Just started reading this and I thought I'd post the link to the book on Amazon.com. Get it! It's hilarious. Written by Mel Bergman (well, technically his entire band - The Phantom Surfers - contributed to it). Here's the description from the publisher's website:

Hey folks,

I just got a gig as the "Garage Punk Examiner" at Examiner.com, but now I need some stuff to write about. So contact me if you'd like for me to review your record or write about an upcoming garage fest or something. I'll even review or write about videos, movies, books, magazines... whatever. Basically anything related to this crazy music.

By the way, thanks to Mal Thursday for the lead! :)

Thanks!

keep on rockin' and surfin' on clouds Jay

Here you can read the eulogy by Eric Oblivian with some funny anecdotes: http://www.memphisflyer.com/SingAllKinds/archives/2010/01/17/rock-in-peace-friends-and-family-say-goodbye-to-jay-reatard I'm still wondering what the hell happened. That homicide investigation turned out to be a bullshit story.

pffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

I love Mick Green's playing and I'm sad to hear he's gone - but he doesn't play on Shakin' All Over. A session guy called Joe Moretti did. Mick Green joined the band much later. A good example of Mick's playing is the Casting My Spell/My Babe single. tom blumenfeld said:

I was lucky enought to see the Reatards a few years back, before I had heard of them. I was mightily impressed and had a great time.

Always sad when someone dies young, and talent & industriousness make it sadder.

A few hours ago I heard that Mick Green (guitarist on Shakin' All Over, among other things, by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates) died this week, too. I didn't realize how young he was on some of those seminal sides. He was only 65, which means 16, 17 back then. 15, maybe? James Burton was pretty young on Susie Q, and Jay Reatard, to come full circle, was recording by 14.

I was lucky enought to see the Reatards a few years back, before I had heard of them. I was mightily impressed and had a great time.

Always sad when someone dies young, and talent & industriousness make it sadder.

A few hours ago I heard that Mick Green (guitarist on Shakin' All Over, among other things, by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates) died this week, too. I didn't realize how young he was on some of those seminal sides. He was only 65, which means 16, 17 back then. 15, maybe? James Burton was pretty young on Susie Q, and Jay Reatard, to come full circle, was recording by 14.

I can't believe... I was hoping to see him live again sometime...

Lost Sounds Forever

weren't some of the guys in POISON IDEA on heroin? can't get much fatter than that!

David Brock said:

Heroin is an opiate, as are most pain killers.

My cousin was bigger than Jay and was addicted to heroin for 12 years. When he kicked, he started LOSING weight. 2 weeks later he was dead from a stroke. No one likes a quitter...

Blaine said:

Probably drugs, he was to fat to be addicted to heroin, my guess is some kinda opiates or pain killers. RIP Jay.

FYI, SIZE DOESN'T MATTER!!! you remember Sloth from the Goonies? He was 6 feet 8 inches 280lbs+, he died speedballin man.

Heroin is an opiate, as are most pain killers. My cousin was bigger than Jay and was addicted to heroin for 12 years. When he kicked, he started LOSING weight. 2 weeks later he was dead from a stroke. No one likes a quitter... Blaine said:

Probably drugs, he was to fat to be addicted to heroin, my guess is some kinda opiates or pain killers. RIP Jay.

This is not good folks...

Thanks Freddi and Darcie .... I know of guitar pro and use on a regular basis... I will check out the website Darcie and see what I can root out ,,, If I find anything good I may post it here if I can work out how to use the darned thing Regards Darcie said:

I like looking through this one:

http://webrock.free.fr/

I like looking through this one: http://webrock.free.fr/

Hi Lurex,
Probably there are a lot sites on the web about it,but I usually search for the songs
I'm interested once at time checkin' for name band,title song and tabs..
It's not easy to find cool things, in garage punk,but try it before..
Then I found an interesting software called -GUITAR PRO 5- It works like a mixing panel,you have the volume for each track of the song and the tabs for each instruments,very easy to use.
But you have to find the song you'd like to learn before. There are folders with 10000 songs in all the genres on the web,and lot of this are good stuff!! Just try for "Guitar Pro Tabs" and see what you find.
Good Job,FREDDI

This is my first post so please be gentle..... Anyone in here know where I can get some garage rock guitar tabs,,,???

This sucks! I found out about it from a friend on New Year's Day, but could find no info on-line because I only knew him as "Reggae Bob". I hung out with him on Sat mornings @ KCMU (before KEXPoop!) as part of the "Positive Vibrations" Reggae Show from 9 a.m. to noon there. I saw him every now and again and he would alway call me by my Air Name (Bill Cheeze) even though he knew my real name. He was just that kinda guy. I'll miss him.
Thanks Dan, for all your posts around the web. It helped me figure things out!

Bye-Bye "Reggae Bob"!

http://webrock.free.fr/G/gories-charmbag.txt http://webrock.free.fr/G/gories-sisterann.txt

I'm with Rod on this one. "He's Waiting" has a certain Je ne sais quoi. However, there is also Link Wray to consider... Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

Matt Ayers said:

"You Really Got Me" is the nastiest, best guitar tone ever. Period.

I don't know....I think Larry Parypa one upped them with Cinderella and He's Waiting but then they probably would have never been written that way if it wasn't for the Kinks. But then again...the Witch and Psycho actually came out before the Kinks records were released here in the states.

I was going to be a doof and answer "stuff you can't buy anymore".

There is mention of Davies brothers Green "Fart Box" Elpico in several books about them. I have been looking for Photographic Proof for years (of them using it on stage) with no such luck. The Sonics have lots of "live" photos from the 60s you can reference. I have been fortunate enough to know folks on the inside for years (their soundman and several fellow musicians) The real way to learn things is to Ask Questions of musicians who were experimenting at the time (and even now) and to experiment yourself. Many great innovations in music (including sustained feedback, distortion, fuzztone, wah-wah, etc...) were figured out by folks trying to innovates new sounds with limited technical options. In this day of specialized pedals and digital boxes (i.e. PODs) and multi-effect units, some of that has been lost. Knowing your playing ability and technology helps a bunch. Perspective is also good. Don't try to re-invent the past, but draw from it to come up with something novel and new. Don't get me wrong either, I love the sound of that music and the simplicity of the gear used, but without the musical ability and innovation, it is all a bunch of noise. I'll cite Jeff Daking of the Psychedelic/Pop group the Blues Magoos. He runs one of the premier new technology companies in the Recording Industry. He holds several patents on electronic components used in many of the pieces of gear folks like me use. My pal Mike Soldano is another musician who builds custom amps for famous people (very good ones too!) He is an excellent guitarist and plays with several NW bands when he has the time to do so. Take the time to do your Homework and look at the History involved. One the the best books I have read on this is Andy Babiuk's (from the Chesterfield Kings) "Beatles Gear" book. Borrow it from your local library (or someone you know who has it) Also "Temples of Sound" is also another great reference book on how certain things were recorded at various Historic studios too. There are tons of reference material out there on the web too. Seek and ye shall find! Jamie said:

Thank you Erik! Very interesting and informative as always. Regarding that Elpico amp, I've heard lots of different quotes on the wattage. I've seen everywhere from 8 to 20. I've heard it may have been an AC55 like this one.
If I had lots of money I would pick up a cheap low watt el84 based amp just to see how close I could get. Of course then I would need an AC30 and a Harmony Meteor.

Thank you Erik! Very interesting and informative as always. Regarding that Elpico amp, I've heard lots of different quotes on the wattage. I've seen everywhere from 8 to 20. I've heard it may have been an AC55 like this one. If I had lots of money I would pick up a cheap low watt el84 based amp just to see how close I could get. Of course then I would need an AC30 and a Harmony Meteor.

Amazingly Larry has been using the same guitar (an Epiphone Riviera) on all the Sonics gigs and recording since the beginning. He has used many different amps over the year (and many unknown pedals too) to achieve that sound. He has a very specific sound he has developed with his playing style. I was fortunate enough to peek at it on the Halloween show they did here in Seattle in 2008 from the Front Row! For the Kinks "You Really Got Me" sound, that is a green Elpico 20 watt tube amp with the speakers slashed (which they refer to as the "Fart Box") I don't suggest you do this to your (if you have one) as Elpico tube amps are worth a bundle these days, but you can do it with a cheapo amp and the effect is similar. There is a non-destructive way to distort your speakers without slashing them with a razor blade. You can un-mount the the speaker from the cabinet then stretch a plastic garbage bag over the front of the speaker snugly, remount the speaker and then cut the stretched plastic from the garbage bag over the speaker (which will then distort and flap instead of the speaker) This is called a "Buzz Speaker" and does much the same effect. It also saves you from having to expensively re-cone your speakers on your guitar amp too. Take that for what it is worth! Yep Rod, it is "Stuff you can't buy anymore" BUT with a little Knowlege and Thought, you can still make the same sounds. Rockin Rod Strychnine said:

Matt Ayers said:

"You Really Got Me" is the nastiest, best guitar tone ever. Period.

I don't know....I think Larry Parypa one upped them with Cinderella and He's Waiting but then they probably would have never been written that way if it wasn't for the Kinks. But then again...the Witch and Psycho actually came out before the Kinks records were released here in the states. I was going to be a doof and answer "stuff you can't buy anymore".