Here Are the Sonics

Artist: The Sonics
Label: Norton
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: LP Record
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 731253090318
EAN: 0731253090318
ASIN: B00000I6BS

Release Date: 1998-07-02

Here Are the Sonics

Related Categories:

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music

Vinyl Records

| Rock | Styles | Music

Garage Rock

Tracks:

Witch
Do You Love Me
Roll Over Beethoven
Boss Hoss
Dirty Robber
Have Love, Will Travel
Psycho
Money
Walkin' the Dog
Night Time Is the Right Time
Strychnine
Good Golly Miss Molly
Keep a Knockin'
Don't Believe in Christmas
Santa Claus
Village Idiot

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Album Description

1999 digitally remastered reissue of the demented debut by this legendary group of garage rockers, originally released in 1965. Features a deluxe booklet with previously unseen photos, interviews and information.

Customer Reviews:

"Stomp, shout, work it on out!".......2007-05-20

Led by piano-poundin' madman/throat-shredding vocalist Gerry Roslie, the Sonics came roaring out of Tacoma, Washington with this, their 1965 debut. Rightly considered a classic by garage rock fans worldwide, Here Are The Sonics is a mercilessly good platter of primal, pounding garage rockers. It's lightening in a bottle, a set of absolutely insane songs whose ferocious intensity simply does not let up. Bolstered by filthy guitars, primitive rhythms, and Roslie's vocal self-slaughter, the Sonics' sound is pure rock n roll, an epitomization of music at its most very basic. In short, it's absolutely awesome.

Highlights include "The Witch," which lurches along on a pulverizing two-chord guitar line and some hulking vocals. "Boss Hoss" is a non-stop sixties party apocalypse, with a blaring sax riff and some roaring guitars, and the aptly titled "Psycho" is quintessential three-chord frat-punk. "Strychnine" absolutely, positively rules- it's a droning raver with a bad-to-the bone melody and lyrics about Gerry's favorite drink (rat poison). On top of that, you get ferocious covers of songs such as "Have Love Will Travel," "Do You Love Me," "Dirty Robber," and "Night Time is the Right Time." The group's version of "Good Golly Miss Molly" is almost as wild as the mighty Little Richard's original, and "Money" sounds fantastically cool. Plus, the CD edition features three bonus tracks that were originally recorded for a Christmas Album (!): "Santa Claus" and "Don't Believe In Christmas" are both novelty tunes set to the tune of classic rock n roll songs ("Farmer John" and "Too Much Monkey Business," respectively), while "The Village Idiot" may very well be the most offensive Christmas song ever recorded. Great stuff.

Here's the point- this is a rock n roll classic, a musical juggernaut that begs to be listened (and danced) to from now until the end of time. It's worth your dough.

A Whole New Take.......2006-11-25

I picked this CD up for one reason: track number 6, "Have Love Will Travel." I'm a big Land Rover enthusiast, and I really liked the song on the LR3 commercials. But after a listen-through of the album, I ended up with 15 other reasons to like it.

While "Have Love" is still my favourite track of the album (and it's a great driving song, regardless of any bias I may have), the other tracks are just as good. While most, if not all, of the tracks are standards, The Sonics' trademark wild, untamed sound brings a whole new sound. Comparing these renditions to those by Chuck Berry or the Beatles or any other recorder, The Sonics versions are much more harsh...much more wild...and totally different...but still just as great, if not better.

The influence that this group had over the development of rock, especially punk rock (a genre I'm otherwise not as inclined to) is definitely under appreciated. One listen to "Here Are the Sonics!" should change all that.

4 1/2 Stars- Some very fine garage insanity........2006-02-17

"The Witch," with its distorted two-chord vamp, maniacal drum attack, and a very possesed young man named Gerry Roslie on vocals, is an awesome way to open any album. The real triumph here is that Here Are The Sonics manages to maintain the intensity of "The Witch" through 11 more tracks. The result is friggin' awesome garage-rock record, a howling slab of unstopable percussion, industrial-strength buzzsaw guitar chords (not to mention the demented brilliance of the solos), and the screeching, howling madman that is Roslie. And all this was about a decade before the Ramones. Highlights are everywhere, just like communism in 1950's America: "Boss Hoss" is about a car that can make anyone jealous. The song moves like a tank ripping open enemy lines, the chorus is heartstopping, and the verses can wake up a coma patient. There's even a saxophone solo! "Psycho" borrows the riff of the mid-sixties Premiers classic "Farmer John" and loads it up with white-hot amphetamne insanity. Roslie is at the helm with a mantra-like vocal, plus an amazing screech. And then there's a guitar solo that's worth fighting for, and some great sax work. "Strychnine," the album's deranged centerpiece, just about blows the socks off of anything recorded before or since. A (relatively) slow-burner, its equipped with menacing guitar drone, unrelenting percussion, and lyrics about the joys of drinking rat poison. A total masterpiece.
While "The Witch," "Boss Hoss," "Psycho," and "Strychnine" (genuflect!) are all band originals, the majority of Here Are the Sonics is made up of covers. Some of these are pretty darn great: "Have Love Will Travel" is an all-out stomper, with a drumbeat you should set your pulse to. "Dirty Robber" is a high-speed pulse with a killer sax break. "Money" finds the Sonics approacing pop, and yet they're all the better for it: The song grooves and bounces, and Gerry sounds good, despite being relatively restrained. But it isn't all great: The version of "Roll Over Beethoven" is pretty stiff and passionless, while "Do You Love Me" seems a bit superflouous. The covers in general are less fun than the originals, and aren't entirely that necessary. Why on earth would I want to hear a Sonics version of "Good Golly Miss Molley" when we have Little Richard's, preserved on countless compilarion discs?
Nonetheless, "Have Love Will Travel," "Dirty Robber," "Money," and the four originals are more than worth the price of admission, making Here Are the Sonics an all-out garage classic.

worth the price for 1 tune alone!.......2005-09-10

"Have Love will Travel" is worth the price of this cd all by itself. I first heard it on a car commercial & did a google search to find out who was playing it. It's the Sonics! They have an incredible garage-band sound because they recorded the song in the 60's. sounds like it was done on the cheap, & the vintage sound kicks azz!!!!! The energy is xlnt! Just listen to the sample of this tune & you'll be an owner!

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