Acid Visions: Best of The 60s Texas
Punk & Psychedelic_Vol. 2
Cassette to MP3_Collectables, COL504
Just as my vinyl collection went from
several hundred long players down to two and a handful of seven
inchers... I whittled my massive cassette collection down to a
hundred or so, which includes a few odd cassingles, many moons ago.
I've been meaning to convert them to MP3, post 'em on YouTube or burn
'em to CDR. Well, the stars are aligned and now is the time. Acid
Visions: Best of The 60s Texas Punk & Psychedelic Vol. 2 shall be
the first entry in this long delayed Cassette to MP3 series. Acid
Visions Vol. 1 is already available on YouTube. Seek it out, it
makes a nice companion piece for Vol. 2.
Acid Visions: Best of The 60s Texas
Punk & Psychedelic Vol. 2 was originally released as part of the
Priceless Collection on the Collectables label. A series of low
budget compilations, that true to their nature, could be found in cut
out bins at music stores across the country. Such as Hastings in Rio
Rancho where I found my copy in the early 1990s. “Collectables is a
reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. It's the
largest independently owned reissue label in the U.S., maintaining a
catalog of over 3,400 active titles, mostly on compact disc, but also
available on vinyl.” The CD versions usually combine at least two
volumes on each disc.
Collectables releases have been
criticized for their poor recording quality and Acid Visions Vol. 2
is no exceptions. The audio is heavily processed, which gets rid of
the pops inherent with 60s vinyl, but it renders the music dull as
dishwater in the process. Since the mid-1990s Little Walter DeVenne
has remastered and restored many of the label's reissues to good
results. (Acid Visions Vol. 2 was released in 1991, pre-Little
Walter) A popular Boston radio personality, Little Walter DeVenne was
also the host of the syndicated oldies program “Little Walter's
Time Machine” on Clear Channel “Real Time Oldies Channel”
The Acid Visions series clocks in at a
half dozen volumes with diminishing returns. It's a strange and
spotty collection of tracks. A few gold nuggets salted into a slag
heap of dubious material. Not for the casual listener for sure.
However, it you have a thing for trashy 60s garage/psyche/punk from
Texas, this will surely punch your ticket. Amazingly there's three
bands on Vol. 2 that share names with El Paso bands from the same
era, The Bobby Fuller 4 originally went by Bobby Fuller & The
Fanatics, Neal Ford & The Fanatics from Houston, never reached
those heights, but it wasn't from a lack of trying. Bill Taylor &
The Sherwoods hailed from El Paso, The Sherwoods were based in
Houston. The Things, from Houston should not be confused with the
Things from El Paso... comprendes mendes?
You can't tell your Texas 60s garage
bands without a scorecard
“From the era of hip huggers, bell
bottoms and miniskirts”, Neal Ford & The Fanatics, from
Houston, worked really hard to establish themselves as stars. They
seemed destined to break through, yet never had much of an impact
outside of Texas. The Fanatics released on album on the Hickory
label, along with a number of singles on Hickory and other labels.
(“Good Men” a compilation released by Ace Records is a great
introduction to this highly underrated band) Neal Ford – Vocals,
Lanier Greig – Keyboards, Johnny Stringfellow - Lead Guitar, Jon
Pereles - Rhythm Guitar, Dub Johnson-bass, John Cravey-drums.
The Sherwoods, a psychedelic garage
punk outfit based in Houston, Texas, though originally from Corpus
Christi. The Sherwoods peaked during 1968-69 when they signed with
Mercury Records subsidiary label Smash Records. The band languished
at Mercury (recording three singles) before the draft and lack of
success broke them apart. The Sherwoods were Michael Claxton (lead
and backing vocals), Johnny Clary (drums, lead and backing vocals),
David Franklin (lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Jim Frye
(lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals), and Kenny Blanchet (bass).
Thursday's Children were from Houston,
they recorded for International Artists and they're best know for
their single “Help, Murder, Police” written by Jan Pedersen. The
Brother Love Congregation has a great 60s psyche name and little else
going for them, probably from the Houston area. The Things from
Houston were not the Things from El Paso.... that's all. Long before
Space Cadet was synonymous with airheads, there were The Space Cadets
who without a doubt hailed from Houston, the Space City. Warlocks was
Dusty Hill and brother Rocky Hill's first musical venture. They were
joined by Frank Beard, making Warlocks a primordial version of ZZ
Top, sans Billy Gibbons. Later on they dyed their hair blue and
started calling themselves American Blues.
The flip side of Homer's single
“Dandelion Wine” was an obscure Willie Nelson composition “I
Never cared For You” recorded long before the “Outlaw Country”
movement took shape. Galen Niles, guitarist and songwriter from San
Antonio, was the driving force behind The Outcasts, Homer and Ultra.
Homer released one album “Grown in the USA” for International
Artists in 1970. The final track on this compilation “Outside
Looking In” is credited to The Unknowns, Discogs.com claims they're actually The Bad
Roads from Lake Charles, Louisiana, though keeping with the Texas nature of this compilation, I would bet that they're The Unknowns from Corpus Christi.... don't mess with Texas punk, ya'll.
I Can't Believe- The
Fanatics
I Will Not Be Lonely- The
Fanatics
Bless Me Woman- The
Sherwoods
I Know You Cried- The
Sherwoods
You'll Never Be My Girl-
Thursday's Children
I Don't Want to Go- BLC
Loveless Lover- The Things
Nothing Will Stand In My
Way- Space Cadets
Love-Itis- Space Cadets
Another Girl Like You- The
Things
Life's A Misery- The
Warlocks
Dandelion Wine- Homer
Sunrise- Homer
Outside Looking In- The
Unknowns
