Mostly, those boundaries I refer to would be generational and international. Most of the posts here so far have been, admittedly, American-centered and mostly focused on '60s bands. But the creed of this blog is that if it's garage rock, and its good, we don't care if it comes from Los Angeles, London or Lima. We don't care if it's from 1964 or from 2014. We just care that it rocks.
Initially, I was going to write about European garage rock on this post. Arguably, that's where the biggest garage rock audience is. Then I thought Latin America, which has some great bands and does not, in my view, get it fair due. Though not quite as active, Africa and Asia have also chipped in some good bands and some good songs. All of these regions require a bit more research than I anticipated. So I'll mention a few notables and I promise I'll tackle this more in depth in the near future.
A short history: When the Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion hit in 1963, the blast was hardly confined to the English-speaking world, or even the Northern Hemisphere. The whole world dug on the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks and so on. Many did their best to copy that sound. The bad news is few succeeded but the really good news is that many, in the process, developed their own sound, often with a bit of their own national identity mixed in.
All over the world, hair got longer and the kids who didn't always follow the rules picked up their guitars, hung out with their buddies, and sometimes made great music. It faded by the late '60s, but never completely died. Then, Lenny Kaye's created the first Nuggets compilation, and garage found more lives than the proverbial cat. Across the globe, those darn kids (some of whom are now in their 50s, 60s and 70s) continue the tradition.So this week, I'd like to talk about some of the groups whom hail from places other than the English-speaking world. This list is by no means authoritative and quite obviously not exhaustive . It's just a start to get you to exploring, with some links that I think are great.
Scandinavia is legendary for great garage rock. I don't even know where to begin with the great bands from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, so I'll just start with some of my favorites.
The Dogs -- Made up of members of various punk and garage bands from Oslo (with band names that I can't put in a family-friendly blog), the Dogs feature a hard-driving sound that veers toward punk, but is catchier and more fun than angry. Their song "Crime is Sexy" was a Coolest Song in the World on Little Steven's Underground Garage and just begs to be used as a theme song for a crime show. In fact, we have a feature about them. A lot of their songs rock. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedogsoslo
Los Saicos -- It would be hard to say which Latin American country has produced the best garage rock. Arguably, it would probably be Brazil, but you'd really have to consider Peru as well. There have been some crazy good bands from Peru, including We All Together, Los Shains, and Los Yorks, but perhaps the most important would be Los Saicos.
Thought they admit listening and being enthralled by the first British Invasion, their sound was far more primal. There are those knowledgeable garage/punk watchers who think Los Saicos are not just the first Latin American punk band, but possibly the first punk band anywhere. The band's music is short on technique but a mile deep in heart. And as you will probably notice if you click the video below, it seems time has done nothing to mellow out these rockers.
The Satelliters -- These stalwarts from Germany have been one of the pillars of garage rock for the last 20-plus years. Their rhythms and keyboard-driven riffs still sound as crisp today as they did when Hi Karate came out in 1996. Perhaps their best -- and best-known -- song is below, Lost in Time.
The Cocktail Slippers -- There is, of course, a great tradition of all-female bands, or girl groups -- in garage rock. One of the most fun ensembles carrying on this tradition are the Cocktail Slippers out of Oslo. Their look is more on the glam side than anything else, but their sound is parked firmly at the intersection of Ramones Boulevard and Beach Boys Lane. Over thew last decade they have been fixtures on The Underground Garage, and Little Steven has helped with songwriting, producing and of course playing their music on UG.
This is just a beginning, and not a very thorough one, of some of the great garage rock bands on the international scene. Do you have a band? A record label? If so, please contact me. I love sharing what my favorites are -- but I'd really like to showcase what others are doing. My email is on my profile.
'til next week. -- rk
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