In The Trashcan
Records GEM021
"The Sonics, The Seeds, The Troggs, Velvet Underground,...
need to say more?"
Covered by The Sonics and originally by their local friends and mentors The Wailers. Here is the version the fabulous Sires, an outfit founded by Andy & Domi after a stay in France. From 1997 this is straight forward up in your face garage punk recorded for Twist Records, that also released their debut 45 one year earlier.
Another heavy sounding band in the charts in the 60s were The Troggs and their biggest hit "Wild Thing" in 1966. The Bogeymen (pre The Percolators), a psychobilly combo from Germany, are here with a lo-fi-billy version from around 1990 on Odius.
A Sonics classic superbly covered by France's best Medway garage band, The Gorgons. Dionysus Records released this terrific tune as flip to "I can't be true" in 1996.
This hardcore trio from Minnesota are here with a Sonny Curtis song (so, this is NOT the Troggs song!), which they put on the B-side of "Makes no sense at all" in 1985. They didn't sound hardcore anymore in those days, but had a big impact on the alternative scene in the US.
As most songs by The Sonics, this was written by Gerry Roslie. The A-Bones were big fans of those Tacoma boys. They recorded this in 1992 for Estrus as flip to "Louie go home", another Northwest classic.
Billy Childish sounds in Holland? Yes, The Waistcoats mixed Medway Beat and Nederbeat to a new cocktail of garage mayhem, this time with The Troggs' "You're lying" for Teen Scream Records in 1998 on a split-7" with Beyond Lickin'.
Even Belly Childish couldn't avoid the masters of garage punk, The Sonics. His Headcoatees will kill you with their "Strychnine" from 1993, also on Twist Records. The flipside is by Thee Headcoats themselves, with a Link Wray tune.
One of the many Reg Presley songs that became a big hit by The Troggs, "I can't control myself" was covered in 1985 by Australian singer-drummer James Baker. It was released on Sydney's Red Eye Records.
Yes, they were the good guys, although sometimes they didn't wear white. This Standells standard was recorded superbly by Mike and his legendary Cannibals in 1977 already. Punk is a new thing? Hell no, Mister Spenser knew that it began in 1964 already.
I'll end this volume with 4 Velvet Underground songs. "Sweet Jane" is the first one, an intimate yet strong rendition, sung by Margo Timmins accompanied by her two brothers Michael and Peter. My copy is not on RCA, but on Cooking Vinyl, from 1989.
You'd be surprised about the numbers of people who actually know this garage rock classic, although they always forget who played it the first time: The Standells. This 1979 powerpop version by The Inmates for Soho Records predates the garage scene by more than 4 years!
It was only a matter of time that big Lou Reed fan Ian McCulloch would cover a Velvet Underground song. Their live version of "Run run run" is the best they did in 1987.
Here they are again, one of my fave bands from France. This time they covered a song by The Seeds, written by Sky Saxon, about 3 decades later in 1995. It's Shot Down Records that put out this tremendous effort.
Okay, this is a little bit of cheating, but VU's first singer Nico also recorded a Velvet Underground song with a different backing band, The Invisible Girls. In 1982 it was 1/2 Records that was willing to release it as flip to "Procession".
Also Thee Headcoats of Billy Childish were big fans of Sky Saxon and The Seeds. The first cover version I heard was the one by Cabaret Voltaire in 1979. This is 1996 on the French label, Wild Wild Records. It's a wild wild recording indeed.
And finally it's "White light white heat" from VU's second album. The Professionals (ex- SexPistols) put it as B-side of "One Two Three" on Virgin in 1980. Lou Reed as one of the godfathers of punk covered by two remaining members of The Sex Pistols, Paul Cook and Steve Jones. Oh irony.
