Sky Saxon And The Seeds: The Story Of...

 

Punk has long been associated with New York, and flower-power psychedelia is synonymous with San

Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury. But some rock historians, purveyors and artists trace both genres to mid-’60s Los Angeles and a garage band called, appropriately enough, the Seeds. At their peak in 1966-67, recording with top-notch engineers thanks to the influence of GNP Crescendo Records’ Gene Norman, the Seeds reached the Top 40 with “Pushin’ Too Hard.”  
                 

The band that gave the world bona fide classics like Pushin' Too Hard, Satisfy You, Mr Farmer, the

menacingly sexual Up in Her Room and other tight two minutes-plus garageband rockers (as well as the great if increasingly eccentric and damaged singer Skye Saxon, originally a Mormon from Utah). What also set the Seeds apart -- like Thirteen Floor Elevators -- was their embrace of psychedelic rock, while always keeping the rock part of the equation prominent.
              

And they had organ in the line-up (Daryl Hooper) so there was rather more musical colour to them than some of the garagebands of the same time. As the liner notes concede, "The group played exactly the

way they should have. Nobody was a virtuoso, but they were great together, and that's what counts. It was a perfect storm, you might say". As a live act, the band was one of the first to utilize keyboard bass. Although Saxon was credited as playing bass on the studio albums and would mime playing bass on TV appearances, they usually employed session player Harvey Sharpe for studio work.[12] On stage, keyboardist Daryl Hooper would perform the bass parts via a separate bass keyboard, in the same manner as Ray Manzarek later did with The Doors.
                  

Musically uncomplicated with a flair for simple melodic hooks and dominated by Saxon's unorthodox vocal delivery, their first two albums, "The Seeds" and "A Web of Sound", are today considered classics

of 1960s garage music. The band's self-produced third album "Future" presented a grander psychedelic artistic statement and thrust the group forward as torchbearers during perhaps the most creative and experimental time in American pop culture and music history. The release of "Future" in mid 1967 generally marked the commercial peak of the Seeds’ career, coinciding with a major national hit, raucous concerts, numerous live TV performances, as well as prominent guest appearances on the NBC sitcom The Mothers-in-Law and in the hippie/counterculture-themed cult film Psych-Out.
                     

The Seeds also recorded another album devoted specifically to the blues (with liner notes by Muddy

Waters). "A Full Spoon of Seedy Blues", bearing the artist moniker Sky Saxon Blues Band, was released in November 1967. Saxon later stated that the album "was my idea to get off the record label. I thought that if we just came up out of nowhere and did a blues album that wasn’t going to sell, then they’d drop us. I never expected it to sell but it did OK. We never did those songs live except for a week of gigs at the Golden Bear in Huntingdon Beach".
                        

In May 1968 the band released their final LP for GNP Crescendo Records, "Raw & Alive": The Seeds in Concert at Merlin's Music Box, which revisited their more aggressive garage rock roots. However,

the album and its accompanying single "Satisfy You" both failed to chart nationally. The band was renamed "Sky Saxon and the Seeds" in 1968, by which point Bob Norsoph (guitar) and Don Boomer (drums) had replaced Savage and Andridge, respectively. Saxon continued to use the name "The Seeds", utilizing various backup musicians, at least through 1972. The last major-label records of new material by The Seeds—two non-charting singles on MGM records—were released in 1970.
                 

Nope, no vitruoso guitar solos to spin out the psychedelic trip effect from the brilliantly named Jan Savage, just thrillingly tight songs embellished sometimes by mad keyboards for a few bars (and no

more) and a tension made flesh by Saxon's urgent singing. Times changed quickly in the latter part of the Sixties of course and after drummer Rick Andridge quit -- around the time Saxon lost the edge he'd had just a few year previous -- things started to unravel. Their terrific Satisfy You of '68 would have been a classic in any year between '61 and ''66, but at the height of the hippie era it didn't cut it as contemporary alongside Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, Cream and all the rest.
                   

The final chapter in the Seeds’ story is a controversial one. Although the 1969-1970 period is usually

portrayed as a decline, there is a school of thought that considers their parting gambits ‘Bad Part Of Town’ and ‘Did He Die’ the equal of their classic GNP Crescendo recordings. The MGM singles have much to recommend them, but they cannot be said to match the peculiar drive of the original band, and they perhaps also lack some of the offbeat inspiration that was core to what made the Seeds great.
                    

Much of that greatness can be found on their B-sides or non-LP singles: the breathless 50s rocker

‘Daisy Mae’, the sleazy ode to a Beverly Hills nightclub that is ‘The Other Place’, the lost hit ‘The Wind Blows Your Hair’ or the Kim Fowley-programmed teen angst of ‘Wild Blood’. Gathered together with the essential A-sides and key cuts such as ‘Out Of The Question’ and ‘Up In Her Room’, “Singles As & Bs 1965-1970” can function equally as a Greatest Hits or Best Of. Either way, it is once again testament to the enduring quality of Sky, Daryl, Jan and Rick – THE SEEDS.
               

The Seeds remained dormant again until 2003, when Saxon reformed them with original guitarist Jan Savage and newcomers Rik Collins on bass, Mark Bellgraph on guitar, and Dave Klein on keyboards

and Justin Polimeni on Drums. This new version of the Seeds went through several incarnations, with Savage departing midway through their 2003 European tour due to his health. Saxon remained the only original member of the Seeds, which continued to tour Europe and the United States. Saxon died on June 25, 2009, of heart and kidney failure. The Seeds' original drummer, Rick Andridge, died in 2011. Jan Savage died on August 5, 2020, aged 77.
                       

THE SEEDS - THE SEEDS 1966

             

You can find this album HERE

THE SEEDS - A WEB OF SOUND 1966

         

The Seeds – A Web Of Sound
Label:Birdsong – HYCA-2033, Hayabusa Landings – HYCA-2033, GNP Crescendo – HYCA-2033
Format:CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country:Japan
Released:Nov 24, 2010
Genre:Rock
Style:Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRAXS

                      

01. Mr. Farmer
02. Pictures And Designs
03. Tripmaker
04. I Tell Myself
05. A Faded Picture
06. Rollin' Machine
07. Just Let Go
08. Up In Her Room

BONUS TRACK       
    
09. She's Wrong

NOTES

Arranged By – The Seeds
Drums – Rick Andridge
Engineer – Dave Hassinger, Raphael Valentin
Guitar – Jan Savage
Lead Vocals, Bass, Design [Cover Conceived And Created By] – Sky Saxon
Organ, Piano – Daryl Hooper
Photography By – Ray Leong
Producer, Liner Notes – Marcus Tybalt
Slide Guitar [Bottleneck Guitar] – Cooker

Flac Size: 272 MB

THE SEEDS - FUTURE 1967      

The Seeds – Future
Label: Big Beat Records – CDWIK2 312, GNP Crescendo – CDWIK2 312
Format: 2 x CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country: UK & Europe
Released: 2013
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic

DISC 1. FUTURE (ORIGINAL ALBUM)

                        

  
01. Intro/March Of The Flower Children    2:52
02. Travel With Your Mind    3:10
03. Out Of The Question    2:16
04. Painted Doll    3:24
05. Flower Lady And Her Assistant    3:29
06. Now A Man    3:21
07. A Thousand Shadows    2:30
08. Two Fingers Pointing On You    3:13
09. Where Is The Entrance Way To Play    2:52
10. Six Dreams    3:11
11. Fallin'    7:45

BONUS TRAXS - MONO MIXES       
    
12. Chocolate River    3:09
13. Sad And Alone    2:22
14. The Wind Blows Your Hair (Version 2)    3:09
15. Travel With Your Mind    3:06
16. Painted Doll    3:23
17. Flower Lady And Her Assistant    3:17
18. Now A Man    3:20
19. Two Fingers Pointing On You    3:11
20. Where Is The Entrance Way To Play    2:52
21. Six Dreams (Alt Mix)    3:01
22. Fallin'    7:42
23. The Navy Swings    1:03

Flac Size: 386 MB

DISC 2. CONTACT HIGH: THE "FUTURE" SESSIONS       

                           

  
01. Rides Too Long    2:58
02. Chocolate River    3:10
03. Flower Lady And Her Assistant (Take 1)    4:11
04. Where Is The Entrance Way To Play (Alt Mix)    2:55
05. Sad And Alone    2:45
06. Contact High (Take 1)    3:35
07. Travel With Your Mind (Alt Mix)    3:12
08. Six Dreams (Take 4)    3:00
09. Two Fingers Pointing On You (Take 1)    3:03
10. The Wind Blows Your Hair (Version 2)    3:08
11. March Of The Flower Children (Alt Mix)    1:49
12. A Thousand Shadows (Take 7)    2:27
13. Gypsy Plays His Drums (Version1)    5:33
14. Satisfy You (Version 1)    2:32
15. 900 Million People Daily All Making Love (Full Length Version)    9:44

NOTES

Arranged By, Conductor – Hooper, Saxon
Bass – Harvey Sharpe
Compilation Producer, Liner Notes – Alec Palao
Design [Album Picture Idea And Cover Design] – Sky Saxon
Drums – Rick Andridge
Engineer – Doc Siegel
Executive-Producer – Neil Norman
Guitar, Gong, Vocals – Jan Savage
Lead Vocals, Bass – Sky Saxon
Mastered By – Nick Robbins
Piano, Organ, Sitar, Vocals – Daryl Hooper
Producer, Liner Notes – Marcus Tybalt

Flac Size: 331 MB

SKY SAXON BLUES BAND - A FULL SPOON OF  SEEDY BLUES 1967     

Sky Saxon Blues Band – A Full Spoon Of Seedy Blues
Label: Birdsong – HYCA-2034, Hayabusa Landings – HYCA-2034, GNP Crescendo – HYCA-2034
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Paper Sleeve
Country: Japan
Released: Dec 22, 2010
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Blues Rock, Garage Rock

TRAXS

                     

01. Pretty Girl   1:58
Written-By – Luther Johnson
02. Moth And The Flame   3:47
Written-By – Sky Saxon
03. I'll Help You (Carry Your Money To The Bank)   3:27
Written-By – Sky Saxon
04. Cry Wolf   6:04
Written-By – Sky Saxon
05. Plain Spoken   2:52
Written-By – Muddy Waters
06. The Gardener   4:57
Written-By – Sky Saxon
07. One More Time Blues    2:25
Written-By – Luther Johnson
08. Creepin' About    2:43
Written-By – Sky Saxon
09. Buzzin' Around   3:43
Written-By – Sky Saxon

NOTES

Drums – Rick Andridge
Engineer – Dave Hassinger
Guitar – Jan Savage
Organ, Piano – Daryl Hooper
Photography By – Ray Leong
Producer – Marcus Tybalt
Remix [Re-mixing] – Doc Siegel
Vocals, Bass – Sky Saxon

FLAC Size: 208 MB

THE SEEDS - RAW AND ALIVE IN CONCERT AT MERLIN'S MUSIC BOX 1968

The Seeds – Raw & Alive In Concert At Merlin's Music Box
Label: Birdsong – HYCA-2036, Hayabusa Landings – HYCA-2036, GNP Crescendo – HYCA-2036
Format:CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Released: Dec 22, 2010
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage, Psychedelic Rock

TRAXS

                 

01. Introduction  (Voice [Introduction] – Harvey Miller)   0:20
02. Mr. Farmer    3:50
03. No Escape    2:25
04. Satisfy You    2:00
05. Night Time Girl    2:30
06. Up In Her Room    9:45
07. Gypsy Plays His Drums    4:30
08. Can't Seem To Make You Mine    2:30
09. Mumble And Bumble    2:25
10. Forest Outside Your Door    2:40
11. 900 Million People Daily All Making Love    4:50
12. Pushin' Too Hard    2:40

NOTES

                      
Drums – Rick Andridge
Engineer – Chuck Britz, Joe Sidore
Guitar – Jan Savage
Organ, Piano – Daryl Hooper
Producer – Marcus Tybalt
Vocals, Bass – Sky Saxon

Flac Size: 293 MB

THE SEEDS - BAD PART OF TOWN 1982

The Seeds & Sky Saxon – Bad Part Of Town
Label:Eva – EVA080656
Series: Vinyl Replica
Format:    CD, Compilation, Limited Edition, Partially Unofficial, Reissue, Card sleeve 2008
Country: France
Released: 1982
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Doo Wop, Psychedelic Rock

TRAXS

                

01. The Seeds – Bad Part Of Town   3:26
Written-By – Sky Saxon
02. Richie Marsh & The Hoodwinks – Baby, Baby, Baby   2:27
Written-By – Bob Roberts, Darla Hood
03. Richie Marsh & The Hoodwinks – Half Angel   1:47
Written-By – Darla Hood
04. Sky Saxon & The Soul Rockers – Go Ahead And Cry   2:19
Written-By – Buddy Wayne, Paul Nuckles, Richie Marsh
05. Sky Saxon & The Soul Rockers – They Say   2:07
Written By – P. Vagas/Written-By – R. Marsh
06. Sky Saxon & The Electra-Fires – Do The Swim   2:04
Written-By – Sky Saxon
07. Sky Saxon & The Electra-Fires – Trouble With My Baby   2:10
Written-By – Sky Saxon
08. Ritchie Marsh – Darling, I Swear That It's True   1:46
Written-By – G. Paxton, R. Marsh
09. The Seeds – Did He Die   3:31
Written-By – Sky Saxon
10. The Seeds – Love In A Summer Basket   3:29
Written-By – Sky Saxon & The Seeds
11. The Seeds – Wish Me Up   3:14
Written-By – Sky Saxon
12. The Seeds – Shuckin' And Jiving   7:02
Written-By – Sky Saxon & The Seeds
13. The Seeds – You Took Me By Surprise   2:41
Written-By – Sky Saxon & The Seeds
14. Sky Saxon – Mr. Farmer   4:10
Written-By – Sky Saxon
15. Sky Saxon – No Escape   2:20
Written-By – Savage, Lawrence, Saxon
16. Sky Saxon – I Can't Seem To Make You Mine   2:50
Written-By – Sky Saxon
17. Sky Saxon – Red Shoes High Sky Dancer   3:21
Written-By – Sky Saxon
18. Sky Saxon – Pushing Too Hard Too Far   2:17
Written-By – Sky Saxon

NOTES

1, 11 previously released as MGM 14163 (7")
2, 3 previously released as Acama 125 (7")
4, 5 previously released as Conquest 777 (7")
6, 7 previously released as Joie 646 (7")
8, previously released as Shepherd 2203 (7")
9, 10 previously released as MGM 14190 (7")
12, 13 previously released as Productions Unlimited AJ 22 (7")
14-18 previously unissued live recordings

Flac Size: 324 MB

SKY SAXON AND THE SEEDS - RED PLANET 2004

             

Sky Saxon And The Seeds – Red Planet
Label: Jungle Records – FREUDCD080
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: 2004
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage, Acid Rock

TRAXS

                 

01. 101 Colorized Bottles    3:22
02. Let Here Sing    2:35
03. Fools On Capital Hill    4:49
04. Uncertainty    3:37
05. Sweet Fragrant Melodies    4:36
06. Cracking Ice    3:59
07. Coo Coo    2:40
08. Cynical Watcher Mr. Peep    5:34
09. Violet Ray    3:35
10. Judge With A Bomb    5:49
11. Coming Home    6:35

NOTES

Accordion – Ryan "Schmed" Maynes (tracks: 8)
Arranged By – The Seeds
Artwork By, Design – John E. Miner
Bass, Vocals – Rick Collins
Drums – David Klein (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10)
Drums, Percussion – Norman Cabrera (tracks: 2, 4, 6, 8, 11)
Guitar [Cosmic] – Nels Cline (tracks: 10)
Guitar, Vocals – Mark Bellgraph
Keyboards – David Klein
Lead Vocals – Sky "Sunlight" Saxon
Mixed By – Jake Smith
Producer [Produced By], Engineer [Engineered By] – Jake Smith, Jeff Kabot, The Seeds
Written-By – Sky Saxon, The Seeds

FLAC Size: 338 MB

THE SEEDS - PUSHIN' TOO HARD - BEST 2007    

The Seeds – Pushin' Too Hard: The Best Of
Label: Music Club Deluxe – MCDLX039
Format: 2 x CD, Compilation
Country: UK
Released: 2007
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock

DISC 1.

                  

01. Pushin' Too Hard    2:36
02. No Escape   2:15
Written-By – Savage, Lawrence
03. Can't Seem To Make You Mine    3:02
04. Try To Understand    2:51
05. Nobody Spoil My Fun    3:52
06. Lose Your Mind    2:18
07. It's A Hard Life    2:39
08. The Other Place    2:25
09. Mumble Bumble (Live)    2:30
10. You Can't Be Trusted    2:10
11. Excuse, Excuse    2:20
12. Daisy Mae    1:57
13. Night Time Girl (Live)    2:37
14. Evil Hoodoo    5:14
Written-By – Hooper
15. Mr Farmer    2:51
16. Satisfy You   2:05
Written-By – Savage
17. Pictures And Designs   2:43
Written-By – Hooper, Tybalt
18. Tripmaker   2:47
Written-By – Hooper, Tybalt
19. I Tell Myself   2:30
Written-By – Tybalt
20. A Faded Picture   5:20
Written-By – Hooper
21. Rollin' Machine   2:32
Written-By – Tybalt
22. Just Let Go   4:20
Written-By – Hooper, Savage
23. Up In Her Room (Live)    9:58
24. 900 Million People Daily (All Making Love) (Live)    5:03

Flac Size: 508 MB

DISC 2.

            

01. A Thousand Shadows   2:33
Written-By – Hooper, Savage
02. March Of The Flower People   2:54
Written-By – Hooper
03. Travel With Your Mind   3:11
Written-By – Hooper, Savage
04. Flower Lady And Her Assistant    3:32
05. Now A Man   3:22
Written-By – Hooper, Savage
06. Two Fingers Pointing On You    3:17
07. Where Is The Entrance Way To Play?    2:55
08. The Wind Blows Your Hair   2:32
Written By – Bigelow
09. Six Dreams    3:15
10. Fallin'   7:50
Written-By – Hooper
11. Pretty Girl   2:05
Written-By – Johnson
12. Moth And The Flame    3:51
13. I'll Help You (Carry Your Money To The Bank)    3:31
14. Plain Spoken    2:54
15. One More Time Blues   2:28
Written-By – Johnson
16. Creepin' About    2:47
17. Fallin' Off The Edge (Of My Mind)   2:55
Written-By – Fowley, Cerf
18. Wildblood   2:25
Written-By – Fowley, Cerf
19. She's Wrong    2:15
20. Chocolate River   3:12
Written-By – Hooper
21. Sad And Alone   2:50
Written-By – Hooper
22. Mr Farmer (Live)    3:48
23. Satisfy You (Live)   2:09
Written-By – Savage
24. Can't Seem To Make You Mine (Live)    2:40
25. Pushin' Too Hard (Live)    2:59

Flac Size: 482 MB

NOTES

Compiled By, Other [Sleeve Notes] – Pat Gilbert
Drums – Rick Andridge
Guitar – Jan Savage
Keyboards – Daryl Hooper
Vocals, Bass – Sky Saxon
Written-By – Saxon (tracks: 1-1 to 1-17, 1-20 to 2-6, 2-8 to 2-10, 2-12 to 2-14, 2-16, 2-19 to 2-25)

THE SEEDS - THE SINGLES A's & B's FROM 1965 TO 1970 (BIG BEAT DELUXE) 2014  

The Seeds – Singles As & Bs 1965-1970
Label: Big Beat Records – CDWIKD 322
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: UK & Europe
Released: Aug 26, 2014
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock

TRAXS

                 

 
01. Can't Seem To Make You Mine    2:35
02. Daisy Mae    1:56
03. Pushin' Too Hard    2:36
04. Out Of The Question    2:15
05. The Other Place    2:23
06. Try To Understand    2:47
07. No Escape    2:13
08. Mr Farmer    2:45
09. Up In Her Room    3:41
10. I Tell Myself    2:32
11. A Thousand Shadows    2:24
12. March Of The Flower Children    1:48
13. Six Dreams    3:11
14. The Wind Blows Your Hair    2:30
15. Satisfy You    2:05
16. 900 Million People Daily (All Making Love)    4:11
17. Falling Off The Edge Of My Mind    2:54
18. Wild Blood    2:26
19. Bad Part Of Town    3:26
20. Wish Me Up    3:15
21. Love In A Summer Basket    3:29
22. Did He Die    3:33
23. Excuse Excuse    2:16
24. Pushin' Too Hard (Unedited Version)    3:06

Flac Size: 317 MB