| This going to be a long post.
I'm into the more modern garage that's heavier on the punk and lighter on the surf. Groups like the Mummies, Guitar Wolf, Teengenerate, Thee Michelle Gun Elephant, and the Dirtbombs.
The Dirtbombs are a dual-bass, dual-drum aural assault unit led by sole-guitar/vocalist Mick Collins (was also in the Gories). They're a great live band and I reccommend their cover album Ultraglide in Black. All there albums are great, but this is a good introduction.
The Mummies are sleazy, trashy budget rock with a lot of fuzz, but with just enough Girl Group melody to shine through the muck. They released almost exclusively on vinyl, but you can get most of their songs one two CDs: Never been caught and Death by Unga Bunga
Teengenerate & Guitar Wolf are both Japanese and you might have heard of either of them. Guitar Wolf is probably the loudest recorded band I've ever heard, and Teengenerate is probably the sloppiest. I would reccommend Jet Generation and UFO Romantics for the former, and Smash Hits for the former.
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant is another Japanese garage powerhouse. As far as I know they've only got one album available in the US, Gear Blues but that's okay, because it's frickin' Great!
Also worth checking out: The Gories (real lo-fi, blues influenced rock) and the Detroit Cobras (more girl group/R&B-esque than the rest).
Moving backwards in time, Radio Birdman are worth checking out. They're an Austrailian (sp?) band that usually gets called proto-punk because of the similarity in sound between them, the MC5 and the Stooges. (One of their guitarists was a Detroit transplant, so the connection makes sense). Sub-Pop compiled their catalog into the double-disc comp called The Essential Radio Birdman 1974-1978. They're not my favorite band ever, but a lot of people rave about them so they're worth checking out.
Most of the best garage-esque rock of the late 60's/early 70's was British. Any original album by the Kinks between 1966 and 1971 is nigh required listening, regardless of genre.
All The Pretty Things' albums upto and including S.F. Sorrow are very important garage rock records.
The Creation's We are the Paintermen & the Fleur de Lys' comp Reflections are some pretty good, mod-R&B. Not necessarily essential, but worth checking out if you can find their stuff for cheap.
Most American garage rock in the late 60's (Nuggets-period) is caught up in the psychadelic movement and can be kind of iffy. It'd probably be best to check out the original Nuggets boxset:Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968. I think it's pretty hit and miss, but if you're interested in garage rock, you pretty much need to give it a couple of spins. A lot of people rave about the 13th Floor Elevators. I personally think their whole electric jug thing gets old, but to each his/her own!
The sole worthwhile American band, IMO, that didn't dip far into psychadelia, was the Flamin' Groovies; check out Flamingo and Teenage Head.
Going back further, the Sonics are essential. Get Here Are the Sonics immediately! On vinyl preferably, if it's feasible. The Sonics are IMHO, the best American garage rock from the 60's.
Finally: Type Billy Childish and Holly Golightly's names into google/wikipedia/allmusic.com and go from there. They've both been in more bands and released more albums than half the people on this website combined, and pretty much all their stuff is worth getting.
Hope that helps.
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Ameeeeeericaaaaaaaa/Eatin' my lunch from a single bowl/In my paaaaaarents basssssement/Where I'm livin'/Happy Birthday!/I'm 43.
Last edited by Against Will : 11-05-2007 at 08:28 AM.
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