Highs In The Mid-60's Volume 10 Wisconsin

This is the album you must own, along with the other volumes from AIP Records,this is Highs In The Mid-60's Volume 10. This compilation contains some rare records from Wisconsin bands,that are next to impossible to find,so this series was created. Even copies of this compilation album seldom turn up anymore,they were released in the late 1970's early 80's. And at some point they made 28 volumes of these concentrating on each state.There's two for Wisconsin,saying yeah,there's enough cool music here to compile. Actually there could be at least 5 volumes. There's two volumes of Highs In The Mid 60's for Michigan 60's rock, several for California,a couple for the Northwest, and so on and so forth,it would be in your best interest to search them all out,if you love 60's garage music. Because recently,in the last 10 years or so, garage music singles have shot up in value, and this might be the only way people can hear this music. But never fear,dear garage music fans, there's a lot of wonderful labels, putting out this music on small labels, and it would be worth the search and time to seek them out. It's not only valuable to collect these, but the music is really fun,and addictive.You will thank me, when you hear this,well, at least I hope so. One other thing of note,is most of these singles came out on tiny labels,like Cuca,Tee Pee,Dynamic,Nite Owl, and so, this might be the only way you can hear them again. Many of these singles were pressed in limited quantity. Featured on this particular compilation is the Shag or Shags,known by both names, and their biggest single for Capitol records "Stop & Listen", from 1967,which I never get tired of listening to,since there's nothing quite like it for fuzz guitar, and if that wasn't enough,there's the Noblemen "Dirty Robber",from 1960, which is a fabulous piece of surf/frat rock/early garage rock hybrid that's also infectious.
Another song of note, is The Wanderer's Rest "The Boat That I Row" (from 1967) is a fine slice of pop garage rock,that also will stick to the roof of your brain, along with Lord Beverly Moss and The Mossmen "Please Please What's the Matter", doing the best R & B singing and playing that you ever heard, along with the wackiest guitar freakout at the end of the song,perhaps they didn't know just how to end the song,either way it's priceless. The Hinge from Appleton doing "Come On Up" (from 1968) is a terrific cover version of The Young Rascals song, The Young Savages (From Milwaukee) "The Invasion Are Coming" (1967) perhaps not to be taken too seriously -seeing as they think outer space martians are coming soon. Still it's a fun song, and sang tongue on cheek, and has neato reverb and "outer space" effects, although simple,it's effective. I do believe there is an invasion coming, but maybe they didn't know it was the British Invasion. The Deverons "On The Road Again (1965) is a fine example of the folk rock sound,in the mid 60's. The Faro's (from Neenah) "I'm Cryin'" perhaps is a little poor sounding, on the mix, which suffers a little muddy sound, but still pounds out like a good R & B cover that it is. Still for the time, this compilation record came out it was COOL enough,to start me collecting that genre of music, which I will always be glad I did. I always listen to this music. Because if you know the disease that is record collecting, it is never fully complete.So you collect all of your life, hoping to find that original rare record that isn't so much worth five or a thousand dollars, but it's the copy you must have to complete your collection. So you hear it the way the band made that single back in the day. More of this stuff soon, because there's another volume on Highs In The Mid 60's Wisconsin Part Two, so please stay tuned.
Highs In The Mid 60's

Milwaukee Early Punk Singles-The Haskels,Die Kreuzen & The Lubricants

I've got 3 cool singles here, which are pretty rare early Milwaukee
punk rock legends...Die Kreuzen with The Cows and Beer EP,
The Haskels 4 song 7 inch extended play from the early 80's which
features the songs: Taking The City By Storm, Body Language,
Daddy's Girl & Baby Let's French. Also for your listening pleasure,
The Lubricants 1980 2 song 7 inch single Activated Energy and
Trans Formation Vacation. Culled from the depths of my rock
and punk vaults,just waiting to assault the public.I hope you enjoy it!
Milwaukee Early Punk Singles

The Baroques- Self Titled Album on Chess Records and The Musical Tribute To The Oscar Mayer Weiner Wagon

The Baroques formed in 1966 in Milwaukee,Wisconsin.
In January 1967 they signed a contract with Chess Records.
By June 1967, both the album “Iowa” and single “Mary Jane”
were released and banned in the same week. The ban was imposed
by some local DJs whose stations directors thought “Mary Jane”
was a pro-drug song about marijuana. Jay Berkenhagen had actually
written it as an anti-drug song but no one got it. Instead The
Baroques became infamous as “acid-heads” due to the “far-out”
sounds on the record. At this point, Jay had never tried drugs in his life.
The Baroques had a fuzz-guitar/keyboard-damaged sound that
retained much of the garage intensity of ’66 while plunging into the
experimentation that marked the latter part of the decade.
Sure, there are traces of the Byrds and the Zombies,
but by the time the Baroques have had their way with a pop song,
it’s like the deformed bastard child of those bands hobbling around on
one leg. As on “Rose Colored Glasses,” where Jay Berkenhagen’s
odd,deep vocals bounce along with awkward (yet insanely catchy)
riffs until settling into a gorgeous, harmony-laden chorus.
“Nothing To Do But Cry” is an exceptional folk-rocker that’s
dirtied up with some nice distorted jangling and raw power-chording.
At times they veer into chaotic fits of noise that wouldn’t sound
too out of place on a Scientists album.(the punk/garage band from
Perth, Australia-which I think might be stretching it a bit,but what
the heck-maybe you'll check out the band because they are
awesome) (“Iowa, A Girl’s Name” “Musical Tribute…”).
But what really sets them apart from other similarly-minded
bands is the excessively glum atmosphere which pervades most
of the album. The sludge-folk(a new term) of “Purple Day” and
“Seasons” may come off too monotonous for some, but there is
something absolutely hypnotizing lurking in the uncommonly dark
textures of these songs.
Included for your pleasure are the original album The Baroques,
the way it appeared on Chess Records,and I include the newest
release Purple Day 1967-1968 with some ultra rare Milwaukee
recorded outtakes,and other bonus songs,never before heard.
They are a little strange,but they might grow on you.
The Baroques

The Baroques-Purple Day

Paramount Records- The Paramount Masters- World's Rarest Blues and the music made at The Wisconsin Chair Company

Where have I been? Well, um researching. And it's time
I let you inon a secret, I'm obsessed with old blues,and
odd music, and can't getenough of it. I've had this 4 CD
set a while,but didn't listen to it. I wantedto savor it,like a
fine wine, and wait until I was done listening to garage,
punk,and other styles of music for a while. Now I'm ready
to let you all have a taste, and a brief, but unusual history
that is uniquely weird Wisconsin. This is what my research
told me:
Paramount Records started in 1927 and was owned
by The Wisconsin Chair Company. It's gets stranger.
Since chairs are made of wood, as were old phonograph
players and radios were like a piece of furniture, the
Wisconsin Chair Company got into making phonographs,
recordings,and when they found out it was profitable,
they started recorded artists right in Grafton, Wisconsin.
I don't know who made the decision or jump into making
recordings,but it's just lucky this company came along
and recorded some of the most interesting and rare records
ever.
The initial recordings were not made in Wisconsin, some
were made in Richmond, Indiana, and others made
in Chicago,until Paramount had a suitable recording
site in Grafton,Wisconsin.
Oddly, the earliest recording equipment was very
portable, and usually,many of the other labels recorded
artists almost anywhere.They'd get hotel rooms and
record, where is there the least noise, from trains,
street cars, and traffic, that's where they recorded.
So, it could have been anywhere for that matter.
So why they had the artists come to Grafton,
Wisconsin is confusing, but maybe that's where
they finally bought the recording equipment and made
history. It could be that they had an excellent
recording area set up, spent the money, and could
control the sound the best....I'm still learning about it
all myself. I do know that "they", the record labels of the
times,recorded as many songs as they could in a 1-2-3
day marathon, and then pay the artist a
flat rate, and said goodbye. It was all very makeshift.
Paramount recorded many different artists, not just
the earliest Charley Patton records.(or Charlie Patton)
The first recording was in 1925 was by Blind Lemon
Jefferson. And his records were an immediate success,
due to the fact that Paramount Records were really
the best advertisers of music,as well as really great at
distribution. They did a brisk mail order business.
They advertised in the Chicago Defender, the
nation's first black newspaper, and advertised in many
other small rural papers,where people, mostly African
Americans wanted to hear the blues.They targeted their
audience and knew their market, it seems.
Want to know just when Charley Patton recorded
his first record? Paramount arranged Charley to record
on June 14th, 1929 at Gennett Records' Richmond Indiana
Studios, and he recorded a total of 14 tracks that day.
The tracks he recorded that day were his best known:
Pony Blues,Pea Vine Blues, Tom Rushen Blues,and
Banty Rooster Blues among others. The records that
launched every blues performer known to man.
All were pressed into 78's and sold well. And because
of his success, he was asked to record again, but this
time in Grafton, Wisconsin, later in the year about
November-early December 1929. This is 80 years
ago, almost to the day and I wish I was there!
Meanwhile there's a New York Recording Laboratory
involved,and I don't know where they fit in, I know they
eventually maintained an office in Flatbush, Brooklyn,
New York, and that they might have been supervising
the recordings. They were created in 1917, and they
figure in somewhere, and in what my rough research tells
me, that The New York Recording Laboratories were a
subsidiary business and they made records
for various genres, and labels including Paramount.
It's high time I bought the book by Alex van der Tuuk
entitled: Paramount's Ride And Fall, A History of The
Wisconsin Chair Company and it's Recording Activities.
I'm sure that will repair my retarded research.
(hey there's 15-20 websites that have to do with
Paramount Records,and I don't know who's right or wrong)
But I'm here to expose the music. That's my job, and at least
give you a small background story to tease you about the
music,so to speak.
If you like the blues, this set of 4 CD's will really get you a
quick education of some of the earliest examples of the
Paramount Records Story. If you don't like the blues, you
will at least find these recordings strange, and haunting.
And maybe you'll delve deeper. And if you're a history buff,
you might want to listen to these recordings while reading
the fabulous book by Robert Palmer entitled Deep Blues.
Which gives you a back round on life in the
Southern Delta region, and how the blues came about.
Hands down, this is thee best book on the blues,man.
This is the best recorded I've heard of these 78's that
I can find, and hope someday people who collect these
recordings could help by making them available to more
people, so we can hear them as they were released.
John Teftteller, please donate your fabulous old records to
some museums and people who could make sure that this music is
part of our American heritage, and make sure that they make it
available to us for all to hear!
I think this is important to mention, since he's got all of the early Charley
Patton records on his website. You might want to have a look and drool.
Meanwhile, I'm still searching for more 78's in re-pressings on CD or album
but I think these 4 CD's will at least give you a great start of this music from
Paramount Records and Wisconsin. Links are in the comments section
with complete artwork,scans,etc. There's more complete information
about each recording in the booklet scans.

More Wisconsin Radio Charts 1969-1970

Vintage Radio charts! I love these because they remind me that radio used to be more fun. Heck, some charts from the 60's had
Frank Sinatra,Dean Martin right next to The Beatles, Paul Revere and The Raiders, and then you'd see easy listening music along with country cross overs. A much less narrow minded view of what music is, and what was once allowed on the air. Remember the hits?
One week it would be The Turtles with "Happy Together" and the next week it was Frank Sinatra with Nancy doing "Something Stupid" (that's a song title for you who think that's funny).
WZMF was the new Milwaukee station that was not only better sounding in FM,but it was one of the early pioneers of album rock. Strange charts for 1969 and 1970, which still contain "the little ones with the big holes" meaning singles still dominated radio play, and long playing albums were just starting to take off. Concept albums,long players were just starting to dominate the airwaves with longer songs,and less teeny bopper pop rock. You can still see Top 40 radio chart regulars Neil Diamond along side the new Plastic Ono Band release,and Steppenwolf, Melanie along side of Johnny Cash. Ahhh...those were the days where you'd hear all kinds of music of all styles, not just hard rock,or top 40 or easy listening, but country and jazz too.

More Wisconsin Radio And Music Charts From the 1960's and early 70's

Local Radio Charts WRIT from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and WDLB from Marshfield Wisconsin.Most charts or surveys from the 1960's and 70's had advertising from the local stores on the backs of the surveys making them a cool time-piece. On the back of the WRIT charts from 1967 is an ad for Thunder Alley,which catered to the teens of the 60's. Almost all of the charts also had local bands making it to the lower chart numbers,and making a small dent in local radio airplay,if they were lucky.

Rock From The Mid-West- The Cuca Records Story Volume 2 -The Zakons "Wasted" !

Oh this, is the best volume so far because it features the Zakons two wonderful instrumentals "Wasted!" and "Trackin' ", The Orbits doing "Orbit Rock", and a terrific rockabilly tune from Bob Mattice & The Phaetons doing "What's All This". Which features a neato-keen-poke-fun commentary on a lot of the popular songs of the day, and naturally makes fun of each and every one of them, saying "What's All This?". It's dated and well, songs like that have a short shelf life, and now mostly point out exactly when the song was recorded. It's clever, and worth hearing. Again,nothing really revolutionary about this music, other than, it's rare,obscure rockers from Wisconsin. The Zakons really could have challenged Link Wray in a duel guitar fight, but I think ol Link would have whipped them, and shown them a thing or two.But they do some nice Rumble like chords. I don't know whatever happened to The Zakons, and maybe with more research they ended up in another band. We'll see, but these guys are so hard to find in these bands. I was kind of hoping some of them are still around, so we could get them to write about their lives and leave more on this site too. That's what this is all about. So write me,leave a comment! Link in the comments as usual. Maybe Collector Records will re-issue more things like this in the future with an updated band information booklet. We can only hope Cees Klop from White Label /Collector Records comes to our musical rescue!