This week we're talking The Zombies and their 1964 Bacharach-inspired number, "Tell Her No." These guys really stood out from the rest of the British pack because they added some nice jazz chords into their superb pop. Our favourite budget label, Nashville's "Hit Records", got some guys they called The Mummies into the studio in '65. The vocals are lugubrious and the unknown singer really ... er ... emphasizes the "oh"'s ... We unearth a garage version by some guys called The Stereo Shoestring who add a little muscle to the tune ... but after that - hoo boy! A couple of really patience-testing versions by some dirtbags called Smith and some Blood Sweat and Tears-wannabes called The Seven, who are not magnificent. Take them away!!

Hey rebels! Take a break from breakin' rocks in the hot sun to listen to our episode on "I Fought The Law"! The original is by The Crickets, just after Buddy Holly became a slice of American Pie. But we all know the Bobby Fuller Four stole the song and made it their own - no cop is going to haul them in for their version. Can the same be said for other 60s scofflaws  Sir Henry & His Butlers and She Trinity? Eventually, another daring heist was done by The Clash in 1979, and the Dead Kennedys actually hijacked the song around the same time for some pertinent San Fran social commentary! I guess our race is run!

John and Bobby from the Gruesomes join us for the umpteenth time!!! ... and we're talkin' about misogyny in 60s garage lyrics. Here's the jerkass tunes: "No Good Woman" by The Tree, "Be A Caveman" by The Avengers, and we also revisit "What a Girl Can't Do," except this time it's The Lyres' version. Were these guys the earliest incels? What were these macho morons thinking? It's about time we really investigated the misogynist tropes of our favourite 60s music ... 

Patron Saint of the Podcast Bo Diddley is up this week with his 1960 track "Road Runner," with cover versions by The Pretty Things, The Gants, The Liverbirds, and The Phantoms - those last 4 in a race for the coveted Bo Diddley Award. Meep meep!

Get ready to flop on the floor this week - we'll be doing the Alligator, as mentioned in "Land of 1,000 Dances"! The first in our animal menagerie is "Alligator Meat" by Charlie Singleton & His Orchestra from 1951, which sounds like Slim Gaillard if he rocked, rather than jazzed. After dinner, enjoy "Alligator Stomp" by The Rampages - a throwback rocker from 1964. That same year, "The 100 Mile An Hour Alligator" by The P.J. Murphy Quintet captured the ferocity and energy of the titular animal in a spiffy intro number. Frat-tastic! Next, The Dynamic Kapers offer us some "Alligator Wine" to wash down the gator meat. It's an early Leiber/Stoller tune! Before they kissed you all over in the 70s, Jimmy Stokley & The Exiles warned us it was "Alligator Time." It's even more salacious than their later paean to sex! We saved the best for last with "The Alligator" by The Us Four from Louisville, Kentucky. This song has it all, dual vocals, cool percussion, an upfront organ, and koool lyrics that implore you to forget all other dances! Dance this mess around!!

Let's get on our bikes and ride this weekend !!- we're talking about Tomorrow's 1967 psych classic, "My White Bicycle." A story of a rebellious youth flouting society's conventions, full of trippy headphone frolicking! Leviathan were the next act to take up the bike ... er ... song ... I guess the bell was broken by the time they got it? Nazareth actually had a hit with the song, but we wonder what the heck is going on with the vocals!? We could do without the bland 70s prog solo section, but your mileage may vary. A broken Axl, perhaps? We really like the version by Neil (aka Nigel Planer) from Brit tv's The Young Ones. This one really feels like a proper bike ride! It's got a Captain Sensible vibe - and it brings back the bell! The psych feel returns with Valentin Noiret's version, which adds some cool Kraut-rock elements. Ding ding!!

You're about to hear one of the most wounded garage rock tunes ever this week - "Point Five", by another group of Nomads, this one from Pennsylvania. There's something about this one that stands out - from the powerless vocals, to the poetic lyrics, to the awkward, amateurish, but compelling playing. We'd say it's one of a kind, but another Pa. band - the excellently named Adam & The Evils - did a version hot on the heels of the original. Their rendition is really different and brings us back to the origins of the podcast: comparing two versions of a cool garage rock tune and finding out what makes this kind of music special... add it all up for a great episode!

As a follow up to our "Dick Picks" episode, we have an embarassment of Riches this week - including Rick and The Raiders (the first record by Rick Derringer!), The Old Exciting Scot Richard Case, and more! 

After our episode on Minneapolis garage rock (#273, April 17, 2026), we discovered that another Gopher State band had recorded "Action Woman," and the vocal performance is even wilder than The Litter! We hearken to The Electras version line by line to analyze the madness, and I think we even throw in a bonus song!

A buncha songs by a buncha Dicks with some notable organ solos this week:  The Dick Watson Five (there were two bands with this name, only one with the titular Dick W.), Dick Roby (goin' solo from The Castaways, having his Lynn Easton moment), The Spats (featuring the doubly-phallic Dick Johnson), Dicky Treadway & The Salados, and some dirtbags from Michigan who called their band Dick Rabbit ... Workin'!!