Garage Rock is the real rock, the rock without pretense (but often with aspirations). It goes beyond a musical genre to qualify as a cultural phenomenon, one that not only gave countless bands their one-shots on flimsy little labels in every corner of the U.S., but also one just as fervent in Canada, England, Scandinavia, Europe, Japan, and just about anywhere a few kids could get together with guitars and amps.
As musical genre, it refers primarily to what was essentially the "indie" music of the sixties; local combos recording on primitive equipment for small, local labels. Some of these bands wound up with a national hit; others had giant local hits, when radio airplay was still regional. Most never struck gold at all, seemingly bottomless vaults are crammed with just the stuff that never even got released.
In essence, it was rock's great populist movement, fed largely from 60's suburbia, where a lot of very typical and not-so-typical teens picked up guitars and started picking out hits of the day, especially those by The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and the Yardbirds. In suburbia you have garages; where else would a kid go to make noise? From the early days of the British Invasion through the end of the psychedelic age, it was a rare block that didn't have some band or another on it, however informally.
This glut of bands resulted in a glut of little labels, often run by local deejays or impresarios, who would buy recordings often made in the most rudimentary of studios, or pay for a little studio time themselves.
Which resulted in a glut of 45's, far too many for the market to absorb, with most destined for cut-out bins and meltdown.
By the 1970's, many of these little labels had gone bankrupt, either pinning their hopes on local talent that never panned out, or finding distribution, promotion, quality control, and other aspects of the industry too difficult or expensive to maintain. Some lucky ones were bought out by larger companies, but their mid-60's one hit wonder 45's were lost to the mists of history in the fast-changing rock/pop world of the day.
Radio also had undergone transformation with the advent of FM. Music stations began migrating to the wider-frequency FM for its superior sound (in the earliest days, FM radio was a nowhereland of freewheelin' freakazoids, the golden age, claim those who were there). As AM lost its monopoly, and with it much of its audience, it also spelled the doom for regional radio. Consolidation in the radio industry left stations in very different markets with the same precise playlists; regional charts were no longer compiled.
Article comments
1 - The Proprietor
The Standells reunited for a live show in 1999 (with Dodd, Valentino and Tamblyn; Gary Lane didn't participate) released as "Ban This! Live From Cavestomp".
The definitive Remains recording was the Capitol audition, which was released as "A Session With The Remains" by Sundazed a few years back. It's an especially fierce recording (their original "Why Do I Cry" is much more powerful than on the Epic LP).
2 - Victor Plenty
Excellent work as always, uao. Interesting mix of stuff almost everybody knows about ("Louie Louie" for example) right alongside songs many of us may never have heard of.
One minor quibble on your title: I'd recommend taking out the apostrophe. It makes the construction look like a possessive, rather than a plural; garage rock belonging to 1960, rather than garage rock from the entire decade of the Sixties.
Also interesting that "96 Tears" came from such obscure origins. The local "classic rock" station plays it all the time. For some reason I'd always assumed it was from a more well-known band with lots of other hits.
3 - uao
Thank you Proprietor, for your ever-useful nuggets of knowledge; I always appreciate them.
Victor Plenty: as an English language instructor, I'm sensitive to apostrophes. However, I've been taught that in addition to denoting a passive, they can also be used when puralizing a specific number: 1960's vs. 1960s. Maybe I'm wrong; I'm too lazy to fish out my Elements of Style right now. But I'll sleep on it, and if the title bugs me in the moring, I'll change it.
Thanks ;-)
4 - uao
I meant "possessive" not "passive" I am a famously lousy typist.
5 - Victor Plenty
It can be equally correct to pluralize a number with an apostrophe, or with just a plain S. You are of course quite right about that, as a general rule. In this specific case, it's the context that makes the construction seem possessive and not plural.
If the title had been "Garage Rock of the 1960's" it would be clear you intended the plural, with or without the apostrophe.
Of course the larger cultural context makes it unlikely any native English speaker would interpret "1960's Garage Rock" as a reference to only the year 1960, but for the benefit of any readers who might not share that cultural context, it would be more clear to leave the apostrophe out.
As I said before, it's a minor quibble, but I at least wanted to make it a clearly stated quibble. :)
6 - uao
For me it's like talking shop, I like it. Your point is a good one, given the wording of the title. You've convinced me; I've reworded it.
7 - godoggo
Where are the chick's?
8 - godoggo
Correction: Wheres.
9 - Michael J. West
Awesome list, UAO! Thanks for linking to the Essential Pebbles collection, too--in any era, that awesome CD is as indie (and as freakin' great) as it gets.
10 - godoggo
Just out of curiosity, I googled both names for the decade in the NY Times, figuring they'd have it standardized. Apparently I figured wrong.
Results:
about 24,200 from nytimes.com for "1960's"
about 23,400 from nytimes.com for "1960s"
A lot (not all) of the latter are from book etc. titles, so I guess the apostrophe wins. But I don't like it, myself.
11 - GoHah
Great article. Maybe this group is more borderline Garage (since they evolved into different directions), but I think the biggest amphetimine-jolt of that time comes from Love's "7 and 7 Is"--that'll give you chills.
Oh, I think the decades are supposed to be written apostrophe-free (but spoken with the apostrophe left in).
12 - wum
Good article, look forward to part 2.
13 - Grammar Cop
Apostrophes never make something plural. 1960s is correct.
14 - JC Mosquito
1960s is indeed correct, but doesn't look as psychedelic as 1960's.
15 - Dr Dreadful
1960s is correct.
1960's is incorrect.
You will not use it.
You will be assimilated.
16 - Christopher Rose
This 3 year old article has been corrected, thanks Grammar Cop.
Resistance is futile.