Hartley, Blog 3

When The Kingsmen went to record Louie Louie (their second recording ever) nobody, including them, could have predicted it's impact. The Kingsmen Version of Louie Louie (1963) was a cover of  Robin Robert's cover (1960) which was already drastically changed from the original (1957) version by Richard Berry, a rhythm and blues track.

The Kingsmen were a pretty young house band at a dance club, and never really did anything significant besides record Louie Louie, as almost all the original members left after it was recorded.

Asked to record the on incredibly short notice, The Kingsmen laid down Louie Louie in a single raw, unbelievably powerful, kind of sloppy take. Recorded in a 3 microphone studio and given only one take, the band's performance was essentially no diffrent from a live one. And with the very limited recording setup available, the band's lead singer Jack Ely was forced to stand back from the center mic and yell the lyrics loud enough to be heard over the band. This, in combination with the fact he was wearing braces, caused the vocals to be incomprehensibly slurred. Due to lack of rehearsal, the track was sloppy and unpolished. And because of all these things, it went on to make punk history.

Louie Louie is now widely recognized as one of the most influential and important protopunk songs. The slurred lyrics and out of control performance were actually so scandalous at the time that the song was investigated by the FBI for obscenity. Speaking of obscenity, it's a fun little tidbit, but if you listen carefully you can hear the drummer yell "Fuck!" when he drops the drumstick at the 54 second mark. 

Anyway, Louie Louie's raw sound, power, and looseness paved the way for what would eventually develop into punk in the next 10 years. And the connections are very direct. Don Gallucci, an original member of The Kingsmen, went on to produce The Stooge's Fun House, an album that was also incredibly important to the development of punk. To me, it's still kind of incredible that all of this was the result of a single take.

Kingsmen version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCY0bAPLZ1w

Rockin' Robin Robert's version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihpGNoCreyg

Richard Berry version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-2CKsaq5r8

Iggy Pop version cause it's awesome:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhSFV_M1Hv8

Decker Blog 3

I chose to look into The Troggs most notably because of their top song "Wild Thing". The Troggs were initially called The Troglodytes and was created in 1964 in Andover, Hampshire in 1964. The Troggs came to be because lead vocalist Reg Presley and drummer Ronnie Bond were childhood friends. They initially worked together to make an R and B band, but were joined by Bass player Pete Staples and guitarist Chris Britton to become The Troggs.

Unlike some other bands that I did research into, the Troggs had numerous hits including three songs, "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You" and "Love is All Around" each selling over 1 million copies and receiving gold discs. I chose The Troggs because of "Wild Thing" and my knowledge of it. "Wild Thing" is their most famous song having the most plays on spotify and being ranked 257 on the Rolling Stones list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Their hit songs played a big role on the development of garage and punk rock. Lester Bangs gave The Troggs credit for influencing artists such as Iggy Pop who was given the name "Godfather of Punk". "Wild Thing" was so well known that the Jimi Hendrix Experience covered it during the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival where they called it the British/American National Anthem.

One thing I found interesting about The Troggs was they continuously replaced people who chose to retire or leave. I feel like usually if someone as important as the lead vocalist were to retire the band would begin the break up, but that hasn't been the case. Ronnie Bond died in 1992, an original member of the band and they continued to make music and perform. Reg Presley, lead vocalist and other founding father retired in 2012 due to an illness, yet they replaced him and kept moving forward. The only original member still in the band is Christ Britton who is a lead guitarist, but only for select gigs.

Bittel, Blog 3

The band I chose was the Chocolate Watchhead, which was assembled in 1965 at Foothill College in Los Gatos. Their sound imitated British invasion artists such as The Rolling Stones and Them, though the group barely made a dent in their first year when Ned Torney (guitar) and Danny Vay (vocals) both accepted an offer from a rival group. Their contributions ended at a few demo tracks which were never recorded, though the sound was promising enough to keep the group alive.

In 1966 the group returned after developing their stage routine in their garage and solidified their lineup, leaving them with Mark Loomis, their unofficial leader, on guitar, Brian Jones lookalike Sean Tolby, also on guitar, David Aguilar sang vocals, Jo Kemling played the organ, and Gary Andrijasevich on drums. This group secured a contract with Green Grass Productions, founded by ex-Four Preps vocalist Ed Cobb, and debuted a sound that rivaled the Rolling Stones, though the group had a much harder proto-punk sound than many popular acts at the time.

The group continued their rise from 1966 through 1969, releasing three albums and playing at larger and better-paying gigs, but after the release of the LP No Way Out in 1967, Loomis and Andrijasevich left in search of a less lyrical blues sound, and Aguilar followed. Flores and Tolby recruited new members and recorded The Inner Mystique, though neither album was considered a masterpiece. The music was acclaimed by critics but sales were middling, and no single from their group ever charted. In 1970 Loomis was forced out of touring for health reasons, and the band slowly dissolved after Cobb's interference with recordings became too much for some of the members.

Their music would have likely slipped into oblivion if not for their revival as a cult classic in the '80s and '90s, during which original albums traded hands for up to $100, in many cases bought and sold by teenagers who were too young to have ever heard the group during their prime. The quality of their music made the increased interest too strong to ignore, and CD's of the Chocolate Watchband was quickly reissued. The band reunited briefly in 1999, though Tolby and Loomis rever rejoined, and the band quickly dissolved again after their brief stint together.

I chose this group because I liked their lyric heavy psychedelic feel to their music, I didn't find their sound to be particularly innovative but they make up for it with strong execution. I included a link to a clip from "Riot on Sunset Beach", a movie in 1967 which includes their single "Don't Need Your Lovin". I enjoyed this song, as well as their singles Baby Blue and Sweet Young Thing, which have great vocals and have an incredibly diverse sound. I can see why many thought they could become the American rival to the Rolling Stones, but after reading about the instability and struggles the group underwent while in the studio, I'm not surprised their success was short-lived.

Maguire 3

The Blues Magoos are a garage rock group with a psychedelic twist. They have been together since 1964 and they toured in 2015. The song "Pipe Dream" that I will add a link to is perfect example of the psychedelic twist to their style of Rock and Roll. They are considered a punk rock band, I'm very happy they were able to help pave the way in punk rock. This allowed bands like Green Day, The Ramones, and even one of my favorite bands Blink 182 to come into the spotlight. Just as you said it's fun to explore because of what you hear in the music because they do say goofy things in their lyrics. Sometimes when I listen to Blink 182 I'll catch things and I have to rewind and listen and make sure I heard what Mark Hoppus said correctly. The Blues Magoos were by no means the number one garage rock group they made one song that went top five out of the Billboard 100. That song was "We Aint Got Nothin Yet" This is where we see the first signs of punk rock especially if you watch the music video. The video is filled with girls dancing provocatively and the fire visuals back then were probably super cool and new. This type of stuff wasn't what the majority thought was appropriate at the time when it came out but that's punk rock. Punk rockers like to go against the grain and be rebels, it gets the people going and creates a stir in the music world so people get to know who they are. There is something about Punk Rock that will just never get old for me, I could listen to it all day long.

 We Aint Got Nothin Yet - Blues Magoos

 Pipe Dream- Blues Magoos

Diamond, Blog Post 3

The 1960s garage band that I have decided to write about was The Monks, who were an American rock band that was not created in America. The Monks were actually founded in Germany where the  5 members, all American soldiers were stationed. The members of the group all liked rock and roll, but they wanted to create a louder and more shrill sound in contrast to the mostly soft rock that dominated the airwaves. The Monks wrote many songs that protested the Vietnam War, these songs had a deep meaning to them because they were written by former soldiers who knew war and combat first hand. The fact that they now referred to themselves as monks was also ironic given their former occupation and an even bigger show of how far they were willing to go to support their anti-war ideals. The band also got really committed to being The Monks as they would shave the tops of their heads and wear all black robes to mimic the look of traditional monks.

Their untraditional appearance matched their very untraditional sound and this combination led to uncertainty with prospective listeners, they achieved very limited success initially and have become more of a cult classic type of band as the years have gone on. They were technically only active as a band from 1964-1967 when they decided to disband due to inner turmoil finally culminating with their drummer abandoning their Vietnam gig due to fears that The Monks would meet the same fate as the Buddhist monks in Vietnam who were burning themselves alive due to the Viet Cong. As I mentioned above they have become a cult classic sort of band, who are now recognized as pioneers of the punk rock music genre. Notable acts like The Dead Kennedys and The Beastie Boys have credited The Monks as an influence. The band reunited in 1999 with the entire original lineup more than 30 years after breaking up to perform headline Cavestomp, an annual event dedicated to resurrecting and paying tribute to the garage bands of the 1960s.

Nick Cave on Elvis

Everyone, one of absolute favorite artists, Nick Cave, posted this fascinating response in his Red Hand Files on what Elvis means to him. Let me know what you think:
https://www.theredhandfiles.com/what-does-elvis-mean-to-you/

Hanlon, Blog Post 2

The Premiers were a Mexican-American garage band originating from San Gabriel California. The band formed in 1962 by two brothers, Lawrence Perez, guitar, and John Perez, who played drums and vocals. Joining them were there neighbors George Delgado, also guitar and vocals, and Frank Zuniga on bass. The band began playing in the Perez's brothers back yard. Soon the group were drawing small crowds to listen to their rehearsals. The band was then discovered by manager Billy Cardenas. He encouraged the band to follow in the footsteps of The Kingsmen and recorder a similar song to their own "Louie, Louie." Following orders the band released their first song in 1964 called "Farmer John." The single went all the way up to number 19 of the U.S billboard Hot 100 Chart. After their success the band rushed into their album, Farmer John Live, which claimed to be recored at real parties but was just overdubbed with party noises. The album consisted of R&B standard. Their success with Farmer John allowed them to tour nationally with acts like The Crystals and Gene Pitney. They also opened for such acts like the Rolling Stones and The Dave Clark Five. The group recorded singles up until 1967, some produced by the Standells Larry Tamblyn. None reached commercial success however. The band split when Zuniga and Lawrence Perez were drafted. However, the band reunited in 2001 with the Perez brothers and George Delgado and began touring and recording occasionally. 

Fresl Blog #2

My favorite rock songs from the 50s has to be "Jailhouse Rock" because that is the song that made me fall in love with Elvis and I think that that song has a lot of emotion to it and makes people want to get up and rock. I love this song because I think it is so catchy and even though Elvis was in a different generation, it still is a very nostalgic song to me. I think it is a classic song that everyone knows and it really brings people together. I also picked this song because I think it is one of the first songs that I heard as a young girl from Elvis and It is one of the first songs, when I think of Elvis as you can tell I am a huge fan of Elvis. Despite all the criticism that Elvis Presley receives I believe that he made a lot of really catchy, uplifting songs that instantly put you in a good mood and make you want to dance.
My second favorite song from the 50’s is also by Elvis and it is "Hound Dog" because it has the same feel to "Jailhouse Rock" and it I think that was a really good year for him because those are definitely 2 of his most popular songs.

Fresl Blog #1

Hello my name is Valentina Fresl. I am 21 years old and I am a senior this year. I am going for my bachelors in psychology because I love studying people and behaviors. I am originally from Caplijna Bosnia and I live in Essex Vermont. I picked this class because I have always been a big fan of rock and roll and I love the way the history of anything makes me feel so nostalgic. I hope to learn more about some of my favorite artists and more about the back round of rock and roll. I can’t pick a favorite song  but I love Elvis and Bobby Darin.

Crafts, Blog Post 3

The Standells were a 1960 garage band from Los Angeles made up of lead vocalist and keyboardist, Larry Tamblyn, guitarist Tony Valentino, bass guitarist Jody Rich and drummer Benny King. The band was formed in 1962 and was considered a "punk band" of the 60s. The Standells faced some challenges when Jody Rich and Benny Kind departed the group however the other two held on tight.
The Standells are most known for their very popular song (especially if you are from Boston) "Dirty Water." The song was recorded in 1965 by Larry Tamblyn, Tony Valentino, Dick Dodd, and Gary Lane. "Dirty Water" reached number 11 on the Billboard charts and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll." The band continued to get back together to do reunion tours and shows and even performed at Fenway Park in 2004 and 2007.

                                                           Standells - Dirty Water

Standells live in Boston 2004

Kruk, Blog #3

The Nightcrawlers, founded in 1965, were a band of five men formed in Daytona Beach, Florida. The original members were Tommy Ruger (drums), Rob Rouse (vocal and tambourine), Charlie Conlon (bass and vocals), Sylvan Wells (lead guitar and harmonica), and Pete Thomason (rhythm guitar and vocals). They are best known for their song "The Little Black Egg", and for their performance opening for The Beach Boys. They never really gained a wide amount of fame but made music for a solid five years. They disbanded in 1970 after members kept leaving and joining.

Although a small band, they did have their moments of fame. The only song they are really known for is "The Little Black Egg", but it was covered by bands later on like The Lemonheads and The Cars. In September of 2008, a film was made for the Daytona Beach Film Festival called Cracking The Egg: The Untold Story Of The Nightcrawlers. There was also a CD released in 2000 with 24 cuts by the original members. They released three other singles aside from The Little Black Egg. These were "Cry", "A Basket of Flowers", and "I Don't Remember". One of their only big moments was opening for The Beach Boys at an Easter concert in Daytona. Other than that, they were just your average garage band. I personally really like their music despite the fact that they weren't popular. It's simple but effective. I'd recommend listening to "Cry". It's a really nice song!

Stewart Blog #3

The Strangeloves were formed in 1964, consisting of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer. Although, their stange names were Niles, Miles, and Giles Strange. You probably have heard their most popular hit, "I Want Candy". They only went on to pruduce one album and a few singles. A few of their other charting songs were "Cara-Lin" and "Night Time". Giles was the guitarist, Miles was the dummer and vocalist, and then Niles was keyboard/vocalist. The Strangeloves existed for a couple years, being disbanded in 1968. The members went on to continue write music and produce.
In this performance, you can see the costumes they would wear to perform. Their costumes, band name, and stage names were all inspired by the movie Dr Strangelove.

Mulderrig, Blog #3 - 1960s Garage Bands

The band I was most interested to learn more about is Count Five. This American garage band, like so many others, was formed in southern California, specifically San Jose, in 1964. The band was started by lead guitarist John "Mouse" Michalski and bass guitarist Roy Chaney. Like most musical groups during the British Invasion ear of the 1960s, Count Five changed the direction their music was headed in. They, like most garage bands, wanted to make a statement that Rock & Roll is alive and well within the states.

            One of the most intriguing aspects of Count Five was their instantly recognizable appearance when performing live on stage. They were known for wearing Count Dracula-style capes; almost as if in direct opposition to the clean cut look of the Beatles who were famous for wearing matching suits in their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show.

            Count Five is known best for their hit single PsychoticReaction (album of the same name). The song starts with a strong introduction from an electrical guitar and step drum. This is shortly followed by another lighter, yet still electric, guitar and tambourine. The final piece to this song is the loud harmonica improvising along with the rest of the band. This is a great example of a garage band song for two reasons. For starters, it is clear from the offset that there is a strong Rock & Roll influence as indicated by the electric guitar introduction. However, due to the harmonica and tambourine combination, you cannot help but think of folk and blues genre which also had great influence on the garage scene.

            The band was rejected by several record labels before they got signed to the Los Angeles-based Double Shot Records. They soon released their hit Psychotic Reaction as a single and an album soon followed. The band only enjoyed limited success as their album was nowhere near as commercially successful as their single. As Psychotic Reaction faded from the charts so too did the band. Due, in no small part, to the members (ranging ages 17-19 years old) perusing college educations.

            By 1969, Count Five had broken up by their hit single and style of music lives on within the garage band subculture.

Link to "Psychotic Reaction" by Count Five:

Todd Blog 3

I chose to pick the band, Strawberry Alarm Clock, which was a garage/psychedelic rock band formed in 1967 in Los Angeles. The earliest formation of the band consisted of Ed King (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Luciano (vocals), Lee Freeman (rhythm guitar, harmonica, vocals), Gary Lovetro (bass), Steve Rabe (guitar, vocals), Gene Gunnels (drums), Randy Seol (drums, percussion, vocals), and Mark Weitz (keyboard, vocals). Their most prominent hits start with their chart topping #1 single, "Incense and Peppermints", followed by "Tomorrow", "Sit with the Guru", and "Barefoot in Baltimore", which all reached the Billboard top 100. I think the coolest tidbit of information that I discovered about this band is that they were touring in the South during the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and that after that happened, every band member carried a gun while they played the rest of the tour because they were afraid of the racist south.

Here is a music video to their hit single, "Incense and Peppermints"

BTodd Blog Post 2

If I was to pick a favorite song/act from the 1950's rock and roll that we studied last week, I would pick "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry. The guitar riff is very, very 1950's and the accompanying vocals are also very 1950's. Chuck Berry was a prominent black man in music, yet you can hear how many white acts stole riffs or likenesses from artists like Chuck Berry and their music. Johnny B. Goode is my favorite song from what we studied because it's just a feel good tune. It makes me want to drink a couple beers on a Saturday and dance. It also reminds me of diners, and maybe that's because I'm from Jersey and whenever I go in to a diner it reminds me of the 1950's and there's a song like "Johnny B. Goode" playing.

Hudson Blog 2

Hey All, 

The rock song from the 1950s that was my favorite discovery was definitely “ I’m walking” by 

Fats Domino. The song is so upbeat and I think reflects Dominos personality and his goal which was to wright songs that people would remember, and the song “I’m walking” is just that. The song is catchy and anyone who has heard the song I think most likely would be able to repeat the first line "I'm walkin', yes indeed, and I'm talkin’.”   

Choosing just one song from the 1950s that I discovered last week was very hard because I discovered so many! Elvis for example also sang some amazing songs, but I decided to reflect on “Im Walkin” by Fats Domino because I grew up listening to Elvis with my Grandfather and so Fats Domino’s songs and voice were new to me.  

Fats Domino LIVE - I'm walking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaMD-h7qaj8

'Im Walkin', Fats Domino - Lyrics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An2xtkE8gf0

Killian Post 2

My favorite song from 1950's would have to be tough to choose. The 50s and 60s are my favorite time periods partly because they are made up of unique creative artists, but also partly because the sound is so nostalgic to the tunes by dad played in the car growing up. I loved resurfacing the girl group bands because they are so fun and exciting, it's hard not to sing along or even dance to the music and you can tell that that's the goal. In Loco-Motion by Little Eva, the lyrics are about doing the Loco-Motion and the beat and echoing from the girl group paints a picture in your mind of being surrounded by people which is what I think makes the girl group sound so charming and timeless.

Hanlon Blog Post 2

When listening to the playlists in this class I tend to shuffle the songs while I'm reading or doing other work. I've noticed that myself, and other people, tend to look up or come out of a stupor of sorts when they hear a new song they like. This is exactly what happened when I heard B.B King's Three O'clock Blues. My head snapped up and I instantly started tapping my foot and nodding my head to Kings iconic sound. What I really enjoyed about this song was Kings scales on his guitar over the sounds of the horn. I think King's sound, although very unique, has influenced many artists in the later generation of Rock as well as today. B.B. King was a special type of artist who played basically until his death. He was on tour and had suffered several strokes due to his diabetic condition. His remaining 8 shows were canceled and king passed away later that year. His love for his music as well as his passion for continuing to play his music to live audiences gives him a special place in the history of blues and rock and roll.

Below is a video of King playing Three O'clock Blues live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ozjCQkqZs

Stewart - Blog #2

My favorite rock song from the 1950’s is Donna by Ritchie Valens. He was such a talented musician. I enjoy a good portion of his music, and honestly couldn’t pick a favorite, so I went with this song. I really got into his music in 9th grade in High School because we had watched La Bamba in Spanish class. Learning about how he was self taught, being one of the first Latino stars, and about his tragic death at 17 just grabbed my attention and just felt inspiring. I definitely recommend you watch this movie. 

I did not choose this recording because it was a special performance or anything. I could not find any such video like that upon searching. I enjoy the tone of his voice, and the relaxed tempo of the music. It is a song for his high school girlfriend and is just a sweet ballad to listen to.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMcHbh6HBDk

Johnny B Goode by Chuck Berry (Bittel, #2)

I chose "Johnny B Goode" which I found a video of Chuck Berry performing in 1958. His overall execution is excellent, and he tells the tale of the rise of a rhythm and blues star who emerges from the countryside of Lousiana (original lyrics say "colored boy", but it became necessary to change it to "country boy") into musical stardom. Berry can only be referencing himself and the other Southern musicians who leaped into national prominence thanks to the rock n' roll craze at the time, and he rocks as hard as anyone else in this playing. The lyrics likely reflect Berry's feelings which came with the fiancial success which came with being a well-known musician, though as we read in his text, he didn't realize much more of the money he had earned was being siphoned away by the corrupt industry.  The director uses a few cameras here, but all of them center on Berry, who plays with a confident, cool swagger while his body rocks along with the powerful guitar notes. The melody is relatively simple, and the band is relegated to the background, leaving Berry as the star of the show. He covers a bit of ground through the video, stopping at times to sing into the microphone or to swing his hips in a funky dance move, but times his movements carefully to match the cadence of the song.

I found the choice to pan into an extreme close up angle of Berry's face at the end a bit odd, but it gives the opportunity for audiences watching at home to peer right into Berry's thoughts as he rocks across the floor. Berry doesn't mask his emotions on stage, he exaggerates them, contorting his face with the rhythm and playing with an intense passion. He's also covered in sweat, likely worsened by the hot lights and electrical equipment on set, but this only adds to his aura of a rock pioneer. I think this video really captures Chuck Berry for who he is, one of the first and best to ever do it.

Johnny B Goode (Live in 1958)