I've been interested in the genre of garage rock for awhile now, but I've been having a difficult time finding bands that would be considered "pure" garage rock. To narrow the search down even more, I'm interested in the bands that formed around the late 60s to early 70s. While garage rock revivalists are certainly welcomed, I'm trying to find more of the original form. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You should check out MC5!

I have, but that type of garage rock isn't quite what I'm looking for. I was looking for garage rock bands more along the lines of the Seeds or Small Faces. I suppose rough sounding music with jangly guitars and expressive vocalists.

If you're looking for '60s garage rock, I'd recommend compilations from ? & the Mysterians, The Count Five, the Standells and the Sonics. You might also check out the "Nuggets" compilations. Much garage rock crosses over with psychedelic, if you like that combination, I recommend the 13th Floor Eleveators, Electric Prunes, Chocolate Watch Band and again, the Nuggets sets, especially their '60s box set.

Bomp Records offers a great many garage and psych records (though if available, probably cheaper on amazon marketplace). And let me recommend garage punk forum where they live and breath garage rock (I've picked up way too much great stuff those garage-heads have recommended and I've dumped a few recommendations on them in return).

A great garage rock revivalist band I usually like to pimp about once a year is Reigning Sound. Time Bomb High School is one of my favorite albums of the 00s

I just checked out Reigning Sound and their awesome, I already love this thread.

Another great garage rock site with all sorts of sounds and info is The Garage .

A fantastic new garage rock band is The Time Flys on Birdman records. They have a new album out soon and I can't wait.

quote:

Originally posted by crazed:
If you're looking for '60s garage rock, I'd recommend compilations from ? & the Mysterians, The Count Five, the Standells and the Sonics. You might also check out the "Nuggets" compilations. Much garage rock crosses over with psychedelic, if you like that combination, I recommend the 13th Floor Eleveators, Electric Prunes, Chocolate Watch Band and again, the Nuggets sets, especially their '60s box set.

Nuggets covers the US garage rock craze, while Nuggets II covers non-US bands. Both are essential garage rock sets.

There's also a Children of Nuggets set which covers followers of the garage sound through the 1990s. It's really good, too.

Along with the bands mentioned by crazed, I'd recommend The Litter, The Shadows of Knight, Nazz, the Beau Brummels, The Creation, the Pretty Things, The Move, The Action, The Easybeats, and Os Mutantes.

Thanks for the help guys; that Garage website has a TON of music, muchos gras.

The Chocolate Watchband -
(Formed in 1965)

The Chocolate Watchband was a mod-outfitted garage punk unit par excellence, their sound founded on English-style R&B with a special fixation on the Rolling Stones at their most sneering. After hooking up with producer Ed Cobb, a former member of the 1950s vocal ensemble the Four Preps, the group released No Way Out in mid-1967, though the Watchband had already begun breaking up. A new incarnation carried them through 1967, though the band's existence as a viable performing unit were all but over. The group's producers had other ideas, however, releasing two more albums (The Inner Mystique, One Step Beyond) in 1968 and 1969 , sporting the band's name but not too much else associated with the group.

Modern Rock - The Strokes

The Nuggets album is the way to go. It is now a 4 CD affair. I had the original set many years ago and the added tracks are fab.

If I could add one great band that hasn't been mentioned it would be the Remains (aka Barry and the Remains). Epic just reissued their self-titled record from 1966.

And another great garage band (who also happens to be from Boston) would be the Lyres.

I don't think those three Nuggets box sets can be recommended enough.

I have to agree with Maximum Jack, The Remains are a great Garage Rock band, as are The Seeds (if you like to fall towards the psychadelic side). My Band, Bloody Tourists, have been pigeon-holed in 'Garage Rock' (a cross between MC5 and The Stooges). I've put our debut album up on the website to listen to for free. What do you reckon? Garage rock?

Speak soon

My favorite new garage rock/garage punk acts of the '00s are BBQ, King Khan (and their collaborations with BBQ) and the Riff Randells. There've been several excellent garage rock albums this year, notably from the acts I've mentioned as well as Mark and the Spies, the Cynics and recently reunited Stems. Screaming Apple Records often release killer albums from European garage rock acts. Albums that are always worth hunting down.

quote:

Originally posted by crazed:
There've been several excellent garage rock albums this year, notably from . . . Cynics

Speaking of the Cynics, one of my favorite all-time garage rock records is their 12 Flights Up which came out in 1988 and was reissued and expanded in 1990 and retitled to 16 Flights Up. I'll have to track down the new one. Is that pretty much the same line-up?

Only two members from the 1988 Cynics line-up remain- Gregg Kostelich on guitar and Michael Kastelic on vocals. These two founding members have been, for the most part, the chief songwriters of the band since the beginning. The Cynics added some folk-rock elements to their music beginning with 1994's excellent Get Our Way. I think the new one tops that disc and is their best Get Hip release.

Probably not news to you Crazed, but I picked up The Chesterfield Kings' The Mindbending Sounds of . . . today, which was reissued this year on Wicked Cool. It originally came out in 2003, but I missed it somehow. One time through and it is already making a good case for my top 5 reissues of 2007.

quote:

Originally posted by Maximum Jack:
Probably not news to you Crazed, but I picked up The Chesterfield Kings' The Mindbending Sounds of . . . today, which was reissued this year on Wicked Cool. It originally came out in 2003, but I missed it somehow. One time through and it is already making a good case for my top 5 reissues of 2007.

That is a great album, MJ. And stupid me, I still haven't picked up the Kings latest cd, "Psychedelic Sunrise". But I will, soon.

There's a great must-have garage dvd, "Knights of Fuzz", featuring videos of and interviews with garage bands of the '80s and '90s. Both the Chesterfield Kings and Cynics are featured as well as the Miracle Workers, Plasticland, Marshmallow Overcoat and maybe my favorite band of that era, the Fuzztones. I can't promote this baby enough and I should have earlier. A better description is in the reviewer section at amazon- Knights of Fuzz: Garage and Psychedelic Music

I think Parasol and Darla is selling this too, maybe cheaper than amazon.

Jesus, I've been spending a lot of time over at the Little Hits blog. If you haven't come across it, it is quite simply the best music blog on the web. They do not dabble exclusively in Garage, but I did run across this amazing Australian nugget from 1987. The band was GOD and the single is "My Pal." Here's a link. The Cleaners From Venus is pretty cool, but scroll on down for some garage rock mayhem.

Little Hits