there ever been a band or song that defined an era better than The Strawberry Alarm Clock and ‘Incense & Peppermints’? The song’s backstory is too convoluted to recap here, but needless to say it struck an immediate chord for music listeners in the late ‘60s. The nonsensical lyrics tied nicely into the group’s psychedelic name and image, which helped them land appearances in two far our flicks, Psych Out and Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls. (Mike Dugo)

"Incense And Peppermints" topped our chart of Your Top 20 All-Time Favorite Psychedelic Songs (found elsewhere on this site) ... so I was a little surprised to see The Strawberry Alarm Clock "cross over" to the Garage Band Chart, too ... but we've had several instances of this, which you'll see as the countdown continues. These guys headlined Cave Stomp, an annual tribute concert to The Golden Days of the Garage Band Sound, a few years ago ... so apparently SEVERAL folks across the nation feel these guys belong here. (kk)

#44 - The Gants

Singer and songwriter Sid Herring of The Gants was a huge Beatles fan, and the absolutely charming ‘I Wonder’ was an obvious ode to the Fab Four’s greatest song, ‘In My Life’. Although hailing from Mississippi, The Gants were strongly influenced by the British Invasion and, albeit somewhat obscure today, recorded several excellent songs, including ‘My Baby Don’t Care’ and ‘(You Can’t Blow) Smoke Rings’. (Mike Dugo)

Their biggest hit was a tune called "Road Runner", a remake of the old Bo Diddley tune, in 1965 ... it just missed The National Top 40, peaking at #41 ... but became a Top Ten Hit here in Chicago. You've got to be pretty knowledgeable about your garage bands to vote these guys into The Top 50 ... but that's exactly what happened ... further proof that this list was created by the fans of this genre of music. (kk)

#43 - Bubble Puppy

Personally speaking, Bubble Puppy’s ‘Hot Smoke & Sassafras’ is perhaps the weakest song that entitled its recording group to make Forgotten Hits’ Top 50 Garage Band list. Released in 1969, as the “garage band era” was fading fast, ‘Hot Smoke & Sassafras’ reached the Top 20 and led to release of a full album, A Gathering Of Promises. Bubble Puppy would disband shortly thereafter. (Mike Dugo)

Another group that crossed over to our Psychedelic Chart (their hit "Hot Smoke And Sassafras" came in at #10), these guys, too, seem to have quite a cult following. This was, without a doubt, their claim to fame ... still, as a legitimate Top 20 Hit, shouldn't we hear this track at least once in a while??? (kk)

#42 - The Rivieras

Much like ‘Brown-Eyed Girl’ by Van Morrison and ‘I Should Have Known Better’ by The Beatles, ‘California Sun’ by South Bend, Indiana’s Rivieras is a song that everybody seems to like. Interestingly, the song is the earliest recorded tune to make the Top 50 Garage Band list, riding the charts even before Beatlemania hit. The Rivieras had three other songs make the Top 100, but none have experienced anywhere near the lasting impact of the classic ‘California Sun’.  (Mike Dugo)

We have devoted many, many pages to The Rivieras in Forgotten Hits over the year ... hop on over to the other website and type "Rivieras" into the Search Engine and you'll find plenty. They never recaptured that magical sound of "California Sun", as Mike says, a universally appealing record ... that still sounds fresh and exciting today. All the more remarkable because it was a remake of an old Joe Jones B-Side! (kk)

#41 - The Castaways

Minnesota’s Castaways rode their lone hit, ‘Liar Liar’, to a Top 20 placement on Billboard’s Hot 100 list in 1965, as well as appearances in the beach flick It’s A Bikini World and the forgotten daytime teen soap opera Never Too Young. The clever and simple song, based on the common child taunt, is truly unforgettable. (Mike Dugo)

The Castaways were a One Hit Wonder in the truest sense ... but what a classic, timeless hit that was. "Liar, Liar" sounds like nothing that came before it or since ... it's a haunting track that has stood the test of time ... not bad for a then bunch of teenagers out of Richfield, Minnesota! (kk)

#40 - Richard and The Young Lions

Let’s get this out of the way: ‘Open Up Your Door’ is a truly fantastic song, and deserved much better than barely breaking the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, the song reached number one on charts across the country and went Top 10 in several locales as well. The fuzz bass and screams endear the tune to garage rock aficionados, but at its core it’s a classic catchy pop song. The group called Newark, New Jersey home. (Mike Dugo)

A Dave The Rave Favorite, "Open Up Your Door" spent exactly one week on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart ... and that week was spent at #99 ... so the fact that a track THIS obscure made such an impression on so many garage band fans to rank this group at #40 on our All-Time Favorites List is nothing short of remarkable.  (kk)

#39 - The Strangeloves

The Strangeloves — purportedly Giles, Miles and Nigel Strange, Australian sheepherders — were in reality the songwriting team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer. Everybody knows their infectious pop ditty ‘I Want Candy’, a song that it seems is remade almost every year, but garage rock fans are more likely to identify ‘Night Time’ as The Strangeloves’ greatest hit. Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer have had many musical highlights throughout the years, including involvement with a 1965 single by The Beach Nuts and, reportedly, discovering The McCoys.
(Mike Dugo)

The story of The Strangeloves (and their connection to the aforementioned McCoys) became a major topic during our Forgotten Hits Countdown of Your All-Time Favorite Garage Bands. Too long to rerun here (and too involved to simply recap), may we suggest that you check out the original piece on the other Forgotten Hits Website:

Click here: Forgotten Hits: Wrapping Things Up With A Brief Garage Band History Lesson  (kk)

 

#38 - The Outsiders

As with many other groups of the era, the “one-hit wonder” tag doesn’t adequately apply to Cleveland’s Outsiders. Yes, ‘Time Won’t Let Me’ will forever be the group’s signature song, but ‘Girl In Love’, ‘Respectable’ and ‘Help Me Girl’ also scored some chart action. The Outsiders recorded several EPs and full albums and later legal entanglements led to lead singer Sonny Geraci forming the group Climax, who scored BIG in 1972 with ‘Precious and Few’, a soft rock song that is generally either loved or loathed. Like it or hate it, garage rock it ain’t. (Mike Dugo)

I was a little bit surprised to see The Outsiders on the list ... to me "Time Won't Let Me" was pure, infectious pop ... a little too polished to be considered for "garage band" status. "Girl In Love" is a lushly produced ballad and, while I love their version of "Respectable" (originally an Isley Brothers tune), it, too, is just a little bit too "clean" to fit the bill. (And forget about Mike's reference to Sonny Geraci's Climax hit ... that blows this right out of the water!) Still, The Outsiders rank as amongst Cleveland's "Favorite Sons" ... and the fans have spoken, placing them at #38 in our official countdown. Geraci's been through a rough round of brain surgery but is reportedly on the mend. Meanwhile, singer Dennis Tufano has been making appearances singing both Sonny's hits and his own chart-toppers for The Buckinghams, much like Sonny did when Rob Grill took ill, filling Grass Roots dates. As always, the show must go on. (kk)

#37 - The Sonics

Without question the rawest band to grace the list, Tacoma’s Sonics more than exemplify what garage rock was / is / will always be. ‘The Witch’, ‘Boss Hoss’, ‘Psycho’, ‘Strychnine’ and ‘You Got Your Head On Backwards’ will all scare you if you dare listen alone. It’s no surprise why the Sonics never scored a national hit, but any discussion about garage rock wouldn’t be complete without including them.  (Mike Dugo)

And I'll be the first to admit that I've never heard ANY of these tunes (and apparently for good reason! lol) Which makes it all that much more surprising to see them rank so high ... proving again that THIS list was put together by the connoisseurs of Garage Band Rock. (This is a true testament to the accuracy of our list ... our role is not to question it ... the votes came from the masses ... and this is how they landed. With that thought in mind, we must accept not only some of the bands we may not be familiar with but some of the unlikely Top Ten Finishers as well!) kk

#36 - The Swinging Medallions

Considering their home town was Greenwood, South Carolina, the Swingin’ Medallions are today rightfully grouped as a Beach music band rather than a garage band. I won’t attempt to describe the differences here — but many similar groups have also been lumped in as garage bands. The Medallions’ ‘Double Shot Of My Baby’s Love’ was a remake of a song originally recorded by Dick Holler & The Holidays. They followed it up with ‘She Drives Me Out Of Mind’, which scored some minor chart action, but ‘Double Shot Of My Baby’s Love’ was and still is largely responsible for the group’s party band reputation. (Mike Dugo)

If we polled our readers for their All-Time Favorite Party Rock Songs, "Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)" would most certainly come out near the top. (You'll find that true of many of our Garage Band finalists ... "Louie Louie", "Gloria", "Wooly Bully", "Mony Mony", "Surfin' Bird" ... ALL of these songs make the cross-over transition ... so why not The Swinging Medallions? (In fact, when deejay Phil Nee counted down Your Garage Band Favorites on his WRCO Radio Program "Those Were The Days", one of the first "extras" he played was "Double Shot (Of My Baby's Love)" ... and he hadn't even seen the rest of the countdown yet! Great choice ... party on! (kk)

#35 - The Cyrkle

It’s somewhat difficult to pigeonhole The Cyrkle in any way as a “garage band”. Their two best known songs — Paul Simon’s ‘Red Rubber Ball’ and ‘Turn Down Day’ — are out-and-out pop, and it’s fair to state that they didn’t record even one song that could be called garage rock. Nowadays, however, many ‘60s groups that aren’t currently household names are seemingly classified as garage bands, whether or not their music represented that particular style. Despite recording two albums and a soundtrack, and releasing many singles, The Cyrkle is also remembered for their connection to Brian Epstein and John Lennon. (Mike Dugo)

Agreed that The Cyrkle's sound was a little too "clean" for garage band status, it DID make for good '60's Pop. Mike may be right about the lines being "blurred" just a little bit over time. We see it more between the psychedelic bands and the garage bands, all today lumped into a category called simply "nuggets". You'll see more and more of these cross-over artists as we continue to climb up to the top of the list. (kk)

#34 - The Ides Of March

Another group whose biggest chart success, in this case the horn rock / classic rock ‘Vehicle’, would seemingly exclude them from a list of favorite garage bands, Chicago’s Ides Of March recorded many songs before hitting the national charts. ‘You Wouldn’t Listen’, ‘Rollercoaster’, ‘My Foolish Pride’, and ‘Give Your Mind Wings’ are all excellent, although definitely better classified as pop or garage pop than outright garage rock. (Mike Dugo)

Our original plan was to count down The Top 20 All-Time Favorite Garage Bands, as voted on by the Readers of Forgotten Hits. But as we tabulated the votes, we found that 33 bands had each earned 100 votes or more ... so we expanded the list to include "Runners Up" positions, feeling that ANY band that earned THAT many votes deserved a spot on the countdown. The guys who JUST missed (with 98 votes) was The Ides Of March, most certainly more for the likes of "You Wouldn't Listen" than "Vehicle", a classic rock chart-topper that STILL plays several times a day. I can personally vouch for their garage band status because I used to hang outside the basement where these guys used to practice back in the day with a bunch of my friends, trying to decipher and sounds we could through the brick and closed windows! The Ides Of March were pretty raw back then ... but were a bunch of teens still going to high school when their first record hit the charts! (It was a #7 smash here in Chicago ... and still ranks amongst our favorites from this era.) And The Ides (with four original members) still perform summertime shows in the area today! (Of course now they incorporate some of leader Jim Peterik's other musical accomplishments into the act, including songs by Survivor and .38 Special amongst their own hits.) We're currently in the midst of a campaign to get Jim Peterik a guest spot sitting in with Paul Shaffer and the band on the "Late Night With David Letterman" show! (kk)

#33 - The Balloon Farm

By far the most obscure group on the list (at least as far as the amount written on them), the Balloon Farm completely epitomizes the term “one-hit wonder.” ‘Question Of Temperature’ made Billboard’s Top 40 and was later immortalized by appearing on the Nuggets boxed set. The core members of New Jersey’s Balloon Farm also recorded singles as Adam and Huck Finn (as well as ‘Hurry Up Sundown’, the follow-up to their hit). Member Mike Appel found later success managing and producing Bruce Springsteen. (Mike Dugo)

Hailing from New Jersey, these guys scored big on our Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs Countdown several years back, too. (Their best known hit, "A Question of Temperature" ... also spelled "Tempature" on some early pressings of the record! ... ranked at #15.) Group member Mike Appel went on to write songs for The Partridge Family ... and later managed the career Bruce Springsteen! (How's THAT for some musical diversity?!?!?) Their signature song reached #37 on the national pop charts ... and burned its way all the way to #11 here in Chicago in the Spring of 1968 (where we

clearly had Balloon Farm fever!) kk

 

#32 - Five By Five

How about a group from Magnolia, Arkansas, making the list? Five By Five had a minor hit with a cover of Jimi Hendrix' "Fire" in 1968 and also had some chart success in 1970 with "Apple Cider." If you haven't heard either song, you might be very surprised to learn that the group released eight singles on the Paula label, as well as a full album ("Next Exit", 1968). Mike Dugo

Another One Hit Wonder, Five By Five (out of Arkansas) got noticed when they released a very credible cover of the Jimi Henrix rock classic "Fire". (Their follow-up hit, "Apple Cider", bubbled under on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart, but has proven to be a fan favorite here in Forgotten Hits due to its regional hit status in various parts of the country.) "Fire" reached #31 nationally but was a Top Five Smash here in Chi-Town. (We LOVED our Garage Band Groups in the '60's!!!) kk

 

#31 - Them

The history books will always note Belfast, Ireland's Them as being the group Van Morrison was in before he struck it big with "Brown-Eyed Girl" and embarked on his solo career, but they (Them?) was so much more. They were the group to first record Morrison's garage band staple "Gloria" and fans of '60's music should also be well aware of their classic "Here Comes The Night". In addition, "Baby, Please Don't Go" and "Mystic Eyes" have earned the group a status well beyond that of simply being Van Morrison's first combo. (Mike Dugo)

Chicago's Shadows Of Knight made "Gloria" their very own when it went Top Ten nationally in the Spring of 1966 (and all the way to #1 here in Chi-Town) ... and believe me, they earned their share of votes in this friendly little Garage Band Competition ... you WILL be seeing their name as we work our way closer to the top of this list! But "Gloria" originally came from the pen of Ireland-born Van Morrison (more than a few miles away from The Windy City), who'd go on to far greater fame as a solo artist in the late '60's and '70's ... and is STILL cranking out excellent music today. His '60's British Invasion Group Them recorded the original version of this tune ... and it earned them enough votes for a spot on our Runners Up List. "Gloria" didn't make much of an impact for Them, stopping at #71 on The Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart in its second release, attempting to steal some of the thunder caused by The Shadows Of Knight's version. (When it was first released in 1965, it stalled at #93, and was actually considered the B-Side of Them's version of "Baby Please Don't Go". Despite never officially making Billboard's Hot 100, this track has also long been cited as a fan favorite.)  Their biggest hit was the Morrison-penned "Here Comes The Night", which reached #24 in 1965. They would reach The Billboard Top 40 one more time with "Mystic Eyes" (#33, 1965) and then that was it. (kk)

 

#30 - The Cryan' Shames

Perhaps I’m going out on a limb when I unashamedly state that the Cryan’ Shames recorded the greatest song ever not to become a #1 smash. ‘It Could Be We’re In Love’ was far from a garage rock song, but ‘60’s pop doesn’t get any better. The group deserved far greater success than their excellent cover of ‘Sugar and Spice’ (and, to a lesser degree, Jim Fairs’ original ‘I Wanna Meet You’) afforded them. Chicago’s Shames could do it all, however, and ‘Ben Franklin’s Almanac’ is a fantastic representation of what garage rock is all about. (Mike Dugo)

The Cryan' Shames are one of FIVE Chicagoland groups to make the list of Top 50 Garage Band Favorites. While I'm not convinced that they were a "garage band" in the typical sense, their first chart hit "Sugar And Spice" has since been designated a "nugget", appearing on several various artists compilations over the years and becoming (for most music fans outside Chicago anyway) their best-known hit. A remake of The Searchers' tune, it ultimately hit #39 on The Record World Pop Singles Chart, their only National Top 40 showing. "I Wanna Meet You" (one of my faves) and "Mr. Unreliable" probably qualify for garage band status ... but after that, the impeccable harmonies for which the band was best known for here locally shone through on gems like the Beach Boys-esque "It Could Be We're In Love" (#1 in Chicago for four weeks in 1967) and their rendition of the Carole King classic "Up On The Roof". (Legend has it that King had The Cryan' Shames' version played at her second wedding!)

"Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles David Smith and Jones" was the monster, hard-rock hit that shoulda been (but never was) and then they were gone ... from the charts anyway. Led by J.C. Hooke, the band still plays local gigs each summer, sometimes with as many as two or three original members onboard. (kk)

 

#29 - The Robbs

If it wasn’t for their regular appearances on Where The Action Is and in the teen magazines of the day, Wisconsin’s Robbs would be probably completely forgotten today. After all, I have never heard a Robbs’ song on the radio, and I’ve been listening for over 35 years. What a shame. ‘Race With The Wind’, ‘Rapid Transit’ and ‘Bittersweet’ gained some chart recognition but deserved to be massive hits. Yes … they later recorded as Cherokee in the 1970s and opened Cherokee Studios in Los Angles, where many top acts recorded, but they accomplished enough as the Robbs to also be remembered for their ‘60s music. (Mike Dugo)

"The Kings Of 'Bubbling Under'", Wisconsin's The Robbs "just missed" The Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart five times ... adding insult to injury were additional failures (but HUGE fan favorites) like "Bittersweet" (a regional hit in several sections of the country ... but never enough at the same time to sustain a chart entry), "Cynthia Loves" and (as Cherokee, which was also the name of the studio they would found in the early '70's) "Girl, I've Got News For You." Best known here in Chicago was "Race With The Wind", a legitimate Top 20 Local Hit and "Rapid Transit", which climbed as high as #123 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Chart. We've devoted many pages to The Robbs over the years in Forgotten Hits, who were taken under the wing of Dick Clark, who cast them as semi-regulars on the afternoon teenie-bopper classic "Where The Action Is". Although their faces were plastered on numerous teen magazines of the day, they STILL didn't catch on to enough of a mass audience to gain them a hit record. But OUR readers know who they are ... and cast 116 votes for The Robbs as one of their All-Time Favorite Garage Bands! (kk)

 

#28 - Davie Allan and the Arrows

Probably better known for recording surf and “biker music” (for countless ‘60s exploitation flicks), Davie Allan & The Arrows are another of the handful of groups we’re profiling in this special countdown. The band had four national hits (and a few regional hits here and there.) ‘Apache ‘65’ achieved some local (California) success and resulted in a national TV appearance on Shindig!. Although many different musicians comprised The Arrows throughout the years, Drew Bennett and Russ Viot were mainstays, and made TV appearances with Allan on both Get Smart and The Invaders. (Mike Dugo)

I don't know that I would have necessarily considered these guys in the Garage Band category ... surf rock maybe? Biker Rock? "Cycle-delic Rock"??? But they earned enough of your votes (117 as a matter of fact!) to land in one of the Runners' Up Positions. Their biggest chart hit was "Blues' Theme" from the movie "The Wild Angels", a #27 National Hit (and #3 hit here in Chicago.) Davie has been an active supporter and participant in Forgotten Hits for many years now ... in fact, we've even given away a number of free, autographed CDs to some of our readers, as he's still recording new music all the time! (kk)

 

Even though I had a few singles (the one hit was "Apache '65"), the major success of "The Arrows" came with the soundtrack work. There was only one official "Arrow" (besides me) early on and that was drummer Larry Brown. We did a short film titled "Skaterdater" with union musicians (Larry Knechtel, Joe Osborne, Al Casey and Jim Horn) that got the ball rolling for doing the soundtracks. The way the story goes is that Roger Corman saw "Skaterdater" and said something like" that's the sound I want for "The Wild Angels". I added the great Drew Bennett on bass plus Russ Viot on rhythm guitar replaced by Wayne Allwine (who became the 3rd official voice of "Mickey Mouse" in 1977). We did various trips and only one tour across the country (partly because we were recording almost everyday for about five years). Other notable soundtracks (of the two dozen or so) includes "Devil's Angels", "The Glory Stompers", "Born Losers" (that one introduced the character "Billy Jack"). Being called a "garage band" was ok. Later on my music was called "biker rock" and I've called it "melodic grunge" since the 90's. I still appear once in a while and since 2009 I've been recording my "Retrophonic" series. Volume 4 is due early in 2013 with new versions of "The Glory Stompers", "Ghost Riders in the Sky", "War Path" (it marks the first time I've re-recorded my first single) plus many new originals and cover tunes such as "Lullaby of the Leaves" and "Cara Mia".

-- Davie Allan

 

#27 - The McCoys

Probably best known for being Rick Derringer’s teen band, the McCoys had a monster smash with ‘Hang On Sloopy’. The group was one of the few from Indiana that managed any type of chart success in the ‘60s. Although you would never know it if you believe their “one-hit wonder” classification, the McCoys released four albums, a dozen singles and recorded eight other songs that landed in the Top 100.

(Mike Dugo)

The big hit, of course, was "Hang On Sloopy", a #1 Record in 1965 ... but The McCoys also did a great "garage band" cover of the old Peggy Lee torch song "Fever". (In fact, they made The Top 40 again with their remake of the Ritchie Valens song "Come On, Let's Go", too!) Guitarist Rick Derringer (then still Zehringer) went on to solo fame with "Rock And Roll Hoochie-Coo" and as part of The Edgar Winter Group. He has also recently toured with Ringo Starr. Another Midwest success story. (For more on how The McCoys came to record their #1 Smash "Hang On Sloopy", scroll up and click the link provided in The Strangeloves' bio ... it's really a pretty fascinating story!) kk

 

#26 - The Chocolate Watchband

A “no-hit wonder” group? If any combo qualifies, it’s certainly San Jose’s Chocolate Watchband. While the band featured multiple line-ups and personnel on their recording sessions, their garage rock music catalog is as impressive as it gets. They are probably best remembered for their cover of The Grodes’ / Tongue Of Truths’ ‘Let’s Talk About Girls’, but their own songs — including ‘Misty Lane’, ‘She Weaves A Tender Trap’, ‘Sweet Young Thing’ and ‘Are You Gonna Be There (At The Love-In)’ — are every bit as amazing. They also appeared in two classic exploitation flicks: The Love-Ins and Riot On Sunset Strip.

(Mike Dugo)

Although they never had a hit record, The Chocolate Watchband are one of the "cult favorites" on our list, a quintessential garage band probably made more nationally famous some 40 years later thanks to all of the "nuggets" compilations that have included some of their releases. While I personally am not especially familiar with their work, their complete history (written in their own words!) appears on their website: Click here: The Chocolate Watchband - the official band website - History (kk)

 

#25 - The Music Machine

The Music Machine’s ‘Talk Talk’ has to be the most powerful garage rock song to ever become a hit. The short but lethal tune introduced the world to Sean Bonniwell’s one glove wearing, black clad combo — and as a result probably scared more than a handful of people. The core members of the Los Angeles group — Ron Edgar, Keith Olsen, Mark Landon and Doug Rhodes — all ended up contributing mightily to rock and roll history. I won’t go into details here; look them up — you’ll be glad you did.  (Mike Dugo)

Their one hit wonder "Talk Talk" is a garage band classic. It reached #15 in early 1967. Hailing from Los Angeles, their bassist Keith Olsen became an in-demand record producer in the 1980's, working with artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Heart, Santana, Journey, Pat Benatar, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner and The Grateful Dead amongst others. (kk)

 

#24 - Count Five

Although owing a great debt to the Yardbirds, the Count Five’s ‘Psychotic Reaction’ is a prime example of Garage Rock 101. The San Jose group quickly recorded an entire album after their classic song became a smash, but none of their other recordings came anywhere close to again gaining national prominence. With a song like ‘Psychotic Reaction’ as your signature tune, however … who cares? Lester Bangs further immortalized the Count Five in his 1972 book Psychotic Reaction and Carburetor Dung. (Mike Dugo)

Count Five is another artist that made our Top 20 All-Time Favorite Psychedelic Songs Countdown, thanks to their 1966 Top Five Hit "Psychotic Reaction." You can find a more in-depth bio on our other Forgotten Hits webpage: Click here: Forgotten Hits - Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs

Scroll down to #14 for all the details! (kk)

 

#23 - The Syndicate Of Sound

Another San Jose group (the third, by my count, to make this list), the Syndicate Of Sound’s ‘Little Girl’ reached the Top 10 in 1966. They did release an album and three follow-up singles, but nothing that attained the heights of ‘Little Girl’. The rest of their recordings should not be overlooked, however. ‘Mary’, ‘Keep It Up’ and ‘Rumors’ are all excellent. (Mike Dugo)

Another one hit wonder ... but what a GREAT, catchy tune! ("Little Girl" went all the way to #8 nationally.) We used to play this one back in the day ... and it always got a great (if somewhat surprised) reaction. Recently I've seen a couple of other bands do this one, too ... ALWAYS to the delight of their audience. (See, we remember!!!) I guarantee that your radio listeners would react the same way (if somebody would only play it!) Another band from San Jose, they'd chart twice more before they disappeared. (kk)

 

#22 - The Troggs

While their other top hits, especially ‘With A Girl Like You’, ‘Anyway That You Want Me’ and ‘Love Is All Around’, might portray them in a different light, the Troggs will forever be immortalized by ‘Wild Thing’, a song they initially were hesitant to record due to its “groovy” lyrics. The Troggs have been cited as inspirations by many later garage rock / punk bands, with ‘I Can’t Control Myself’ and ‘I Want You’ being particularly influential. (Mike Dugo)

Could there BE a better definition of the grunge / garage band sound than "Wild Thing" by The Troggs??? A #1 Record and a timeless classic, The Troggs were a bit more diverse than this head-banger might indicate ... they also scored Top 40 Hits with the beautiful ballads "With A Girl Like You" and "Love Is All Around You". Although 148 of your votes still wasn't enough to get them into The Top 20, their legacy provided the perfect reason to do a Runners' Up List in the first place! (kk)

 

#21 - The 13th Floor Elevators

Often thought of as more a psychedelic group than a garage band, The 13^th Floor Elevators only had one song that came close to being a hit — the screaming classic ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me’. While the Roky Erickson-led, electric-jug based group recorded four albums and released seven singles, it is ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me’ that they’ll most likely always be remembered for. The Texas group performed the song on both American Bandstand and Where The Action is, influencing countless bands across the country along the way. (Mike Dugo)

Another group who never really had a legitimate pop hit, ("You're Gonna Miss Me" was as close as they came when it peaked at #55 in 1966), they also rank amongst the hard-core garage band fanatics favorites. Thanks to their on-going "nuggets" classification, these guys also earned quite a few votes in our Favorite Psychedelic Song Poll a few years ago ... but not enough to make the list. Here, they just missed ... falling one spot outside The Top 20 with 159 readers selecting them as their favorite. (kk)

 

#20 - THE TRASHMEN

"Everybody’s heard about the bird”, right? If you haven’t, you’re missing out on a truly great garage rock anthem by this Minneapolis group. Recorded in 1963, ‘Surfin’ Bird’ is a somewhat rare example of a garage rock song pre-Beatles. Yes … it’s a conscious rip on two Rivingtons’ songs, but the Trashmen still manage to stamp it as their own. Peter Griffin and Family Guy have recently introduced the song to a whole new generation, assuring that the Trashmen will most likely land on similar lists to this one 20 years down the line.

(Mike Dugo)

With 175 of your votes, The Trashmen kick off The Top 20. They were late-bloomers in this poll ... but once somebody said, "Hey, what about 'Surfin' Bird' and 'Bird Dance Beat' by The Trashmen?", our readers immediately responded in kind. "Surfin' Bird" was the #4 Record in the country when Beatlemania hit by way of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" ... and (despite all things British going on at the time), it has remained a timeless classic ever since. (Ironically, The Trashmen's two biggest hits were inspired by the Surf Group The Rivingtons, who didn't earn a single vote!!! Even more incredibly, The Rivingtons started out as an R&B Group called The Sharps!) The Trashmen fall into the Garage Band / Grunge-Rock / Punk Rock / Surf Rock / Novelty Rock category, all of which helped to propel them to the #20 Spot on our countdown. (And Peter Griffin from "Family Guy" probably helped a little, too! lol) kk

 

#19 - THE BLUES MAGOOS

Although they had recorded and released a folk-rock single as the Bloos Magoos, it wasn’t until the psychedelic sounding and looking Bronx-based Blues Magoos released ‘We Ain’t Got Nothing Yet’ that they dented the charts (Top 5 in U.S.). Their follow-up songs ‘There’s A Chance We Can Make It’ and ‘Pipe Dream” were much less successful, but how many other groups could get away with wearing electric suits on stage and promoting the “Psyche-de-Lite”, an early version of the lava lamp? For anybody wanting a definition of “psychedelic”, check out the band’s jaw-dropping performance of ‘Tobacco Road’ on The Kraft Music Hall! (Mike Dugo)

The Blues Magoos had a Top Five Smash with "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet" in 1967. Another group who kind of crosses over to the psychedelic rock category, you liked these guys enough to bestow 187 of your votes declaring them amongst your favorites in the "Garage Band" category, too. The Blues Magoos' rendition of "Tobacco Road" was a killer classic ... I remember my brother playing this one all the time around the house when we were growing up.
This song ALWAYS sounds good, no matter who does it. (Check out Chicago's Ides Of March in concert sometime ... it's an absolute show-stopper.) And the television clip of The Blues Magoos on "The Kraft Music Hall" featuring Jack Benny is to die for ... be sure to check it out on the other website so you can enjoy it in its entirety!!! (kk)

Click here: Forgotten Hits: The Countdown Of Your Top 20 All-Time Favorite Garage Bands Begins Today!!!

 

#18 - THE SIR DOUGLAS QUINTET

Doug Sahm’s ‘60’s group, the Sir Douglas Quintet hailed from San Antonio. The first 1965 single, ‘She’s About A Mover’ is today classified as Tex-Mex but still falls nicely into the “garage rock” label. The Quintet’s first album also contained other garage rock-worthy songs, buy they’re probably best known for ‘Mendocino’, a pop song that graced the charts in 1968. (Mike Dugo)

The Sir Douglas Quintet have made our Forgotten Hits pages several times over the years. Their two best known hits were "She's About A Mover" and "Mendocino", which hit #13 and #14 respectively. Their other Top 40 Hit was called "The Rains Came". Click on that same link above to catch the band performing "She's About A Mover" on "Hullabaloo", apparently hosted by Trini Lopez that week! (Watch the clip to the end and you'll see that Herman's Hermits were ALSO guests on that same episode!) While I guess I've always considered the band to be one of the earliest examples of Tex-Mex Rock, you guys awarded 188 votes as your garage band favorites ... and that was good enough to place them at #18 in this very special countdown. (And, since we also found The Sir Douglas Quintet included on a couple of different "Nuggets" compilation, we're doing our part to help acknowledge them as one of Your All-Time Top 20 Favorite Garage Bands, too! (kk)

 

#17 - THE FIVE AMERICANS

‘Western Union’ and the follow-up ‘Zip Code’, the Five Americans’ greatest hits, are much more pop than garage but don’t in any way diminish their standing with garage rock fans and collectors. One listen to ‘I See The Light’ clearly demonstrates why. The Durant, Oklahoma, group recorded several excellent songs, including ‘Evol Not Love’ and ‘Good Times’. (Mike Dugo)

One of my favorite groups from the mid-'60's, The Five Americans could seem to do no wrong for a while there, scoring five straight hits in 1966 and 1967. "I See The Light" (#26, 1966), "Evol - Not Love" (#51, 1966); "Western Union" (their biggest ... and #5 hit in 1967); "Sound Of Love" (#24, 1967) and "Zip Code" (#36, 1967) kept these guys (yet ANOTHER garage band from Texas) on the charts and on our radios. Any one of these tunes would sound GREAT coming out of our radios again in 2012, too ... maybe this special countdown will inspire a couple of jocks on the list to step outside the box and play a couple of these for a change. (Your audience will love ya for it!!!) And, talk about bridging the generation gap ... in 1967, The Five Americans paid tribute to an older form of mail communication (with "Western Union") as well as the latest in postal technology, "Zip Code"!!!

There seems to be a little bit of a discrepancy as to exactly where these guys hailed from. (I'm showing Texas, which is also what Steve Allen says in the video clip that we featured on our website when this piece first ran ... but Mike Dugo says Oklahoma.) So I dug a little bit deeper ... and the band's official website (run by lead singer Mike Rabon) explains:

 

The Five Americans first met in Durant, Oklahoma, at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1962. Under the leadership of Mike Rabon, they formed a group called the Mutineers. They played local beer joints and various frat dances until the summer of 1964. Mike suggested that they go to Dallas and try and make enough money to pay for tuition for the following fall semester. They achieved some local notoriety in a dive called the Pirate's Nook. There they were "discovered" by a local label called Abnak Records. John Abdnor, president of the label, took them under his wing and provided them the resources to write and practice original songs. In only five short years, The Five Americans were the first to achieve what no other group in Texas had done -- sell millions of singles and albums. (Mike Rabon)

Click here: The Five Americans

 

After we told Mike about The Five Americans' ranking in our Top 20 All-TIme Favorite Garage Bands Countdown, he dropped us a note:

 

Hi Kent,

Thanks for getting in touch. As founder of The Five Americans, I would like to say thank you to all those great fans out there who voted us into your top twenty and a big thanks to forgottenhits.com for continuing to carry the flame for those of us who tried so hard to please so many all those years ago.  Here's a picture of The Five Americans on American Bandstand.

 

 

 

All the best,

Mike Rabon

The Five Americans

What I DIDN'T know is that Mike was also part of the group Gladstone, whose hit "A Piece Of Paper" we have featured previously in Forgotten Hits ... a GREAT track that I'm sure stirred a little bit of controversy back in the early '70's.

Mike also has a new book out recounting his whole experience with The Five Americans ... i'ts available here:

Click here: Amazon.com: High Strung (9781608300471): Mike Rabon: Books  (kk)

 

#16 - SAM THE SHAM AND THE PHARAOHS

If they had recorded only ‘Wooly Bully’, Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs would still no doubt place highly in any list documenting the top garage bands of the 1960s. Today they are remembered for a string of songs that all scream “Sam The Sham”—‘Ju Ju Hand’, ‘Ring Dang Do’, ‘Little Red Ridin’ Hood’, ‘The Hair On My Chinny Chin Chin’, ‘I Couldn’t Spell !!@!’ and ‘Oh That’s Good, No That’s Bad’. None are 100% garage rock, but all are solid examples of ‘60s pop-rock at its most enjoyable. Everybody knows the group’s signature tune, and the “Uno, Dos, Tres…” opening immediately plants ‘Wooly Bully’ as among the most instantly recognizable songs ever recorded. (Mike Dugo)

OK, now THESE guys are from Texas for sure!!! "Wooly Bully", their first chart hit, was a monster ... although it never officially hit #1 in Billboard, the magazine declared it the biggest song of 1965, ranking it ahead of rock and roll classics like "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones, "Help!" and "Ticket To Ride" by The Beatles ... and pop royalty like "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers and "Downtown" by Petula Clark ... Motown gems like "I Can't Help Myself" by The Four Tops and "My Girl" by The Temptations ... ALL of which were #1 Records, as were "Help Me Rhonda" by The Beach Boys, "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher, "Mr. Tambourine Man" by The Byrds, "This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis and the Playboys and "Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter" by Herman's Hermits. Sam The Sham (real name Domingo Samudio) would hit the top spot with "Li'l Red Riding Hood" the following year (in Cash Box ... it, too, peaked at #2 in Billboard), and also scored Top 40 Hits with "Ju Ju Hand", "Ring Dang Doo", "The Hair On My Chinny Chin Chin" and "How Do You Catch A Girl". I suppose some would argue that they, too, were an early example of Tex-Mex Rock ... but you guys felt that they deserved a spot in our countdown and, as such, awarded them 191 of your votes. That was good enough for the #16 Spot in our Top 20 All-Time Favorite Garage Bands Countdown.

Some consider "Wooly Bully" to be the #1 Party Rock Song of All-Time. Every new generation to come along has discovered it and fallen in love with it as a feel-good anthem. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs always seemed to have their tongues placed firmly in cheek ... it almost seemed like they were winking at us, saying "Look what I can get away with within the context of rock and roll." It was fun, feel-good music at its finest. (One of my favorites wasn't much of a hit ... "Oh, That's Good ... No, That's Bad" ... but it cracked me up then and it still cracks me up now. Although not a "garage band" tune, it brings back a happy teenage memory when I listen to it.) kk 

 

#15 - THE BUCKINGHAMS

The first of a string of Chicago-based groups that hit the big-time by utilizing horns, the Buckinghams were, in 1967, as popular a group as rock history has ever seen. They achieved five Top 20 hits that year alone, and appeared on every TV music show possible — including The Ed Sullivan Show. Not one of those smash songs (‘Kind Of A Drag’, ‘Don’t You Care’, ‘Mercy Mercy Mercy’, ‘Hey Baby [They’re Playing Our Song]’ and ‘Susan’) can today be classified as garage rock, but their early single cover of James Brown’s ‘I’ll Go Crazy’ certainly comes close.   (Mike Dugo)

Here's yet another group that I wouldn't necessarily have considered to be of the "garage band variety" ... but you guys clearly felt otherwise, voting Chicago's Buckinghams into the #15 spot in our countdown. While I suppose they started out that way ... I mean, who didn't?!?! ... The Bucks developed a very sophisticated sound in the '60's, crafting pop classics like "Kind Of A Drag", "Don't You Care" and "Hey Baby, They're Playing Our Song" that still sound every bit as fresh today. They also showed their R&B roots with a very soulful, Top Five reading of "Mercy Mercy Mercy" as well as dabbled with the new psychedelic musical art form by way of "Susan".

Their early influences were both The British Invasion as well as Chicago blues and R&B (which is why they cut both The Beatles' "I Call Your Name" and James Brown's "I'll Go Crazy" on their first LP! In fact, they even recorded their first LP at the legendary Chess Studios here in Chicago!) I don't know about you, but I didn't see too many horns in the garages I was hanging out in in the mid-'60's, but The Buckinghams developed a sound that was the precursor to artists like Chicago and Blood, Sweat And Tears. Today, Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna keep the music of The Buckinghams alive with concerts all year long. (For the past several years, they've been part of The Happy Together Again Tour, playing to sold-out houses across the country.) Meanwhile, former lead singer Dennis Tufano is also back on the raod again, singing the hits that made him famous and has appeared on several of those PBS Television Tributes to the '60's. Here in Chicago, before "Kind Of A Drag" reached national acclaim, going all the way to #1 in Billboard Magazine, The Buckinghams charted four times with the aforementioned "I Call Your Name" and "I'll Go Crazy" as well as their rendition of "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and "I've Been Wrong." Anything beyond this point just doesn't ring true to me as being part of "The Garage Band Sound" ... as I stated earlier, their sound became much more polished and sophisticated. The Buckinghams first rose to local fame when they landed a gig on WGN Television's "All Time Hits" where they performed the current hits of the day as the "house band." Originally signed as The Pulsations, the station felt they needed a more contemporary name. Ultimately it was a WGN security guard who suggested "The Buckinghams", which sounded British enough to qualify as the flavor of the month ... but was still down home enough to tie to Chicago's very own Buckingham Fountain. Ironically, when The Bucks appeared on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour a few years later, the set was designed with Union Jack symbols, implying again that the group was British! (Talk about not doing your homework!!!) No matter ... The Buckinghams performed a stellar set and walked away with a humorous anecdote that they still tell some forty years later! If you check the other Forgotten Hits website, you'll find a vintage clip of The Buckinghams performing on the aforementioned "All Time Hits" television program ... not their best performance, to be sure ... but man, what a piece of Chicagoland Music History! (Check out those pompadours!!! The guys look like they're barely out of diapers in this clip!!!) kk

 

#14 - THE ELECTRIC PRUNES

The Los Angeles-based Electric Prunes will always be best remembered for ‘I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night’ but, like many of the groups profiled here, were so much more than a one-hit wonder. ‘Get Me To World On Time’, ‘Are You Lovin’ Me More’, ‘Ain’t It Hard’ and ‘Shadows’ are all excellent songs that solidify the Prunes well-earned legendary status amongst fans of ‘60s garage rock. They’re also one of the few groups that made this list that are still actively recording in 2012. (Mike Dugo)

Another group that scored VERY well in our All-Time Favorite Psychedelic Song Poll (they came in at #2 with their 1967 classic "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night"), I guess I've always considered these guys to be more of the "Psychedelic Rock" genre, too ... but your 194 votes places them at #14 on our All-Time Favorite Garage Bands List, too. Original Electric Prunes Drummer Preston Ritter has been a "Friend Of Forgotten Hits" for quite a few years now ... and has participated numerous times, sharing stories of "the good ol' days". Here he talks about this exciting and innovative era in music, circa 1967 (kk):

 

Hi Kent,

As the drummer that played on all the recorded hits by The Electric Prunes, I can only speak for myself, but I believe the others in the band would probably agree with what I say.

First, we never considered ourselves anything but just a band trying to be as creative as possible. We weren't necessarily thinking in terms of making "hits." We also were not consciously aware of making history in any way, musically or otherwise. But we ended up doing both, I guess.

I remember playing cover songs by other bands in our early shows, simply because we didn't have enough recognizable originals of our own to fill up the whole concert.

For example, we played various songs by The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, and some old blues standards by various artists. Sorry I can't recall exactly which songs now. I do remember one of my favorite covers was, "I'm Not Talking" by The Yardbirds. It seems that the British groups were our biggest influences, since we were still in the midst of the so-called, "British Invasion."

Our first two hit singles, "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" and "Get Me To The World On Time." were also on our first album. The entire album and those two songs were recorded in late summer and the fall of 1966. They were released before Christmas of 1966 and climbed up the Billboard charts very slowly. The first hit, "Too Much To Dream" peaked in February of '67. The song, "Get Me To The World ... " peaked in April of '67.

Our first official tour to back up the first single, was in Spokane and Seattle, Washington. I remember B.J. Thomas and The Turtles were on the bill at those shows.

Then, we took a very long, and arduous tour as part of The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds Tour." It was something like 45 cities in 30 days. Brutal! We not only played every venue that the Beach Boys did, but our manager put in numerous live shows, radio interviews and TV shows in between all the cities we did with The Beach Boys. It was a blur. I remember also, that on most of those shows, we also had The Buffalo Springfield, The Turtles and The Left Banke and Keith with us. At least on the big shows with The Beach Boys. In some of the concerts, we also saw ? and The Mysterians, The Casinos, The Cyrkle, The Buckinghams, The Royal Guardsmen and some others on various show line ups. We did TV shows with Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Fifth Dimension and others.

Then we did some concerts in the L.A. venues, like The Hullabaloo and other famous Hollywood clubs. When we weren't on the road, we were in the studio, recording our second album. We never had any time off. Eventually, tensions and disagreements between various band members, the band vs. our producer, Dave Hassinger and our manager, etc., started to disrupt the band's ability to create and enjoy the whirlwind experiences we were involved in. In other words, it stopped being fun. That's when things started to disintegrate and finally ended up with me leaving the band before the second album was completed. I was the drummer on 9 of the 12 songs on that album, but my replacement had his photo and name on the album cover.

Among the trivia most don't know is that the Prunes were the first band to use and record with the famous VOX wah-wah pedal. We did the first radio commercial, which many know is now a collector's item and on some CDs as well as Youtube. L.A. DJ, Sam Riddle was the announcer on that. He was part of KHJ "Boss Radio" 93 line up of disc jockeys. He later became the executive producer of Star Search. Back in the 60s he also had two popular teen TV shows in L.A. We appeared on both regularly. One was called, "9th St. West" and the other was "Boss City." Sam also hosted a national TV show called, "Hollywood A Go Go." VOX also gave us their new "Organ-guitar" which we used on "I Happen To Love You." That song, incidentally, was the first song in history to have the wah-wah used on it. The Beatles were also given an "Organ-guitar," but they didn't use it on any of their recordings, that I'm aware of. The one given to us can be seen in the VOX photo ad of the band standing around a VOX "Super Beatle" amp.

Because our producer, Dave Hassinger was also the recording engineer for several of the Stones' first albums, including, "Aftermath," we met them and were in the studio at RCA when they were recording. They gave us several Gibson guitars, a bass amp used to record "Have You Seen Your Mother ... Standing in the Shadows," and the Gibson Maestro fuzz box they used to record "Satisfaction." We used that exact same fuzz box while recording "Too Much To Dream."

I'm not sure how The Electric Prunes stand in the public's eye all these years later. The Internet seems to have brought the band's existence and music back to life to some extent. I'm always amazed, but pleased when the band receives any recognition today. I guess we were a bigger part of music history than we ever imagined back when we were together in 1966-67. For the record, the original line up of Electric Prunes on the hit recordings is: James Lowe (Vocals and Percussion), Mark Tulin (Bass, Keyboards), Ken Williams (Lead guitar and effects), James "Weasel" Spagnola (Rhythm guitar and Vocals), and me, Preston Ritter (Drums, Marimba and Percussion).

James "Weasel" Spagnola and Mark Tulin are now deceased. I am a kidney transplant patient and I caught pneumonia and the swine flu in January of 2011. I was in a coma for nine days, my kidney stopped working and I was on a ventilator. Hospitalized for two months in intensive care. But I survived! I had to learn how to walk again, with six months of rehab. Mark died while I was in the hospital, in February, 2011. He was 62. I'm back to playing drums again, as good as ever.

Recently James Lowe had heart bypass surgery. I think it was quadruple. He seems to be recovering well. Don't know what's happening with Ken, since I haven't seen him or communicated since 1967. Mark told me before he passed away that Ken wasn't in too good of health, but I don't know the particulars.

I hope your readers find some of this informative and interesting.

Preston Ritter

 

For more of The Electric Prunes' story, be sure to check out our other Forgotten Hits Website:

Click here: Forgotten Hits - Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs

 

#13 - LOVE

Another Los Angeles-based group, Love was at one time among the kings of the almighty Sunset Strip. Every group of the era that played the Strip — including the Byrds, Turtles, Buffalo Springfield and the Doors — looked up to Arthur Lee’s combo. Their biggest hit, a cover of Burt Bacharach’s ‘My Little Red Book’, only hinted at what was to come. Their first album, Love, is in my opinion in the running with Rubber Soul as the greatest album ever recorded, while Da Capo and (especially) Forever Changes get the nod from just about every rock critic that knows his / her salt. (Mike Dugo)

Talk about your bands with a cult following ... Love hit The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart three times. Their biggest hit was "7 And 7 Is", which climbed to #33 in 1966. (Incredibly, their first chart hit was a version of "My Little Red Book", a song written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach that was used in the film "What's New Pussycat", performed by Manfred Mann!) Their legendary guitarist Arthur Lee, passed away a few years ago. Chicagoland DeeJay Bob Stroud (Rock And Roll Roots) once told me that he believed Love was one of the most under-rated and under-appreciated rock acts of all time. They certainly were an acquired taste. Much as I've tried to find an appreciation for their music, they've just never clicked with me. However, from what I've heard, Love was a "band's band" ... other artists like The Doors looked up to Love as role models of what they themselves might aspire to ... and would catch their live appearances whenever they could. While hardly considered "mainstream" ... (Love was always more of an "undgerground" fancy), they performed their Bacharach-David hit tune ... on American Bandstand no less! (kk)

 

#12 - TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS

In the truest sense of the term, Tommy James & The Shondells would probably only qualify as a garage band before and during the time they recorded ‘Hanky Panky’. Formed long before the British Invasion hit, the Michigan group wouldn’t find large scale success until recording the Jeff Barry / Ellie Greenwich song. Their later hits — including ‘Mirage’, ‘Crimson And Clover’, ‘Crystal Blue Persuasion’, ‘Mony Mony,’ ‘Sweet Cherry Wine’ and ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ — were all excellent representations of good ol’ ‘60s rock and roll. (Mike Dugo)

Here's another group I wouldn't necessarily have classified as a "garage band" ... although I guess that technically they started that way. It's just that Tommy grew into SO many different musical directions that it's hard to "typecast" or classify him in any one specific genre. "Hanky Panky" dates back to their early bar band days ... and was recorded over two years earlier than the time most of us heard it for the first time in 1966. (In fact by then, the original Shondells had already broken up!) "Say I Am" (which Tommy found on the B-Side of a Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs single, then titled "What I Am") kept that groove going ... but by the following year (when Tommy was writing his own stuff), his music took on a much more sophisticated sound. "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Mirage" were both Top Ten Hits ... and in 1968 he recorded what can only be described as a "party anthem" called "Mony Mony". He kicked off 1969 with the psychedelic "Crimson And Clover" (another tune that made our All-Time Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs list a few years ago) ... and then followed that with the almost gospel-tinged "Sweet Cherry Wine" and the beautiful "Crystal Blue Persuasion", two more Top Ten smashes. We've plugged Tommy's book "Me, The Mob And The Music" many times in Forgotten Hits ... and in it, he describes some of those earliest "garage band" days.

 

Here, with Tommy's kind permission, are a couple of short excerpts:

 

In September of 1959 I started seventh grade at Niles Junior High School. A few weeks into the semester I met a kid named Mike Booth, who played drums in the band. He said, "I hear you play guitar and sing. I have a full set of drums at home. What do you say we put together our own band for the variety show?"

"Hell, yes," I said ... "What variety show?"

"The big one they have every year in the auditorium." Mike knew these things because he was a year ahead of me in school. I did not realize it at the time, but this chance conversation would prove to be a major turning point in my life.
I went to Mike's house after school and was thrilled to find he had everything we needed: a full set of Ludwig drums, a heated garage, and parents who pretended to be deaf. Over the next few days, we managed to enlist two more kids from our school band who played trumpet and sax, plus one of Mike's neighbors, who passed for a piano player. Even though the sound was raw and crude, playing with other musicians for the first time was a thrill. It felt powerful; it was like "being a record," especially when we were all playing in the same key.
We practiced every day after school for a solid week and learned two songs: "Lonesome Town" by Ricky Nelson and "A Thousand Stars" by Kathy Young and the Innocents. We made a try at "Angel Baby" as well, but two songs were about all this outfit could handle. We called ourselves the Echoes.

-- Tommy James

 

After a disc jockey in Pittsburgh broke the "Hanky Panky" single, James relocated and started a brand new version of The Shondells, picking up an existing group he heard in a bar to become his new back-up band. Once Roulette Records got behind the record, it became a national #1 Hit. Soon Tommy James and the Shondells were doing one-night stands all over the country.

 

James remembers ...

Our first date was a local gig in Yonkers. We were slated to follow a little house band. They were just kids and I remember braggin, "We're going to blow these guys right off the stage." Red (Red Schwartz, one of the best record promo men in the business) looked at me and said, "Calm down, kid. Five minutes ago you WERE those guys." (Talk about a hard-knocks reality check! lol)

 

After "Hanky Panky" and "Say I Am", James continued to hit the charts. In 1967 alone, Tommy had SIX SINGLES make the pop charts ... "It's Only Love" (#26), "I Think We're Alone Now" (#3), "Mirage" (#7), "I Like The Way" (#20), "Getting' Together" (#14) and "Out Of The Blue" (#31) insured that Tommy James and the Shondells were never off the radio ... and this pattern would continue for the next three years.

 

In his book, Tommy credits their smash "I Think We're Alone Now" as starting the "bubblegum" craze, although he doesn't necessarily consider The Shondells to have ever been a bubblegum group ... but rather that they took that "sound" or the throbbing opening bassline and reused it and embellished it in any number of bubblegum hit smashes that followed over the next year or two.

The success of the "I Think We're Alone Now" album and the hit singles that came from it really changed us. Tommy James and the Shondells were no longer the garage band with the fluky hit. We now had a new sound that was uniquely ours. The tight rhythms and the staccato eighth notes that we pioneered and used throughout the album became our signature sound. (Tommy James)

 

Tommy James and the Shondells earned 209 of your votes ... and are the first group to break the 200 Vote Barrier in this very special countdown. (kk)

 

#11 - THE BEAU BRUMMELS

History has documented the Beau Brummels as among the first wave of San Francisco groups to make some chart noise and as among the first U.S. groups to counter the British Invasion. Although they recorded several albums and issued many singles, it’d be difficult to find any songs that can truly be classified as “garage rock”. ‘Laugh Laugh’, ‘Just A Little” and ‘Don’t Talk To Strangers’ all reached the Top 40, however, and without question their recorded legacy is as strong as many groups that achieved much longer lasting fame. But how many of those groups can also claim to having appeared on The Flintstones?! (Mike Dugo)

Yet ANOTHER group I never expected to see on the final list ... and there were several mentions of this during the voting process. The Beau Brummels were (to me, anyway!) more of a folk-rock San Francisco quartet ... and I think a listen to their hits "Laugh Laugh", "Just A Little", "You Tell Me Why" and "Don't Talk To Strangers" bears this assessment out. However, 211 of you felt that The Beau Brummels belong on this list ... and here they sit, just outside The Top Ten.  Check out the Forgotten Hits website to see a clip of "The Beau Brummelstones" performing live on "The Flintstones". By the way, the "in" tributes to Jimmy O'Neill and Shindig are PRICELESS! (kk)

Click here: Forgotten Hits: We're Closing In On The Top Ten ... Today ... #12 and #11

 

#10 - THE KNICKERBOCKERS

It’s well documented that the Knickerbockers’ greatest success, ‘Lies’, was often times mistaken as the next Beatles song during its release in 1965. And while there are obviously many lesser groups a band can be compared to, the Knickerbockers recorded legacy still hold up fantastically well on its own. The New Jersey group really took off after migrating to Hollywood and, along the way, recorded such excellent songs as ‘High On Love’, ‘One Track Mind’, ‘I Can Do It Better’, ‘Rumors Gossip Lies Untrue’, ‘Please Don’t Love Him’ and ‘They Ran For Their Lives’. (Mike Dugo)

Their Beatles-sound-alike hit "Lies" is what put these guys on the map. It was a #4 Smash here in Chicago ... and also earned a #17 national showing. (Honestly, I preferred "Lies" to every single that the REAL Fab Four released in 1966! It was certainly a harkening back to their earlier sound and style.) Unfortunately, The Knickerbockers were never able to capture that sound again. A follow-up single "One Track Mind" stalled at #46 ... and then "High On Love" became their final chart single when it peaked at #94 later that same year. (kk)

 

#9 - THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR

Although hailing from El Paso, Texas, it wasn’t until the group moved to Hollywood that the Bobby Fuller Four truly experienced national success. Best known for their cover of Sonny Curtis’ ‘I Fought The Law’, the Bobby Fuller Four left behind an amazing legacy of classic songs. ‘Let Her Dance’ should have been a massive hit, and ‘Another Sad & Lonely Night’, ‘Love’s Made A Fool Of You’, ‘Don’t Ever Let Me Know’ and countless other songs place the group among the finest of all ‘60s rock bands. It’s unfortunate that today the mysterious circumstance surrounding Bobby Fuller’s death often times overshadows the group’s music. (Mike Dugo)

The Bobby Fuller Story is the greatest rock and roll movie never made ... nearly fifty years later there are still countless unanswered questions surrounding the mysterious death of Bobby Fuller, who scored a Top Ten rock and roll classic in 1966 with his version of "I Fought The Law". As quickly as his star rose, he was gone. We've documented the story as we know it on our other Forgotten Hits Website: Click here: Forgotten Hits - Bobby Fuller

The Bobby Fuller Four earned 226 of your votes to land at #9 in our special countdown of your All-Time Top 20 Favorite Garage Bands. (kk)

 

#8 - THE LEAVES

Since we’re being completely honest here, let's unequivocally state that the Leaves version of ‘Hey Joe’ — their greatest chart success — blows Jimi Hendrix’ slowed down version out of the water … on this or any other planet. Although it was written by Billy Roberts and taught to the band by the Byrds, the Leaves took the song and made it uniquely their own. In doing so, they recorded a song that every garage band of the era also had to perform and / or record. The Los Angeles’ group follow-up, ‘Too Many People’, is another great example of garage rock. (Mike Dugo)

"Hey Joe" is a garage band classic ... there wasn't a band around that didn't play this one at the time. A relatively simple song to play, you didn't have to be a top-notch musician in order to sound like one when you played this song! Although it has since gone on to be more closely associated with Jimi Hendrix (who slowed the tempo down dramatically), it was The Leaves who took this record all the way to #31 (and #9 here in Chicago!) in 1966. It would be their only chart hit ... but man, what a classic! Apparently you guys agree. ... that one hit propelled The Leaves to #8 on your Top 20 All-Time Favorite Garage Bands Countdown! (kk)

 

#7 - THE SEEDS

Despite being the originators of “Flower Power”, most of the Seeds’ recordings are classic examples of garage rock. ‘Pushin’ To Hard’ was their biggest hit but they also had some chart success with ‘Can’t Seem To Make You Mine’ and ‘A Thousand Shadows’. Lead singer Sky Saxon personified the garage band front man with his exaggerated Jagger-like moves and atonal snarl. Mainly a Los Angles group, the Seeds managed to appear in the film Psych Out and made a classic appearance on the short-lived sitcom The Mothers-In- Law. (Mike Dugo)

The Seeds topped the Chicago Charts with their first chart single, "Pushin' Too Hard". (Nationally it stopped at #36) Actually, their first single release, "Can't Seem To Make You Mine", failed to chart the first time around ... but when it was re-released as their third single, it just missed The Top 40, peaking at #41. Leader Sky Saxon died a few years back ... but the music of The Seeds plays on in Garage Band Heaven. You guys awarded them with 239 of your votes as your All-Time Favorite Garage Band ... and that's good enough for the #7 Spot on our special countdown. And you have to admit that it's kinda cool that The Seeds follow The Leaves in this countdown ... a special kind of symmetry there, I think! (More symmetry to follow as we count down positions #6 and #5 ... read on! (kk)

 

#6 - PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS

‘Hungy’. ‘Good Thing’. ‘Steppin’ Out’. ‘Ups And Downs’. ‘Kicks’. ‘Him Or Me’ — great song after great song. Fate has played a cruel trick on Idaho’s Paul Revere & The Raiders, however. They’re perhaps considered too corny-mainstream (with their Revolutionary War outfits and teen magazine appeal) for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, and for too many years were considered too square / bubblegummy for garage rock fans (due to image — not sound). Those in the know today, however, realize what a fantastic band — pop, rock, garage or bubblegum — they truly were. Their string of hits (and non-hits) lands them squarely at the very top of any list of great ‘60s rock and roll groups. In 2012, there’s no denying Paul Revere & The Raiders all the accolades they’re due. (Mike Dugo)

I second THAT emotion! Having seen the guys a couple of times recently, I can personally vouch for just how much fun they are to watch, performing live in concert. (In my book, the best two live bands today performing on the "oldies circuit" are Paul Revere and the Raiders and Herman's Hermits featuring Peter Noone ... I've never seen anything less than a stellar show from either one of these artists!) That being said, this is another act to make The Top 20 that kind of surprised me ... but the truth is, Paul Revere and the Raiders scored votes consistently throughout our polling process. (Maybe it's because they recorded THEIR version of "Louie Louie" at the very same studio that The Kingsmen recorded their chart-topping version ... and only a week apart!!!) Their music grew more and more sophisticated over time, especially once lead singer Mark Lindsay started writing songs with Producer Terry Melcher ... but some of their earliest hits ... like "Steppin' Out", "Just Like Me" and "Good Thing" probably all qualify as Garage Band Classics. (Maybe that's why the earned 292 of your votes, enough to land in Sixth Place on your All-Time Favorites list. (kk)

 

I asked Paul Revere if HE considered the band to be of the "Garage Band Persuasion" ... and he immediately said "Yes ... absolutely ... although they didn't call them garage bands back then".

Paul Revere and The Raiders were a total garage band in the beginning, although I don't remember using that term ourselves back then. We were influenced by the great R&B bands of the time and we ended up sounding a lot like a funky Rolling Stones, although we had never even heard of them back then. It's funny that they were influenced by American R&B bands, and straight ahead blues, too, and they wound up sounding pretty similar to us. The Raiders were basically just a bunch of crazy, fun loving wild men who loved R&B and loved to play party rock!

Once we hooked up with Columbia, Terry Melcher and Dick Clark, we kind of got molded and squeezed into a certain direction with a much slicker sound. We still had a hard edge but it was more polished. All of the TV we did really changed everything too, we had to be much more commercial. We went kicking and screaming at first but eventually we developed a sound that was our own out of all of those influences, and had great success.

I can't tell you how many big rock stars I’ve met from the 70s, 80s and 90s who tell me how much Paul Revere and The Raiders influenced their own sound and helped give them their edge while they were cutting their teeth in music, That’s something I'm really proud of.

-- Paul Revere

 

Listen to the records and watch the old clips ... sometimes and it's hard to tell Mark Lindsay and Mick Jagger apart! These guys ABSOLUTELY belong in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... it's criminal that they've never even been nominated. And I don't care if you catch the current version of Paul Revere and the Raiders, featuring the craziest guy in rock and roll, Paul Revere, newcomers lead vocalist Darren Dowler and our buddy Tommy Scheckel on drums and long-timers Ron Foos, Danny Krause and Doug Heath ... or former lead vocalist Mark Lindsay, now performing as a solo artist (and stealing the show on The Happy Together Again Tour a couple of years ago, which he joins again in 2013), you really can't go wrong.

Speaking of which, Paul Revere and the Raiders are launching a brand new "Where The Action Is" Tour, featuring themselves, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and The Association.

Here are some of the dates already booked ... with more shows being added all the time:

Click here: Paul Revere & The Raiders | Tour Dates
Mark Lindsay does not have any of his tour dates posted at this time ... and, as we go to press this morning, The Happy Together Again tour schedule for 2013 haswn't officially been released yet ... but you can rest assured that we will share this information with you as soon as it becomes available.

And wait till you see who came in at #5 according to your votes ... it's those OTHER guys in their revolutionary outfits!!! (And they have a little Paul Revere and the Raiders connection of their own to talk about!!!) Keep reading! (kk)

 

#5 - THE NEW COLONY SIX:

Another great Chicago group, the New Colony Six, are best known for their two excellent light rock hits of the late ‘60s: ‘I Will Always Think About You’ and ‘Things I’d Like To Say’ (two personal favorites). Their earlier albums, Breakthrough and Colonization — and their singles recorded for the Centaur (Sentar) label, particularly ‘At The River’s Edge’ and ‘I Confess’ — are much more indicative of the garage rock sound. Bonus points awarded for the garage pop sound of ‘I Love You So Much’, another personal favorite. (Mike Dugo)

My all-time favorite of the '60's Chicagoland Groups is The New Colony Six. They were the ones that broke the ground for all of the other bands to follow ... The Buckinghams, The Shadows Of Knight, The Cryan' Shames, The Ides Of March, The American Breed ... ALL of these other local groups followed in their footsteps ... and made HUGE impressions on our Chicagoland Charts once The New Colony Six paved the way with their "breakthrough" single "I Confess" in late 1965.

How weird is it that The New Colony Six and Paul Revere and the Raiders follow each other in this countdown??? Both dressed in revolutionary garb as a gimmick, trying to get noticed amongst all of the '60's rock bands springing up hot on the heels of The British Invasion. In fact, both groups even ended up staying at the same hotel in California for a short while after they made their way west seeking fame and fortune.

The difference, of course, is that Paul Revere and the Raiders got signed by Dick Clark and ended up hosting a daily afternoon music fest called "Where The Action Is" ... and The New Colony Six came home depressed and dejected ... only to find their own success some months later when some of the band members' parents pooled their money to start a small, independent record label in order to press up copies of their latest efforts.

Soon they were all over the radio ... and Chicagoland charts. Some of these records even crossed over to become national hits. And while they may always be best remembered for their late '60's ballads "I Will Always Think About You" and "Things I'd Like To Say", the band began as a TRUE garage band in every sense of the genre. (In fact, a few years ago, The New Colony Six ... still performing gigs around the area in the summer months ... were invited out to New York City to perform at Cavestomp, an annual salute to Garage Band and Punk Music!)
How popular were they here in Chicago? Well, to give you an idea, they placed a total of 17 songs on the WLS and WCFL Top 40 Charts between 1966 and 1972 ... and twelve of these went on to make the national charts as well.

We did a month-long feature on The New Colony Six a few years ago in Forgotten Hits ... so I was especially pleased to hear from some of the original guys about their high-ranking "All-Time Favorite Garage Band" placement!  (kk)

Kent,

It was great to hear that so many people continue to remember the New Colony 6 and are willing to vote for us. If a basement band qualifies as a garage band we are still in the race. My basement was where we did our rehearsing until the “big time” and we got rehearsal space on S. Michigan Ave. I don’t think that I ever really thanked my parents for their patience and understanding and willingness to give up hearing the sound of their favorite TV shows while we were downstairs learning our craft. Here’s to you Mom and Dad.

Best Regards,

Chic James

What was the inspiration for your name?

An empty bottle of Old Colony soda, a little imagination and the fact that there were six of us.
What was your greatest motivation to be successful?

We wanted to be successful enough that we wouldn't have to play for adults (who had all the money) and could play exclusively for kids (who were all the fun).
How did you select your songs? Did you use any studio musicians?

We wanted to be 100% us. We wrote, arranged, recorded and performed everything ourselves. We didn't want to be anyone else or let anyone else tell us what to do or how to do it.
What was the strangest experience you ever had?

In 1965 we packed our bags, got on a bus and headed for fame and fortune in LA. We picked out a motel, and within 30 minutes of checking in, Paul Revere and the Raiders checked into the same motel wearing the same outfits. Only difference - they had an audition to do Where the Action Is - we had zot. So we spent the summer doing battles of the bands, free parking lot concerts, and store openings.

Interesting side note - we did some of the store openings with a young and unknown Glen Campbell. And all that free time solidified our writing and arranging skills.

"And it's all true. Give or take a lie or two."

Walt Kemp

We can only vote for ONE Garage Band?

That would be the NEW COLONY SIX.

In as much as I have some history with this band, it would be only fitting for MY VOTE to go to them. You could ask why?

WHY NOT?

They have proven to be the absolute rock bottom beginning of the Garage Band Era. The Genesis of the term.

They started out in a Garage. But as they got better and they upgraded to a basement.

Many of those early song where created in that environment of Concrete and Wooden Studs.

I CONFESS, was forged from that environment. Then song after song seemed to be produced from just Concrete and Studs.

Actually Kent, just foolin' around. I have been watching this Garage Band Vote and am very proud to be part of it.

It is a very cool idea and gives everyone a chance to give thought of the beginning of what we now call the Garage Band Era.

Keep up the Great work! Subjects like this will always spark interest.

Craig Kemp

NC6

 

To those who voted for us and any of you who still occasionally spin our vinyl or turn on one of the many compilation New Colony Six CDs, I offer you this hastily crafted lyrical reworking of Elf Song (Ballad of the Wingbat Marmaduke). I will grant you that this choice is odd, especially considering the genre where you gave us kudos, but it’s what came to me this morning --- new words, for your amusement, to a very peculiar song that Pat, Gerry and I wrote in late 1965, which eventually wound up on our Colonization album. It was both a massive failure as a single release and would surely require a mighty stretch to be considered representative of garage rock. Nevertheless, perhaps it offers a peek inside one of the six minds who didn’t know enough about music at the time to preclude accidentally bringing something new to the marketplace; but I digress.

Without further ado, with inspirational credit for the original song to J.R. R. Tolkien, whose literary classics all NC6ers enjoyed reading (in the decades prior to his works becoming cinematic treasures), I offer you Ray’s Song (Ballad of the New Colony Six):

 

Many years ago in Chic’s basement in Big C(hicago)

A strange sextet, young men, became celebrities.

We laughed and we played,

Rock & roll, unafraid –

Garage rock’s what they called the tunes we made.

Paid! Laid … Grayed?

Everybody said,

“What’s that fur on your head?

You a girl, boy? Comb that mop, hippie!”

Freak, Geek, ‘Nique …

Gigs got bigger sized;

Semi-stars in our eyes.

Six’s Breakthrough; Beatles’ Rubber Soul.

Feat, Beat, Neat!

Adventures to us had much appeal (Ooh, Ahh, Ooh, Ahh)

The more excitement the better we’d feel! (Woo, Hah, Woo, Hah)

But once upon a time,

Amidst this stardom climb,

Some dingbat arguments spread terror far.

Oh, No! Woe..

Senseless quibbles here,

Changing folks and gears,

New direction; become balladeers!

Strangers; (Ar)rangers = Danger!

Armed with pop rock hits

Then the DJs quit

Playing NC6 – the end was near…

But what then?

Time-off; Re-unite. We still play some nights.

OR

Google; YouTube; MySpace; FaceBook; SEARCH!

 

 

For New Colony Six compilations that are still out there – [although we have no incentive to tell you about them other than the ego boost in knowing y’all still care enough to buy a disc or download a tune … ] – see Sundazed (USA), Rhino (USA), Rev-Ola (UK), Cherry Red (UK), Mercury of Japan …

Peace …

Ray Graffia, Jr.

Thank you, Ray ... to hear the original version of "Wingbat Marmaduke", check out this posting on The Forgotten Hits Website so you can follow along with the brand new lyrics written especially for our Garage Band Countdown! And, as always, thank you for your continued support of Forgotten Hits ... and congratulations to ALL the guys for their EXCELLENT showing in our countdown. See that ... the REAL fans remember ... and still care. (The New Colony Six are the first of five bands to break the 300-vote barrier in our recent All-Time Favorite Garage Bands Poll ... wtg, guys!) kk

 

#4 - QUESTION MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS

Perhaps the only group universally classified as a “garage band” to top the charts, Flint, Michigan’s ? & The Mysterians’ were led by Rudy Martinez, who also wrote their classic ‘96 Tears’. The organ-driven song has often times been credited with having the term “punk rock” — for the first time in print — applied to it (by critic Dave Marsh). ? & The Mysterians are often regarded as a “one-hit wonder”, but their follow-up song ‘I Need Somebody’ just missed making the Top 20. (Mike Dugo)

Actually, it was the discussion of ? and the Mysterians that got this whole Garage Band Poll going in the first place. (I tried to reach Rudy Martinez ... who apparently ONLY goes by the name "Question Mark" these days ... for a few words and comments regarding their Top Five showing ... but never heard back. If any of our readers can let him know about our series ... and how well they fared in the countdown ... I'd appreciate it.)

 

UPDATE: After our piece ran, I did hear back from Question Mark, through film-maker Terry Murphy. Hopefully, we can run a one-on-one piece in an upcoming edition of Forgotten Hits!

Remember all the publicity Prince got when he changed his name to a symbol? (And can you believe that was TWENTY YEARS AGO already?!?!?) And everybody thought it was such an original and unique concept??? Au contraire, mes petits chouchous ... Rudy Martinez was using the "?" question mark symbol nearly thirty years earlier ... and went so far as to legally changing his name to "?" years later. "96 Tears" is, without question ... pun intended ... one of the stand-out tracks of the '60's ... it has SUCH a distinctive sound that, once you hear it, it never leaves you. It topped the charts in late 1966 and (despite the fact that, until recently, Cameo / Parkway material hasn't been commercially available for ages), has never really been off the radio.

 

The band had other chart hits, too ... "I Need Somebody" followed it into The Top 40, peaking at #15 later that same year ... and "Can't Get Enough Of You, Baby", while only reaching #47, became one of those huge, signature tunes when it was recorded by Smash Mouth thirty years later.

That "cheesy" Farfisa Organ became an integral part of the '60's sound ... and the intro to all of their hits immediately let the listener know that ? and the Mysterians were on the air!!! Great times ... great memories. (kk)

 

A recent film documentary by Terry Murphy declares ? and the Mysterians to be "The World's Greatest Garage Band" ... and they are, without QUESTION, right up there at the top ... but according to YOUR votes ... they OFFICIALLY come in at #4.

Martinez made headlines a few years back when his home was destroyed in a fire, destroying all of his precious memorabilia from the glory days. Meanwhile, the band maintains a GREAT website, which you can view here:
Click here: The Official Website Of ? and The Mysterians, 96 tears, and the Film 'Are You For Real?'
We're getting closer and closer to YOUR choice as The Greatest Garage Band of All-Time ... stay tuned!

 

#3 - THE STANDELLS

A performing band well before ‘Dirty Water’ hit, Los Angeles’ (not Boston, despite the lyrics to their best remembered song) Standells have come to represent all that is great about garage rock. They had the look, the style and the sound of how we currently picture garage bands in our head. ‘Dirty Water’ opens with another instantly recognizable riff, and maintains its high garage rock quotient throughout. ‘Some Times Good Guys Don’t Wear White’ (their best song), ‘Riot On Sunset Strip’, ‘Why Pick On Me’, and ‘Try It’ are among other winners, but the Standells issued several excellent songs over the course of recording their five studio albums. They also appeared in a couple of movies, and were featured on The Munsters, Ben Casey and The Bing Crosby Show sitcom. (Mike Dugo)

I mentioned earlier that I was a bit surprised by the group that came in at #3 on our list of Your All-Time Favorite Garage Bands ... not because I felt they didn't belong here ... (they certainly do!) ... and not because they didn't record a Garage Band Classic ... (they certainly did ... "Dirty Water" is one of my all-time favorites ... yet another opening guitar riff that grabs you and never lets go) ... but simply because when this series first started, they were never one of the artists whose name seemed to pepper every conversation.

This wasn't true with many of the other acts that finished near the top of our list ... but what The Standells managed to do (in their own quiet fashion) was end up on nearly everybody's list as a favorite, thus accumulating a substantial amount of votes in the process. (They earned 342 in all!) And THAT was good enough for a Third Place Finish! (Congratulations, Guys!!!)

Looking back over the list, it's really QUITE impressive to see how many of these songs that made such a mark on our lives were released in 1966. The Standells' anthem (the ultimate tribute to Boston if there ever was one ... despite the fact that they themselves hailed from Los Angeles!), "Dirty Water" is a classic example. '60's Rock just doesn't get any finer than this.
"Dirty Water" climbed to #8 (#3 here in Chicago) and their next release, "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White", just missed The Top 40, peaking at #43 in Billboard. In all, they'd have four Hot 100 chart singles.
Perhaps most remarkable is the fact that the group was produced by Ed Cobb of The Four Preps, a mainstream, middle-of-the-road male vocal group who had a few of their own hits in the early '60's like the soft-rock, "collegiate-sounding" "26 Miles" (#4, 1958); "Big Man (#5, 1958) and "Down By The Station" (#13, 1960) ... along with the novelty hits "More Money For You And Me", "The Big Draft" and "A Letter To The Beatles". Who knew he had it in him to drudge up the grunge of "Dirty Water", which he also wrote!?!?!
The Standells boasted a rare, singing drummer handling the lead vocals on their hits. (Didjaknow that Drummer Dick Dodd was an original Mouseketeer on "The Mickey Mouse Club" back in the'50's?!?!?)

The Inmates did a pretty respectable remake of "Dirty Water" in 1980. Meanwhile, "Dirty Water" is still played at major sporting events in Boston ... and has now become a fourth generation fan favorite. (WTG, Guys!)  kk

 

#2 - THE KINGSMEN

Two words: ‘Louie Louie’. ‘Nuff said! (Mike Dugo)

When this whole Garage Band Poll first kicked off, I absolutely expected The Kingsmen to come out on top once all the votes were counted ... and they actually led the pack for a good chunk of the run. Before it was over, they had earned 374 of your votes ... but that ended up only being good enough for the #2 Spot. Nevertheless, you're not going to find a more famous Garage Band Song than "Louie, Louie", a record that probably inspired hundreds if not thousands of kids to pick up guitars and drum sets and bang their hearts out (much to the dismay of many a parent, I'm sure) in the basement or garage of their family home. (Could there be a more famous opening riff?)

Held out of the top spot on The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart by (can you believe this?!?!?) The Singing Nun, they DID manage to earn a #1 showing in both Cash Box and Record World ... (and rightfully so!) ... as well as in the hearts of EVERY teenager growing up during this era. (A few weeks later The Beatles would hit, wiping out virtually everything "domestic" from the charts ... but, despite this new focus on all things British, The Kingsmen DID manage to have a few more hits: their version of the Motown classic (also covered by The Beatles) "Money" (#16, 1964); "Little Latin Lupe Lu" (#46, 1964); "Death Of An Angel" (#33, 1964), the novelty hit "The Jolly Green Giant" (#4, 1965); "The Climb" (#39, 1965) and "Annie Fanny", an "Alley Oop" clone (#29, 1965). Was there ever any doubt how high THESE guys would finish in our Top 20 All-Time Favorite Garage Bands Countdown?!?!? (kk)

 

#1 - THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT

The first Chicago group to dent the national charts, the Shadows Of Knight had a Top 10 hit with their cover of Van Morrison’s ‘Gloria’. While the debate will probably never end, it’s my opinion that their version out snarls Them’s original and is still the definitive take on the oft-covered song (like ‘Hey Joe’, every garage band had to perform it). For an example of another amazing garage rock song — one of the greatest ever recorded — look no further than the Shadows’ ‘I’m Gonna Make You Mine’. (Mike Dugo)

There was absolutely NO doubt who Your All-Time Favorite Garage Band was ... The Shadows of Knight were the ONLY group to surpass 400 votes (they ended up with 414 in all) and, other than about a two-week head start by The Kingsmen, they pretty much led the polls the rest of the way, beating their closest competition by a full 10%.

Another reigning Chicago group, The Shadows of Knight are best known, of course, for their version of "Gloria", which topped the charts here in 1966 (and also made a Top Ten showing nationally, reaching #6 in Record World that spring.) It has all but eclipsed the Van Morrison original, recorded by his group Them (who could only muster a "Runners Up" position in our poll.)

Often referred to as the "America's Version of The Rolling Stones", The Shadows of Knight had three more national chart hits for the Dunwich label ("Oh Yeah" reached #39, "Bad Little Woman" hit #88 and "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" spent one week at #90, all in 1966). Then they disappeared for a couple of years before landing as the "house band" at Buddah Records, recording the background tracks for any number of the popular bubblegum groups at the time. (With their sound deeply rooted in early Chicago Blues, this had to be a daily dose of irony for the band!)

They bounced back with a bubblegum hit of their own called "Shake" in 1968, which hit #39 in Cash Box and went to #12 here in Chicago.

Lead singer Jimy Sohns has never really stopped performing ... we recently went to his 66th Birthday Party / Concert and can tell you that Jimy still looks and sounds great. (And he still puts on one hell of a show ... although he confessed that it's a little bit harder to get out of bed the next day now than it was 35 years ago!!!)  kk

 

He also had a few words to say to our Forgotten Hits Readers who voted him into the top spot:

A few years ago ... I don't know, 2007 or 2008 ... Rolling Stone Magazine named us as the Greatest Garage Band Ever ... of course that was thanks to my good friend Little Steven ... I've known him forever ... but we still came out on top and that's all that mattered ... to be recognized for your work all those years later.

You know when we started out there weren't a lot of clubs here in Chicago ... we were the house band at The Cellar in Arlington Heights and we would sometimes play there for six months at a time. Little Jimmy Peterik told me that he used to catch the train to come up there to see us. Then little by little, more clubs began to open up and more bands came around to become the "house band" at these different clubs ... The Cryan' Shames had their place and The Buckinghams had their place ... and more and more clubs started to open up where the kids could come out and listen to music being played live. But we played there at The Cellar for about six months straight. In fact, once we got big enough to go out on the road ... and by "out on the road" I mean like Rockford ... or Valparaiso, Indiana ... The Cellar actually had to shut down for a while until they could find some other bands to fill in while we were gone. Once we finally moved out of there, the band that took over for us ... that took our spot ... was Jimy Rogers and the Mauds. God bless Jimy ... one of the greatest voices in Chicago rock right up until the day he died ... and nobody ever knew ... because he never said a word. People talk about "Gloria" being the big break-through hit in 1966 ... and there've been stories going around for years about how WLS and Clark Weber got us to make that record ... and I love Clark, he's a great guy ... but people remember things differently. All I know is we were playing "Gloria" for a year before the record came out so nobody had to ask us to go out and learn that song in order to put a record out. We actually learned that song in a gas station up in Arlington Heights ... now if that's not a garage band, I don't know what it is ... and then we went out and played it that same night at The Cellar. Don't get me wrong ... the radio support here in Chicago was great and it became a #1 Hit here.
We picked up on "Gloria" very early on ... and that was actually the B-Side of a Them record. The A-Side was Them's version of "Baby, Please Don't Go" ... and "Gloria" was on the B-Side ... and, as such, they let a lot of things go on that record because it was just a B-Side. There are a lot of little mistakes in that ... and here's a little bit of trivia for you ... you know who plays that guitar solo there in the middle on Them's version of "Gloria"? That's Jimmy Page! He sat in with a lot of bands back then in the studio and played on records by The Kinks, Them, "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan ... a whole bunch of 'em. He was doing his studio thing ... and then, later on, a few years later, The Shadows started doing some studio gigs, too, when we went over to Buddah Records. The "Shake"-era Shadows Of Knight ... there were usually at least two or maybe three of us on those records ... we were on "Yummy Yummy Yummy" and "Chewy Chewy" and "Down At Lulu's" and a whole bunch of those records that were very popular at the time with this new style of music.
Critics and journalists have always referred to us as "America's Rolling Stones", which was right on the money ... that's what we were at the time ... but we never saw any royalty money from those records we recorded ... nobody did back then. At least when we went over to Buddah Records, we KNEW we weren't going to get any royalty money, playing as the "house band" ... but we thought we were going to get rich and famous with a hit the size of "Gloria" ... and that just never happened.
People always want to ask me about the original band ... and the original band was great ... don't get me wrong, we were a great band and that's the band that made the records ... but we were only together for about three years! I've been doing this now for 46, 47 years. Those other guys didn't really stick with it but I've done SO many things over the past 46 years ... played with so many great musicians and I've kept in touch with many of them. Some of them have moved on or gotten into other things, but we're still rockin' ... I've got gigs lined up all the time and I still tear it up on stage ... it just takes me a little bit longer to get going the next day, that's all!
But I'm glad the fans still love and appreciate the music of The Shadows Of Knight, as indicated by your poll. You told me that we were ahead by a landslide and it's great to hear that ... that people still know and love this music.

Seriously, come out and see us some time and tell me what you think.
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-- Jimy Sohns

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And there you have it ... The Complete List of Your Top 50 Favorite Garage Bands of All-Time ...

 

We are happy to be able to present this recap ... but please keep in mind that all this is is a recap ...

You can check out the complete All-Time Favorite Garage Bands Countdown here:

Click here: Forgotten Hits

Simply scroll or click back to Monday, November 26th, and then follow forward for the next three weeks. You'll find in-depth profiles on the songs and artists, one-of-a-kind videos of many of these performances and a slew of comments from our readers.

 

Thanks again to everybody who voted ... and everybody still checking out the results today.  (kk)

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(Note:  This article was first published in Forgotten Hits in 2012)