After the huge success of the previous post w/7" singles, here's seven more. To get serious, garage, no matter if it's first, second or fifth generation, if it's the original 60s' or the revivalist 80s' garage, is built on SONGS. Not LPs or CDs, but songs. The garage legends are built on the little 7"s which the bands themselves in most cases put out. Don't get me wrong: I'm not against albums, I'm just talking exclusively for the garage bands, not for other genres.
Cynics - You Painted My Heart/Sweet Young Thing (Dionysus ID8503)
This was their first official release, originaly came out in 1985 in Dionysus records, and later released on Gregg Kostelich's Get Hip label. The a-side is a Cynics original and the b-side is their version on Ed Cobb's 'Sweet Young Thing'. 'You Painted My Heart' is a garage anthem, instantly giving them the right to look the Remains or the Leaves streight in the eye.
The Cynics formed in 1984 in Pittsburgh, PA, and their first line-up were Gregg Kostelich (gtr), Bill von Hagen (drms), Mark Keresman (vcls) and Pam Reyner (bs). In 1985 Michael Kastelic joined on vocals, and the rest is history. The Cynics are active until today.
Mystic Eyes - My Time To Leave / From Above (Get Hip GH-102) First release (1988) for the Mystic Eyes with the great 'My Time To Leave' on the a-side with the 12-string guitar, the swirling organ and the strong vocals, and a 60s cover on the b-side. Mystic Eyes were from Buffalo, NY, lead by Bernard Kugel. They released a few singles and two LPs (Our Time To Leave, 1988 and The Whole World Is Watching Us 1995 both on Get Hip). Mystic Eyes mixed the folk-rock of the Byrds with the Farfisa organ and the rough guitars of the garage with great success.
Optic Nerve - Aint That A Man/Happy Ever After/Mayfair (Cryptovision CR-800) Another NY group, Optic Nerve featured Orin Portnoy from the Outta Place on bass, but their Rickenbacker sound was miles away from the fuzz-from-the-caves sound of Outta Place. Bobby Belifore, Optic Nerve's vocalist and lead guitarist must have been sleeping with his collection of Byrds and Dylan records for many years. Yet their songs are not copies of the originals. On the contrary, one could say that they stand beside them. Optic Nerve released two 7" EPs in the eighties and two albums in the nineties (with older recordings) and managed to make some songs which could have been written in 1966, but can be heard at anytime.
Brood - I Need You There/You Got Me (Get Hip 107) There's much music from the Brood from Portland, Maine in this blog, but I thing that they never again
captured on vinyl like on this single, especially on the non-LP b-side
'You Got Me'. In this track (the original, by the Prodigal, can be
found in Boulders vol.9) the garage rhythm of guitar, bass and drums
gets a psyche treat by the haunted farfisa and above all the teenage
voice of Chris Horne spits out all the energy and feelings like no
rich-and-famous rock star can. Just great.
Thee Cellar Dwellers - Dwellin'/Wonderin' Why (Get Hip GH-105) If these tracks from Thee Cellar Dwellers from Carlisle, PA could slip in some Pebbles volume, noone could ever knew it. Their sound is just the right garage-punk sound from 1966: raw, two-chord songs, cheap organ, plenty of fuzz and snarly vocals. This is their only release from 1987, except a track (Something To Say) which mysteriously popped-up in the 'Cat o'nine tails' cassette compilation of the Canadian fanzine What Wave.
Town Cryers - Girl With The Blue Sweater/What's Going On (Get Hip GH-114) From Fresno, CA, the Town Cryers would claim a point for being the only garage (or folk-garage) band, in the 80s at least, which sang about meeting a girl in the church! Although in the back cover of this 7' is written "we love you, of course we do...and we hope that you will love we too" their sound is more to the Byrds side with ringing guitars and pleasant organ. Their discography consists of this single and the 'In the cool part of town' LP, both released in 1990, on Get Hip.
Ten Tons of Lies - Seeds Of The Next Season/You Lie (Voxx 45-1008) And finally, a Los Angeles, CA band which wasn't a real band, but some folks from the famous Cavern Club. Greg Shaw wanted to start a 'Cavern Club Series' 7s, as it says on the label, but this was the first and only, from 1985. Vivid, naive, speedy and humorous teenager garage punk.Their drummer was a member of the Untold Fables.
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Brood - I Need You There/You Got Me
