Various Artists
Pebbles Presents Highs in the Mid Sixties, Volume Seven: The Northwest
AIP 10012, 1984

AIP’s seventh volume in the Highs series began what would become several volumes of exploration of original Northwest grunge. As the liner notes explain, an uncommon number of the area’s best sides were on major labels, and thus not the subject of this series. What was self-released by bands or issues on small indie labels weren’t nearly as rich pickings as other scenes; still, there are a few top-notch sides here, including the Jolly Green Giants rave-up “Busy Body,” the raunchy, super lo-fi “Come to Me Baby” by the Squires, the Lincoln’s trippy, manic “Come Along and Dream,” the disheveled beauty of The Night Walkers “Sticks & Stones,” the awesomely tough “Take a Look At Me” (with a truly inspired break that’s something like 14-beats long), and the completely surreal “Not Like You.” It’s not clear if the last one was originally recorded with the wavering speed or if the single was off-center when AIP remastered; either way, it’s way, way cool!

Original liner notes:

The Northwest Sound

Not every region of the United States had its own distinctive sound in the Garage Band Era (prolific as they were, places like Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, new England and Ohio certainly didn’t) – but everybody knows instantly what is meant by The Northwest Sound.

Take a loud, sloppy, grungy band, give ‘em an old R&B riff like “Louie Louie” or any Little Richard song, add a vocalist who has mastered the blood curdling visceral scream and an inept but deranged guitarist conditioned to spring into action at the words “Let’s give it to ‘em!”, and record the whole thing live in some teenage nightclub in suburban Oregon or Washington, and you’ve got the prototypical Northwest disc.

It became a matter of pride for the bands to outdo one another in greasy crudeness. The “frat bands” so common around the country would wither like pale slugs in the noonday sun before the onslaught of the least memorable band at any Northwest high school. Maybe it was the presence since the late ‘50s of such regional instrumental giants as the Raiders, Wailers, Ventures and others that taught area kids respect for a raunchy sax and powerhouse rhythm; whatever the sociological explanation, the Northwest had a standard sonic integrity dimensions beyond that which prevailed elsewhere. The best Northern bands, like the Sonics, hit realms of intensity unmatched by anybody, anywhere, anytime.

Another factor contributing to the quality of Northwest rock can be found in the commercial aspirations of many groups. The massive success of Paul Revere & The Raiders, the Kingsmen and others encouraged local bands to seek the same, kowing it could be done without diminishing their raw style. Unlike commercially-minded garage bands elsewhere, they didn’t even mess with folk-punk or the wares of professional songwriters; experience had shown them that all it took to succeed was a charismatic lead singer and a good hot riff. Within that formula they experimented endlessly, occasionally allowing a British influence to enter – the Zombies were more influential than the Beatles, Stones or Yardbirds, and of course the Kinks were recognized immediately as stepchildren of the Northwest sound (listen to the guitar break in “You Really Got Me”, not to mention its “Louie Louie” progression, and remember it was released a year after the Kingsmen’s “Louie”).

Yet another consideration is the availability of local recording facilities and record distribution channels. Seattle already had decent studios known since the late ‘50s for turning out national hits by local acts, and regional labels like Seafair-Bolo, Etiquette, and Jerden took an active interest in young groups, giving them access to good studios and experienced producers. Thanks to their prior successes, these labels had tie-ins with major labels and national distribution channels, plus clout with regional radio stations, so that a local hit could be easily built up to a tri-state smash, then leased out to one of the majors in hopes of hitting the national jackpot.

All of this gave incentive for bands to emulate and try to surpass their local heroes, and for labels to take chances with new bands. The Jerden company alone (including its various subsidiaries like Burdette, Panorama, and Piccadilly) recorded hundreds of local bands. This had much to do with the generally high quality of Northwest recordings, and also resulted in a shocking paucity of small local labels and group-issued records; whereas in most other parts of the country an average of 80-90% of local records were self-issued, in the Northwest the proportions were reversed, with nearly everything coming out on a fairly powerful indie.

Nevertheless, there were a few outstanding records on obscure labels throughout the Northwest, and on this album we have endeavored to round up some of our favorites.

Jack Bedient & The Chessmen
We have a somewhat perverse fondness for this group. Originally from Wenatchee, Wash., Jack and his boys specialized in ballads and lounge rock, migrated to Vegas where they picked up a sharp manager who kept them working from 1961 through at least the end of the decade—for all we know, they may still b there. Along the way they made at least three albums, maybe as many as five, on a variety of labels like Trophy (Sacramento), Fantasy (Berkeley), and Satori. These LPs were undoubtedly made to be sold at the lounges where they played, but they also released a plethora of 45s on all kinds of labels, including several on Columbia. Nearly all were pretty awful pop, but here and there they threw in a great, grungy rocker or cool folk-ro9ck Invasion type number, causing collectors now to pay far too much for their records in hopes of finding some of these amidst the dross.

The Jolly Green Giants
From their name, a clear nod to the Kingsmen, to their raucous dance style, these guys were a perfect exmple of the typical Northwest band. “Busy Body”, the flip of an equally nasty tune called “Caught You Red Handed” (which can be heard on Boulders Vol. 1) was released at the tail end of 196.

H.B. & The Checkmates
Ever in search of new ways to milk the “Louie Louie” riff, Northwest groups turned it inside out, upside down, added English accents, novelty lyrics, anything they could think of. This Oregon band hit on the idea of transposing it into a song about a girl, and thought themselves so original they took authorship credit. Recorded live, at the Cascade teen club.

The Wilde Knights
It ain’t as killer as the Raiders’ version, but this may well be the original. The record is impossible to date, however the group clearly features vocalist Rick Dey (formerly of the Furys), who did indeed compose the immortal tune in a flash of creativity, after listening to 96 different versions of “Louie Louie.”

The Chambermen
Naturally, folks got tired of hearing “Louie Louie” all the time. It was at such times that they liked to hear “Louie Go Home”, making it thus probably the second-most-recorded Northwest song (well, maybe third, after “Leaving Here”). These guys hailed from Spokane, Wash., and must’ve failed their Jerden audition because they put this one out themselves.

Jack Eely & The Courtmen
Jack was, according to most reports, the man who founded the Kingsmen and sang their classic (whose title escapes me at the moment…). Leaving the group shortly thereafter, he hooked up with a group called the Squires and recorded “Love That Louie” for RCA. It was a very garagy, but perfunctory rewrite of the hit, and RCA didn’t pick up the option. A year and a half later he was back on bang Records with a new group, The Courtmen, and a couple of singles that showed considerable improvement. As recently as 1983 he was circulating new demo tapes to record companies, and he may be back yet.

The Squires
Whether these are the same Squires who backed Jack Eely, we can’t be sure. This version of Huey “Piano” Smith’s great song is included as another example of how the Northwest style absorbed and maintained the raw spirit of early rock & roll. Also worthy of mention is the flip side, a version of “Big Boy Pete” which deserves credit s another monumentally influential song in this part of the world (cf “Jolly Green Giants” - ad infinitum).

The Sires
If better recorded, this would be one of the best Northwest punkers of all time. The group, whoever they were, showed up one day at a custom disc cutting place in Eugene, Oregon—the kind of place truck drivers go to make birthday records for their moms. For an extra fee, they even got a hundred copies pressed up on the company’s house label, and these were soon distributed to family, friends and neighborhood girls. Two years later, a crack talent scout from Frogdeath Records set out to find them—but they had vanished without a trace.

The Lincoln’s
This Vancouver group cut three records, including one on a national label (Dot) in 1966. This song however is their punkiest, and strangely enough was their last, appearing in early 1969. With its strong punk approach and fuzz guitar it sounds like prime 1966 stuff, but by then the world had changed. Maybe if they’d added some horns and a boozy-voiced funk singer they could’ve survived into the ‘70s, but the Lincoln’s chose to go out in style. Good for them.

The Express
Probably a Seattle band, the Express left little mark on the world other than this convincing rendition of the Kingsmen’s “Long Green”, which was, of course, merely “Louie Louie” sidewise with a dose of “Have Love, Will Travel” interjected perpendicular. It proved a durable combination, though, and the song was widely done, not only in the Midwest but around the country (see the Delights version of Vol. 4 of this series).

The Pastels
One of the more charming phenomena of the post-Beatle era was the use of fake British accents and names by hundreds of American teen bands, in evident hopes of being mistaken for Limeys—if not by the record-buying millions, then at least by some of the girls at their high school. The Pastels singer had mastered a particularly fruity semblance of the King’s English, displayed ingenuously on their two 45s, both custom pressed by Century.

The Night Walkers
A Longview, Washington group (on the misleading Detroit Records label), the Night Walkers settled for Old English script on their label. They must have realized their primitive recording techniques would never fool anybody, in fact their embarrassment over this record may have inspired the ruse of the label name. That way, they could tell people who complained about the record, “Hey man, that’s not us, it’s some Michigan group who ripped off our name.”

Mr. Lucky & The Gamblers
In 1964 this Newport, Oregon band had a hit with “New Orleans” on the United International label. When it hit #1 in Portland, they moved to that metropolis with dreams of becoming the next Kingsmen, and judging from their solid, raunchy sound, they must have been murder on stage. A couple more records followed, including this solid blaster that got picked up nationally by Dot, but the gamble didn’t pay off and Mr. Lucky (Mike Parker) ran out of luck.

The Bootmen
This Washington band emerged in 1964 with a single on Etiquette, then moved to the Riverton label for two more. This one, from March, 1966, is one of four favorite commercial punk waxings, like a mixture of the Raiders and Mitch Ryder.

The Rock-n-Souls
From Richland, Wash., comes this unusual record, described by one critic as “a blend of punk and the Doors/Seeds.” Whatever it is, it’s sure listenable.

Side 1
Jack Bedient & The Chessmen - Double Whammy (Jack Bedient)
Jolly Green Giants - Busy Body (R. L. Johnson)
H.B. & The Checkmates - Louise, Louise (H.B. Ahern)
The Wilde Knights - Just like Me (Dey)
The Chambermen - Louie Go Home (Lindsay, Revere)
Jack Eely & The Courtmen - Louie, Louie '66 (R. Berry)
The Squires - Don't You Just Know It (Smith, Vincent)
Jack Bedient & The Chessmen - I Want You to Know (Bedient)

Side 2
The Sires - Come to Me Baby (The Sires)
The Lincoln's - Come Along and Dream (Bobby Baxter)
The Express - Long Green (L. Easton)
The Pastels - Why Don't You Love Me? (The Pastels)
The Night Walkers - Sticks & Stones (McCasland, Hooper)
Mr. Lucky & The Gamblers - Take a Look At Me (The Gamblers)
The Bootmen - Ain't It the Truth (The Bootmen)
The Rock-N-Souls - Not Like You (S. Rogers, J. Kenfield)

1/1 #jetcity (192kbps, 52.9MB)