The Cryan' Shames: Discography 1966 - 1968

 

In 1966, upon learning that another band was already using the name “Tommy and the Travelers”, they needed to find another name. J.C. Hooke was familiar with the Tommy of that band, and JC asked

Tommy if he would be interested in joining their band instead; when Tommy Krein (Last name pronounced Cryan) declined, JC remarked that it was "a cryan' shame," thus naming the band. After 1966, the group pursued an increasingly mainstream pop direction featuring saccharine arrangements and material. In this respect they uncannily mirrored the devolution of local rivals the New Colony Six, who also shifted from tough pop/rock to MOR in their bid for national success.
                      

The Cryan' Shames are an American garage rock band from Hinsdale, Illinois. Originally known as The

Travelers, the band was formed by Tom Doody ("Toad"), Gerry Stone ("Stonehenge"), Dave Purple ("Grape") of The Prowlers, Denny Conroy from Possum River, and Jim Fairs from The Roosters, Jim Pilster ("J.C. Hooke", so named because he was born without a left hand and wore a hook), and Bill Hughes. The band's most successful song was their cover of The Searchers' "Sugar and Spice".
                  

The Cryan' Shames were a big deal in Chicago in the mid- and late '60s when a bunch of their singles

hit the local Top Ten; some of them were small national hits as well. The biggest of these was "Sugar and Spice," a cover of a Searchers song (itself a cover of a Drifters hit) that made the Top 50 in 1966 and was later featured in the Nuggets anthology of '60s garage bands. In their original incarnation, the Shames leaned toward the pop end of garage. Borrowing heavily from the Beatles, the Byrds, and the Yardbirds, guitarist Jim Fair wrote a clutch of energetic guitar pop/rockers with sparkling harmonies.
                   

Follow-up singles met with lesser success, but, in August 1967, "It Could Be We're in Love" was #1 in Chicago on both WLS and WCFL. Before the development of their second album, Stone was drafted to

fight in the Vietnam War and lineup changes followed. Their second album, an experimental combination of psychedelic rock and studio arrangements, charted at number 156. Their productions and vocal harmonies had improved, which was reflected positively in album sales. Jim Fairs and Dennis Conroy left following the release of the second album. They were replaced by Dave Carter and Alan Dawson.
                     

The group's new lineup released their final album, Synthesis. The album marked attempts at progressive rock with jazz influences. The album charted lower than their previous effort and was considered a

disappointment. The group disbanded in December 1969, but they later reunited and continue to tour. The Shames were never a national success, but their singles and albums sold well in the Chicago area. Jim "J.C. Hooke" Pilster and Tom Doody (Toad) are the only remaining original members in the current lineup. Two members of The Cryan' Shames have died: bassist Dave Purple in June 2001,[6] and his replacement, Isaac Guillory, on December 31, 2000.
                 

THE CRYAN' SHAMES - SUGAR AND SPICE 1966

                       

The Cryan' Shames' debut album was typical of the more thrown-together rock LPs of the era: both sides of their first two singles and a bunch of cover versions. The singles, actually, were pretty good,

including their most well-known song, "Sugar & Spice," a cover of a Searchers hit that actually was more memorable and imaginative than the original. Its B-side, "Ben Franklin's Almanac," was a respectable original with shades of the Byrds, the Yardbirds, and California harmonies; the second single, "I Wanna Meet You," was a decent meld of Beatles-Byrds jangle with Beach Boys harmonies; and its flip, "We Could Be Happy," was an OK soft rock number.
(review Richie Unterberger - AMG)

The Cryan' Shames – Sugar & Spice
Label: Sundazed Music – SC6186
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 2002
Recorded: August 25 & 26, 1966.
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                       

01. Sugar And Spice   2:26
Written-By – T. Hatch
02. We Could Be Happy   2:32
Written-By – J. Fairs
03. Heat Wave   2:07
Written-By – Holland-Dozier-Holland
04. We'll Meet Again   2:07
Written-By – H. Charles, R. Parker
05. Ben Franklin's Almanac   1:56
Written-By – J. Fairs
06. She Don't Care About Time   2:56
Written-By – C. Clark
07. Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)   2:39
Written-By – C. Powers
08. If I Needed Someone   2:19
Written-By – G. Harrison
09. July   1:33
Written-By – J. Fairs
10. I Wanna Meet You   2:08
Written-By – J. Fairs
11. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place   3:40
Written-By – Mann-Weil

BONUS TRACKS
       
12. You're Gonna Lose That Girl
Written-By – Lennon-McCartney
13. Mr. Unreliable (Single Version)
Written By – J. Fairs
Written-By – L. Kerley
14. Georgia
Written-By – J. Fairs
15. It Don't Matter To Me
Written-By – D. Gates
16. Bits And Pieces (Version One)
Written-By – L. Kerley
17. The Road
Written-By – L. Kerley

LINE - UP
    

Bass, Organ, Harpsichord – Dave Purple (Grape)
Drums – Dennis Conroy
Lead Guitar – Jim Fairs
Lead Vocals – Tom Doody (Toad)
Rhythm Guitar – Jerry Stone (Stonehenge)
Tambourine – Jim Pilster (J. C. Hooke)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 131 MB
Flac  Size: 231 MB

THE CRYAN' SHAMES - A SCRATCH IN THE SKY 1967

                   

On their second album, the Cryan' Shames shifted from the heavy British Invasion and Byrds influences of their debut into a more California sunshine pop-flavored sound, without abandoning their debts to the Beatles and the Byrds altogether. Never mind that they weren't from California; the harmonies, and sometimes the arrangements, have definite echoes of the Beach Boys and the Association. The Cryan'

Shames were good harmony singers, and all but two of the songs on the LP are the work of group members Jim Fairs and Lenny Kerley. "Sunshine Psalm" has a hard-driving verse that sounds influenced by the Byrds' "I See You," yet melts into light Association-styled harmonies in other sections.The 2002 CD reissue on Sundazed adds seven bonus tracks. Five of them are single versions of songs from the LP; the others are the 1968 non-LP soft rock single "Young Birds Fly" and the B-side "The Warm," a harmony ballad with more Beach Boys-Association influences (review Richie Unterberger - AMG).

The Cryan' Shames – A Scratch In The Sky
Label: Sundazed Music – SC 6187
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Stereo 2002
Country: US
Released: 1967   
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Pop Rock

TRACKS

                  

01. A Carol For Lorelei   4:05
02. The Sailing Ship   3:36
03. In The Cafe   3:12
04. Mr. Unreliable   2:52
05. The Town I'd Like To Go Back To   4:30
06. Up On The Roof   3:23
07. It Could Be We're In Love   2:35
08. Sunshine Psalm   2:17
09. Was Lonely When   4:03
10. Cobblestone Road   2:51
11. Dennis Dupree From Danville   3:12

BONUS TRACKS       
    
12. It Could Be We're In Love (Single Version)   2:34
13. It Was Lonely When (Single Version)   3:27
14. Young Birds Fly   2:25
15. Sunshine Psalm (Single Version)   2:09
16. Up On The Roof (Single Version)   3:28
17. The Sailing Ship (Single Version)   2:55
18. The Warm   4:18

LINE - UP

                        

Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Accordion, Cello, Vocals – Isaac Guillory
Drums, Percussion [Other] – Dennis Conroy
Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, Flute, Bagpipes, Vocals – Jim Fairs
Guitar, Bass, Tambura, Vocals – Lenny Kerley
Lead Vocals, Bells, Autoharp – Toad
Tambourine, Cowbell, French Horn, Vocals – J.C. Hooke
Written-By – W. Swofford (tracks: 14), G. Goffin - C. King (tracks: 6, 16), G. Bryan - R. Holder (tracks: 11), J. Fairs (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18), L. Kerley (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 10, 12, 13, 15, 17)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 138 MB
Flac  Size: 340 MB

THE CRYAN' SHAMES - SYNTHESIS 1968

                  

Synthesis is an apt name for an album that, like its predecessor, A Scratch in the Sky, proved the Cryan' Shames to be among the most versatile mainstream pop/rock groups of the late '60s. On "Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David Smith & Jones" they get heavy, with the cover of Hoagy Carmichael's

"Baltimore Oriole" they get jazz/folk-rock progressive, on "It's All Right" it's jaunty country-rock, and on "First Train to California," there's an almost self-conscious straining for an MOR AM radio hit. But it sounds for the most part like 1960s AM radio filler trying to get hipper with a touch of the far-out, the problem being that 1960s AM radio filler intrinsically cannot get too hip or far out. The CD reissue of this odd mix of sunshine pop and mild pop-psychedelia adds eight bonus tracks. No less than six of them are single versions of tracks from the LP; the other two present both sides of their 1969 single, "Bits and Pieces"/"Rainmaker," which matched a country-rock original with a Harry Nilsson cover (review by Richie Unterberger - AMG)

The Cryan' Shames – Synthesis
Label: Sundazed Music – SC 6188
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 2002
Country: US
Released: December 24, 1968.    
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock
       
TRACKS

                    

  
01. Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David Smith, & Jones   2:16
Written-By – Isaac Guillory
02. Baltimore Oriole   4:30
Written-By – Hoagy Carmichael, Paul Francis Webster
03. It's All Right   2:11
Written-By – David Carter, Geoff Bryan, Ron Holder
04. Your Love   3:28
Written-By – Lenny Kerley
05. A Master's Fool   3:38
Written-By – Isaac Guillory
06. First Train To California   2:57
Written-By – James Fairs
07. The Painter   2:51
Written-By – Isaac Guillory
08. Sweet Girl Of Mine   2:26
Written-By – Lenny Kerley
09. 20th Song   2:07
Written-By – Lenny Kerley
10. Let's Get Together   3:27
Written-By – D. Valente
11. Symphony Of The Wind   3:20
Written-By – Isaac Guillory

BONUS TRACKS   
    
12. A Master's Fool (Single Version)   3:37
Written-By – Isaac Guillory
13. First Train To California (Single Version)   2:57
Written-By – Jim Fairs
14. Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David Smith, & Jones (Single Version)  2:16
Written-By – Isaac Guillory
15. Your Love (Single Version)   2:53
Written-By – Lenny Kerley
16. 20th Song (Single Version)   2:10
Written-By – Lenny Kerley
17. Let's Get Together (Mono Version)   2:31
Written-By – Dino Valenti
18. Bits And Pieces   2:34
Written-By – Lenny Kerley
19.Rainmaker   2:19
Written-By – Martin, Nilsson

LINE - UP
            

Vocals – Toad
Vocals, Drums – Al
Vocals, Guitar – Dave
Vocals, Guitar, Bass – Lenny
Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards – Isaac
Vocals, Percussion – Hooke

MP3 @ 320 Size: 146 MB
Flac  Size: 358 MB