The Ultimate Classic Garage Band Set List

As far as music is concerned, I've always figured I was born in the wrong generation for one simple reason: I've never been a technically adept guitar player. Sadly, if a song has more than about four or five chords it's just too much of an effort for me to bother learning it, and when it comes to soloing, I never play anything the same twice. This of course means I get lucky and play something interesting once in a while, but often I just flounder 'til I run out of notes. After that - well, let's just say thank the powers that be for inventing feedback & distortion.

But I think I would've got along just fine in the 60s: I would've been good enough to hold my own in some local garage band, smacking out the three chord wonders & improvising impossibly inappropriate solos while mugging in front of a gang of local teenagers at a high school dance on the weekend, or perhaps some ratty little club where they pay you strictly under the table, if they can find one still upright at the end of the night. But that's neither here nor there: like Popeye said, "I am what I am," so the best I can do is live out my 60's pipe dream in an imaginary set list of the greatest psychedelic punk pop rock garage band classics of that era. I've actually played most of these at one point or another in my life, so I can say most of them have been road tested. I'm sure you'll have plenty others, but you can't play more than about a dozen songs in any given set, less if you include extended guitar solos (and maybe even the obligatory drum solo), so the only thing wrong with this list is all the great songs left out (they'll have to wait for the second set, or what the heck, the encore):

"Nothin'" - The Ugly Duckings
. My choice for the opener by an obscure Canadian group. This song is tough as nails and serves notice: tonight is strictly a take no prisoners affair.

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Article Author: JC Mosquito

JC Mosquito spends most of his day keeping the wolves from the door. When he's not occupied with this pasttime, he's interested in all things rock and roll, which may or may not have died back in the late '50's, the late '70's, or the early '90's …

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  • 1 - Mark Saleski

    Apr 03, 2007 at 9:47 am

    nice one. i've been listening to Little Steven's Underground Garage on the sirius thing and man, there are a ton of really cool garage-oriented bands from that time period.

    it's really something that people should investigate if they think the White Stripes (who i really do like a lot) are something new.

  • 2 - Connie Phillips

    Apr 04, 2007 at 11:32 am

    Congrats! A link to this article now appears on our Myspace Profile page.

  • 3 - w.terry fox

    Apr 28, 2007 at 3:35 pm

    Hey JC Mosquito,

    You might not have been there, man, but I was and I think I remember you.

    W.Terry Fox

  • 4 - JC Mosquito

    Apr 28, 2007 at 5:09 pm

    I'll take that compliment... from the paisley beanbag chair in my time machine. Thanx!

    Skeeter.

  • 5 - mcandy74

    Oct 22, 2007 at 7:13 pm

    Great list, but you could do with "Evil Hoodoo" by The Seeds in there

  • 6 - Jim

    Mar 19, 2010 at 9:21 am

    Another vote for "Evil Hoodoo" from me but otherwise a great list.

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