The Sonics - Here Are The Sonics
(1965)
Tracks
1 The Witch 2:40
2 Do You Love Me 2:18
3 Roll Over Beethoven 2:49
4 Boss Hoss 2:24
5 Dirty Robber 2:02
6 Have Love, Will Travel 2:40
7 Psycho 2:17
8 Money 2:00
9 Walkin' the Dog 2:45
10 Night Time Is the Right Time 2:58
11 Strychnine 2:13
12 Good Golly Miss Molly 2:08
If you ever wanted to know what a ton of dynamite would sound like if you lit the fuse and gave it some microphones, guitars, drums and a saxophone, then listen no further. Here it is ladies and gentlemen, 100% unfiltered TNT, all the way from Tacoma, in America's northwest, Here Are The Sonics.
Here Are The Sonics is the debut from the brilliant Sonics, released on The Norton Record Label in 1965, the album was a commercial flop proving once and for all that the mass record buying public then, like today, are a pretty foolish bunch. But hopefully you have your head screwed on and will no doubt love this album after one listen or even half a listen.
Other then the health risks, what really is there not to like about this album?
Highlights on the album are many and involve either a riff sent from the bowels of the earth, a series of beats crashing down from Mount Olympus or a scream that can kill Santa Claus and ultimately probably did, most likely though it is a combination of all three of these factors in the same song. Psycho, The Witch, Strychnine, Keep A Knockin', Boss Hoss, Have Love Will Travel, Dirty Robber, it is all happening with this album, seriously these songs are some of the finest to come out of America, let alone the 1960's, and The Sonics have been genius enough to have created all these great songs in time for their debut album.
Here Are The Sonics in short is one of the ultimate Sixties Garage albums, containing pure grit, as live as it is raw and containing filthy raunch that would make a nun faint, a landmark American album, one of the great debuts, and very much under appreciated by the mass consumer, that's about it really
The Sonics - Boom
(1966)
Tracks
1 Cinderella 2:44
2 Don't Be Afraid of the Dark 2:22
3 Skinny Minnie 2:11
4 Let the Good Times Roll 2:00
5 Don't You Just Know It 2:49
6 Jenny, Jenny 2:19
7 He's Waitin' 2:32
8 Louie, Louie 3:00
9 Since I Fell for You 3:59
10 Hitch Hike 2:45
11 It's All Right 2:10
12 Shot Down 2:08
One of two landmark albums released by Tacoma, Washington's very own, The Sonics. In 1966, The Sonics released the follow up to their triumphant yet largely forgotten debut, "Here Are The Sonics"; "Boom" was just as harsh, just as raw and just as electric as that marvellous release from 1965.
"Boom", released on the Norton Record Label was the last great album from this very much-underrated act. Charting nowhere in 1966 and offering very little in mass consumer appeal, the album forced The Sonics to reassess their sound and focus, as a result this left any follow up albums sadly lacking that little extra bite, making Boom even the more important.
"Boom" is classic Sonics, gritty, electric and pure unadulterated filth, which is all you can ask for from a band who made it their business to turn it up and smack you right between the ears with the equivalent of a bag of spanners.
The album starts with "Cinderella", brace yourself folks, this is proper rock n roll and could scorch the brain, be warned that track 7 "He's Waitin'" has similar health damaging qualities.
Moving to track two we have "Don't Be Afraid of The Dark", which starts off (well first 10 seconds) seemingly all nice and gentle, but then again this is Gerry Roslie on lead vocals so don't get too snug. Roslie's vocals are very strong on this album; for example his vocals on "Jenny Jenny", are by no means overshadowed by the Little Richard original. It's a shame that this man's talents weren't more widely recognised at the time.
Another powerful cover from The Sonics can be found on "Boom", "Louie Louie" I think sums The Sonics up perfectly, taking a simple idea and injecting it with napalm and making it unbelievably dirty and explosive. A formula, which started in 1965 and very much continued with this 1966 release.
From start to finish this second album from The Sonics is a real treat, so hunt it down.