Various: 2131 South Michigan Avenue - 60's Garage & Psychedelia From U.S.A. And Destination Records 2009

 

GREAT SOCIETY

In the mid-'60s, Chicago had one of the liveliest rock & roll scenes in the nation, with great bands packing the city's teen clubs and a few even making their way onto the national charts. The most notable act on the Windy City garage rock scene was the Shadows of Knight, but they were far from the only game in town; while they recorded for the local Dunwich Records label (who had national distribution through Atlantic), the Buckinghams, the Messengers, and a number of other notable Chicago groups were signed to U.S.A. Records, an important regional label run by Jim Golden.

THE FOGGY NOTIONS

Most of the U.S.A. masters have been out of print for years, but thankfully, Sundazed Records has stepped up to release a comprehensive sampler of their output (as well as their sister label, Destination Records), and 2131 South Michigan Avenue: 60s Garage and Psychedelia from U.S.A. and Destination Records is a fine, lavishly packaged collection of 40 rare tracks from their archives.

THE MESSENGERS

Dunwich tended to focus on the tougher and grittier Chicago-area teen acts, while Golden demanded a bit more polish from his U.S.A. artists, so anyone hoping for a set of Back from the Grave-style bashing should look elsewhere. Similarly, the label petered out in 1968, so most of the "psychedelic" material here is of the "Wow, I Feel Strange".

TEENAGE SHUTDOWN

But U.S.A had plenty of acts who could rock out, and Golden and his crew knew what to do with them in the studio; anyone with a serious taste for mid-'60s rock will be impressed with the scope and talent displayed on this set. The Buckinghams were U.S.A.'s biggest act, and their hit, "Kind of a Drag," wasn't available for this set, but their energetic take on "I'm a Man" shows they were heavier than their signature tune would suggest.

OSCAR HAMOD AND THE MAJESTICS

While Oscar Hamod & the Majestics had one of the least graceful names in the history of Chicago rock & roll, they delivered some forceful R&B-influenced performances, including a great vocal take of the Bar-Kays classic "Soul Finger." The Messengers scored a Midwest hit with their version of "In the Midnight Hour," but the flipside, "Hard, Hard Year," is a great slice of moody folk-rock that deserves a wider hearing. Every scene had at least one all-girl band back in the day, and the Daughters of Eve were a great one, and "Help Me Boy" is top-notch AM pop.

THE SHADY DAZE

A long way from their later horn-infused recordings for Columbia, the Flock offers up some Byrdsian jangle on "Are You the Kind" and the impressively addled "What Would You Do If the Sun Died." The Lost Agency let loose with some deadly fuzztone swagger as they warn the opposite sex about their troubles with commitment on "One Girl Man."

THE CRYAN'  SHAMES

And The Cryan' Shames merge tough garage rock guitar with silky harmonies on the terrific "Ben Franklin's Almanac." As usual for a Sundazed project, the mastering makes the most of these rare tapes, the liner notes are entertaining and informative, and there are lots of great photos and label scans to go along with the great music. 2131 South Michigan Avenue is a superb tribute to one of the key labels on the Midwest rock & roll scene in the garage rock era, along with the excellent bands who created music worth documenting, and this is likely to be the landmark garage rock reissue of 2009.

GARY AND THE KNIGHT LITES

Despite being a tiny indie label, USA's president Jim Golden had a instinct for discovering local Chicago and regional garage bands with a gift for writing catchy pop-garage and pop-pysch songs and then crafting them for AM radio. Had USA-Destination had stronger promotion, many of these could have been national monsters like the Buckinghams "Kind Of A Drag" was.

THE COUNTS

Everything is first rate here from the packaging, mastering from original tapes, liner notes and a excellent track selection. My only gripe is both CD's run around 45 minutes - fine for vinyl, but a little disapointing for CD fans knowing there's other gems that could have been included as bonus cuts. And USA did cut some fine Soul-R&B and Girl Group tracks that could be included in future comps.

THE BUCKINHAMS

Otherwise this is a outstanding comp, and a very necessary buy for Chicago and Garage rock fans. Great sounding collection. Many great tunes on here for fans of the era. If you love American garage rock and pop with mild stabs at psychedelia here and there, then this look at USA records should be right next to your Nuggets, Pebbles, and Mindrocker box sets. The Cryan Shames, The Cherry Slush, The Lost Agency, and Oscar Hamod and the Majestics sound absolutely great in this collection.

THE CHERRY SLUSH

As we have come to expect from Sundazed, the production quality on this two-disc set is exemplary. The digital transfer from the original tapes was carried out so well that hiss and sound-boxing is virtually non-existent. The material contained is a selection of bands that recorded on the Dimension and/or USA label out of Chicago, Illinois during the 1960s. Most of the songs are originals, though a few covers (Yardbirds, Kinks and Beatles) make their way in). Some of the cuts will raise the question: "Why didn't this band break-out nationally?" Other cuts will answer that question.

THE DAUGHTERS OF EVE

[(George Michael USA)
My band, The Park Ave Playground, is on this compilation. I saw quite a few of these acts live back in the day either because we were on the bill with them or they were at a venue in my area so my biases are evident but I've listened to many of these garage band collections and I think that this is among the best.

THE SHEFFILDS

Lot's of excellent Chicago bred musicians in their early stages represented. The info on the pull out sleeve is well written and full of interesting facts about the acts included on these two CDs. The sound of the old recordings is amazingly crisp due no doubt to the amazing technical abilities we have available these days.]
This set is a necessity for anyone who favors the music of the 60s.
                    

Various – 2131 South Michigan Avenue - 60's Garage & Psychedelia From U.S.A. And Destination Records
Label: Sundazed Music – SC 11201
Format: 2 x CD, Compilation, Remastered, Mono
Country: US
Released: 2009
Genre: Rock
Style: Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock
          

CD1.

                             

01. The Lost Agency – One Girl Man   3:02
Written-By – Lonney Thome
02. The Shady Daze – I'll Make You Pay   1:55
Written-By – B. Jordan, Glen Rupp, Mark Driz
03. Oscar Hamod & The Majestics – Got To Have Your Lovin'   2:35
Written-By – Oscar Hamod
04. The Foggy Notions – Take Me Back And Hold Me   2:28
Written-By – Suekoff, Mazique, Kaplan, Hoy
05. Lord And The Flies – Echoes   2:02
Written-By – Steve North
06. The Messengers – Midnight Hour   2:29
Written-By – S. Cropper, W. Pickett
07. Ronnie Ross And The Good Guys – If You Ever Go   1:59
Written-By – R. Rosciano
08. Oscar Hamod & The Majestics – Soul Finger   2:31
Written-By – Cauley, Cunningham, Alexander, King*, Jones, Caldwell
09. The Jokers – I'll Never Let You Go   2:17
Written-By – David Roth, Frank Bell
10. The Sheffields – Do You Still Love Me   2:43
Written-By – John Dunn
11. The Great Society – I'm The One For You   2:16
Written-By – Sonnenleiter, Domino
12. The Cryan' Shames – Ben Franklin's Almanac   1:59
Written-By – Jim Fairs
13. The Foggy Notions – Need A Little Lovin' (Cold End)   2:57
Written-By – Peter Hoy
14. Oscar Hamod & The Majestics – I Can't Explain   2:12
Written-By – Pete Townshend
15. The Buckinghams – Don't Want To Cry (Unedited Version)   2:10
Written-By – Andre Seibert
16. The Boyz – Come With Me   2:31
Written-By – Ron Bucciarelli
17. The Cryan' Shames – You're Gonna Lose That Girl (Demo)   2:14
Written-By – Lennon-McCartney
18. The Cherry Slush – I Cannot Stop You   2:35
Written-By – Dick Wagner
19. The Lost Agency – Time To Dream   2:12
Written-By – Lonney Thome
20. The Buckinghams – ROWE Jukebox Promo    0:30

CD2.

              

01. The Counts – Stop Cheating On Me   2:31
Written-By – Keith Sippell, Mick Stanhope
02. Trafalgar Square – Til The End Of The Day   2:07
Written-By – Ray Davies
03. The Boyz –Hard Times All Over   2:12
Written-By – Bob Wilson (9)
04. Lord And The Flies – You Made A Fool Of Me   2:39
Written-By – Steve North
05. The Ricochettes – I Don't Want You   2:20
Written-By – Ar Kriegel
06. The Messengers – Hard Hard Year   2:36
Written-By – L. Ransford
07. Oscar Hamod & The Majestics – No Chance Baby   2:37
Written-By – Oscar Hamod
08. The Jokers – What'cha Gonna Do   2:47
Written-By – David Roth, Tom Allison
09. Gary And The Knight Lites – I Don't Need Your Help   2:42
Written-By – C. Colbert
10. The Flock – Are You The Kind   1:54
Written-By – F. Glickstein, R. Canoff
11. The Daughters Of Eve – Help Me Boy   2:29
Written-By – Larry Weiss, Scott English
12. The Buckinghams – I'm A Man   5:09
Written-By – Ellas McDaniel
13. Oscar Hamod & The Majestics – My Girl Is Waiting   2:24
Written-By – Oscar Hamod
14. Michael & The Messengers – Lifs (Don't Mean Nothin')   1:53
Written-By – Jack DeCarolis, Wayne Beckner
15. Park Avenue Playground – The Trip   2:26
Written-By – G. Eder
16. Park Avenue Playground – I Know   2:15
Written-By – M. Jones
17. The Cherry Slush – Gotta Take It Easy   2:04
Written-By – Bob Stanley
18. The Flock – What Would You Do If The Sun Died (Alternate Version)   2:44
Written-By – Fred Glickstein, Thomas Webb
19. The Lost Agency – Time To Dream (Alternate Vocal)   2:14
Written-By – Lonney Thome
20. The Daughters Of Eve – Radio Spot    0:18

MP3 @ 320 Size: 226 MB
Flac  Size: 410 MB