THE CRESCENT SIX - NIGHTMARE / AND THEN, JUNE 1965

QUICK UPDATE: This blog has been severely neglected in recent times but don't count it out yet.  I've added plenty of new treasure to my magical musical box which I intend to write about in the coming weeks, followed by a new podcast.  I'll start things off with one of my best scores recently, the killer single from The Crescent Six on Rust records.

I first became aware of The Crescent Six with the inclusion of 'And Then' on the great Heavy Dose Of Lyte Psych compilation from Arf Arf records.  This tune really stood out to me among the rest of the cuts on this heavy set.  It had more of an early garage leaning compared the indulgent psychedelic flower vibes (obviously) being the theme of the comp, and sure enough it was recorded earlier than the rest.  Over the years and hundreds of plays later 'And Then' has grown to become one of my favorite songs of all time.

The lyrics could be described as a typical teenage boy loses girl saga, but they are backed with some ghostly spine tingling harmonies that could never be recreated, ESPECIALLY with the advancements of modern technology.  Maybe it was the luck of the draw, but these boys really hit the nail on the head.  The thumping bass and drums are matched with an absolutely killer lead guitar that has a distinct surf leaning, provided by none other than a Mosrite guitar.  This surf sound is further explored on the instrumental 'Nightmare' which is found on the flipside.  Original guitarist/vocalist Tony Barca uploaded both tracks to Youtube a few years back and provided some great information about the origins of the band:

"Contrary to the said origin of Crescent , NY. The Band was from Farmingdale, NY. A small Long Island Community that offered up some great young talent.
The band very was heavily influenced by The Ventures. Then came the British invasion which really lit our fire. Although the Beatles had a lot to do with us moving forward as a band .. The Kinks and The Zombies really influenced the creativity and the sound of our original songs. Seems they stretched the boundaries a bit more at that time. That's what accounts for the sound of of the band. Those Mosrite guitars really sound unique.....

The Crescent Six From Farmingdale , NY recorded as a band from 1964- 1966.. Managed by Simmons & Evans Productions... We played in Greenwich Village at The Night Owl Cafe, Upstairs at the Downstairs, The Village Gate and on Long Island at My House in Plainview and at the short lived Murray the K's World. Those were very exciting days for such young guys.. My father used to roadie for us until I got my drivers license..... We also played at the NY State Pavilion at the Worlds Fair. In 1966 we did a record company show at Farmingdale HS and were received like returning stars."

THE SYNDICATE - THE EGYPTIAN THING / SHE HAUNTS YOU, DECEMBER 1965

The Syndicate's 'Egyptian Thing' is certainly celebrated within garage circles.  A killer tune for sure, but I'm here to talk about the less mentioned flip side and all time personal fave 'She Haunts You'.  One that will forever live in the back of my moody mind.  There are many merits within this record worthy of discussion.  I could mention the thumping bass, the searing tremolo guitar, the ghostly backing vocals, the ultra cool 60's teenage vibes and lyrics, the list goes on.  The sounds captured here exist as a time capsule which can never be replicated.  The limitations of mid 60's recording studios certainly play a role in this, as no modern technology is capable of replicating this sound no matter how many pieces of vintage gear you may acquire...

This nifty reproduction can be had for $10 at the moment which leaves me with a big smiley face knowing how much you would have to pay for an original copy (if you ever found one).  It probably even sounds better than the worn out copy someone bought for $500.

THE TURTLES "LET THE COLD WINDS BLOW"

'Let the cold winds blow against the human race'

The Turtles rule.  This sentiment is thoroughly demonstrated on their 1965 debut 'It Ain't Me Babe' which is loaded with folk rocking garage wallopers.   Forget the Dylan covers though and dig into some album tracks such as 'Let The Cold Winds Blow', a killer Howard Kaylan Original with lyrics that are just as relevant today as they were 50 years ago.

THE KINKS - SEE MY FRIENDS / NEVER MET A GIRL LIKE YOU BEFORE, JULY 1965

I'm excited to bring my first Kinks post to the blog, and it comes at quite a fitting time as this record was first released around this time in July nearly 50 years ago!

See My Friends' first hit the streets in the UK during the summer of '65 and though it was not a smash hit it received considerable recognition on the charts.  The tune is often labeled as an early example of 'raga rock' with it's subtle eastern like guitar drone.  Some even go as far as to say it was the first rock song to integrate indian raga sounds.  I won't make any arguments, but I will say it's a damn fine song and worthy of discussion.  The song is often titled 'See My Friend' due to a misprint on the original UK label.  The record wouldn't see release in the US until late September where it essentially flopped.

On the flip side we have 'Never Met A Girl Like You Before', a simple uptempo rocker with that early Kinks charm.

THE BYRDS - TURN! TURN! TURN! / SHE DON'T CARE ABOUT TIME, OCTOBER 1965

This post is dedicated to the Gene Clark b-side 'She Don't Care About Time', but first I'd like to pay respect to the hit single.  Since it's release (nearly 50 years ago) 'Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)' has proven to be a poster child of the 1960's scene getting all sorts of coverage from the mainstream media.  It's also likely to be the song most 'squares' identify the Byrds with.  Due to these facts I'm sure a lot of folks label the song as 'overrated' and such, but I'm here to stand behind the jangle and glowing harmonies and give it all the credit it deserves.  As far as cover songs and adaptations go there is no finer than present here.  'Turn' was the Byrds second (and last) number one single in the US, topping the charts for three weeks in late 1965... 

'She Don't Care About Time', originally exclusive to this 45 RPM release is a should've been hit earning this record classic double sider status.  Roger McGuinn's guitar leads (modeled after Bach's 'Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring') provide a luminous backdrop to Gene Clarks brilliant lyrics concerning triumphant love and adoration.  Backed by the majestic harmonies of the original lineup this piece earns it's status as a timeless and essential piece of the Byrds' illustrious catologue.

THE BEAU BRUMMELS - JUST A LITTLE / THEY'LL MAKE YOU CRY, APRIL 1965

Ultra-cool pair of early British Invasion inspired folk rock tunes by San Francisco's Beau Brummels.  'Just A Little' was the groups highest charting single peaking at #8 on Billboard in June 1965.  Sal Valentino provides a cool-as-ice vocal delivery in each of these tunes, and I particularly dig the electric guitar break in 'Just A Little'.  Simple garage technique is just as compelling for me as anything else, and this is a prime example.  Better fifty years late than never!

THE DOVERS - WE'RE NOT JUST ANYBODY (SIDE 1), 1965

I'm kicking off the new year with one of the crown jewels in my collection; The Dovers singles collection issued by Misty Lane Records in 2001.  These recordings have proven to be a most influential part of my musical upbringing and one of my greatest discoveries.  I've easily listened to this set hundreds of times over the ensuing years and continue to get fully wrapped up in the excellence of each track.  This post will focus on side 1 which compiles the two singles released in the latter half 1965.  I'll leave it to the experts to provide the details.

Here's part one of the article/interview insert conducted by Mike Markesich with original band member Bruce Clawson:

Bruce Clawson can recall the exact time frame for when the rock & roll bug flew in his ear...

"I was a freshman in high school.  A rock & roll combo performed during an assembly, and I was blown away!  I thought right then that looked like the cool thing to do."

So, circa 1960, Bruce began entering the world of rock & roll via various groups, all of which lasted seconds, if not minutes, the typical norm of the day.  His first "real" band saw Bruce on lead guitar, along with his pal Alex Nova on keyboards, accompanied by other members, names eroded by time.  This grouping found regular gigging opportunities at the two high schools in their home town of Santa Barbara, California, namely Santa Barbara High and San Marcos High.  By the time Bruce graduated in 1963, he became a co-founder of a combo dubbed the Van Dels, which included Tony Rivas, a big, burly teen affectionately christened "Goosey" by friends.  Performing what is now dubbed "frat-rock" by the garage cognoscenti, along with the instrumental sounds so in vogue for the day, the Van Dels became a popular combo for parties, dances, and record hops.  A year later, the Van Dels acquired Rick Morinini to man the drum seat for the group..  "He was just a baby," recalled Bruce.  "A freshman in high school.  Rick came by the garage where we rehearsed, sat in, and impressed us.  My friend from school, Randy Busby, who I wanted to get into the group had joined the Orosco Brothers, who became the town's most popular combo, Ernie & The Emperors."

A change was on the horizon, thanks to a chain of events which typify the times... Tony Rivas introduced the group to a local Hispanic tough (as Bruce described him) named Tim Granada, who brought along his well-to-do pal Robbie Ladewig.  In turn, Robbie knew a local hipster with cash and connections named Tony Cary.  "Tony wanted to be the next Phil Spector, or Andrew Loog Oldham.  He financed his own record label, made friends with some session guys in Los Angeles, and recorded a single on his own which bombed.  He couldn't play a musical instrument, so Tony decided to check us out."  The 'us' in question was now the grouping of Bruce on lead guitar, Tim on lead vocals/rhythm guitar, Robbie on bass, Tony Rivas providing harmony vocals as well as saxophone, and the youngster Rick on drums.  Cary came by, liked what he heard, and agreed to manage the group, renamed by Cary as the Dovers.  "I hated that name, we all thought it sucked," lamented Bruce.  "Tony Cary told us to adopt a name that sounded British.  I think we were all to lazy to bother coming up with a name ourselves."

It is interesting to note that all of the guys in the group had graduated from high school at this juncture; only Rick was still yet to graduate (class of 1966).  Bruce himself had gotten a job (a map maker), and was already married, his wife expecting a child.  Tim and Goosey also held down day jobs, while Robbie, the son of affluent parents, hung out with Cary, and began experimenting with (egad!) drugs.  rehearsals where often interrupted for a "break" which sometimes included smoking grass.  Bruce reflected: "I was a newbie to drugs at that point.  I was always a curious sort, I'd try anything once.  Goosey and Rick, they were clean cut guys.  I tried to get the others to cool it while they were around."  Neverless, the beginnings of a faction within the Dovers began to take hold, and the group hadn't even begun to record as of yet.  The Dovers relied on Cary to get them gigs, but according to Bruce, all Tony was interested in was "...driving around LA in his Continental and going to parties." 

Whenever Cary did attend a group rehearsal, he strove to get the guys to perform sould and R&B sounds: "We played, at that point, a lot of Beatles, some of the bluesy Rolling Stones tunes, any of the British Invasion type stuff.  Then here comes Cary, always critical of our selections and playing anyway, and he pressures us to go in another direction.  We in turn kept telling him what we really needed was to make a record."  Cary finally acquiesced, and told the guys to come up with some original material.  Tim came up with the sublime "What Am I Going To Do," which utilized Goosey's high harmony vocal range.  The Dovers worked on the song at rehearsals, which became established at the mansion of Robbie's parents.  Bruce remembers: "Robbie's parents had BUCKS!  He lived in this estate, a mansion which all of us 'poor boys' couldn't relate to.  really swank.  We had one whole wing of the place to keep our equipment and rehearse."

With "What Am I Going To Do" taking shape, Bruce struggled to pen his first 'real composition, titled "She's Gone" :  "I really had a hard time with that one.  I had the music, it needed a little something, which the guys helped out with (the bridge part).  Then I came up with simplistic words."  Cary then booked some studio time down in Los Angeles at the famed Gold Star Studios in the summer of 1965.  The guys recorded both of their originals, along with possibly 4 or 5 other tunes.  Bruce seems to recall other tunes cut at this session, but isn't sure.  He does remember watching Jim Messina work the board, engineering the session, then during a break, playing some of his own stuff for them.  Cary noted upon playback that "What Am I Going To Do" needed some keyboards to fill it out, but since he wasn't good enough to play, the talents of a jazz session player named David Wilson were tapped.  Satisfied with the results, Cary sent the master tape off to Monarch pressing, while Bruce got his mom, a professional graphic artist, to design the cool-looking updated Miramar record label logo.  (Note: The first record to display the new logo was the Road Runners "I'll Make It Up To You", on Miramar 116 released in August).

In mid September, the records arrived back from Monarch, and Cary immediately fired off his copies to his buddies in radio, namely on Johnny Fairchid, a disc jockey at KTMS in Santa Barbara.  On the local level, "She's Gone" sold well, and battled the other local guys, Ernie and The Emperors, who had a regional hit breaking with the Gerry and The Pacemakers inspired "Meet Me At The Corner".  But "She's Gone" failed to break out of Los Angeles despite some success there.  The Dovers began to feature both songs at live shows, which according to Bruce, "were few and far in between  ...especially for somebody that needed the money.  We all wanted to make the band more than just a fun thing, but Cary wasn't a good influence there.  Seems Cary and his buddy Robbie were hanging out on the strip quite a bit, and getting more immersed in the drug scene."

On the upbeat side, since Ernie and company's disc did so well for the Reprise label, albeit at a regional level, the Dovers found their next release picked up by the big label a couple of weeks after it appeared on Miramar.  Again at Goldstar, the two tunes recorded were the jangly, ebullient "I Could Be Happy" countered with the haunting, downtrodden "People Ask Me Why", both tunes again courtesy of the neighborhood tough guy, Tim Granada.  Rick recalls overdubbing the drum parts on "People" to give the tune added dynamic tension.  The guys were elated with the results, and the disc came out on Cary's Miramar label in November.  But none of them even knew the record was picked up by Reprise, at least in the beginning; "We never met anybody from the Reprise label.  We took no promo pictures or anything," said Bruce.  Regarding photos, it seems any surviving pictures of the Dovers are as rare as those of Robert Johnson!  Bruce does recall that Robbies older brother did take quite a few pictures of the group, but none of them can be found.

THE TURTLES - IT AIN'T ME BABE / ALMOST THERE, JULY 1965

PLAY THIS ONE LOUD AND PROUD!  The Turtles debut 45 is a truly excellent pair of heavy hitters featuring that timeless garage/folk rock sound of 1965.  This may come a bit surprising if you are only familiar with their sunshine pop smash 'Happy Together' which would knock 'Penny Lane' out of the top spot for a few weeks in early 1967.  I'll get to that soon enough...