The final pressing of Pebbles EVER! Ltd to 250 copies. Get them while they last!
The point of the PEBBLES compilations has always been that they take it as given that the listener is familiar with the best-known works in the style, such as the Count Five’s ‘Psychotic Reaction.’ So these grooves are filled with the more obscure and often downright unhinged, like the Elastik Band’s ‘Spazz,’ one of the most incoherent and bizarre singles ever released by a major label, or the Outcasts’ apocalyptic study of disaffection, ‘I’m In Pittsburgh (And It’s Raining).’ This makes PEBBLES VOL. 1 an excellent second step into the garage rock underground. The music on this first volume is uniformly excellent and highly representative of the best of the obscure music collected in the Pebbles series. The frantic cover of the Count Five classic by Positively 13 O’Clock is from a one-time studio session that included members of Mouse and the Traps; the cover of Dylan’s ‘Like a Rolling Stone ‘is hilariously set to the tune of ‘Louie Louie.’ Songs by well known bands are normally not included on Pebbles albums unless they are curiosities, and the track(s) by the Shadows of Knight – famed for their major hit with Van Morrison’s ‘Gloria'” – is no exception: ‘Potato Chip’ was originally released on a promotional flexidisc (evidently for a potato chip company) and is surely the most earnest ode to a snack food ever recorded. The band introduce themselves with corny yet charming answers – sample: “What kind of fans do you prefer?”, “I prefer electric fans” – followed by the song that the band wrote, “especially for you”.
NOTE – PEBBLES was originally mastered by Greg Shaw, from old singles from his collection. The first song on side one, by the Litter, was even mastered with a SKIP! Bands often perform that song with the skip, to the delight of their audience. We have not remastered or changed the originals in any way. If you want perfect sound quality, this ain’t the place for it. This is the historical original mastering, with all of its flaws and character.
Tracklist:
Side 1:
1. The Litter: ‘Action Woman’, 2:30 — rel. 1967 / 2. The Preachers: ‘Who Do You Love’ (Ellas McDaniel), 2:11 — rel. 1965 / 3. The Floyd Dakil Combo: ‘Dance Franny Dance’, 2:10 — rel. 1964 / 4. The Outcasts: ‘I’m in Pittsburgh (and it’s Raining)’, 1:56 — rel. 1966 / 5. The Squires: ‘Going All the Way’, 2:18 / 6. The Grains of Sand: ‘Going Away Baby’, 2:10 — rel. 1966 / 7. The Ju-Ju’s: ‘You Treat Me Bad’, 2:18 — rel. 1966 / 8. The Haunted: ‘1-2-5’, 2:46 — rel. 1966
Side 2:
1. The Soup Greens: ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ (Bob Dylan), 2:40 — rel. 1965 / 2. The Wig: ‘Crackin’ Up’ (Rusty Wier), 2:18 — rel. 1966* / 3. Positively 13 O’Clock: ‘Psychotic Reaction’, 2:00 — rel. 1966 / 4. Kim Fowley: ‘The Trip’ (Kim Fowley), 2:00 — rel. 1965 / 5. The Elastik Band: ‘Spazz’, 2:45 — rel. 1967 / 6. The Split Ends: ‘Rich with Nothin”, 2:15 — rel. 1966 / 7. The Shadows of Knight: ‘Potato Chip’, 3:23 — rel. 1967 / 8. The Wild Knights: ‘Beaver Patrol’, 2:16 — rel. 1965