Various Artists - Pebbles, Vol. 12 Subtitled: The World, Original '60s Punk & Beat Classics 1999

Various Artists - Pebbles, Vol. 12
Subtitled: The World, Original '60s Punk & Beat Classics
1999 Archive International Productions (AIP)
CD cat. #: AIP CD 5029

This is the last CD of the PEBBLES Series. You can find all the CDs HERE

You can find all the Vinyl rips from NUGGETS series HERE

Pebbles, Volume 12: The World is a compilation album featuring psychedelic and garage rock musical artists from outside North America and the UK that were active in the 1960s. It is a compact disc installment of the Pebbles series and was released on AIP Records on October 5, 1999.


Though the album specifies that all the recordings were produced outside North America and the UK,

the Rokes, the Shamrocks, and the Scorpions were British outfits who moved abroad across continental Europe. Despite the geographically wide-array of material, most of the groups were heavily influenced by bands of the British Invasion. Musical highlights include the Shamrocks' R&B single, "Midnight Train", which was not included on their cult classic album. A unique French cover version of John Mayall's "I'm Your Witchdoctor", retitled "Curieux Docteur", is performed by Noel Deschamps. Additionally, Sir Henry and His Butlers' "Pretty Style" exhibits psychedelic pop and exotic sitar instrumentals.

Pebbles, Volume 12: The World was the first reissue for nearly all of its contents. Although some of the songs are covered by other artists to an extent that they are more common than others, the album also marks the most commercially accessible release of the material in the U.S. and the UK.

[ This collection features 27 mid-'60s beat/punk singles from bands outside North America and the U.K., although a few of these bands were actually British outfits that moved abroad (the Rokes

to Italy, and the Shamrocks and the Scorpions to Germany). Most of these singles have not been previously reissued. To their credit, the compilers have cast their net far and wide, encompassing not just continental Europe, but also New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and even Lebanon. 

The chief flaw of the volume is one that afflicts many such '60s anthologies: there are too many covers of songs (often R&B classics, like "Roadrunner" and "I Can Tell") that were done better by much more famous British bands. Nonetheless, there are some class selections here, particularly when the bands go out of the routine R&B rave-up orbit into poppier or more psychedelic territory.

Among the more satisfying entries are the Four Rockets' (from Belgium) "The Place Where She Lives," with its mod chords; the Shamrocks' hot R&B single "Midnight Train" (which is not on their cult-favorite album); and Noel Deschamps' fine French cover of John Mayall's "I'm Your Witchdoctor" (retitled "Curieux Docteur"). Los Salvages' (from Spain) "Las Overjitas" is as raw a bash as continental bands managed; Japan's Bunnys merge British Invasion guitar with the Shadows on "Moanin'"; and Sir Henry & His Butlers' (from Denmark) "Pretty Style" is trance-inducing pop psychedelia with sitar.

Richie Unterberger, AllMusic ]

TRACK LISTING:

01. The Bunnys [Japan] / Moanin' - 02:36
02. The Four Rockets [Belgium] / The Place Where She Lives - 02:41
03. The Shamrocks [Germany] / Midnight Train - 02:48
04. The Shake Spears [Belgium] / I Can't Tell - 02:20
05. The Henchmen [Australia] / Baby What's Wrong - 02:18
06. The Phantoms [Holland] / Roadrunner - 03:03
07. The Klan [Belgium] / Already Mine - 02:10
08. The Merrymen [Sweden] / Walking Down Lonesome Road - 02:01
09. The Nicols [Holland] / She Had A Name To Find Out - 02:46
10. Noel Deschamps [France] / I'm Your Whitchdoctor - 02:09
11. The Odd Persons [Germany] / I'm Cryin - 02:40
12. The Scorpions [Holland] / Baby Back Now - 03:19
13. Honestmen [Holland] / I've Been Wrong - 01:52
14. The Rokes [Italy] / She Asks Of You - 02:09
15. John Wooley and Just Born [Belgium] / Look And You Will Find - 03:30
16. John Wooley and Just Born [Belgium] / You're Lying - 02:43
17. The Shirrows [Norway] / Not For Me - 02:47
18. The Cedars [Lebanon] / Hide If You Want To Hide - 02:36
19. Evariste [France] / Connais-tu L'Animal Qui Inventa Le Calcul Integral - 02:39
20. Sir Henry and his Butlers [Denmark] / Pretty Style - 02:49
21. Los Salvages [Spain] / Las Ovejias - 02:34
22. The Tonics [Germany] / Daddy - 03:06
23. 5 Gentlemen [France] / Dis-Nous Dylan - 03:52
24. The Pleazers [New Zealand] / Bald Headed Woman - 02:47
25. The Entertainers [Holland] / Searching - 02:45
26. Satins [Portugal] / Too Much Monkey Business - 03:37
27. Brothers Grimm [Australia] / Beautiful Delilah - 02:19

Playing time...1:12:57

Everything NUGGETS II should have been and more!
After the abysmal VOL. 10 of the PEBBLES series, VOL. 12: THE WORLD is the quintessential compendium of international garage rock, from Japan to Sweden and back again, covering some of the least expected countries on the globe (Lebanon, too!).

Kicking off with a Japanese instrumental, "Moanin'", packed with marvelous wall-to-wall guitar and keyboard work by The Bunnys, the CD never lets up from there! Belgium's The Four Rockets' go Merseybeat with a vengeance in "The Place Where She Lives" and Germany's The Shamrocks go to town on "Midnight Train". Other highlights include: The Shake Spears' "I Can Tell" (Belgium), The Henchmen's "Baby What's Wrong" (Australia), The Phantoms' "Roadrunner" (France), The Klan's "Already Mine" (Belgium), The Merrymen's "Walking Down Lonesome Road" (Sweden), The Nicols' "She Had a Name to Find Out" (Holland), ah hell, every single track is an exciting discovery you'll love! If I had to choose a favorite, it would be Evariste's "Connais-tu l'animal que inventa le calcul integral?", a French-language oddity, plastering to vinyl a schizophrenic's bad acid trip.

 Were you disappointed with NUGGETS II, that huge boxed set with only a few really great rock-out tunes and too much psychedelia and Beatles rip-offs? Well, here is the real deal: 27 tracks of international garage/punk genius, every one of 'em a classic. Don't hesitate to go on this global trip through the hidden gems of Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand!

Volume 12 of the Pebbles series (which, curiousy, was released before volume 11) takes listeners around the world, serving up 27 tracks of globetrotting garage rock madness! Now, any fan of

international garage can probably tell ya that those boys and girls overseas knew how to rock just as hard as the U.S. of A., and can often outdo their stateside counterparts.

This set certainly makes a

good case for it; these songs rule! I mean, just listen to "Moanin'," an eye-wateringly wild instrumental courtesy of Japan' own the Bunnys. Lead stringman Tekashi Terauchi rips his guitar apart, unleashing unholy clouds of pure rockin' noise for your listening pleasure.

There's also the acid-tinged sneerfest of "Already Mine," courtesy of Belgium's Klan, and "Midnight Train," a mind damaging boogie from Germany's own Shamrocks. The Four Rockets (also from Belgium) provide a punked-up British Invasion-style pounder by the name of "The Place Where She

Lives," and a French hero by the name of Noel Deschamps does a world-burning cover of "I'm Your Witchdoctor." The (Portugese) Satins do a way-cool take on Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business," and the Cedars (dig this: they're from Lebanon!) contribute a classic piece of teen sneer by the name of "Hide If You Want To Hide."
 And there's the Phantoms (Holland), who do an absolutely unbelievable version of Bo Diddley's "Roadrunner." It's a literal screamer, with the kind of unbridled insanity that makes garage rock so much fun in the first place. France's Evariste contributes another (equally appeling) all-out weirdo by the name of "Connais-to L'animal Que Inventa Le Calcul Integral?" (My French isn't great, but I believe it means something along the lines of "Do You Know The Animal Who Invented Integral Calculus?"). Anyway, get it. You'll love it!

5 Gentlemen [France] / Dis-Nous Dylan

English translation

Tell Us, Dylan

Tell us, tell us Dylan

Tell us, tell us Donovan

Tell us if the word "drum" has eventually found a way to love

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

Tell us, tell us Dylan

Tell us, tell us Donovan

Tell us whether or not the UN soldier is fighting for a cause already lost

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

Tell us, tell us Dylan

Tell us, tell us Donovan

Do you believe that thanks to your songs one day the world will answer all our questions?

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

Tell us, tell us Dylan

Tell us, tell us Donovan

Do you sing about love and war, peace, bombs, racism and misery?

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

English translation

A A

Tell Us, Dylan

Tell us, tell us Dylan

Tell us, tell us Donovan

Tell us if the word "drum" has eventually found a way to love

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

Tell us, tell us Dylan

Tell us, tell us Donovan

Tell us whether or not the UN soldier is fighting for a cause already lost

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

Tell us, tell us Dylan

Tell us, tell us Donovan

Do you believe that thanks to your songs one day the world will answer all our questions?

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

Tell us, tell us Dylan

Tell us, tell us Donovan

Do you sing about love and war, peace, bombs, racism and misery?

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/dis-nous-dylan-tell-us-dylan.html

English translation

A A

Tell Us, Dylan

Tell us, tell us Dylan

Tell us, tell us Donovan

Tell us if the word "drum" has eventually found a way to love

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

Tell us, tell us Dylan

Tell us, tell us Donovan

Tell us whether or not the UN soldier is fighting for a cause already lost

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

Tell us, tell us Dylan

Tell us, tell us Donovan

Do you believe that thanks to your songs one day the world will answer all our questions?

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

Tell us, tell us Dylan

Tell us, tell us Donovan

Do you sing about love and war, peace, bombs, racism and misery?

Oh oh Dylan

Oh Donovan

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/dis-nous-dylan-tell-us-dylan.html

The Pebbles CD series, released by AIP Records in the years 1992-2007:

Volume 1: Various Misfits, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics [AIP CD 5016] - Released 1992
Volume 2: Various Hooligans, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics [AIP CD 5019] - Released 1992
Volume 3: Various Burnouts - The Acid Gallery, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics [AIP CD 5020] - Released 1992
Volume 4: Various Hodads - Surf N Tunes!, Original Rare '60s Surf/Rod Classics [AIP CD 5021] - Released 1992
Volume 5: Various Morons, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics [AIP CD 5022] - Released 1992
Volume 6: Chicago 1, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics [AIP CD 5023] - Released 1994
Volume 7: Chicago 2, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics [AIP CD 5024] - Released 1994
Volume 8: Southern California 1, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics [AIP CD 5025] - Released 1996
Volume 9: Southern California 2, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics [AIP CD 5026] - Released 1996
Volume 10: Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics [AIP CD 5027] - Released 1996
Volume 11: Northern California, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics [AIP CD 5028] - Released 2007 [NOT a typo! Vol. 11 was actually released 8 years AFTER vol. 12!]. Due to legal issues this CD was withdrawn soon after release.
Volume 12: The World, Original '60s Punk & Beat Classics [AIP CD 5029] - Released 1999 [NOT a typo! Vol. 12 was actually released 8 years BEFORE vol. 11!]

FLAC SIze: 327 MB

MP3 @ 320 Size: 167 MB

                                                                                                                                                          

Various Artists - Pebbles, Vol. 11 Subtitled: Northern California, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics 2007

Various Artists - Pebbles, Vol. 11
Subtitled: Northern California, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics
2007 Archive International Productions (AIP)
CD cat. #: AIP CD 5028

 The long-running Pebbles series has done a great job of digging up regional garage rock singles from the '60s, and while most of these sides are probably more interesting for their historical value than for their musical virtues, there is something undeniably fascinating about this time period when seemingly every basement and garage in America had its own band crashing away. The eleventh volume in the series, this installment covers garage bands from Northern California, and one can hear the usual Beatles, Kinks, Animals, Rolling Stones and Byrds influences at work here.

Among the highlights are Peter Wheat and the Breadmen's hook-filled "All the Time," the Soultons' "Rain Down Soul" (which sounds an awful lot like the Animals' hit take on "House of the Rising Sun") and Sound 70's interesting folk-rock version of Bob Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings."

None of these 20 sides was anything more than a regional hit, and none of them are exactly essential, but the anything goes sensibility that drew a premium on passion and energy over exacting musical arrangements shows why the garage bands of the era constitute a genuine folk movement.
(Steve Leggett, AllMusic) 

TRACK LISTING:

01. Peter Wheat and the Breadmen: All The Time - 02:48

02. The Trolls: Walking Shoes - 02:07

03. Barry Carlos and the Night Caps: Don't You Know - 02:56

04. Boy Blues: Living Child - 02:39

05. Rock Shop: Is That Your Halo - 03:25

06. Sound 70: One Too Many Mornings - 02:24
07. Bethlehem Exit: Blues Concerning My Girl - 02:07
08. Druids: Sorry's Not Enough - 02:22

09. Crystal Garden: Peach Fuzz Forest - 03:57

10. Soultons: Rain Down Soul - 03:53

11. Family Tree: Prince Of Dreams - 02:22

12. Fourth Street Exit: Strange One - 02:16

13. Big Timers: Hangin' High - 02:20

14. Cave Dwellers: Meditation - 04:06

15. Bedpost Oracle: Love Isn't Dead - 02:48

16. Just Six: You - 02:05

17. Other Side: Streetcar - 02:20

18. Uncle Ben and Wild Rice: Sinner - 02:09

19. Gerry and Leslie: Me Love Am Gone - 01:54

20. Stepping Stones: Pills - 02:33

Playing time...53:29

Notes:

Grinning Tombstones from the Garage Graveyard.
"Do not expect the liner notes to correspond to the music on this CD!"
The sleeve indicates a 1996 release, but this was in fact released in 2007, over 8 years after Volume 12. This will apparently be the last volume in the Pebbles series.
Due to legal issues this CD was withdrawn soon after release.

An excellent addition to the Pebbles series.

Although this disc is billed as the eleventh disc in the Pebbles lineup, this is actually came out after Volume 12, making it the most recent addition to AIP Records' long-running series of garage rock

compilations. It also appears to be out of print (I was lucky enough to find a used copy in a local music shop), which, considering the generally high quality of the music found herin, is a real shame.
See, those Northern Californians really knew how to bring out the good stuff. The songs here aren't as hard-rockin' as those on some of the other Pebbles volumes- the music tends to be (relatively) poppier, with tinges of Byrdsian folk, Beatle-manic melodicism, and Jefferson Airplaney psychedlia (not surprising, considering the strength of the Hippie movement in places like San Francisco). In this case, that's a pretty good thing: the songs are catchy, fun, exciting, and with enough teenage energy and youthful gusto to justify their inclusion on a Pebbles disc.

Highlights include the Boys Blues' ultra-groovy folk-rocker "Living Child," which boasts some juicy harmonies and a squirming fuzz-guitar, as well as Peter Wheat & the Breadmen's "All the Time," which is a soaring slice of power pop, and the Druids' shimmering, Brit-influenced "Sorry's Not Enough." There's also the Crystal Garden's "Peach Fuzz Forest," an absolutely awesome slab of acid-psych that boasts a freaky guitar attack, a propulsive rhythm, and a bizarro main melody. On top of that, we have the Soultons "Rain Down Soul," which, as the group name/song title implies, is a soul-tinged ballad.

What the title and group name don't readily reveal is the fact that the song is an ethereal, dreamy bit of atmosphere, with some pining vocals and a drizzling organ. The Trolls' "Walkin' Shoes" is an unspeakably cool nightclub strutter, and "Is That Your Halo" (by Rock Shop) is quintessential garage punk, complete with a snarling vocal and some primal rhythms. The Sound 70 provide a neatcover of Bob Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings," throwing in a cool organ line and making the chorus sound totally anthemic. Barry Carlos & The Night Caps' "Don't You Know" is a superb R&B inflected frat-rock sing along, and the Big Tymers' "Hangin' High" is a wonderfully shambling surf-rockin' instrumental. "Meditation" by the Cave Dwellers is a neat little psychedelic trip, with a raving double-time instrumental midsection, and the Bethlahem Exit's "Blues Concerning My Girl" is a rambling rocker with some neat harmonicas and a drummer who is obviously having quite a bit of fun.

"Love Isn't Dead" by the Bedpost Oracle is a really cool "give-peace-a-chance" amthem with some great instrumental breaks. And I wouldn't want to leave out "Prince of Dreams," a lovely folk-rocker by the Family Tree. All in all, the most recent addition to the Pebbles family is a welcome one, wth enough gems to consider it among the series' very finest volumes. If you're a fan of the series (or of sixties garage rock in general), you'd do well to seek out a moderatly-priced copy of this little bugger.

MP3 Size: 124 MB

Flac Size: 372 MB

Various Artists - Pebbles, Vol. 10 Subtitled: Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics 1996

Various Artists - Pebbles, Vol. 10

Subtitled: Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics

1996 Archive International Productions (AIP)

CD cat. #: AIP CD 5027

Leather Boy, Bruthers, Others etc. The original series of 28 LPs contained obscure '60s recordings from all over the world. In preparing the series for CD release, we have taken a somewhat different approach. The first five volumes, always the popular favorites, have been kept largely the same, only omitting tracks more definitively reissued elsewhere, and adding several new bonus tracks to each album.

Subsequent volumes have begun to take a more regional approach, drawing not just from the original Pebbles and Highs albums, but also from other compilations that have since gone out of print, as well as from our large archive of previously unreissued tracks. Some of the new Pebbles CDs include tracks never before issued, and all have been completely remastered, with all-new liner notes reflecting the latest info available to us.

Twenty-four mid-'60s garage favorites, none available on CD before. It's above the median standard of such compilations, including numerous better cuts from the original vinyl Pebbles series: the Leather Boy's truly strange "I'm a Leather Boy," and the Clockwork Orange's Electric Prunes-influenced "Your Golden Touch," the Uncalled For's "Do Like Me," and the Others' "I Can't Stand This Love." There are also a number of tracks that are relatively unfamiliar, the most interesting of these being "Leave Me Alone" by the Canadian Squires, who would turn into the Band (yes, the Band) a few years later.

Far from being a letdown, volume ten of the oh-so-awesome Pebbles series is a supremely rockin' disc, packed with some of the swinginest garage rock classics ever to roar their way outta the 60s. As a matter of fact, I may go so far as to say thatthis is one of the two or three best CD volumes in the entire series (!!!) The songs exemplify garage rock at its best and rawest, with plenty of attitude, electric organs, fuzz guitars, and teenage rage. I mean, seriously, listen to those tunes! "The Leather Boy" and "On the Go" (both by the elusive Leather Boy, a.k.a. Milan) are whaked-out weirdo biker anthems, greasy rockers with thuggish backup vocals, slashing guitars, and tough-guy lyrics. The Bold's "Gotta Get Some" is a leering, saliva-dripping stomper that makes the 'Stones seem tame. This set also features the group's cover of "Train Kept A-Rollin'," which rocks with exactly the kind of untamed ferocity that makes garage rock so much fun. The Bruthers snarl their way through an awesome raver entitled "Bad Way to Go," before the Canadian Squires burst onto the scene with a lean, mean pounder entitled "Leave Me Alone" (Canadian Squires, by the way, would later find fame as the Band).

The Clockwork Orange turn in two tremolo laden classics by the name of "Your Golden Touch" and "Do Me Right Now," and the Breakers' "Don't Send Me No Flowers (I Ain't Dead Yet)" is a gritty, cocky, and strutting rocker with a monstrous fuzz guitar attack. And then there's Spirite's tense, the

Loved Ones' "Surprise Surprise," and the Mach V's catchy anti-drug anthem, "If I Could." Am I done yet? Of course not! There's still the Others' jet-propelled "I Can't Stand this Love, Goodbye," and the Prophets' infectious, low key three-chord jangler, "Yes I Know." Ravin' Blue turn in a stormin' little blues-punker entitled "Love," before the Rooks' "A Girl Like You" comes roaring out of your speakers, with its wonderfully distorted guitars and all-around catchiness. The RPM keep things short and sweet with the brief, but undeniably powerful, snarler known as "White Lightening." The Silver Fleet's "Look Out World" is, admittedly, a ripoff of "Gloria." Still, it's an incredibly good one.

Who We Are mix sapced-out psychedelia with fuzz-blastin' garage punk quite effectively on "Last Trip," and the Teddy Boys are just plain insane on their cover of Bo Diddley's "Mona." The Uncalled For's "Do Like Me" is subtle, sarcastic, and quietly intense, and the Kidds' "Nature's Children" is a fuzzy punk pounder with lotsa bite. The Regiments' "My Soap Won't Float" is a wonderfully bizzare psych-punk-popper which may or may not be an excellent parody of the whole concept of hippie mystecism.

It's also really, really, really catchy. And then there's "Doin' Me In." A garage-punk-rock-n-roll-proto-metal masterpiece in every sense of the word, the Gonn's "Doin' Me In" is a two-chord monster that combines every single adjective I've used so far in this review (except for "subtle." It isn't subtle), and throws in a few more (for example, "brutal"). Just plain awesome. Garage fans, get this disc right now. NOW!

TRACK LISTING

01. The Leather Boy / I'm A Leather Boy - 02:08

02. The Bold / Gotta Get Some - 02:32

03. The Bruthers / Bad Way To Go - 02:53

04. Canadian Squires / Leave Me Alone - 02:38

05. Clockwork Orange / Your Golden Touch - 02:14

06. Clockwork Orange / Do Me Right Now - 01:30

07. The Breakers / Don't Send Me No Flowers (I Ain't Dead Yet) - 02:08

08. The Spirit / No Time To Rhyme - 02:37

09. The Leather Boy / On The Go - 02:13

10. The Loved Ones / Surprise Surprise - 01:59

11. Mach V / If I Could - 02:23

12. The Others / I Can't Stand This Love - 02:10

13. The Prophets / Yes I Know - 02:45

14. Ravin' Blue / Love - 02:09

15. The Rooks / A Girl Like You - 02:10

16. The RPM's / White Lightnin' - 01:47

17. Silver Fleet / Look Out World - 03:17

18. We Who Are / Last Trip - 02:30

19. Steve Walker and the Bold / Train Kept A Rollin' - 02:31

20. The Teddy Boys / Mona - 02:59

21. The Uncalled For / Do Like Me - 02:46

22. The Kidds / Nature's Children - 02:16

23. The Regiment / My Soap Won't Float - 02:17

24. Gonn / Doin' Me In - 02:45

Playing time...57:37

MP3 @320 Size: 133 MB

Flac  Size:356 MB

Various Artists - Pebbles, Vol. 9 Subtitled: Southern California 2, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics 1996

Various Artists - Pebbles, Vol. 9
Subtitled: Southern California 2, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics
1996 Archive International Productions (AIP)
CD cat. #: AIP CD 5026

Pebbles, Volume 9 is a compilation album among the CDs in the Pebbles series; it is subtitled Southern California 2. The previous CD in the series, Pebbles, Volume 8 also features bands from

Southern California; while Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 1, Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 2, and Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 3 showcase music from Los Angeles specifically.
This album was released on AIP Records in 1996 as #AIP-CD-5026 (although the disk is actually imprinted with the catalogue number of the previous volume). 
Despite the similar catalogue number, there is no relation between the tracks on this CD and the tracks on the corresponding LP.
Notes on the tracks
 

According to the liner notes, the track by the Standells had not been reissued before now; and this is probably the first-released version of the early Monkees hit "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone". One of the members of the Second Helping was Kenny Loggins, and this single is his earliest known release. The Velvet Illusions are actually not from California but were a Yakima, Washington based band; while often mentioned as having heiress Patricia Hearst's former boyfriend Steven Weed as a member, the band actually featured a different Steve Weed. The final track is from an unreleased acetate by the band that is best known for "I Never Loved Her" (included on the Pebbles, Volume 8 CD).

The two songs by Fenwyck, "I Wanna Die" and "Iye" were produced by Zane Ashton (aka Bill Aken) who had founded Progressive Sounds of America in 1963 and recorded the two sides at Western Recorders in Hollywood, California. After an emotional breakdown when one of his artists 'Kathy

Dee' suffered a stroke and died, he sold the label to the Quinlan Corporation and Jay Bonner with the stipulation that 'Fenwyck' would be the first record released under the new management. That is why the label says "Produced by Zane Ashton." Ironically, although the new owners ridiculed him as being emotionally unstable, without its founder's love of rock and roll and his production instincts, the label died a very quick death and within a year was out of business.

Even though its not quite as good as its predecessor, the second volume of the Pebbles series to focus on ultra-obscure sixties garage rock from Southern California is still a smokin' collection of tunes, stuffed with mean fuzz guitars and primal vocals, courtesy of a whole buncha bands that just never

managed to make it big. A few songs that make this disc a blast o' joy are Ty Wagner's "I'm a No Count," a nasty two-chord outcast anthem that bristles with teenage agression, as well as Thee In Set's stomping caveman frat pounder, "They Say." There's also "Someday You'll Cry," a snotty garage-pop tune from the pre-"Dirty Water" Standells, and the Care Takers' funky soul-shakin' cover of Bob Seger's "East Side Story" (shut up, Bob Seger rules!), not to mention the Velvet Illusions' menacing "Velvet Illusions" (gotta love bands with their own theme songs). The Children of the Mushroom's "August Madamoiselle" is a psychedelic tune that manages to pull of the neat trick of being both dark and whimsical. Great stuff. The David's "I'm Not Alone" is a fuzzy, flailing, organ-propelled fuzz thumper and the Second Helping's "Let Me In" is just plain wonderfully creepy. There are plenty of other highlights (don't even get me started on the W.C. Fields Memorial String Band!), but this set falls a bit short of the five star rating, thanks to the inclusion of a few tunes that are little more than by-the-book garage rock (I'm lookin' at you, "Won't Come Down!"). 
Still, this is an excellent disc, a really good addition to the Pebbles series, and it deserves to belong in every garage fan's collection.

[Twenty-four Socal garage-band obscurities from 1965-69, more psychedelic in tone than the average Pebbles collection (though not every track is psychedelic-influenced). It's about average for a '60s

garage anthology, with some standouts like the Standells' Beatlesque "Someday You'll Cry" (not available on any other CD), the David's garage-pop take on the Doors ("I'm Not Alone"), the Gypsy Trips' folk-rock "Ain't It Hard" (later covered by the Electric Prunes), a pre-Monkees version of "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone" (by the W.C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band), and the blues-rock protest of the Starfires' "Cry for Freedom." It's the first time on CD for all selections, a few of which had been previously unreissued.
Richie Unterberger, AllMusic]

Track listing

01. Ty Wagner and the Scotchmen: "I'm a No Count"; rel. 1966

02. The Caretakers: "East Side Story"; rel. 1966

03. The Hysterics: "Won't Get Far"; rel. 1965 (?)

04. The Standells: "Someday You'll Cry"; rel. 1965

05. The Magic Mushroom: "I'm Gone"; rel. 1966

06. Fenwyck: "IYE"; rel. 1967 On Progressive Sounds of America

07. The Buddhas: "Lost Innocence"; rel. 1967 (?)

08. The David: "I'm Not Alone"; rel. 1967 (?)

09. The David: "40 Miles"; rel. 1966

10. The Edge: "Scene thru the Eyes"; rel. 1969

11. The Second Helping: "Let Me In"; rel. 1967 (?)

12. Good Feelings: "Shattered"; rel. 1968

13. Gypsy Trips: "Ain't It Hard"; rel. 1965

14. The Nervous Breakdowns: "I Dig Your Mind" (Rusy Evans)

15. Moms Boys: "Up & Down"; rel. 1967 (?)

16. W. C. Fields Memorial Electric String Band: "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone";     rel. 1966

17. Children of the Mushroom: "August Mademoiselle"; rel. 1967 (?)

18. The Velvet Illusions: "Velvet Illusions"; rel. 1967

19. Perpetual Motion Workshop: "Won't Come Down"; rel. 1967 (?)

20. The Crumpets: "Mama Baby"; rel. 1966 (?)

21. Sounds Unreal: "Scene of the Crime"; rel. 1967

22. Mal-T's: "Here to Stay"; rel. 1966 (?)

23. Thee In Set: "They Say"; rel. 1966 (?)

24. The Starfires: "Cry for Freedom"; rel. 1967 (?)

Playing time...56:31

MP3 @ 320 Size: 131 MB
Flac  Size: 348 MB

Various Artists - Pebbles, Vol. 8 Subtitled: Southern California 1, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics 1996

Various Artists - Pebbles, Vol. 8
Subtitled: Southern California 1, Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics
1996 Archive International Productions (AIP)
CD cat. #: AIP CD 5025

 

 [Southern California, and specifically the Los Angeles area, was one of the most active hotbeds of '60s garage punk, both because of its huge size and its flourishing musical and youth culture. Not all

L.A. garage rock was great, and this 25-song compilation (much of which has appeared on previous vinyl garage anthologies, Pebbles included) is a good way to ferret out some of the better rare singles of the genre. Terry Randall's protest rocker "S.O.S.," the Rumors' "Louie Louie" ripoff "Hold Me Now," Byron & the Mortals' organ-driven "Do You Believe Me," the Dovers' Byrds-meets-the-Zombies "She's Not Just Anybody" -- all are among the best garage classics. Most of the rest is pretty good, if a bit generic at times. Lots of informative liner notes, too. - -
Richie Unterberger,
AllMusic }

Some of these songs are among the best garage rock records ever. The Dovers' "She's Not Just Anybody" should have (and could have) been a chart-topping smash. It is, simply put, a masterpiece, a haunting, emotional burst of chiming guitars and dreamy vocals, bolstered by a relentless river of percussion. The Starfires' tense, throbbing "I Never Loved Her" is almost as good. Same goes for "She Needs Me," a hypnotic fuzz rocker courtesy of the Grains of Sand. The Rumors' "Hold Me Now" is positively anthemic, thanks to its rousing, "Louie

Louie"-inspired melody and exuberent vocals. The Cindermen's "Don't Do It Some More" is a relentlessly catchy twist rocker that features a wonderfully off-the-wall guitar solo. Terry Randall's "S.O.S." is a spooky, paranoid protest tune with a subtle, smoldering lead vocal and a churning rhythm. The Gigolos' "She's My Baby" is a storming, double-time punk-rocker with a strong rockabilly influence, and the Humane Society's "Knock Knock" is a fiery, snarling tune with some thorny guitars. The Cloudwalkers' "Sunglasses" is insanely cool, and the Bush provide a fantastic version of "Got Love if You Want It" that features some compact but explosive rave-up sections. The Green Beans' "Who Needs You" is every bit as sneeringly sarcastic as its title suggests, and The Beckett Quintet's "No Correspondence" is a quietly insane bouncer with an anthemic chorus. The Caretakers of Deception close out the album with driving "X+Y=13."

The afformentioned tunes are only a few of the highlights of this spectacular disc, one of the finest entries in the entire Pebbles series. Your garage collection isn't complete without this one.

The PEBBLES series, which doesn't really pick up speed until Vol. 7 (CHICAGO VOL. 2, which Amazon doesn't carry for some reason but is essential listening), continues with SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, gathering together rare 45 singles and acetates of garage bands and high school rock groups from Sacramento to San Diego, with plenty of small towns hit in-between. 2 of the songs, "Knock Knock" by The Humane Society (without a doubt one of the best unheard songs of the 60s) and "Hold Me Now" by The Rumors (which I dare you not to rock out to), are included on the NUGGETS boxed set, but they're surrounded by so many amazing gems here that this volume simply cannot be passed over.

Terry Randall's anti-riot anthem "S.O.S." kicks off the album with a bang; this is one dark little mother of a single, half-sung, half-spoken by an unknown artist. Of the 25 songs, the highlights are: The Starfires' "I Never Loved Her", The Grains of Sand's "She Needs Me", The Cindermen's "Don't Do It Some More", The Colony's "All I Want", The Cloudwalkers' "Sunglasses", The Beckett Quintet's "No Correspondence", The Dovers' "She's Not Just Anybody", Sean and the Brandywines' "She Ain't No Good", The Rogues' "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (the guitar work is very similar to that of "Hey Joe"), The Last Word's "Sleepy Hollow", The Green Beans' "Who Needs You", Limey and the Yanks' "Guaranteed Love" and "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" (a cover of a terrific single by New York City's Bit-A-Sweet, which has never been available reissued) are all singles which should have been national hits, blowing anything by The Dave Clark Five or Herman's Hermits out of the water. Not every song is a bonafide classic, but they're all sterling examples of what makes 60s garage rock a highly sought-after subgenre of classic rock.

TRACK LISTING:

01. Terry Randall: S.O.S - 02:17

02. The Gigolos: She's My Baby - 02:59

03. The Starfires: I Never Loved Her - 02:44

04. The Grains of Sand: She Needs Me - 02:43

05. The Humane Society: Knock Knock (Who's There) - 02:59

06. The Cindermen: Don't Do It Some More ('Cause It Hurts So Good) - 01:48

07. The Hysticers: Everything's There - 02:16

08. The Rumors: Hold Me Now - 02:31

09. The Colony: All I Want - 02:35

10. Byron and the Mortals: Do You Believe Me - 02:15

11. The Dirty Shames: I Don't Care - 02:58

12. The Cloudwalkers: Sunglasses - 02:20

13. The Beckett Quintet: No Correspondence - 02:31

14. The Dovers: She's Not Just Anybody - 01:51

15. The Roosters: One Of These Days - 02:48

16. The Avengers: It's Hard To Hide - 02:05

17. Sean and the Brandywines: She Ain't No Good - 02:04

18. The Rogues: Wanted: Dead Or Alive - 02:28

19. The Last Word: Sleepy Hollow - 02:53

20. The Green Beans: (Don't Give Me No) Friction - 02:24

21. The Green Beans: Who Needs You - 01:30

22. The Bush: Got Love If You Want It - 02:44

23. Limey and the Yanks: Guaranteed Love - 02:19

24. Limey and the Yanks: Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind - 02:19

25. The Caretakers of Deception: X+Y=13 - 01:49

Playing time... 1 hour

MP3 @ 320 Size: 150MB
FLAC   Size: 366 MB