What really sucked for me, was there was an amazing amount of good music in the '80's and '90's (garage and punk), but it was next to impossible to find it in the city I lived. The bigger chain stores would never give indie labels the time of day, so special ordering something that wasn't on a major label was impossible. Even the one independent record store we had here (Roanoke, VA) was limited on what they could get. There has been so many bands that I've discovered through the internet, 'zines, Wayback Machine, etc. and it makes me sick to think that I missed out on so much. I mean, like hardly no one listened to the Smiths because they weren't played on the radio, and the only way I knew of them was an album review in Rolling Stone. Most of the bands I did "discover" were from write-ups in Thrasher and Maximum Rock 'N' Roll. Luckily I knew some guys that would send off for tapes and LP's and make me mix tapes. Ugh, and those are gone...if only I still had them...One of the other sources where I would discover cutting edge stuff was through the mail order company ROIR, where I ordered/bought tapes of the Fleshtones, Germs, ? and the Mysterians, Scientific Americans, and others. Guess I'm rambling at this point so I'll stop now...

Dan Electreau said:

Gruesomania by the Gruesomes. 

At the time I was listening to lots of American blues as well, bluesy British bands like the Yardbirds as well as punk/alternative music. I'd always wished for something that combined the toughness and speed of punk with the style and instrumentation of bands like the Animals (harmonica, fuzz, organ) and The Gruesomes delivered!

 

The only problem was that while I was hot for garage rock 'n' roll thanks to the Gruesomes, all the girls I knew were hot for the Smiths (at best) or Platinum Blonde (at worst). 

 

Gruesomania by the Gruesomes. 

At the time I was listening to lots of American blues as well, bluesy British bands like the Yardbirds as well as punk/alternative music. I'd always wished for something that combined the toughness and speed of punk with the style and instrumentation of bands like the Animals (harmonica, fuzz, organ) and The Gruesomes delivered!

The only problem was that while I was hot for garage rock 'n' roll thanks to the Gruesomes, all the girls I knew were hot for the Smiths (at best) or Platinum Blonde (at worst). 

Do now!

Hey, you do know that you can listen to archived "Wayback Machine" episodes, don't you?

Andy O.B.O. said:

Easy, Songs the Lord Taught Us. It also got me really into rockabilly. Then I read about how they'd listen to local dj's playing music in Ohio, so I thought I'd try to do the same where I lived, in St. Louis. That's when I found the Wayback Machine. After that came stuff like the Oblivians, The Makers, etc.

Easy, Songs the Lord Taught Us. It also got me really into rockabilly. Then I read about how they'd listen to local dj's playing music in Ohio, so I thought I'd try to do the same where I lived, in St. Louis. That's when I found the Wayback Machine. After that came stuff like the Oblivians, The Makers, etc.

Yeah, I love the Cramps' version! Played that on "Hayride" #2...
swt said:

The Cramps do a good version of "Muleskinner" too.

Thanks Mark! Personally, I didn't think there were too many people over here that would give 2 shits about this show, but it's always cool to hear from folks on here that actually do listen and like it! I'm very appreciative that the "Hayride" has become a fave! I'll see what I can dig up for you as far as "Muleskinner Blues" goes...Thanks again for diggin' the show!
mark young said:

Hey fuckup - 

 

you have managed to become my favorite podcast, somehow.  I suppose i'm in a honkey tonk mood these days.

 

Look here, though, might I request you pop Mule Skinner Blues in your next podcast?  The Lonnie Donegan original would be fine, but there are heaps of great covers out there.  Check out the one by the Wilson Family, which i got from iTunes.  It's more bluegrass than honkey tonk, but that's ok!

 

Yeah, Steve, I remember you telling me about Junior Brown, and that's really cool! I've not had any contact with Eric Hisaw, and it was Jeff Smith of the Hickoids that sent Hisaw's latest disc "Ghost Stories". Quite honestly, I had never heard of him before.

swt said:

I subscribe so I got this a day early. I'm so cool.

 

Glad to hear my old high school locker mate Junior Brown there. Eric Hisaw is cool too. He's been on my local radio shows 2 or 3 times. 

 

ZViva Homer & Jethro!

agreed.  Theirs is based on the Fendermen's version, and not all that tonky.

The Cramps do a good version of "Muleskinner" too.

Hey fuckup - 

you have managed to become my favorite podcast, somehow.  I suppose i'm in a honkey tonk mood these days.

Look here, though, might I request you pop Mule Skinner Blues in your next podcast?  The Lonnie Donegan original would be fine, but there are heaps of great covers out there.  Check out the one by the Wilson Family, which i got from iTunes.  It's more bluegrass than honkey tonk, but that's ok!

I subscribe so I got this a day early. I'm so cool.

Glad to hear my old high school locker mate Junior Brown there. Eric Hisaw is cool too. He's been on my local radio shows 2 or 3 times. 

ZViva Homer & Jethro!

Eric Hisaw--"Johnston County"

The F'n A-Holes--"Bartender"

The Hootowls--"Depart From Me"

Mercury Dime--"Dog Star"

The Pinetops--"Birds Of Prey"

Them Slack Jawed Sons Of Bitches--"Something's Gotta Give"

Eddie Spaghetti--"Killer Weed"

Powder Mill--"The Devil In New Orleans"

Junior Brown--"Moan All Night Long"

Green On Red--"Time Ain't Nothing"

Dolly Parton--"The Bridge"

Homer & Jethro--"I Crept Into the Crypt and Cried"

Hugh X. Lewis--"War Is Hell"

Lester Flatt--"I Can't Tell the Boys From the Girls"

T. Texas Tyler--"Just Like Dad"

Marvin Rainwater--"The Haircut"

Hal Ford--"Skid Row Blues"

They are bulletproof rock and roll.

Reposted from my blog, Sailor's Delight:

The thing with surf rock is the songs never sound like their titles. It doesn't really sound like the devil shot his amp. The guitar tone would be more fucked up than it is on "The Devil Shot My Amp." Or, "Hard Traffic" I suppose could sound like the situation referenced in the title, but so can it like any number of other harrowing situations and topics. The other thing about surf rock, though, is you can't name every song "Cool Surf Rock Song #..." So you pick random names. Man... or Astro-Man? were the kings of this. What you get is nine cool surf rock songs, and some even manage to mix things up while staying true to Ventures-isms. "Mezcal Breakfast" has a ska/reggae undercurrent to it. And no, I didn't try to use a sea related metaphor because it's surf rock. I just so happen to like sea related metaphors.

For as long as I've run this website (or at least since I started the old GaragePunk Forums in 2002), the Mummies and Gories have always been discussed a lot. And even before that, going back to the mid-'90s, they've also been highly revered on other websites and email lists (like the Bomp list, for example) and I spun the hell out of them on my old radio show in St. Louis. In fact, the Mummies got played more than any other band on my show over the course of more than a decade.

Plus, both of those bands have reformed and started playing out again in recent years.

jamie said:

It is trendy at the moment. Lots of real young "hipsters" come see my two garage style groups. They all like The Sonics, Gories, Mummies, and The Black Lips. Not much beyond that, although these people also seem to be into all sorts of different music genres, alot of gothic sort of stuff and grunge. Basically anything with guitars. I think what it really is, is these people are looking for something more alternative than the generic indie stuff. And it is fun music that you can dance to and have fun. As opposed to the poser synth arty indie disco bands and the people that see them.

 

But then there are other local groups who call themselves garage when although they might know a few garage bands, because they themselves are really indie people, they don't really get it. And you get them saying things like "We are a garage rock band influenced by Joy Division and The Slits and The Jam". But because they play on line ups with actual garage style bands and the crowd of young people is the same, it doesn't really make a difference.

 

What I want to know is why is it The Mummies and The Gories, out of all the 80s garage bands, to be talked about so much now?

It is trendy at the moment. Lots of real young "hipsters" come see my two garage style groups. They all like The Sonics, Gories, Mummies, and The Black Lips. Not much beyond that, although these people also seem to be into all sorts of different music genres, alot of gothic sort of stuff and grunge. Basically anything with guitars. I think what it really is, is these people are looking for something more alternative than the generic indie stuff. And it is fun music that you can dance to and have fun. As opposed to the poser synth arty indie disco bands and the people that see them.

But then there are other local groups who call themselves garage when although they might know a few garage bands, because they themselves are really indie people, they don't really get it. And you get them saying things like "We are a garage rock band influenced by Joy Division and The Slits and The Jam". But because they play on line ups with actual garage style bands and the crowd of young people is the same, it doesn't really make a difference.

What I want to know is why is it The Mummies and The Gories, out of all the 80s garage bands, to be talked about so much now?

the silverttone may be a 1484

thanks kopper! Painting in my studio has taken on a different meaning now after tuning into GP.com

one cover band really grates on my nerves, and i realize they probably have a lot of fans here, but who cares? i'm talking about the FUZZTONES. i can stomach maybe Bad News Travels Fast (their best moment), but the covers they recorded are pretty consistently lame.

now, the DIRTBOMBS, on the other hand, know how to cover songs and do it well. see Ultraglide in Black and If You Don't Already Have a Look as perfect examples. some outstanding covers there.

take that did smells like teen spirit live in like 96 or sumin ! arguably not what kurt died for

the two at the top of my head are also not garage, but Alien Ant farms cover of Smooth Criminal and then there was this ska version of Iron Man that didn't go so well (can't remember the band). On the flip side I love Hugo's cover of 99 Problems.

Mel = funny because it's true!

Mick Collins (the Gories) said he wouldn't take a guitar worth more than $100 on the road.  Jeff Beck said he'd play any guitar and be able to get a good sound out of it (but at the Les Paul tribute he switched back to his Fender Strat).

IMO, I wouldn't spend the big bucks if you want to sound rough.  For my natural overdrive crunch (early Kinks/Sonics/Mummies) I got a new Hofner Club reissue for under $400.  A good budget alternative to a Fender is a Squire.  I'd get a Tele unless you wanted a twang bar.  If you wanted to sound more clean and slick for surf/rockabilly twang or a nice jangle, then a higher dollar guitar would seem more worth it to me. 

How much does a Burns go for in the UK?  I'm looking at a Bison but I think the Cobras may be pretty affordable.