LIVE IN THE BACKYARD!

Aw man, another band I never heard of that merits mentioning, this time a garage band from Louisiana. I'll get to that in a minute. I started with Mouse and the Traps' “Maid of Sugar, Maid of Spice”. Cool, a garage song I can build around. I go looking for an image and found myself on a blog, On the Road South, which bills itself as "1960's garage bands from Texas and beyond".  Okay, so I do a little digging. Just clicking on YouTube links to garage bands I've never heard of. I ran across one with kids and I'm thinking that it could be a good laugh, or out of left field à la the Shaggs. But no, these kids mean business. (That's the guitar player above.)  Give a listen to the Little Bits, aged 9 to 12. A credible snarl beyond their years. For whatever reason, it made me think of the Sloths, and then I got the idea to go browse Ugly Things. That's where I'm going and I know I won't be back tonight, so follow me over there.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Mouse and the Traps - Maid of Sugar, Maid of Spice mp3 at The Rising Storm
The Little Bits - Girl Give Me Love (streaming) at YouTube
The Sloths - Makin' Love (streaming) at YouTube
Visit:
The Little Bits at On The Road Again Profile/interview
Ugly Things Magazine and label

LIKE THE BEATLES NEVER HAPPENED

Well waddya know, another band reunited. Sort of. There's only one original member, but that's of little concern, because the fact that there is even a "reunion" is kind of remarkable in itself.  The Sloths weren't exactly a household name, even back in the day. But they put out one 45 that ended up on one of the Back From the Grave garage compilations. The 45 became hot property, going for as much as six grand. This for a 45 that Garage Hangover describe as "recorded by actual Neanderthals in their cave studio..." Yeah. That sounds good, not six grand good, but good enough to go one step further. Thankfully, Ugly Things did the dirty work for us, reissuing the 45, replete with a reproduction of the lowest of low budget sleeve. I picked up the reissue when it came out, autographed by three of the original members to boot, but sadly, it now looks as though it's sold out.

Worry not, ye who must have physical product. It what may be the most surprising development of the whole Sloths story, the reunited version have finished an LP and it might actually be good. If the two pre-release songs posted are any indication, it sounds pretty damn tight. Listen to the new version of "Makin' Love" below. Holy time travel Batman, it's nineteen fucking sixty five!

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:

The Sloths - Makin' Love (2015) (streaming) at Soundcloud

The Sloths - Makin' Love (1965) (streaming) at YouTube

The Sloths - One Way Out (2015) (streaming) at Soundcloud

Video:

The Sloths - Makin' Love (Live, 2012) at YouTube

Visit:

The Sloths' Debut Album Was 50 Years in the Making at LA Weekly

The Sloths at Reverbnation

The Sloths at Garage Hangover

STOP THE PRESSES!

I just got an email today from the folks who run the most awesome Ugly Things magazine, and it was a click-fest over here in a matter of seconds. Not only is there a new issue coming out in mid-October (which is always welcome news) but what sent me in a 45 RPM tizzy was news that they're reissuing the Sloths single above. Back in June I did short post, linking to Garage Underground, in which I was slobbering all over this single. Normally, I don't get worked up about reissues, but this sucker is as rare as it is raw. (Former Sloth Michael Rummans said that he knew of only three existing copies, and shortly after I wrote the post, one sold on Ebay for $6550.) They're only pressing 500 copies, and the first 100 will be autographed by the Sloths, so, yeah, hurry your ass up. There's a link to the Garage Hangover post below, so you can hear it before you buy it, and another link to my original post. And bookmark the Ugly Thingers. Not only is their magazine good for hours of fiendish perusing, they also released the only 45 version of the Nashville Ramblers' biggee "The Trains." Hell, just get your wallet out and go on a shopping spree.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Visit:
The Sloths - Makin' Love, and You Mean Everything mp3s, and the story of the Sloths at Garage Hangover (They don't like direct linking to mp3s, but you should go there to get it. This sucker is worth the trip.)
Best Thing I've Heard All Week - The Sloths post (June 16, 2011)
Ugly Things main site
Ugly Things' online store
Ugly Things blog

BEST SONG I'VE HEARD ALL WEEK

"Recorded by actual Neanderthals in their cave studio..." With a line like that, do you really think I'm going to read any further? Absolutely not. I found myself clicking at light speed, as some sort of reflex, and the song that it took me to, "Makin' Love," was just as advertised. In other words, my type of meat. Garage Hangover, the host of the best thing I've heard all week, goes into much detail describing it; but if you know your references, let me put it this way: It's as a sloppy mess, somewhere along the lines of the Groupies "Down In the Bottom" (with it's use of rudimentary guitar and snotty vocals), with a cardboard drum kit attempting a Bo Diddley beat, and some garbling that wouldn't sound out of place on a Hasil Adkins record. To the few of you who get all hot and bothered by that sort of thing, you're wasting time reading any further. go to their site to get it. Really, I only know a handful of people that will get as worked up about this song as I am, but if even one of them happens to follow the link below, it will outweigh any disappointment by the rest of you who, well, don't get it.

I haven't read all of the interview yet, but I did give a listen to the B side, "You Mean Everything," which isn't nearly as crusty. Regardless, with the combination of the A side, the name of the band (really, is there a better name?), and the magnificently low budget sleeve (above), I got all I need. Don't need no damn context. I just wish there was more of the same. (I now know I'm not alone. As I type this, a copy of this extremely rare 45 is on Ebay and, with a day of bidding left, it's at $1802.) (UPDATE 6/21/11, auction is closed. The record sold for $6550.00.)

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

The Sloths - Makin' Love, and You Mean Everything mp3s, and the story of the Sloths at Garage Hangover (They don't like direct linking to mp3s, but you should go there to get it. This sucker is worth the trip.)
Garage Hangover home page