The Bar Boys from Arkansas start the podcast. In the mid-60's they traveled up to Memphis to do some recording, and their song "That's the Sound of My Heart" comes from that session. I think they got their money's worth. The Soulmasters may have been from the middle part of Virginia, but their sound was pure East Coast Beach. "You Took Away the Sunshine" has sassy brass and a shuffling groove to it that's perfect for the Carolina Shag (that's a dance, y'all). We searched for some more vintage so...
Feb 25, 2012
Another of our infamous mystery bands start off this podcast. Who were Les Soules? We're not sure. They recorded a song in Jonesboro, Arkansas, but other than that... With a name like Spontaneous Corruption, you can bet the band's going to lay down some heavy sound. And they do. The Looking Glass of Time has all the cosmic psychedelica you could desire (maybe even more so). The Soul Spotlight shines on Roy Hines. Hines had been in the business for over a decade when he cut this fine example of e...
Feb 15, 2012
Fifty episodes of Garage/Soul '66! Hard to believe we're still going strong, and still have lots more vintage psych, rock, soul and pop to share with you. To celebrate, we're marking another important occasion -- the release of Lost Souls, Vol. 3 by Psych of the South. This compilation digs even deeper into the Arkansas music scene of the late 1960's, unearthing rare acetates, rehearsal recordings, reel-to-reel tapes, as well as some tunes that actually made it to vinyl. We start with the first ...
Jan 25, 2012
First up on this episode of Garage/Soul '66 is a blast of heavy psych. The Sound Expidition hailed from Lincoln, NE and recorded (as far as we know) just this one track -- but it's a good one. "Ultimate Power" proved to be the ultimate track for the band. The Anglos take the Soul Spotlight with a sizzling lo-fi track, "Since You've Been Gone." Folks, there's more to 60's soul than Motown, as this 1967 track proves. Black Narcosis is another of our mystery bands - they came into the studio, they ...
Dec 25, 2011
We start the show with the Morning Disaster. This band wrote (and recorded) songs that were a cut above the run-of-the-mill garage band. For some reason, though, the tapes of their 1967 recording session were never released -- until Arcania International got hold of them, that is. From that legendary session we play their original tune "Urban 44." Longtime listeners know our theme and background music is "Days of s Quiet Sun" by Wilson Castle. But it's not the only version of the tune. Group Nin...
Dec 15, 2011
We start the show with a trippy tune from 1969 by the Group Nine. The group may have been a little tripped out themselves, as they never had as many as nine in their lineup... Yes, Thomas Edisun's Electric Lightbulb Band spelt it E-d-i-s-u-n. They follow the Group Nine with a mellow track of sunshiny psych titled "Common Attitude." Laurie Tate steps into the Soul Spotlight with an outstanding ballad from 1965. The sound is definitely lo-fi, but the singing is top-notch. We finish with "Green was...
Nov 15, 2011
We start the show with a mid-60's track recorded in Johnson City, TN. The Kool Kuzzins were actually a family band composed of two brothers and a cousin. And actually, all three were pretty cool. The next track, "Party" comes from Washington DC-based Wilson Castle. Recorded in 1969, it sums up the closing era of peace and love (with a nod to John Lennon). Not bad for a group of teenagers. Front and center in the Soul Spotlight this time is something of a mystery band. We don't know a lot about Z...
Oct 25, 2011
The world of 1960's garage music is full of strange stories. The Morning Disaster was an up-and-coming band that was soon hustled into the studio to record some of their original material. They did so (and it's decidedly better than average), but the tapes were never released and the band broke up soon afterwards. From those lost sessions, we present a fine example of psychedelica, "Black Leather Books." Alvin Delk and Rockin' Cavaliers give lie to their song "Ain't Nothing Shakin'"" -- in this ...
Oct 15, 2011
Another of our mystery groups kick off this edition of the show. The Sunn Cycle went into a studio in Asheville, NC in the late 1960's, recorded a track or two, then disappeared. We play their tune "Acid Raga, Part II." And no, as far as I know there is no Part I. The Steve Peele Five sing what has to be one of the longest radio jingles ever -- a two-minute paen to a local record store/head shop known as Frankie's. And yes, it was really recorded as a radio ad, not a stand-alone song. The Soul S...
Sep 25, 2011
We start with a band that reversed a trend. Many garage bands broke up in the 1960's when one or more of their members were drafted and sent to Vietnam. The Beachnuts was a band made up of young musicians returning from Southeast Asia. The New Directions turn in a heavy dose of psych with their 1969 track, "Springtime Lady" Mel Gaines and the Regents shine in the Soul Spotlight with "What'cha Gonna Do?" It's not only a good example of mid-60's soul, but perfectly captures the sound of East Coast...
Sep 15, 2011
This podcast starts with another of our many mystery bands. We don't know who was in the band Don't Tread on Me, but we do know they were deep into the psychedelic scene. Their 1969 recording "The Land of Extremes" makes that very clear, indeed. Far out! Last episode we featured a song by the Electrical Banana, a group Dean Kohler formed while serving in Vietnam. From that same Southeast Asian recording session, they play a cover of Lou Reed's "There She Goes Again" -- done mere weeks after the ...
Aug 25, 2011
Dean Kohler didn't give up music when he was drafted in 1967. He formed a band with some fellow GIs and played in Southeast Asia. And they also recorded. We play their version of "I'm A Man" live from Vietnam! Ever wonder about the theme music for this podcast? it's an instrumental version of "Days of a Quiet Sun" by the Baraccudas. You'll hear the finished version with vocals on this show! Sir Guy is back in the Soul Spotlight, this time fronting for the Speller Bros. Band. They turn in a great...
Aug 15, 2011
The Nite Beats walked the Southwest Virginia beat -- and did it pretty well, too. In 1966 they were invited to record a session at Sun Studios. Although the master tapes were lost soon after, we have the one surviving song from that session! From the same part of the Old Dominion we also have the Phantoms. They played primarily the area where Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee border each other. Their one 45 "I Want to See Her Cry" is pretty rare -- but that's the way we like it on this pod...
Jul 25, 2011
We start off this podcast episode with a little trip -- a psychedelic trip, that is. Denis and the Times took flight in 1967 with their psych classic "Flight Patterns." Great production values on this one! We stay up in the sky with the Pennsylvania-based Groop Therapy. "Leave This World" has a fuzzed-out guitar solo by 13-year-old Gayle Doughtrey. Gene and the Team Beats take the Soul Spotlight this time around. They started out in 1959, but didn't cut this track until late 1966! It was worth t...
Jul 15, 2011
One of the recurring themes of this podcast is the mystery of the mystery band. Many times studios were booked by teenagers who came in, recorded one or two songs, paid the engineer, and left. Often these bands broke up shortly thereafter. 45s were thrown away, and master tapes lost, save for the studio copy. But that copy usually just had the name of the group. And so, forty years after the fact, there are many groups that are just names on a tape box. This time, we have something even more unu...
Jun 26, 2011
This program we have two mystery groups. Don't know who they are, or even quite where they came from. But we do have the recordings they left behind. The Wanted & Co. recorded in a studio in the midwest. There are some indication that they may have been from Ohio -- or perhaps Kentucky. We're not sure... The Soul Spotlight shines on the second mystery band, the Incorporates. In this case, nothing is known about the group -- even where they came from. But their track's a killer. We start and ...
Jun 15, 2011
We start this edition of Garage/Soul '66 with the Flys. We don't know much about this group, save that they hailed from Washington, DC and cut a single track back in 1966. But it's a good one. East Coast legend Lenis Guess returns, this time fronting a band that perfectly captured the East Coast Beach sound of the mid-60's. If you like Bill Deal and Rondells, you'll dig "Workin' for My Baby." Miss Ida Sands makes a triumphant return to the Soul Spotlight with "You'll Lose a Good Thing." This 196...
May 25, 2011
We start off with a rare track from Richmond, Virginia-based band the Clover. They recorded just two songs back in 1966, and this episode we play the "B" side of that lone 45 RPM. Then we jump back to 1963 for a song by the Satellites. According to Arcania International's Brent Hosier (who researched and compiled the "Aliens, Psychos, and Wild Things CD series), the Satellites were heavily influenced by the Beatles. I don't know, though. In the track we play, "Next Boy" sounds more like a Who so...
May 15, 2011
This time we have quite a selection of material. We start with Glennis Annette and the Confederates from Texas, circa 1968. We follow them with one of the finest bands out of Virginia to almost make the big time (in my opinion) -- the Bosom Blues Band. Their acid-tinged tune "Hippie Queen" is pure psych. Hard to believe it's actually a group of teenagers! (and if you're fans of this track, we have it not only that track on the CD Aliens, Psychos, and Wild Things, Vol. 1 , but the Bosom Blues Ban...
Apr 25, 2011
A mixed bag of tunes this time around. We start with East Coast favorites the Swinging Machine, and a great song from 1967, "Look Out!" Then we follow Virginia artist Dean Kohler on his continuing adventures. We've already featured his previous group the Satellites, and we pick up the story after Kohler was drafted in 1965. It spelled the end of the Satellites, but not Kohler's musical career. On the transport to Vietnam, he formed a new group, the Electrical Banana, and even managed to record a...
Apr 15, 2011
We have a couple of mystery bands on the show this time. They came, they recorded, they disappeared. We don't know who the members of the Perpetuated Spirits of Turpentine were, or who was in Shades, Ltd. But we do have two great songs from these bands that we share with you this time. The Smacks return with another rocking cut from their 1966 45rpm. Lenis Guess is back in the Soul Spotlight with his very first recording from 1964, "For All You've Been." The backup group the Idets (who sang with...
Mar 25, 2011
The show starts off with the Satellites, a short-lived band from Norfolk, VA. The draft cut the life of the group short, but not the career of lead guitarist Dean Kohler. He went on to form another group during his tour in Vietnam! (We'll feature some recordings from that group in a future episode). The Smacks return with another rocking cut from their 1966 45rpm. Lenis Guess is back in the Soul Spotlight with his very first recording from 1964, "For All You've Been." And we finish up with Black...
Mar 15, 2011
A mixed bag on this edition of the podcast. We start with the Perpetuated Spirits of Turpentine. The title of their song is almost as long as the group name -- "The Girl With The Sandy Blonde Hair." Far out! The Smacks were big in the Washington, DC area, and for good reason. One of the two friends that started the group lived in Virginia, the other in Maryland. Their song Reckless Ways is a corker from 1966. Our Soul Spotlight shines Prince George, a regional heavyweight from the Portsmouth, Vi...
Feb 26, 2011
