In The Past: Garage Rock Podcast

I guess this could be a Canada Day Long Weekend Special? The song this week is "The Cat Came Back," a song written in the 1890s by a Tin Pan Alley songwriter but made famous by a Canuck. The first version is by Sonny James, a country dude who picks n grins his way through this Goofy Great. The man, the myth Fred Penner didn't pen the song, but people think he did. So let's call it Canadian! His version is wild ... and it's for the kids, so there's extra meows. Does it fade out into "Break on Through" by The Doors? It's a chlling tale of psychopathy, either way. The third in the litter is by Sweden's Stomachmouths, who combine the song with "Hit The Road Jack" and add some proper piano and clothespin-on-nose vocals. Stefan Kery really hits those 3's! This is the one to turn the wee ones onto garage rock. We were going to do a surf version by The Phantom Surfers but technical problems scuppered that - That Darn Cat!!!

This week we buzz awhile about Slim Harpo's 1957 concoction, "I'm a King Bee." A slow and syrupy groove, a slightly sinister mood, and drums which sound like someone's hammerin' a nail. Even the harmonica solo sounds like it's emerging out of the swamp! 7 years later, the song travelled from the Bayou to the Thames and The Rolling Stones beeswaxed the song. Apparently, this song is the first appearance of a fretless bass, which will lead to a very strange bonus episode later. In 1965, The Bad Seeds found the song in their bonnet and man, is their version great. It sounds like The Cramps about 12 years ahead of schedule. Finally, our friends  The Coachmen (see Episode 117) join the hive to make a very different, primitive-sounding groove. Kill your lawn, people!!

It's always good to hear The Coasters, and this week we're studying their Goofy Great, "I'm a Hog For You." Written by Leiber/Stoller, loaded with A-pluses, hogsnort sax work, with a one-note guitar solo - this'll make you happier than pig in poopy! The second swine is by The Deejays, a bunch of British piggies who went to Sweden and waxed the track with added Mersey madness in 65. Bug music with great "yeah's" ... and we pick the best one as a side bet! The third porker in the pigpen is by The Groupies, the Bside of "Primitive" - garagers rejoice!! This one is like a Joe Meek / Strangeloves hybrid, and that means it's great. Slop time for Pastronauts!!

Three versions of "Hey Joe"! But they're all by The Leaves!! The first one is chaotic, the second one is cleaner, the third one is canonical (Nuggets)- but which one blows OUR minds the most? Listen in to hear the song's lore, including the suspicious "original" demo, and more. It's a wild tale, and a wild tune.

Back with another one of those block-rocking themes! All of this episode's songs center on laughter, but very few of our subjects this week seem too mirthful. The first funny guy is "Ho Ho Rock n' Roll" by Peter Roberts & Sid Ramin. This 1956 tune is mostly instrumental, featuring the goofy guffaws of broadcaster PB set to a "Las Vegas Grind" arrangement. The second stand up song is "Laughing at Me" by Barbara J & The Silver Slippers. A sweet, if paranoid doo-wop/girl group number that introduces the motif of schadenfreude to the assembled students. Next up is "Laugh Laugh" by The Beau Brummels, an undisputed 60s classic and a textbook example of BUG MUSIC!! We're in the garage for the next two: "I'll Laugh at You" by The Jesters from 1966 and appropriately, "The Last Laugh" by The Cholos. It was only a theme!!

The very first Righteous Brothers release was "Little Latin Lupe Lu" in '62. It has a slight rockabilly/surf feel, with the great vocals we came to expect, plus the immortal love song line, "She's My Mash Potato Baby"! In 1964, our frat friends The Kingsmen trashed the song, a la "Louie Louie." It's clubfooted, stiffarmed, not soulful, and great. We follow that up with two versions by TWO Dimensions! The first one from Chicago, with some tetanus tambo, and the second a NC band who waxed the track in 65, and it's a hot-footin' verzh fer sher. We also feature a hearsecore rendition from 66 by The Morticians and Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels hit version, that you heard all about in "High Fidelity" - shake it shake it!!

This week, we take on one of the greatest "she done me wrawng" songs of all time - "Bad Little Woman" by The Wheels. We analyze the religious slant of the song written by these Northern Ireland velocity boys - is the singer's woman dating the literal devil?? Wild screams, a sparking organ, a malevolent atmosphere - this must have went over gangbusters at Belfast's Maritime Hotel on a stormy night. The American version of the song was credited to Wheel-a-Ways, and it's a totally different take/bake. It has what the Japanese call kagerou - "heat haze", or what the Great British Baking Show call "rough & ready." Cultural references! We also discuss cool versions by The Shadows of Knight and The U-Men. Who'll win the coveted BDA? The Lord only knows ...

Did The Tymes come up with their 1963 hit "So Much In Love" by repurposing the official song of the United States Army? That's Erik's theory, and we talk about it as well as the tune as doo-wop's "swan song" -its gentle and elegaic quality serves also as a goodbye to a more innocent era. Later in the 60s, Cleveland's The Munx did a bombing raid on the song, which belongs firmly in the "music for squares" camp. Luckily, in 1971, The Persuasions performed a pretty, and very masculine acappella version which set things right. In 1982, Was/Not Was's Sweet Pea Atkinson went for a wavey walk with the song before he walked the dinosaur later in the decade. Finally, in the 90s, All-4-One did the horniest version of the song, but kept the doo a woppin'! Wee-ooh-wee-ooh!

At In The Past,  we always take things to the next level - some people are still satisfied with "Name That Tune," but we've invented "Name That Vid!" In this episode, your hosts read the Wikipedia descriptos of notable music videos, and  try to guess which tune it belongs to. If you grew up in the MTV/Much Music Generation, then you better think quick! As always, the boys use the premise to astutely analyze the past as we ponder the future...

We've weathered several recessions and a pandemic, but there's an ever-present threat of ... Green Fuz. It all started back in 1968, when The Green Fuz had everything go wrong at the Crossroads Cafe in Bridgeport, Texas, and there's been several sightings of the escaped mold spores ever since. The original is primo primitive, a legendary tune amongst the garage gang - just ask your local weirdo with a Prince Valiant haircut. But why is there a Max Roach solo in there? We of course discuss the version by The Cramps, and we throw in a spaghetti western adaptation by The Lemonheads, plus there's a Farsi-language version by Habibi! You better run!!