In The Past: Garage Rock Podcast

 We chew on some bubblegum on this week’s episode: namely the 1910 Fruitgum Company and their 1968 confection "1,2,3 Red Light"  (1:13) . Music for the neglected tweenage market! Was bubblegum rebellious or counter-revolutionary? P(r)eppy vocals, circus organ, tight harmonies and bass, snappy drums and sexual innuendo! We give the original song the green light to go, go, go!!! The next p...

For Episode 60, we’re celebrating every garage rock fan’s favourite high holiday: All Hallow’s Eve! So we’ve assembled a pentagram of terrifying tunes - and ALL FIVE are about werewolves! The first bite comes from The Frantics (5:15). Their 1960 instro “Werewolf” evokes the chill of nighttime and the horror of human transformation with some Vincent Price-esque narration and many atmospheric effect...

Spokane’s favorite speedsters, the Jolly Green Giants take on Roy Lee Johnson’s 1963 R&B eponymous instructional dance song, “Busy Body” (1:34), the A-side of their sole single. The BPM's will make your body busy! A killer riff, cranked Fender amp and belligerent vocals place this suspect firmly in the Pacific Northwest in 1966. We also discuss backbone slippage and other horrible dancefl...

Take a lesson from THREE, who do The Stupidity!! Solomon Burke 1963 (1:31) A celebration of universal, life-affirming stupidity. You get hit with King Solomon’s voice and his band’s horns and it knocks you silly! As always, rock and roll dumbness leads to selfless, liberating transcendence: Erik & Weldon at their most philosophical on this one. The Undertakers  1964 (44:34) These underrated Li...

It's Canadian Thanksgiving, so get ready to be stuffed - with versions of "Keep on Running", that is. The appetizer is Jackie Edwards' original version (1:47). Or we think it's the original - a rare case where our intrepid hosts don't know it all! At any rate, this one is smooth and (rock)steady - JE isn't worried about not getting the girl. The main course is Sp...

The song that could be called the true rival of “Louie Louie”: there’s a lot of lore around this tune. 2:02 My Girl Sloopy – The Vibrations (1964) The original "Sloopy"! A live- ly song with a Latin flavour – the percussion is in your face and goes to your feet! We discuss the too-soon fadeout and the perennial Snoopy/Sloopy confusion. And what in the heck is a Slow Berns ? Find out here...

Warning: our latest episode may give some listeners a funny feeling, a fever, and even the chills. But don’t worry – it’s not Covid, it’s The Crystals ! More specifically, “Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby,” (1:49) the song you’ll hear if you capsize their 1961 single, “There’s No Other Like My Baby” (discussed in Episode 33).  A slow song that happens fast! Patsy Wright ’s charming, quavering vocals capture t...

Songs about the 1950s and 60s pop culture figure of the “beatnik" and their love of the roasted bean! The first cup is a strong one - "Café Bohemian” by the Enchanters (8:28): A mostly-instrumental song that evokes the weirdest, wildest joint you could ever imagine at nighttime. Think guys with eye-patches, strange women with long cigarette holders, and maybe even a jittery striped-shirt...

In our newest episode, we explain the greatness of “I Can’t Explain.” Obviously, we begin with The Who , and the original version from 1964 (1:26). It features a ‘gravedigger riff’ (a riff so good, garage bands have been digging it back up for years), but also Pete Townshend’s rhythm chops, and Keith Moon’s drums as a lead instrument. It’ll have you throwing shapes like a mid-60s London Mod! The n...

As you well know, 2021 is the Year of the Garage Rock Cha Cha! Therefore, this episode hones in on three great garage tunes from the Cha Cha record label out of 1960s Chicago.  The Hatfields set the pace for the race at (2:20) with their 1967  slab “The Kid from Cincy." Propulsive garage with a churning organ, machine gun drums, and great lyrics which get our full attention. Hats off to the H...

Hot take: the first five Bobbettes records are perfect rock’n’roll records. As proof, we give two 45s by these Harlem Queens a spin and it’s a sure bet their heps! will put some pep in your step. First up is 1957's familiar hit, "Mr. Lee" (2:00) Formerly a diss track, this one has pure rock ‘n’ roll joy! Guitar stings!! Ebullient backing vocals!!! It's an all-time great, but do...

We've made it to 50 episodes! To celebrate, we're presenting another chapter in our study of the world's greatest song, "Louie Louie" ... In 1964, The Angels (of "My Boyfriend's Back" fame) recorded a super-fun version, and it's one of the all-time best, with some great Jersey girl heys! and hos!, and a solid rock band backing them. The drummer even pay...

The latest instalment of our look at notable b-sides to singles we have previously discussed lets us talk about TWO "backtracks" to "Can't Seem to Make You Mine." The first flip-side is "Daisy Mae," which The Seeds released in 1965 (3:03). It's a 50s rocker, but it's so much more than a throwback throwaway! Unwholesome, manic, and boneheaded are words t...

In Episode 48, we go ape! The first in this week's troop of songs is the OG - the original "The Gorilla" - by none other than The Ideals ,  who had a hominid hit with the track back in 1962 (1:09). We present some wild theories; ask who is higher in the rock-roll hierarchy: monkeys or gorillas?, while also closely examining the song's elegant rhyme scheme and prosodic structure...

We really shoot our waddle this week: FOUR songs from the 60s about ducks and dancing! First up is "The Duck" from 1965 by Jackie Lee (1:20). We note the religious undercurrents to this seemingly frivolous ode to our feathered friends, and we also question if The Duck is the least (or most?) erotic dance ever. Next in line is The Autographs from the same year, and their wild waterfowl wi...

Recorded WAY back in March, in a late-night session: Michael Hurley ’s “Be Kind To Me” is a shaggy, shambling folk tune that fits in well with our tradition of playing “party in the studio” songs (1:59). It’s also the first song we’ve played with a mouth trumpet solo! We really get into the Dylan -y elements of the song, which is why it’s in our “It Ain’t Me, Bob” series. Don’t worry, we’re still...

Bobby Beaton and John Davis of The Gruesomes return to the show! They asked if they could talk about the garage classic "Don't Tread On Me" by Kit & The Outlaws (1:29), and by golly we said yes! They are meritorious music micro-analyzers, and they also point their mad scientist microscopes at two 80s versions by The Nomads (53:33)  and The Gravedigger Five (1:30:20) with a lot o...

We celebrate the long, lazy days of summer with a long frantic road trip of an episode – 4 songs, all from 1966, all about the joys of summer. Dip your toes into the water with the Englishmen and their bossa-influenced jangler “Summer Is Here” (2:10). After that smooth and silky introduction, “Let’s Go To the Beach” with Larry & the Loafers (33:10). Surfing is optional, partying is mandatory!...

As a supplement to Episode 42, we present a new series where we investigate and discuss a particularly obscure or noteworthy single: something that can’t be denied on both sides!! And what better way to start than with Norfolk, Virginia’s wildest girl group, the Azaleas ?! Side A is a blatant retread of Gary US Bonds’ 1961 non-hit, “Not Me”, retitled “Hands Off” (2:02). A crazy organ sound, lots o...

Back in 1961 - In The Past's favourite rock'n'roll year after 1966 - Gary U.S. Bonds released an amazing track called "Not Me", which due to the squares, never hit the Top 40 like it should have (1:17).  We celebrate this American road trip of a song while we revel in its "in the red" levels and the Virginia rebels behind the "Norfolk Sound." Later on,...

Wella Wella! Back in February we recorded three episodes in one night, and this is the one that has been sitting on the shelf the longest.  But it's still fresh as a daisy! in this installment of "Always a B-Side," we capsize the 1965 single by England's own The Little Darlings to hear the flip of their flop release, "Little Bit o' Soul" (discussed in Episode 18)...

It's almost summer, so let's get it started with a reality check: no AC, mosquitos, too many people at the beach, and the world's worst "summer song" ever: "Don't Be Shy" by Shwayze  and some other guy (1:15). Man, this song sucks. A terrible, awful raw machine drum sound that drills into your brain, stoner vocal fry from a 'singer' who sounds like...

In Part 2, we banter about the bands who have reached the 96th Tier (the highest echelon) of "96 Tears" cover versions.  First up is Zeus's favourite band, Los Thunder Boys from Costa Rica (1:08) . Their 1966 rendition is fast, surfy, and sans organ?!?!?! How do they get away with it? Well, the drummer has us ridin' the big wave of the Middle Eight, and we go gaga over the sing...

In this episode, we use the Socratic Method (and Google) to answer the Supreme Question : “What makes ‘96 Tears’ so good?” In Part 1, we soully focus on ? and the Mysterians original version, recorded & released in the peak garage rock year of 1966, and you can't spell 1966 without "96"! Among the many Mysterian mysteries we uncover is the correct pronunciation of the singer’s n...

How are you going to keep them down on the farm after they hear our show on “Bright Lights, Big City”? We start our tour with Jimmy Reed ’s 1961 original version (0:55), with the marital harmonies of Jimmy and Mama Mary Reed seeming to drift out of a divey, spit-and-sawdust saloon, punctuated by Earl Phillips’ startling cymbal crashes and Bill Putnam’s pleasing production. After we listen to the R...