In the 80's there did'nt appear to be much interest in getting any of the original Garage, Psych or early Heavy Rock bands from The 60's back together. Many of the bands that did reform then came on like bar bands. That situation has changed in the past 20 years, tho' it can't always go as you'd want it to. Some, like most recently, The Sloths, are coming through like champs. I'll bore you, soon enough, with my opinions, but if there's anything you want to share on the subject, please do. This discussion, if it gets off the ground, is not limited to American bands, OK?

FORESOOTH , FIVESOOTH , EE -VUN ! THE SECT ARE A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE , BECAUSE THEY SWING WITH THE HOLY TRINITY - BO , MUDDY , AND CHUCK. THROW IN JIMMY REED TO SUPERSIZE THE WHOLE DEAL, AND HEAVENS TO MURGETROID !!!! IT'S LIKE 1963 , BUT , OUR FIRST HANDSOME PRESIDENT IS'NT ASSASSINATED.

I SAW SKY TWICE . FIRST TIME , UNBELIEVABLY GOOD. SECOND TIME , WELL....IT WAS A GOOD PARTY , ANYWAY. I WOULD'NT STEER ANYONE TOWARD THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT. SOHNS DID'NT WANT TO DO ANY OF THEIR ALBUM CUTS FOR YEARS. I HEARD LITTLE STEVEN HAD TO GIVE HIM WHAT FOR , TO DO ANY OF 'EM AT ALL , WHEN THE SOK TOURED FOR THE UNDERGROUND GARAGE. THE REMAINING CHICAGOBANDS ARE ALL STRICTLY FAIR CIRCUIT , THO' I DID SEE THE NEW COLONY SIX DO AN ALL - GARAGE SET, TWO YEARS AGO , AND IT WAS FANTASTIC.

I SAW THEE MIDNITERS AT THE PONDEROSA STOMP WITH GREGORY SINGING , AND THEY KILLED !  ? AND THE MYSTERIANS NEVER FAIL. RICHARD BERRY COUNTS , IN THAT HE WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS. I SAW RUDY RAY TRYING TO CROSS OVER , BACK INTO SINGING , BUT , HE SANG OVER A CD , EVEN WHEN THEY SUPPLIED HIMWITH AN ACE FUNK GROUP, THE  CROWN ROYALS.  I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE ABOUT THE ALARM CLOCKS , WAILERS , TRASHMEN , AND MONKS . I HAVE'NT SEEN THE SONICS , BUT , JUST LOOKING AT YOU TUBE CLIPS , I DON'T KNOW WHY PEOPLE WHO HAVE , COMPLAIN SO MUCH.  I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT THEIR TICKETS , IF I COULD HAVE BEEN TRANSPORTED 1000 , 2000 , 10, 000 MILES FROM HERE ,WHERE THEY USUALLY PLAY. 

Here's some of the 60s acts I've seen that have been GREAT:

? & the Mysterians (every time was amazing and a religious experience)
The Monks
The Sonics
The Wailers
The Trashmen
Thee Ambertones
Mark & the Escorts
Thee Midniters (when they have Little Willie G)
The Downliners Sect (a religious experience for me)
Rudy Ray Moore playing his 50s R&B stuff
The Premiers
The Heartbreakers (60s East LA band)
Richard Berry (does he count? Was AWESOME when I saw him in the early 90s)
The Sloths
The Alarm Clocks

Awful:

The Standells in the late 80s/early 90s
Sky Saxon (in the early 2000s)
Shadows of Knights
Strawberry Alarm Clock

IF ANYONE'S STILL READING THIS......I JUST GOT THE WORD THAT THE ELECTRIC PRUNES HAVE DECIDED TO STAY TOGETHER. AFTER BASSIST , MARK TULIN , PASSED AWAY , THE BAND , UNDERSTANDABLY , LAY LOW , AND DID'NT ANNOUNCE THEIR FUTURE PLANS.

PLANS ARE NOW UNDERWAY TO BEGIN PERFORMING AGAIN , AND , HOPEFULLY , TO RETURN TO THE STUDIO. THEY'VE DONE THREE CDS SINCE REFORMING , AND EACH ONE MAKES AN ASS OUT OF THE MAJORITY OF CONTEMPORARY GARAGE/PSYCH RELEASES.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR 

Yes , Dieter (Sorry , maybe that's not his name.), I think , asked me for a comment , before the show . I just said , no one knows what's going to happen , but , that I had a great feeling about it , then , I said "Y2K IST monk Time !!". Shoulda been the name of the movie. Oh , well.
 
Jersey City Mods said:

We've been to many Cavestomps and seen most of the bands already mentioned but the one that sticks most in my mind was the Monks.  Not only was the show fabulous, but they (and their wives) were great fun to hang with at the bar.  Glad part of it was captured in the doc "Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback".

mAN , TOUGH BREAK....i KNOW jAN sAVAGE PLAYED WITH sKY AND tHE sEEDS FOR A WHILE. I saw them twice , and it was Sky Saxon backed by The Wooly Bandits . They sounded great . Sky was in great voice in Las Vegas , 2003 . They played here a few months later , and someone offered to get sky HIGH (I won't say who , he's a friend. It just was'nt a great move , like when another friend got Arthur Lee plowed on White Russians before his show , 10 years earlier. Arthur sounded beautiful. He did half a set.) .....Sky was singing in keys not known to man !! But , it was still fun , in spite of it all. Sky Saxon was a sweetheart , man. You accepted him on his terms , or not at all....

I heard The Prunes' UK gigs were'nt very good. Now , I find that hard to believe , because they're definitely in my top five , but , even the official DVD , while good , does'nt sound as good as they did when I saw them....
 

But , if you're in the USA , now (And , welcome.) , you'll have more chances to see QUESTION MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS , THE GREATEST ROCK AND ROLL BAND IN THE WORLD , BAY BAY !!!!!!  Those are his words , but  , you know he ain't lyin'.

As for The Sect , They never fail ! UH HUH , EE- VUN ! FORESOOTH, FIVESOOTH , ALREADY !!                     sORRY YOU MISSED the monks . They were who they were , so they were still great.....You could'nt expect it to sound like the record. This was'nt even supposed to happen , and yet , it did. Their wives , incidentally , were all real sweethearts , too.
 hicksville hogwash said:

Saw The Seeds well more like The Warts I think they were called with Sky singing.  I love the seeds so much I did not want the dream of seeing them live ruined, it was a good dream too, anyway the chance to catch Jan Savage playing one string persuaded me to go...  unfortunately Jan Savage had quit the tour so I got Sky and The warts... now these young warts dudes were excellent... sky was well sky.

So then we went to see The Electric Prunes original line up....  well the night I went the droning wahwahwahwahwahwawawawawawaw guitar player was sick, thanks to a curry in Birmingham, uk so we got a half decent event with the rhythm guitar dude embarrassingly trying to cover for the lack of the weird pruney sounds... It was OK but not great.

The Downliners Sect were another matter 8/10 and crane played the same guitar as I owned (a framus nashville) with a few headcoats filling in for missing downers.

Missed ? & mysterions I was outside but couldn't get in...  had a courier job at the time and was going through London so detoured in hope I could use synchrinicity and just get in with no money...lol.

Also missed The Monks who played the day before I moved to uSA...  so sad about that one.

Does Bo Diddley count as reformed??  anyhow 10/10 is my grade for Bo.

Saw The Seeds well more like The Warts I think they were called with Sky singing.  I love the seeds so much I did not want the dream of seeing them live ruined, it was a good dream too, anyway the chance to catch Jan Savage playing one string persuaded me to go...  unfortunately Jan Savage had quit the tour so I got Sky and The warts... now these young warts dudes were excellent... sky was well sky.

So then we went to see The Electric Prunes original line up....  well the night I went the droning wahwahwahwahwahwawawawawawaw guitar player was sick, thanks to a curry in Birmingham, uk so we got a half decent event with the rhythm guitar dude embarrassingly trying to cover for the lack of the weird pruney sounds... It was OK but not great.

The Downliners Sect were another matter 8/10 and crane played the same guitar as I owned (a framus nashville) with a few headcoats filling in for missing downers.

Missed ? & mysterions I was outside but couldn't get in...  had a courier job at the time and was going through London so detoured in hope I could use synchrinicity and just get in with no money...lol.

Also missed The Monks who played the day before I moved to uSA...  so sad about that one.

Does Bo Diddley count as reformed??  anyhow 10/10 is my grade for Bo.

I'm  pretty dead cert Easton never rejoined in any official capacity (But , they must be paying HIM to use the name , unless it was proven in court that what he did was ...um...a tad dishonest.)....But , the guy in the one MTV video did look and sound like him , and I've seen what Ely looked like at the time , too....Was'nt him...But , as I say , it was a one off with most of the original band members for  "Closet Classics" , which was actually a very good show. That WAS our You Tube , in the 80's ! I read , much later , they did a special live show for Closet Classics with Mitch  Ryder , Arthur Brown and Blue Cheer......Wish I'd seen and taped THAT. I had the Kingsmen clip , but, the tape broke , years ago.......
 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

I think Dick Peterson wanted out from behind the drums when the times were changing and the style he was best at wasn't in demand anymore.  For quite a while during the 90s, whoever it was that replaced Don Galluci on keys played but he played rhythm guitar instead.  If Lynn Easton ever did rejoin in the 80s, I'm not aware of it but I don't think he ever has.

John Battles said:

I BELIEVE THAT...Dickie Peterson (No relation to The Late Dickie Peterson of Blue Cheer.)Is'nt , or was'nt a bad singer....I have that weird "Bo Diddley Bach " 45 , which must have been one of their last...  When the reformed Kingsmen did that "Louie Louie" video for MTV , don't take my word for it , but , I could swear Lynn Easton was singing , and Don Galucci playing keyboards...It was a one - off thing , but , since The Kingsmen were still active , I assumed Lynn was back with the band....While it's true , Jack Ely was the original singer, I think of Easton as their frontman....He obtained the rights to the name by being the only member , of age, to sign the necessary papers. That's a very , very old and cheap trick.

I saw the band on an Oldies special. I think it was just Dickie and Mike Mitchell , original Guitarist. I would'nt care , if they got the sound and songs right !
 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

I saw them play in 1989 which was my first time.  I remember they did "Gloria" and they were proud to announce that they did "Twist and Shout" before the Beatles (which technically isn't true but they didn't know that;as far as they knew, Beatles' came out in '65) but then proceeded to play it like the Beatles version instead of the caveman style they did on their album.  Lynn Easton quit in early '67 and has never rejoined them.  Dick Peterson actually sang their last two or three singles.

John Battles said:

Oh , man. They did "Love Me Two Times" when I saw them , and that was '86  or '87. They DID have a keyboard , which IS part of their sound , but , no Lynn Easton, also a part of their sound. It was mainly "Big Chill" Oldies covers. Virtually no Frat Rock covers OR originals (Or just songs associated with them.). They knew what side their bread was buttered on - People who , unlike us , bought all their Wand LPs for two bits a throw. Or ,bought "Louie , Louie" to get "Haunted Castle". To their credit , they opened with "Lotta Lovin'" (Gene Vincent) , but it kinda went downhill from there....as you say , clean and soulless.
 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

I don't even think they have a keyboard player anymore which was a part of their sound.  The one time I did like them had a bit of slop and they threw in Jolly Green Giant but that's the one time I ever heard it live.  They also did Dirty Robber by the Wailers and Justine even though it was Righteous Brothers style and did dn't have that twangy thing that The Mummies learned from more obscure versions of the song.  That was like 1996, I believe.  Since then it's gotten worse.  Clean and souless and a lot of covers that when they were originals, the Kingsmen were no longer a band (stuff like the Doors).

John Battles said:

When I saw The Kingsmen , their playing was SO good , that was part of the problem. No raunch , no slop. NOTHING FROM THEIR OWN BACK CATALOGUE , Barring "Money" and , of course , "Louie Louie". My friends and I almost did'nt stay to hear it.

I think Dick Peterson wanted out from behind the drums when the times were changing and the style he was best at wasn't in demand anymore.  For quite a while during the 90s, whoever it was that replaced Don Galluci on keys played but he played rhythm guitar instead.  If Lynn Easton ever did rejoin in the 80s, I'm not aware of it but I don't think he ever has.

John Battles said:

I BELIEVE THAT...Dickie Peterson (No relation to The Late Dickie Peterson of Blue Cheer.)Is'nt , or was'nt a bad singer....I have that weird "Bo Diddley Bach " 45 , which must have been one of their last...  When the reformed Kingsmen did that "Louie Louie" video for MTV , don't take my word for it , but , I could swear Lynn Easton was singing , and Don Galucci playing keyboards...It was a one - off thing , but , since The Kingsmen were still active , I assumed Lynn was back with the band....While it's true , Jack Ely was the original singer, I think of Easton as their frontman....He obtained the rights to the name by being the only member , of age, to sign the necessary papers. That's a very , very old and cheap trick.

I saw the band on an Oldies special. I think it was just Dickie and Mike Mitchell , original Guitarist. I would'nt care , if they got the sound and songs right !
 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

I saw them play in 1989 which was my first time.  I remember they did "Gloria" and they were proud to announce that they did "Twist and Shout" before the Beatles (which technically isn't true but they didn't know that;as far as they knew, Beatles' came out in '65) but then proceeded to play it like the Beatles version instead of the caveman style they did on their album.  Lynn Easton quit in early '67 and has never rejoined them.  Dick Peterson actually sang their last two or three singles.

John Battles said:

Oh , man. They did "Love Me Two Times" when I saw them , and that was '86  or '87. They DID have a keyboard , which IS part of their sound , but , no Lynn Easton, also a part of their sound. It was mainly "Big Chill" Oldies covers. Virtually no Frat Rock covers OR originals (Or just songs associated with them.). They knew what side their bread was buttered on - People who , unlike us , bought all their Wand LPs for two bits a throw. Or ,bought "Louie , Louie" to get "Haunted Castle". To their credit , they opened with "Lotta Lovin'" (Gene Vincent) , but it kinda went downhill from there....as you say , clean and soulless.
 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

I don't even think they have a keyboard player anymore which was a part of their sound.  The one time I did like them had a bit of slop and they threw in Jolly Green Giant but that's the one time I ever heard it live.  They also did Dirty Robber by the Wailers and Justine even though it was Righteous Brothers style and did dn't have that twangy thing that The Mummies learned from more obscure versions of the song.  That was like 1996, I believe.  Since then it's gotten worse.  Clean and souless and a lot of covers that when they were originals, the Kingsmen were no longer a band (stuff like the Doors).

John Battles said:

When I saw The Kingsmen , their playing was SO good , that was part of the problem. No raunch , no slop. NOTHING FROM THEIR OWN BACK CATALOGUE , Barring "Money" and , of course , "Louie Louie". My friends and I almost did'nt stay to hear it.

We've been to many Cavestomps and seen most of the bands already mentioned but the one that sticks most in my mind was the Monks.  Not only was the show fabulous, but they (and their wives) were great fun to hang with at the bar.  Glad part of it was captured in the doc "Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback".

I've heard almost nothing but rabid praise about The Sonics. And , The Alarm Clocks blew my head off when I saw them at The Ponderosa Stomp....They had more Garage bands that year - Kenny and The Kasuals , Zakary Thaks , Wailers , Bad Roads and Alarm Clocks....Only Bad Roads failed , because they were too slick , and did lame covers like "Time Won't Let Me". They were'nt awful , they just did'nt GIT IT !!!
 
Jon said:

I was in the front row at The Sonics reunion at Cavestomp back in 2007? Such young lad I was, not even old enough to drink. Anyways, man they really got the crowd rolling. It was weird seeing them play with music sheets and all, but it was all still really good.  More recently I saw The Alarm Clocks, at the Norton Fest, had my doubts that they were going to be any good, man was I wrong. 

I BELIEVE THAT...Dickie Peterson (No relation to The Late Dickie Peterson of Blue Cheer.)Is'nt , or was'nt a bad singer....I have that weird "Bo Diddley Bach " 45 , which must have been one of their last...  When the reformed Kingsmen did that "Louie Louie" video for MTV , don't take my word for it , but , I could swear Lynn Easton was singing , and Don Galucci playing keyboards...It was a one - off thing , but , since The Kingsmen were still active , I assumed Lynn was back with the band....While it's true , Jack Ely was the original singer, I think of Easton as their frontman....He obtained the rights to the name by being the only member , of age, to sign the necessary papers. That's a very , very old and cheap trick.

I saw the band on an Oldies special. I think it was just Dickie and Mike Mitchell , original Guitarist. I would'nt care , if they got the sound and songs right !
 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

I saw them play in 1989 which was my first time.  I remember they did "Gloria" and they were proud to announce that they did "Twist and Shout" before the Beatles (which technically isn't true but they didn't know that;as far as they knew, Beatles' came out in '65) but then proceeded to play it like the Beatles version instead of the caveman style they did on their album.  Lynn Easton quit in early '67 and has never rejoined them.  Dick Peterson actually sang their last two or three singles.

John Battles said:

Oh , man. They did "Love Me Two Times" when I saw them , and that was '86  or '87. They DID have a keyboard , which IS part of their sound , but , no Lynn Easton, also a part of their sound. It was mainly "Big Chill" Oldies covers. Virtually no Frat Rock covers OR originals (Or just songs associated with them.). They knew what side their bread was buttered on - People who , unlike us , bought all their Wand LPs for two bits a throw. Or ,bought "Louie , Louie" to get "Haunted Castle". To their credit , they opened with "Lotta Lovin'" (Gene Vincent) , but it kinda went downhill from there....as you say , clean and soulless.
 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

I don't even think they have a keyboard player anymore which was a part of their sound.  The one time I did like them had a bit of slop and they threw in Jolly Green Giant but that's the one time I ever heard it live.  They also did Dirty Robber by the Wailers and Justine even though it was Righteous Brothers style and did dn't have that twangy thing that The Mummies learned from more obscure versions of the song.  That was like 1996, I believe.  Since then it's gotten worse.  Clean and souless and a lot of covers that when they were originals, the Kingsmen were no longer a band (stuff like the Doors).

John Battles said:

When I saw The Kingsmen , their playing was SO good , that was part of the problem. No raunch , no slop. NOTHING FROM THEIR OWN BACK CATALOGUE , Barring "Money" and , of course , "Louie Louie". My friends and I almost did'nt stay to hear it.

I saw them play in 1989 which was my first time.  I remember they did "Gloria" and they were proud to announce that they did "Twist and Shout" before the Beatles (which technically isn't true but they didn't know that;as far as they knew, Beatles' came out in '65) but then proceeded to play it like the Beatles version instead of the caveman style they did on their album.  Lynn Easton quit in early '67 and has never rejoined them.  Dick Peterson actually sang their last two or three singles.

John Battles said:

Oh , man. They did "Love Me Two Times" when I saw them , and that was '86  or '87. They DID have a keyboard , which IS part of their sound , but , no Lynn Easton, also a part of their sound. It was mainly "Big Chill" Oldies covers. Virtually no Frat Rock covers OR originals (Or just songs associated with them.). They knew what side their bread was buttered on - People who , unlike us , bought all their Wand LPs for two bits a throw. Or ,bought "Louie , Louie" to get "Haunted Castle". To their credit , they opened with "Lotta Lovin'" (Gene Vincent) , but it kinda went downhill from there....as you say , clean and soulless.
 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

I don't even think they have a keyboard player anymore which was a part of their sound.  The one time I did like them had a bit of slop and they threw in Jolly Green Giant but that's the one time I ever heard it live.  They also did Dirty Robber by the Wailers and Justine even though it was Righteous Brothers style and did dn't have that twangy thing that The Mummies learned from more obscure versions of the song.  That was like 1996, I believe.  Since then it's gotten worse.  Clean and souless and a lot of covers that when they were originals, the Kingsmen were no longer a band (stuff like the Doors).

John Battles said:

When I saw The Kingsmen , their playing was SO good , that was part of the problem. No raunch , no slop. NOTHING FROM THEIR OWN BACK CATALOGUE , Barring "Money" and , of course , "Louie Louie". My friends and I almost did'nt stay to hear it.

Oh , man. They did "Love Me Two Times" when I saw them , and that was '86  or '87. They DID have a keyboard , which IS part of their sound , but , no Lynn Easton, also a part of their sound. It was mainly "Big Chill" Oldies covers. Virtually no Frat Rock covers OR originals (Or just songs associated with them.). They knew what side their bread was buttered on - People who , unlike us , bought all their Wand LPs for two bits a throw. Or ,bought "Louie , Louie" to get "Haunted Castle". To their credit , they opened with "Lotta Lovin'" (Gene Vincent) , but it kinda went downhill from there....as you say , clean and soulless.
 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

I don't even think they have a keyboard player anymore which was a part of their sound.  The one time I did like them had a bit of slop and they threw in Jolly Green Giant but that's the one time I ever heard it live.  They also did Dirty Robber by the Wailers and Justine even though it was Righteous Brothers style and did dn't have that twangy thing that The Mummies learned from more obscure versions of the song.  That was like 1996, I believe.  Since then it's gotten worse.  Clean and souless and a lot of covers that when they were originals, the Kingsmen were no longer a band (stuff like the Doors).

John Battles said:

When I saw The Kingsmen , their playing was SO good , that was part of the problem. No raunch , no slop. NOTHING FROM THEIR OWN BACK CATALOGUE , Barring "Money" and , of course , "Louie Louie". My friends and I almost did'nt stay to hear it.

I was in the front row at The Sonics reunion at Cavestomp back in 2007? Such young lad I was, not even old enough to drink. Anyways, man they really got the crowd rolling. It was weird seeing them play with music sheets and all, but it was all still really good.  More recently I saw The Alarm Clocks, at the Norton Fest, had my doubts that they were going to be any good, man was I wrong. 

I don't even think they have a keyboard player anymore which was a part of their sound.  The one time I did like them had a bit of slop and they threw in Jolly Green Giant but that's the one time I ever heard it live.  They also did Dirty Robber by the Wailers and Justine even though it was Righteous Brothers style and did dn't have that twangy thing that The Mummies learned from more obscure versions of the song.  That was like 1996, I believe.  Since then it's gotten worse.  Clean and souless and a lot of covers that when they were originals, the Kingsmen were no longer a band (stuff like the Doors).

John Battles said:

When I saw The Kingsmen , their playing was SO good , that was part of the problem. No raunch , no slop. NOTHING FROM THEIR OWN BACK CATALOGUE , Barring "Money" and , of course , "Louie Louie". My friends and I almost did'nt stay to hear it.

When I saw The Kingsmen , their playing was SO good , that was part of the problem. No raunch , no slop. NOTHING FROM THEIR OWN BACK CATALOGUE , Barring "Money" and , of course , "Louie Louie". My friends and I almost did'nt stay to hear it.

Yeah, I've seen quite a few of the Northwest sixties bands over the past 20 years or more and the Kingsmen only impressed me once (more to do with HOW they played, not WHAT they played though they did throw in stuff like Dirty Robber and Justine butthat was just the one time).  Most of the time they suck.  Wailers were good the first time I saw them but each performance afterward just got more boring.  While it's sad that Kent Morrell passed on, he was more fun  for people who grew up with him than the cureent garage fan.

John Battles said:

 In the 80's ,  I saw The Kingsmen  (Minus Lynn Easton and virtually nothing from their back catalogue. Too slick and bar bandish.) , Larry and The Blue Notes  (Technically very good , but ,no Garage classics , theirs or others .More Bar Banditis.), And Mitch Ryder , who's never failed , but you may not call him Garage. .

SOME OF THE BEST i'VE SEEN HAVE BEEN Richard and The Young Lions , ? and The Mysterians , Electric Prunes , New Colony Six , Third Bardo , Alarm Clocks , Standells , monks , Remains , Sky Saxon and The Seeds ,  Wailers , Box Tops (They came on like a Garage band !) , Mark Lindsay.

 

Good but not always great - Blues Magoos , Zakary Thaks , Kenny and The Kasuals (GREAT the first time ,but they don't do many 0f their  originals ).

 

Not so hot - Gants , Beau Brummels , Bad Roads.

 

Terrible -Greenfuz.

 

British section - Pretty Things , Creation ,  Yardbirds, Downliners Sect , TROGGS !

 

hONORABLE MENTION , HARD ROCK- Blue Cheer , Iron Butterfly .

 

 In the 80's ,  I saw The Kingsmen  (Minus Lynn Easton and virtually nothing from their back catalogue. Too slick and bar bandish.) , Larry and The Blue Notes  (Technically very good , but ,no Garage classics , theirs or others .More Bar Banditis.), And Mitch Ryder , who's never failed , but you may not call him Garage. .

Yeah , Gonn is much better than anyone has a right to expect. Wish I could see 'em . aLARM CLOCKS ARE SAVAGE ! aLSO , THE STANDELLS BLEW MY HEAD OFF , THE ONE TIME I SAW THEM , BUT , IT WAS DICKIE , TONY AND LARRY.
 
DammitDave said:

In the past couple of years, I've seen Gonn (in St Louis) and The Alarm Clocks (last year's Gonerfest).  Both were really good live.

In the past couple of years, I've seen Gonn (in St Louis) and The Alarm Clocks (last year's Gonerfest).  Both were really good live.

The Remains were the undisputed highlight of The Ponderosa Stomp , THE YEAR THEY PLAYED (2009?) . My only criticism is , that they have so many great originals , why bother with covers at all ? But , I know how it is , a lot of bands don't have time to work out their entire back catalogue....They only did maybe 3 covers , but , still....Definitely way the hell up there on my list !
 
go.gorostiza said:

The Monks, definitely! Not just the best reformed live act I've seen, but one of the best shows I've seen in my entire life.
After that are The Remains.
Oh, and July were pretty pretty decent this last summer. The evoked quite well the atmosphere of THE album, what is not an easy task.

? and The Mysterians never fail ! Last time I saw them was the best one , yet. I have'nt seen The Sonics , but , I have the live 10" and have seen enough evidence on You Tube to know they've still got it.....Could have happened 25 years ago , but , everything happens for a reason.....I DOUBT THAT VERY MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT  IT WOULD EVER HAPPEN. I only read , yesterday , that Gerry Roslie had a heart transplant several years go , so , if that's true ,  be glad he's here , with us , now . The Alarm Clocks KILL , I've only seen them once , but , was blown away at how great they were.
 
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

I have to say that the Sonics have pretty much been a blast at least live.  ? and the Mysterians were really good too in my opinion. For lesser known bands, album wise, the Alarm Clocks sound real good.  I saw a youtube with the Knight Riders of "I" fame that was real decent.  But I haven't really been privy to a lot else going on so I really can't give an opinion. But I've liked what I have heard or seen of these groups.

Yes , sadly , Dave Day , who was a sweetheart of a guy , a loveable big kid and the greatest Banjo player in Rock 'n'Roll , passed away a few years ago , as did Drummer , Roger Johnstone (sic) , before him...So , there is no more monks , but , we're lucky we got to see them , because , I agree , they were great. Nitpickers don't see it so , and , I'd say fuck 'em , but , they're entitled to their take on it....... Gary Burger still owns his home studio in Bemidji , Minnesota , but , Eddie Shaw seems to be more busy with his writing , and Larry went AWOL again. I saw Gary do a solo gig , backed by The Goblins , a few years back . It was great . Who can say?
 
luscevious drummer said:

i would recommend the sonics, the monks (if they are still around, i think the banjo player passed away)the standells, ? & the mysterians i 've seen them live and they are great!

i would recommend the sonics, the monks (if they are still around, i think the banjo player passed away)the standells, ? & the mysterians i 've seen them live and they are great!