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Oriphiel · 12-04-2014, 05:13 AM

The compilation that started my love for Garage Rock, as well as kicking off the first entry of this journal, we return to the crazy ladies of...

Girls in the Garage - Volume Two

Again, this is the reissued CD series i'm reviewing, as the original vinyl is kind of hard to find. The major difference is that the tracklists are different, with some songs lost in the transition and a few others gained.

1. The Darby Sisters - "Go Back to Your Pontiac" - A goofy advertisement song (ah, we meet again. I thought The Omens were the only ones doing this...), this one is about a lady who lost her man to his car obsession. While light hearted and comedic, it's not too terrible (The singers, for example, are alright), but it's kind of an odd choice for the first track.

2. Lonnies' Legends and Currents - "Look For Another Love" - This is a little more what I was expecting, but still a little lacking in wild energy. Driven on by the vocals and harmonies, nothing too exciting instrument-wise happens here. It's about how one shouldn't blindly cling to a lost love, when they could find someone new who truly cares for them.

3. Lindy Lane - "Low Grades and High Fever" - I do love Garage Rock, but I also love a good Rock 'n Roll dance hall number! This one is a fast and light song, with a catchy tune and a talented singer, but it's another song that has a deep voiced back-up singer thrown in the chorus for kicks (Which i'm not a huge fan of. Either go all the way and make a doowop song, or don't do it at all!). Anyway, this one is about a girl who can't concentrate in school because she's in love (Sam Cooke eat your heart out!).

4. Kari Lynn - "Cleo Cleopatra" - Awesome! Now this is what i'm looking for! With a very talented vocalist, as well as a generous amount of fuzz guitar work, this track hits the perfect stride between sweet and rough! This song is about (Who else?) the legendary Celopatra, and her irresistable allure. It's pretty much guarenteed that you'll sing along with the harmony after the chorus ("Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!").

5. Pat Downey and the Vistas - "Real Live Lover" - Another track taking it's cues from the fifties. I do like these slow and simple songs, but i'm kind of anxious for something really rough and fun. Anyway, this number is alright, but it doesn't take too many chances. It's about a girl who wants an exciting lover in the man she desires.

6. Cupons - "Turn Her Down" - And yet another fifties-style track. This one is pretty good, as the harmonies in the back work well to establish a doowop feeling for the piece. It's about a rivalry in affections, where the singer urges her lover to forget the other girl.

7. Ellaine and the Shandells - "Tell Me That You Care" - Hmm, I wonder where the band got their name from (*cough* Tommy James and the Shondells *cough*). It's a hip track with it's harmonies and a backing electric organ, but the real highlight of the song is the intro. Man, I didn't know Saxophones could sound so sexy! The rest is good, but the singers who come in for the post-chorus harmony are way off.

8. The Crazy Girls - "Hey hey, ha ha!" - Cool! I like it! You'd figure a wild track like this has a good story behind it, and apparently it does. The band The Javelin's were recording an album when their girlfriends wanted to record a song as well. So they all got together, and made this weird track with the girl's as vocalists! It's got that groovy Mod feeling to it, and is definitely a worthy addition to the series!

9. Jonna Gault - "I'm Never Gonna Cry Again" - This song is a haunting crawler with a killer beat and personality of it's own, and its not hard to see why it's my favorite track of the album. With that awesome raspy hum of minimalist Saxophones in the background, and a distorted Guitar that comes in and out when needed, this one just overflows with grit and class. The best part is when the song quiets down a bit, right before it explodes into an awesome solo that caught me by surprise when I first heard it! Definitely give this one a spin some time!

Jonna Gault

10. Millie Rogers - "There You Go" - A twangy Surf-Pop number, this one is about a girl who misses the one she used to have fun with. The vocals are given that analogue-drill effect again, which in this case makes it a little painful to listen to. But I like it!

11. Karin Krogh and the Public Enemies - "Watermelon Man" - No, not the Rap icons Public Enemy. This one is about a girl who wants to eat a man made out of watermelon (No, really). It's got a cool slow beat to it, with the electric organ/keyboard adding a fun sixties feeling to it.

12. Fatimas - "Hoochy Coo" - Ha! I'm sorry, it's just that I always thought that nobody could ever really could capture the sound of "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones as well as the original. And I was right. But these girls come pretty close instrument-wise with their drumming and guitar work! A fun song with goofy lyrics, what's not to love?

13. Karen Verros - "You Just Gotta Know My Mind" - I don't know what the line "A seagull cries a tear in my eye" means, but knowing the sixties it probably has something to do with drugs. Anyway, this one is fast and fun! The best part is when it goes into a guitar break where the guitarist messes around with a whammy bar, and a cool harmony carries on in the background.

14. Venus Flytrap - "The Note" - A very slow and haunting number, it obviously takes it's cues from the Folk Rock songs of it's time. With a cool main riff, and a good vocalist, it's a simple yet strong number!

15. Little Frankie - "I'm Not Gonna Do It" - A fun yet sloppy rocker with a heavy dose of Wanda Jackon's influence. At first I thought this was by an ex-Chyme, but later found out that Little Frankie was in actuality an ex-Chime. The more you know!

Little Frankie's 45 on Capital, during it's gold/orange swirly glory days (back when they still worked with The Beatles)

16. The Lawrence Comp - "Moon Beams" - This song gives me the creeps for some reason. It's just really lonely and distant... Oh no, I just remembered watching "Eraserhead"! No! Ha, just kidding, as if a traumatic memory that repressed could ever resurface. It's a slow Surf-Rock style song, and is mostly instrumental save for a few vocal harmonies.

17. The Weekends - "Want You"- Why does the intro sound so much like "Human Fly" by The Cramps? Creepy. Anyway, this one is another slow and simple haunter, with Psychadelic-flavored vocals and harmonies. Not bad!

18. Tammy and the Bachelors - "My Summer Love" - Apparently named after a movie from the fifties, this one is a cool Surf-Pop number that starts off slow and steady before getting to the groovy chorus.

Tammy and the Bachelors

19. Nai Bonet - "Jelly Belly" - Love the intro! A guy tells you all about the current state of the belly dancing industry, before a girl comes in to teach you how to do a belly dance yourself! Obviously, this is a comedic song, and is good for getting raised eyebrows.

20. The Uncalled For - "Come on Home" - I love this song. I don't know why, but I just really do. It sounds like the early Rolling Stones turned into ladies, got drunk, and started making a song. It's just got that really lively Garage feeling to it, despite kind of sounding like a Folk song. Just give it a listen and see what you think (honestly, I could understand perfectly if i'm the only person in the world who likes it).

21. Lori Sanders - "Out Of Your Mind" - Kind of has that out-of-this-world feeling that strange harmonies can give a song. This one is alright, but is really stark on it's own, and could have used some spicing up.

22. The She's - "The Fool" - A driving beat keeps this one moving forward, as a lady tells us all about how love made her a fool. I like the bass line on this one, as it keeps everything together rhythm-wise. And no, there is no relation to the Garage band "She/Hairem".

23. The Pussycats - "The Rider" - I like the intro, and the rest of the song doesn't fail to impress. The Pussycats do vocal and harmony work really well on this one, and the tune is intriguing as well. It's another effective haunter that I think you'll all enjoy!

The Pussycats! Josie not pictured.

24. Gale Haness - "Johnny Ander" - A dramatic song about a guy who gets treated badly for not going along with the "hippy" movement, until he relents and becomes a long-haired druggy. It's actually got some great vocal work if you're into ballads, but it's kind of hard to take it seriously because of the cheesy subject matter and lyrics.

25. Manuela and Drafi - "Take it Easy" - No relation to the song by The Eagles, this one is a cool track from Germany! The guitar flairs that come in after the vocalists finish a line really keep things interesting! However, it's another track with kind of annoying male vocalists, and the chorus is a little bland compared to the rest of the song.

26. Jacqueline Taieb - "7 Heures Du Matin" - Definitely the most iconic song of the album, this one has become a cult classic tune, in both it's French and English-language version. The track on this album is in the original French language. It's a really Mod styled mover about a girl waking up in the morning and getting ready for the day(which is more exciting than it sounds). For those of you who don't speak French, you'll still recognize a verse or two, like when Jacqueline sings "Talkin' 'Bout My Generation!" as an homage to The Who, or when she name drops Paul McCartney and Elvis Presley. Definitely give it a shot some time, it's really gun! Fun fact: The album spells her name "Taib" instead of the correct "Taieb".

Jacqueline Taieb

27. Sunday and the Menn - "You Cheated" - A melodramatic song about a girl who's fed up with her cheating and lying lover. The electric organ/keyboards in this one sound really sharp and electric, like something out of a song from the eighties. Anyway, it's a fun if unremarkable song!

28. The Indigos - "He's Coming Home" - A solid Folk song with a cool Fuzz Guitar line that comes in after the vocals (and there's a harmonica line too!). I really like this track, if only for it's ability to bring Folk to the Garage! It's a sad song about a woman who waits for her soldier fiance to return from a war in a distant land, only to have him return to her in a coffin. An anti-Vietnam Conflict song, and anti-war in general.

Well, that was a long one. I hope you all enjoyed it! It has more strange songs than the first volume, but also more slow and haunting songs. It manages to hold up well when compared to the first, even if the two have stylistically different songs. Just like the first volume, I highly recommend this one!

And now it's time for me to leave. I should be back in a few days! Until then, remember that the best music is made in the garage!

12-04-2014, 05:13 AM	#15 (permalink)
Oriphiel Ask me how! Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: The States Posts: 5,355	The compilation that started my love for Garage Rock, as well as kicking off the first entry of this journal, we return to the crazy ladies of... Girls in the Garage - Volume Two Again, this is the reissued CD series i'm reviewing, as the original vinyl is kind of hard to find. The major difference is that the tracklists are different, with some songs lost in the transition and a few others gained. 1. The Darby Sisters - "Go Back to Your Pontiac" - A goofy advertisement song (ah, we meet again. I thought The Omens were the only ones doing this...), this one is about a lady who lost her man to his car obsession. While light hearted and comedic, it's not too terrible (The singers, for example, are alright), but it's kind of an odd choice for the first track. 2. Lonnies' Legends and Currents - "Look For Another Love" - This is a little more what I was expecting, but still a little lacking in wild energy. Driven on by the vocals and harmonies, nothing too exciting instrument-wise happens here. It's about how one shouldn't blindly cling to a lost love, when they could find someone new who truly cares for them. 3. Lindy Lane - "Low Grades and High Fever" - I do love Garage Rock, but I also love a good Rock 'n Roll dance hall number! This one is a fast and light song, with a catchy tune and a talented singer, but it's another song that has a deep voiced back-up singer thrown in the chorus for kicks (Which i'm not a huge fan of. Either go all the way and make a doowop song, or don't do it at all!). Anyway, this one is about a girl who can't concentrate in school because she's in love (Sam Cooke eat your heart out!). 4. Kari Lynn - "Cleo Cleopatra" - Awesome! Now this is what i'm looking for! With a very talented vocalist, as well as a generous amount of fuzz guitar work, this track hits the perfect stride between sweet and rough! This song is about (Who else?) the legendary Celopatra, and her irresistable allure. It's pretty much guarenteed that you'll sing along with the harmony after the chorus ("Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"). 5. Pat Downey and the Vistas - "Real Live Lover" - Another track taking it's cues from the fifties. I do like these slow and simple songs, but i'm kind of anxious for something really rough and fun. Anyway, this number is alright, but it doesn't take too many chances. It's about a girl who wants an exciting lover in the man she desires. 6. Cupons - "Turn Her Down" - And yet another fifties-style track. This one is pretty good, as the harmonies in the back work well to establish a doowop feeling for the piece. It's about a rivalry in affections, where the singer urges her lover to forget the other girl. 7. Ellaine and the Shandells - "Tell Me That You Care" - Hmm, I wonder where the band got their name from (cough Tommy James and the Shondells cough). It's a hip track with it's harmonies and a backing electric organ, but the real highlight of the song is the intro. Man, I didn't know Saxophones could sound so sexy! The rest is good, but the singers who come in for the post-chorus harmony are way off. 8. The Crazy Girls - "Hey hey, ha ha!" - Cool! I like it! You'd figure a wild track like this has a good story behind it, and apparently it does. The band The Javelin's were recording an album when their girlfriends wanted to record a song as well. So they all got together, and made this weird track with the girl's as vocalists! It's got that groovy Mod feeling to it, and is definitely a worthy addition to the series! 9. Jonna Gault - "I'm Never Gonna Cry Again" - This song is a haunting crawler with a killer beat and personality of it's own, and its not hard to see why it's my favorite track of the album. With that awesome raspy hum of minimalist Saxophones in the background, and a distorted Guitar that comes in and out when needed, this one just overflows with grit and class. The best part is when the song quiets down a bit, right before it explodes into an awesome solo that caught me by surprise when I first heard it! Definitely give this one a spin some time! Jonna Gault 10. Millie Rogers - "There You Go" - A twangy Surf-Pop number, this one is about a girl who misses the one she used to have fun with. The vocals are given that analogue-drill effect again, which in this case makes it a little painful to listen to. But I like it! 11. Karin Krogh and the Public Enemies - "Watermelon Man" - No, not the Rap icons Public Enemy. This one is about a girl who wants to eat a man made out of watermelon (No, really). It's got a cool slow beat to it, with the electric organ/keyboard adding a fun sixties feeling to it. 12. Fatimas - "Hoochy Coo" - Ha! I'm sorry, it's just that I always thought that nobody could ever really could capture the sound of "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones as well as the original. And I was right. But these girls come pretty close instrument-wise with their drumming and guitar work! A fun song with goofy lyrics, what's not to love? 13. Karen Verros - "You Just Gotta Know My Mind" - I don't know what the line "A seagull cries a tear in my eye" means, but knowing the sixties it probably has something to do with drugs. Anyway, this one is fast and fun! The best part is when it goes into a guitar break where the guitarist messes around with a whammy bar, and a cool harmony carries on in the background. 14. Venus Flytrap - "The Note" - A very slow and haunting number, it obviously takes it's cues from the Folk Rock songs of it's time. With a cool main riff, and a good vocalist, it's a simple yet strong number! 15. Little Frankie - "I'm Not Gonna Do It" - A fun yet sloppy rocker with a heavy dose of Wanda Jackon's influence. At first I thought this was by an ex-Chyme, but later found out that Little Frankie was in actuality an ex-Chime. The more you know! Little Frankie's 45 on Capital, during it's gold/orange swirly glory days (back when they still worked with The Beatles) 16. The Lawrence Comp - "Moon Beams" - This song gives me the creeps for some reason. It's just really lonely and distant... Oh no, I just remembered watching "Eraserhead"! No! Ha, just kidding, as if a traumatic memory that repressed could ever resurface. It's a slow Surf-Rock style song, and is mostly instrumental save for a few vocal harmonies. 17. The Weekends - "Want You"- Why does the intro sound so much like "Human Fly" by The Cramps? Creepy. Anyway, this one is another slow and simple haunter, with Psychadelic-flavored vocals and harmonies. Not bad! 18. Tammy and the Bachelors - "My Summer Love" - Apparently named after a movie from the fifties, this one is a cool Surf-Pop number that starts off slow and steady before getting to the groovy chorus. Tammy and the Bachelors 19. Nai Bonet - "Jelly Belly" - Love the intro! A guy tells you all about the current state of the belly dancing industry, before a girl comes in to teach you how to do a belly dance yourself! Obviously, this is a comedic song, and is good for getting raised eyebrows. 20. The Uncalled For - "Come on Home" - I love this song. I don't know why, but I just really do. It sounds like the early Rolling Stones turned into ladies, got drunk, and started making a song. It's just got that really lively Garage feeling to it, despite kind of sounding like a Folk song. Just give it a listen and see what you think (honestly, I could understand perfectly if i'm the only person in the world who likes it). 21. Lori Sanders - "Out Of Your Mind" - Kind of has that out-of-this-world feeling that strange harmonies can give a song. This one is alright, but is really stark on it's own, and could have used some spicing up. 22. The She's - "The Fool" - A driving beat keeps this one moving forward, as a lady tells us all about how love made her a fool. I like the bass line on this one, as it keeps everything together rhythm-wise. And no, there is no relation to the Garage band "She/Hairem". 23. The Pussycats - "The Rider" - I like the intro, and the rest of the song doesn't fail to impress. The Pussycats do vocal and harmony work really well on this one, and the tune is intriguing as well. It's another effective haunter that I think you'll all enjoy! The Pussycats! Josie not pictured. 24. Gale Haness - "Johnny Ander" - A dramatic song about a guy who gets treated badly for not going along with the "hippy" movement, until he relents and becomes a long-haired druggy. It's actually got some great vocal work if you're into ballads, but it's kind of hard to take it seriously because of the cheesy subject matter and lyrics. 25. Manuela and Drafi - "Take it Easy" - No relation to the song by The Eagles, this one is a cool track from Germany! The guitar flairs that come in after the vocalists finish a line really keep things interesting! However, it's another track with kind of annoying male vocalists, and the chorus is a little bland compared to the rest of the song. 26. Jacqueline Taieb - "7 Heures Du Matin" - Definitely the most iconic song of the album, this one has become a cult classic tune, in both it's French and English-language version. The track on this album is in the original French language. It's a really Mod styled mover about a girl waking up in the morning and getting ready for the day(which is more exciting than it sounds). For those of you who don't speak French, you'll still recognize a verse or two, like when Jacqueline sings "Talkin' 'Bout My Generation!" as an homage to The Who, or when she name drops Paul McCartney and Elvis Presley. Definitely give it a shot some time, it's really gun! Fun fact: The album spells her name "Taib" instead of the correct "Taieb". Jacqueline Taieb 27. Sunday and the Menn - "You Cheated" - A melodramatic song about a girl who's fed up with her cheating and lying lover. The electric organ/keyboards in this one sound really sharp and electric, like something out of a song from the eighties. Anyway, it's a fun if unremarkable song! 28. The Indigos - "He's Coming Home" - A solid Folk song with a cool Fuzz Guitar line that comes in after the vocals (and there's a harmonica line too!). I really like this track, if only for it's ability to bring Folk to the Garage! It's a sad song about a woman who waits for her soldier fiance to return from a war in a distant land, only to have him return to her in a coffin. An anti-Vietnam Conflict song, and anti-war in general. Well, that was a long one. I hope you all enjoyed it! It has more strange songs than the first volume, but also more slow and haunting songs. It manages to hold up well when compared to the first, even if the two have stylistically different songs. Just like the first volume, I highly recommend this one! And now it's time for me to leave. I should be back in a few days! Until then, remember that the best music is made in the garage! Last edited by Oriphiel; 12-08-2014 at 09:50 AM.