Alright, I like Kopper's idea of the record review forum, so I'll be brave and start out with my best of 2008 list of lps (and give a little blurb--beware, I suck at writing about music--BUT I do enjoy sharing what I like). My top 11 of the year: 11) Dirtbombs We Have You Surrounded A guess a lot of people didn't like this. But I love it. It's fuzzy...and sounds like the Dirtbombs. Lyrics are very dystopian. I've heard the song "Wreck my Flow" sounds like Billy Joel, but I still like it (it sounds like a disco song with two drummers and fuzz). The song "Ever Lovin' Man" is one of the best of the year. 10)The Feeling of Love petite tu es un hit A pair of French dudes make a lot of noise while borrowing the title of a Jon Spencer Blues Explosion song. Bluesy and loud like good (older)JSBX. It's hard to understand what they're singing about, but they seem to yell "pussy" and cursewords in every song. 9)Pierced Arrows Straight to the Heart From the ashes of Dead Moon comes this great band and this great record. If you like Dead Moon, you'll like this (how's that for a lazy review?). 8) Goodnight Loving S/T Reminds me of a not as good Deadly Snakes (that's praise). Great songwriting. Thick sound. 7) Brimstone Howl We Came in Peace Gun Club meets Yardbirds garage guitar beautification. Another one with dystopian lyrics with great delivery. 6)Eddy Current Suppression Ring Primary Colours Great record from Australia.Songs seem simple, but they're not. Songs seem thin, but they're thick. Some songs remind me of the Modern Lovers, some have a Stooges vibe. Some songs sound like Telelvision. Great record. 5) Digger and the Pussycats Let's Go to the Hospital Another two piece. Another Australian band. Stripped down rock and roll. Songs taken to their basic essentials. Lyrics are observant as hell. Not as raw sounding as their other lps. 4) Livefastdie Shit Amplified/By the time these flowers die Killed by death/GG Allin inspired shredding. Side one is a live show featuring live versions of all of the livefastdie hits. Side two is the real winner. Loud KBD inspired country songs. 3) Gentleman Jesse and His Men S/T For lovers of power pop (that's me, motherfucker). If you like the Nerves or the Beat, you'll dig this. 2) Nobunny Love Visions These songs don't leave your head after a listen or two. Garage-punk pop gems. The kids beg to hear these songs and sing along and hug a big half naked bunny. An all time classic album...it was hard to put this at #2. 1) The Dutchess and the Duke She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke Another 2-piece. Folk music from some (previous) purveyors of low-fi budget rock (fee fi fo fums, flying dutchmen). Stark, sad, (sometimes happy) songs with perfect male female harmonies. This is an all-time classic album. In closing, I suck at writing about music...that's my list. What's yours? Here's a link to my radio show that has my best of 2008: If you're interested, download the file and fastforward past the first 7 minutes of Spanish music.

Hell, the battery life on my ipod nanny only goes a day or two anyways. Or do we get docking stations too in this scenario cause if not I'd just get blind drunk and build a ship from the empties.

There's no way in hell I could ever just pick one album. It's these types of questions that can honestly drive a man insane.

Okay. You know the cliched "desert Island record" scenario verbatum.
Yer shipwrecked or maybe holding down the last bit of earth uncomprimised by an end of the world
zombie takeover.

You were able to escape with a blowup doll guy or girl or both for you full on freaks.
You also managed to have an unlimited supply of Maker's Mark and PBR.
That's the main reason you are all alone. "Fuck people bring the Booze!!"
You also were able to bring with you your lovely musical slave, the i-POD.
One catch...
Your i-pod seems to have a glitch. A major one.
All of your records seem to be deleting in a frantic weepy haze of fear and deep down agony.
Then you notice you can only choose one record to save.
I don't know - this is make believe.
Maybe you Macguyver some B.S. together.
a bannana and stick of chewing gum and a monkey with a strike anywhere match seem
to work...

So, what record. Now, only one. Which one would you save?

I used to post regularly on the old garagepunk forums, but I don't use this hideout as much due to the fact that it gets blocked at work. I also dislike the way the messages are set up--too haphazard and cofusing, and Kopper, if you can get a circa 2002 "old school" looking bulletin board, I'd be more likely to post and participate. It seems like the bulletin board type message board gets past my work's filter. I really miss the old message board...it was a very inviting place.
In terms of other "garage punk" forums out there :I go on the goner records board, but that seems like a smaller, more insular group. The terminal boredom message board is ok, as well...but the musical tastes on that board generally span beyond the garage-punk type music I prefer.

Go crazy: http://garagepunk.ning.com/group/recordreviews Sumiji said:

kopper said:

Sumiji said:

Hey Kopper,
You know I would love to see more discussion on this network just because I hate searchin through the webfor countless hours looking for garage shit. I believe I recall a while ago someone mentioned about doing record reviews for GP. I think that a would be great for non stop discussion. Will that ever happen?

Well, there are a couple of ways we can do this, Sumiji. We can set up a separate group for record reviews, then there'd be one place to go to read what people are saying about any particular release (and anyone could review anything they wanted). OR people can just post the reviews in the blog section of their pages... there are a lot of "review blogs" on the Web, why not have some here on the Hideout?

Dude definitely I feel we should open a group for all to chime in. I'll definitely contribute. Whatll yall think blog or group?

right on *hi-five* Kopper! I gots warehouse experience... kopper said:

Joenzy said:

Not to take away from this forum but Goner records has a great forum...
and a cool website. and a great place to order amazing records.
Pigmeat said:

Lets not forget what a useful forum this is for picking up on new sounds... I personaly read alot more of the forum than I post on... Just to get some juicy bands to pick up... I don't think theirs another forum on the web thats as good fer that!

If I thought I could make enough money to live off of, I'd totally quit my job, rent a warehouse, set an online store up here, and make GaragePunk.com the Zappos of Rock'n'Roll.

Joenzy said:

Not to take away from this forum but Goner records has a great forum...
and a cool website. and a great place to order amazing records.
Pigmeat said:

Lets not forget what a useful forum this is for picking up on new sounds... I personaly read alot more of the forum than I post on... Just to get some juicy bands to pick up... I don't think theirs another forum on the web thats as good fer that!

Not to take away from this forum but Goner records has a great forum... and a cool website. and a great place to order amazing records. Pigmeat said:

Lets not forget what a useful forum this is for picking up on new sounds... I personaly read alot more of the forum than I post on... Just to get some juicy bands to pick up... I don't think theirs another forum on the web thats as good fer that!

kopper said:

Sumiji said:

Hey Kopper,
You know I would love to see more discussion on this network just because I hate searchin through the webfor countless hours looking for garage shit. I believe I recall a while ago someone mentioned about doing record reviews for GP. I think that a would be great for non stop discussion. Will that ever happen?

Well, there are a couple of ways we can do this, Sumiji. We can set up a separate group for record reviews, then there'd be one place to go to read what people are saying about any particular release (and anyone could review anything they wanted). OR people can just post the reviews in the blog section of their pages... there are a lot of "review blogs" on the Web, why not have some here on the Hideout?

Lets not forget what a useful forum this is for picking up on new sounds... I personaly read alot more of the forum than I post on... Just to get some juicy bands to pick up... I don't think theirs another forum on the web thats as good fer that!

Sumiji said:

Hey Kopper,
You know I would love to see more discussion on this network just because I hate searchin through the webfor countless hours looking for garage shit. I believe I recall a while ago someone mentioned about doing record reviews for GP. I think that a would be great for non stop discussion. Will that ever happen?

Its pretty amazing that despite the moral issue of downloading music(but really, did the bands involved ever get royalties to begin with?) the individual 7"s and EPs are available to download on the KBD site. Hopefully it may inspire some to actually go out and seek some of the KBD records or the singles themselves(good luck on that though - $400 is alot to pay for wax). Enjoy! http://www.kbdrecords.com/

More info: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2009/01/sxsw_update_sonics_bar-kays_bl.php SXSW Band list: http://sxsw.com/music/shows/bands

http://www.donewaiting.com/2009/01/08/sxsw-updates-band-list-again-1809-edition/ just saw it a while ago. awesome. mf

Yeah but croatoa aint asking what records he needs to listen to, so its kinda pointless to tell him to listen to kinks records. He's aksing how to achieve that sound, I guessing he's already familiar with how a garage guitar sounds, he wants to know the method in which you get that sound. I suppose listening to Link Wary will help understand how simple raw guitar sounds can work really well. but you need to get your own style of playing, one that suits you, starting off with simple blues scales and style can really help get you head around it...... just a thought.....
Oh yeah croatoa, the Deville aint particulary cheap, if you are after a cheap amp with a raw sound, fender make a 5watt amp similar to the old blues amps of the 50's, when you crank em up on full they got a great sound, and they are cheap, $200 or something like that, they aint loud though

I cannot speak for Gringo but I would say you are absolutely right in as far as Village Green being a wonderful record. but and also, Croatoa was asking about "garage punk" guitar playing. Village Green is swinging away from that Kinks garage sound and more into different territory ala Pet Sounds perhaps(?) jailbird said:

What about Village Green Preservation Society? Thats probably my fave Kinks album...
Gringo Starr said:

<

These Kinks records are an absolute MUST:

Kinks - 1964 (first LP) - Pye
Kinda Kinks - 1965 - Pye
The Kinks Kontroversy - 1965 - Pye
Face To Face - 1966 - Pye

...And have a listen to Chuck Berry & Bo Diddley while yer at it. Have fun!

What about Village Green Preservation Society? Thats probably my fave Kinks album... Gringo Starr said:

<

These Kinks records are an absolute MUST:

Kinks - 1964 (first LP) - Pye
Kinda Kinks - 1965 - Pye
The Kinks Kontroversy - 1965 - Pye
Face To Face - 1966 - Pye

...And have a listen to Chuck Berry & Bo Diddley while yer at it. Have fun!

croatoa said:

The Branded said:

... get a OLD tube amp, not one of those new modern tube/hybrid things they stink. A good modern amp with an old sound is those fender deville's, used them many times at shows, if you over cook the tube bias a little they sound really raw and warm, (the distortion channel stinks though). Listen to some old 50's blues and rock'n'roll, learn a few chord progressions, speed it up to double, then your nearly there, instant garage-punk, it aint really rocket science.... and there aint no manual, you gotta play by ear!

what does it means "if you over cook the tube"???? so a good model is this so called "fender deville"?is it cheap or not??

You need to set the bias or power going to the power tubes, you need a bias probe, when the amp leaves the factory they are set a bit cold to lengthen the life of the tubes but this also makes the sound sound a bit flat or dull, if you add more power to the tubes they get hotter and sound a bit more like an old vintage amp should, this is easy to do on a deville and they can sound similimar to an old blackface twin. Or you could of course stick pencils in ya speakers, the choice is yours....

Yeh that Norton Link Wray album is aces... But I think they run out of em... At least they had only a few left last time I ordered fer my record shop... They used to do em with free Link Wray plectrums! Thats a good garage guitar tip... LINK WRAY yer amp by punching holes in the speaker with a pencil... Instant trash!

The Branded said:

... get a OLD tube amp, not one of those new modern tube/hybrid things they stink. A good modern amp with an old sound is those fender deville's, used them many times at shows, if you over cook the tube bias a little they sound really raw and warm, (the distortion channel stinks though). Listen to some old 50's blues and rock'n'roll, learn a few chord progressions, speed it up to double, then your nearly there, instant garage-punk, it aint really rocket science.... and there aint no manual, you gotta play by ear!

for the guitar sound I would say unlearn everything you already know (beer can help with this), buy a cheap 60's guitar, like a tiesco or silvertone, hofner or whatever you find cheap, get a OLD tube amp, not one of those new modern tube/hybrid things they stink. A good modern amp with an old sound is those fender deville's, used them many times at shows, if you over cook the tube bias a little they sound really raw and warm, (the distortion channel stinks though). Listen to some old 50's blues and rock'n'roll, learn a few chord progressions, speed it up to double, then your nearly there, instant garage-punk, it aint really rocket science.... and there aint no manual, you gotta play by ear!

For (33) years...I've been" reviewed "(Good , Bad, Indifferent , or worse). When "Kopp" sent me this "opportunity"-I decided I'd bite! Here's my snail mail addy:
Jack Lipton
4465 E. Genesee St.
#192
Dewitt, N.Y. 13214............I PROMISE ! to review ANY & ALL Cd's sent to me-In this Garagepunk.com "CD Reviews Forum". I guess I lean towards stuff with good melodies....and stuff that exudes a more "Timeless" , "Honest", flavor (Otis Redding , Early Stones, Ramones, Troggs). Among "newer" bands-I'm definitely a big fan of The Spits. I'm NOT partial to following the "fashions" & "trends" of the day. So-Iffff ya think ya want to send me your CD's-I WILL review them on this Forum....Keep Rockinn'...Jack

hmmm...
toughie fo sho. I'll probably change mah mind later...
but definitely "I'm Cramped" and "Nights in Venice"

Cramps: "I'm Cramped"

Yardbirds: "She's so Respectable"

Saints: "Nights in Venice"

Kinks: "I'm not like everybody else"

Anyone read this ultra-expansive and dizzyingly complete volume of how the punk movement got started and ended up influencing the so-called grunge explosion? I need to get the book before it - Babylon's Burning: Rough and Ready Rise of Punk 1973-1978 now, but Punk to Grunge was seriously informative and included everyone involved and their kitchen sink to boot. It is a massive tome(672 pgs), so only those with more than a passing interest might find it a good read(or try the library). Heylin covers the early Cleveland scene(yay! Clevo!), England, LA, NY, DC, Seattle and Aussie. I do wish that more European countries would have been covered or mentioned at least, but what the hey, this is some serious reading for anyone wanting to know how punk rock got kick started.