Their only other top ten hit was a remake of the old Peggy Lee song “Fever.” This song has been recorded hundreds of times but The McCoys’ rock version made it into the American top ten.
They were basically a cover band at this time as they only wrote two of the tracks. They also did not produce ballads. They kept it simple with a lead guitar, bass, keyboards and drums which supported Rick’s soulful vocals and wonderful harmonies. Bassist Randy Hobbs would go on to play with Johnny Winter for a number of years and his bass lines on many of the tracks are exceptional.
Their rendition of the old Ritchie Valens song, “Come On Let’s Go” and “You Make Me Feel So Good” are both energetic rockers and well done. “I Got To Go Back (And Watch That Little Girl Dance)” contains some early examples of a fuzz guitar sound. Songs such as “I Can’t Explain,” “If You Tell A Lie,” “Up and Down.” and “Little People” are still pleasurable over four decades later.
The two songs that are somewhat different are “Sorrow,” which was the flip side of the “Fever” single and “Don’t Worry Mother (Your Son’s Heart Is Pure).” They are more psychedelic in nature and would look ahead to their work with the Mercury label where they released two excellent progressive rock albums.
The McCoys work certainly cannot stand up to the quality of the music that The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys and many other artists were producing at the time. Still they produced a small but enjoyable body of work that is worth seeking out. The Best Of The McCoys is refined garage rock at its simple best.
Article comments