BACK TO THE GRIND

Last night I was listening to the Sonics, their second LP to be exact. The first song on the LP is "Cinderella" and, like most of the Sonics stuff, it's a racket. Fuck yeah. It's a full-on exhausting two minutes and forty three seconds of skin bashing drums, raunchy fretwork and good ol' Gerry Roslie spilling his larynx all over the place. I tried to imagine what it must have been like to hear that song for the first time while the radio was playing "Michelle" by the Beatles. Man..., I'm certain that if the production on the early Sonics records were a little more "radio friendly" they would have given the Stones a run for their money, if not the Beatles. Of course, that would have only lasted a year or so before all of the hippie flower power crap took over. Regardless, the Sonics weren't truly appreciated by the masses, or anyone outside of the Northwest, until they started to be seen as precursors to punk rock. Here's a handful of Sonics cuts that I haven't posted before, including last nights living room ruckus "Cinderella" and two Motown covers. The cherry on top, "Psycho", has been posted here often. That should tell you how essential it is. You gripe, you get out of my store.

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Listen:
The Sonics - Cinderella mp3 at Internet Archive
The Sonics - Do You Love Me mp3 at Internet Archive
The Sonics - Money mp3 at Internet Archive
The Sonics - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark mp3 at Ink Mathematics
The Sonics - Psycho mp3 at Internet Archive

CHRISTMAS CAROL THIS

Let's just get this out of the way. Ninety percent of Christmas is just total crap. You might argue with that figure, but you know that it's drifted far off course. It's just an excuse to spend a lot of money on unneeded crap, and eat more food than your body is designed to handle. Are we fucking nuts? 

We all have our varying beliefs, and I can totally see why many devout Christians take offense at their day of reflection and worship being appropriated for financial gain. How'd you like it? Let's say you, Joe Blow, it's your birthday. We are going to mark the day, nay, the season, by buying so much worthless crap, and eating so much total junk, that we'll forget who you even are. 

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Listen:
The Sonics - Don't Believe In Christmas mp3 at Clayton Counts

CASTING SPELLS ALL OVER THE DAMN PLACE

Here you go ghouls, once a year whether you need 'em or not. I sure hope I don't have to tell you how essential the Sonics are (that's them with their muse above).. "The Witch" is one of their many great bashers. And Kip Tyler? Everything about "She's My Witch" is spot on. The guitar, the pace, the mood and, holy fuck, the filthy sax solo.

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Listen:
Kip Tyler - She's My Witch mp3 at Hey Cool Kid
The Sonics - The Witch mp3 at Internet Archive
The Lollipop Shoppe - You Must Be A Witch mp3 at Internet Archive

CANDY CANE HATERS CLUB

It's that time. As I do just about every year, I have to endorse the Sonics' take on Christmas. They don't believe in it. Cited reasons: "didn't get nothing last year" "fat man didn't show" and the worst, "mistletoe doesn't work". They clocked out on the whole thing decades before covid made a mess of things. That would have merited an extended version.

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Listen:
The Sonics - Don't Believe In Christmas mp3 at Clayton Counts
The Sonics - Santa Claus (streaming) at YouTube

IT"S LONG BLACKA HAIR LAZY REPOST TIME!

While a Halloween party isn't really legit without a witch, I can't think of the last time I saw an adult dressed as one. Maybe it's because you can do other costumes half-assed, but if you do a witch costume half-assed, it damages the franchise, and being that particular franchise, all sorts of bad things can prevail.

If you're party lacks a true witch, best to honor the hag in song, and I can think of no two better witch related songs than those below, by the Sonics (seen above with a fairly lame one) and Kip Tyler. Represent!

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Listen:
The Sonics - The Witch mp3 at Tinyvices Essential

Kip Tyler - She's My Witch mp3 at Hey Cool Kids Ditto

BOWL CUTS, FUZZ AND POINTY BOOTS

Man, I gotta say. Lenny Kaye did us a solid so many years ago. He put together the first Nuggets compilation, at the time a two record set. It was the first compilation of garage bands when compilations were a rarity and "garage band" a term only used by total music fiends. Released way back in '72 before he was playing in Patti Smith's band, when he was a writer that worked in a record store. It was followed by single LPs compilations of more nuggets and by the time the late seventies punk rock thing happened, a lot of the bands had added covers taken from the compilations. The cool thing was that the original 45s, recorded from 1963-68, were still to be found in thrift stores and dusty record racks.

All the Nuggets compilations would soon be followed by Crypt Records' Back From the Grave series. While drawing from the same idea, Back From the Grave compilations leaned towards the more obscure bands, most regional releases, like Nuggets mid-sixties garage bands every bit as wild, in most cases wilder, and as a result none drawn from hits. There was also a series of Pebbles compilations and Sundazed Records' Garage Beat '66 series which narrowed it down to a single year, 1966 being about the peak of garage snottiness.

Here's a handful I was buggin' out too back in the day, from the earliest Nuggets compilations. I think four of these charted, so, yeah, it's really like a beginners course. Most of you know these well but if they're new to you, this is really basic shit you should know. If you dig them, a heads up. It is a very deep rabbit hole. I'd start with the first Nuggets and then the first Back From the Grave and go from there. It's slippery. Beware the jingle jangle.

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Listen:
Music Machine - Talk Talk mp3 at Internet Archive
The Sonics - Strychnine mp3 at Internet Archive
The Barbarians - Are You A Boy or Are You A Girl mp3 at Internet Archive
Love - Seven and Seven Is mp3 at Internet Archive
The Seeds - Pushin' Too Hard mp3 at Internet Archive
The Count Five - Psychotic Reaction mp3 at Internet Archive
Chocolate Watch Band - Let's Talk About Girls mp3 at Internet Archive

IN HER MEDIUM LENGTH BLACK-A HAIR PHASE

I know, I know, you're up to your eyeballs with Halloween type music. Well pull an eyeball out and make room for more, because this particular holiday is not only an excuse to raid thematic standbys, they're also an excuse to force the Sonics on you. You got it, "The Witch", with absolutely no shame. "Psycho" is down there too. Not quite a Halloween song, but close enough. Dig the screams.

What the hell, I've given up trying to find mp3s of the Creepy Creeps, so a video of them doing a cover of "The Witch" will have to suffice. You will note that the singing Creep pays proper respect by preserving Gerry Roslie's diction, as in "she's got long black-a hair". True to cool.

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Listen:
The Sonics - The Witch mp3 at Tinyvices
The Sonics - Psycho mp3 at The Adios Lounge
Video:
The Creepy Creeps - The Witch (live) at YouTube

I CONCUR, LIKE TOTALLY

Yep, you betcha, the first lazy repost of this holiday season. It had to be these guys.

If it's a realist's Christmas you want, the Sonics have got you covered. The whole thing's a sham. No presents, the fat man's a no-show, and the mistletoe doesn't work. Everything sucks. Ho, ho, ho, commiserate.

Make sure you check the guitar solo (at 1:12) in "Santa Claus". It sounds like it's falling apart right from the beginning. It's got the certain thing, it's just off enough.

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Listen:
The Sonics - Don't Believe in Christmas mp3 at Clayton Counts
The Sonics - Santa Claus mp3 at The Decibel Tolls

SHE'S GONNA NEED A BIGGER BROOM

And they just keep coming. Wait, okay, so the first two have been posted before. The other links are for three four song Halloween mini-mixes that haven't been posted before. So technically I'm, at worst, 2/5 lazy. If you count each four song mix as four songs rather than  one link, then I'm only 2/14 (or 1/7) lazy. All this math is making me dizzy.

I shouldn't be writing excuses. I should write about the music. Unfortunately, I cannot. Because the Sonics' (seen above) "Witch" and Screamin' Jay Hawkin's "I Put A Spell On You" are so epic, I must stand back to avoid drooling on my keyboard.

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Listen:
The Sonics - The Witch mp3 at Ryan Bosetti
Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put a Spell On You mp3 at Clayton Counts
Cool Ghoul - Four song mix mp3 at J.R.'s Fun House Go there to get it and the playlist.
Creepy Chix - Four song mix mp3 at J.R.'s Fun House Ditto above.
Graveyard Creeps - Four song mix mp3 at J.R.'s Fun House Ditto above.

YEAH? SAYS WHO?

The Sonics have been here plenty of times. I know that some of you know them like the back of your hand, as I do. Take one for the team. This is a public service. While I have posted these in the past, the downloads they linked to have all expired. I can't go walking around, going about my business, knowing full well that there isn't a working link of the Sonics' "Psycho" here. It's just not right.

This is for those of you who don't know the Sonics. Put simply, the Sonics were an hard driving American rock 'n' roll band with a minimal amount of flash and a singer with one of the most durable throats in the biz. Listen to the vocals on "Psycho", particularly the screams. I bet you couldn't match that once, let alone every night. To refer to them as proto-punk, which they often are, doesn't do them justice. They worked out of the Pacific Northwest hundreds of miles from the closest music epicenter. They weren't signed to a major label, they didn't record in some big fancy studio, and they definitely didn't lean on the manicured licks of the Wrecking Crew to dandy up their recordings (which is what Paul Revere and the Raiders, also from the Northwest, did), and they didn't buy into the peacock shit. While the Beatles were singing la la la about Michelle my belle, the Sonics were screaming about psychos and drinking strychnine. They were the shit.

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Listen:
The Sonics - Psycho mp3 at Internet Archive
The Sonics - Strychnine mp3 at Internet Archive
The Sonics - Boss Hoss mp3 at Internet Archive
For your wall:
High resolution copy of above photo

SONICS' KILLER FILLER

If you're like me, you can't get enough of the Sonics. You know 'em, the baddass early stuff. "Psycho", "The Witch", "Cinderella", "Boss Hoss", "Strychnine", "He's Waitin'", "Shot Down". Aaargh! Fuck, just thinking about them raises the hair. It's some-of-you-may-never-get-it type essential stuff. Whenever some would-be chin-rubbing egghead starts spouting off about "proto-punk", if the Sonics aren't near the top of the list, just walk away. There are those who may never get it. What would be the point of trying to convert them? The early Sonics records came with stale beer, cigarette ashes and sweat pressed into their grooves. If that's not your thing, why are we standing here talking?

Here's three covers by them. Sonics people will know these. If you profess to love the Sonics but don't know these, you should stop the cherry picking. Take your sorry ass on down to the record store and buy yourself a twelve inch LP.

To fully appreciate what the Sonics can do with a cover, check Richard Berry's original version of "Have Love, Will Travel", and then listen to the Sonics' version. Now go back to what you were doing.

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Listen:

The Sonics - Have Love Will Travel mp3 at Wish I Were There
The Sonics -Do You Love Me mp3 at ATumblr (?)
The Sonics - Walkin' the Dog mp3 at ATumblr (?)
The originals:
Richard Berry - Have Love Will Travel (streaming) at YouTube
The Contours - Do You Love Me (streaming) at YouTube
Rufus Thomas - Walkin' the Dog (streaming) at YouTube
Visit:
More Sonics here Scroll down for older posts.

SCROOGE ROCK

The Sonics are not in the mood. Defective mistletoe, no presents, all sorts of gripes crammed into "Don't Believe in Christmas". Their attempt to make nice with the fat man in "Santa Clause" doesn't come off as entirely sincere. They're probably screwed. 

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Listen:
The Sonics - Don't Believe In Christmas mp3 at Scratch Bomb
The Sonics - Santa Claus mp3 at The Decibel Tolls

LLOYD NOLEN? NEVER HEARD OF HIM.

Back in the good ol' days, you didn't sample stuff or copy riffs. You just stole whole songs and changed the lyrics. That's what it sounds like here, the Sonics' "Witch" being the later of the two 45s. I think they did a bang up job.

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Listen:
Lloyd Nolen - Fun Fun mp3 at Diddy Wah
The Sonics - The Witch mp3 at Tinyvices

THE SHIT YOU FIND

Dear rodents, please take note. For the next few days I will be moving all of my earthly possessions to new digs, an apartment two doors down. This might seem like a quick task, but you should see my earthly possessions. I've lived in the same place over half my life, so there's quite a bit of it, nearly all devoid of any real monetary value. At one end of the spectrum, you have vinyl, about ten percent of which have those clear protective covers on them, like your granny's couch. I'm assuming there's some value there, because the plastic sleeves would indicate specialness for one reason or another. At the other end of the value spectrum you had a 8" length of a 2x4. Saved because, who knows, you may need a 8" length of a 2x4 sometime. In the middle of the spectrum you have an awful lot of valueless cool shit. To wit, in a box of unrelated stuff, I had a sleeveless totally scuffed and unplayable 45 of the Premieres' cover of Don and Dewey's "Farmer John". The one with their faces on the label. That's probably the reason I melted a whole in it at the top. I'd given up on playing it and just thought I should put the Premieres up on that there wall. In another box, again, loose with other shit, sleeveless and unplayable, the Sonics' "Boss Hoss" It did not have a added hole in it in which to hang. At that point I'd probably realized that there was a big ol' hole in the middle of the record that I could hang it from. Apparently, I've learned a lot in the years that I've been here.

This was supposed to be short post to say that, in the next few days, posts will be short so I can plow through this shit. But my intent is to at least check in. I may miss a day, but that's what the two thousand other posts are for (really, last time I checked, there were over 2,200 posts). Bear with me. If I find dupes of anything cool, I may have a free raffle or something.

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Listen:
The Sonics - Boss Hoss (streaming) at YouTube
Don and Dewey - Farmer John mp3 at Rock Town Hall
Video:
The Premieres - Farmer John at YouTube American Bandstand

THIS MISTLETOE IS DEFECTIVE

Had to. It has become a seasonal tradition. The annual posting of the Sonics' counterpoints, "Don't Believe in Christmas" and "Santa Claus". Highly recommended. Before heading to a mall, or any other yuletide trap, blast these. If you have to do a lot of running around, slip on that sourpuss face. They'll get out of your way.

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Listen:
The Sonics - Santa Claus mp3 at The Decibel Tolls
The Sonics - Don't Believe In Christmas mp3 at Scratch Bomb

SHE GODDA LONG BLACKA HAIR

It's nearing Halloween, it's a song about a witch, and it's by the Sonics. That's as certain as it gets. And Kip Tyler to boot. 

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Listen:
The Sonics - The Witch mp3 at Ryan N Bosetti Essential

Kip Tyler - She's My Witch mp3 at Hey Cool Kids Ditto

THEM AGAIN

You know them. The Sonics have been on here more than just about any other band. So I won't waste your time with all the normal jibba jabba. Newer just posted one from their latest, and seeing as how they are largely ignored by hipster or otherwise bearded bloggers, it's reason enough to point you to it. It's "I've Got Your Number" off of This Is the Sonics, their first studio LP in five decades. A note to Mick Jagger: go home.

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Listen:
The Sonics - I Got Your Number mp3 at Newer Note: If the mp3 link is disabled, go there to get it. Or better yet, go get their record.
More Sonics:
All the Sonics stuff that's been posted here in the past

SONICS VS SANTA

The Sonics don't believe in Christmas. Can you blame them? Santa doesn't show, Rudolph is downing moonshine and the damn mistletoe doesn't work. You'd have a bone to pick too. The Sonics certainly did. In "Santa Claus", the fat man responds to a request for a twangy guitar, a car, a girl, and money by flat out saying he's not putting out, period. You can hear the frustration in the Sonics' camp, even when they try to soften the story by rewriting Don and Dewey's "Farmer John", That's when that rat bastard Santa adds insult to injury, messing with the mistletoe and getting Rudolph buzzed. You do that to the Sonics and you know all hell is going to break loose.

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Listen:
The Sonics - Santa Claus mp3 at The Decibel Tolls
The Sonics - Don't Believe In Christmas mp3 at Scratch Bomb

HE SOLD "LOUIE LOUIE" FOR $750

You do know Richard Berry right? The guy who wrote "Louie Louie"? Oh jeez, it just occurred to me, there's a possibility that some of you don't even know that song. That thought sort of creeps me out. Anyway, he also wrote "Have Love Will Travel", a song that's been covered by everybody and their mother. I've posted the song before, but I just ran into the version by the Imperialites, who are from San Diego, which is where my ass is planted. So, really, this is for my homies, particularly the one that recommended it to me a year or so ago. To AEC, whoever the hell you are.

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Listen:
Richard Berry - Louie Louie mp3 at Art Decade
Richard Berry - Have Love Will Travel mp3 at Club Cortez 
The Imperialites - Have Love Will Travel mp3 at De Discos y Monstrous
The Sonics - Have Love Will Travel mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Black Keys - Have Love Will Travel mp3 at The Adios Lounge
Big Sandy - Have Love Will Travel mp3 at Radio George
Louie Louie source, via the Rhythm Rockers:
Rebe Touzet - El Loco Cha Cha Cha (streaming) at YouTube

TOUGH LOVE

As per usual, the mere mention of a band by a friend turned into a fiending preoccupation for the next twenty four hours. This time it was the Sonics. Early into this one, I thought I'd avoid getting pulled in by listening to something else, and that happened to be Rubber Soul. Nope. The juxtaposition was all fucked up. Let me spare you the experiment. You cannot directly segue from the Sonics to Rubber Soul. It doesn't work. It might be possible with one of those nutty cuts on the White Album (The Beatles), but Rubber Soul? No way. It's like some sort of aural joy buzzer.

Here's a handful. Most of you are probably intimately familiar with at least a few of these. This is really for the younger folk. I don't want them to learn about the Sonics out on the street. Not to go parental on you, but would you want your kid to be introduced to the Sonics by some jackass in skinny jeans? I thought not.

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Listen:
The Sonics - Psycho mp3 at Bag of Songs
The Sonics - Strychnine mp3 at Gimme Tinnitus
The Sonics - The Witch mp3 at Ryan Bossetti (?)
The Sonics - Shot Down mp3 at Net Profit (?)
The Sonics - Have Love Will Travel mp3 at Wigh I Were There
The Sonics - Money mp3 at Girl Jukebox
The Sonics - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark mp3 at Ink Mathematics