Before The Dawn

Urgh, this might be my last comp - it's getting harder and harder to make good comps. And this is kinda stinky. (I actually have a semi-cool comp coming up so hold the fort!)

Oh and on this I made a classic blunder - I jumped one volume: the last one I did was vol. 34 and now this is vol. 36! 

I know atleast two other series that made the same mistake; Sixties Rebellion (#13) and Psychedelic Unknowns (#10).

I would rate this set 6 on a ten-scale. But I did put in a lot of time to get a good flow, and all these songs are cherry-picked, and I have listened to it, thinking it was kinda nice.
Just don't want you to get you expectations too high.

Let's see what we have here.

NEXT STEP - I SAID NO

"..everywhere I go they say 'sad boy', but can't they see I don't want their sympathy.. I said nooo.."


TBM rates I Said No as a seven (7). The EPIC flip Rivers Of Hate gets a six (6).
If you have heard the flip you know how stupifyingly good it is, and if you haven't heard I Said No you might be excited to what you will hear.
I can tell you right now that I don't think it is nearly as good. Not on the same planet.
It is a somewhat pedestrian but cool folkrock jangler and serves as the poppy side of the 45. It is 2 years behind its times, Byrds did this in 1965, but hey - who cares nowadays.
At 1:25 a very crude Byrdsy solo emerges and you face will shine up.

You can hear Rivers Of Hate on my splendid comp Love Is Tuff.

(Marysville, CA) Oct '67
M.C.C 101067

BONDSMEN - I DON'T WANT YOUR LOVIN' ANYMORE

"..everybody knows you've been untrue.."

One of many Bondsmen; this lot hails from Massachussets.
I really dig this kind of laid back folkrock.
Some cute amateurish harmonies, a funny little drum-lick, some nice guitar.
I don't take much sometimes.

(Concord-Sudbury, MA) Jun '66
Fleetwood 4564

SHADOWS - TELL ME

"..tell me that you love me, baby be mine and you will have the world, tell me I can have your lovin' so fine and you will be my girl.."

Some swingin' mersey-esque beat meets standard American rock'n'roll.
It don't matter how much pop there is in the mix, when you pour it on a bunch of 60s kids from the states it always ends up rockin and a-rollin'. Beatles couldn't play rock'n'roll like this to save their life.
That said, this is pretty bland rock'n'roll. But I thought you might want to hear it.

(Hazelwood, NC) Apr '66
Switch (6-6390)

EARLY AMERICANS - I LOVE YOU (I WANT YOU)

"..then I realized, dreams do not come true, is that really you..?"

Wow, 1971! I would've guessed 1966.
Great moody tune.

(Bath, PA) May '71
Brenick-Flagg 1012

MESSENGERS - MY BABY

".. if I had my way, I'd have her and she would stay but, my baby's walking 'way from me.."

Oooooh yeaaaa...
This song is sooo cute..
You can find the (even better, much better actually) flip I've Seen You Around on Root '66, Teenage Shutdown Vol. 2 and Soma Records Story Vol. 3.
My Baby is a slice of very cool and slightly somber mersey-beat.

(Winona, MN) Jan '65
Soma 1427

KING'S ENGLISH - YOU COULDN'T SEE

"..you left trace of your memory imprisoned in my tortured mind.."

Some more crude jingle-jangle folk-rock to table 66 please!
Some serious dynamics here from soft-spoken words of self pity to downright hysteric shrieks of bitter sorrow.

And don't think we missed that you snagged a part from You've Lost That Loving Feeling - ballsy move!

(Bucyrus, OH) May '67
no label 400

WEE FOUR - GIVE ME A TRY 

"..I know how it's been for a girl like you.."


More inferior flips to classic garage hits! But I'd almost choose this over Weird. But only almost.

(Rochester, NY) Aug '66
Nu-Sound 6111 

XL'S - SECOND CHOICE

"..well, I knew all along that it would happen again.."

Wanna see what TBM wrote about this? "moody org-riff unison voc swinger" and rated it a 6. I think that is fair. A so-so effort and the better side of the 45.
It is also one of the cheapest singles on this comp, on popsike it fluctuates from 50 to 100 bucks
In  December of '68 they the released their second and last 45. A drum-thumping acid-punk monster with nails-on-blackboard fuzz. The flip to that supposedly sucks.

(Terre Haute, IN) Apr '66
Paro 100

PSYCHOPATHS - SEE THE GIRL

".. I'd give anything to see her walk through that door.."

Last year this puppy went for 349 bucks - totally worth it. Both sides sports seriously moody top-shelf garage. You can find the flip here.
This is one of the best songs on this comp, hands down.

(Aubindale, MA) Sep '67
David-Lloyd Co. (201,438/9)

BOSS BLUES - BEFORE THE DAWN

"..they say our love will soon be gone.."

Meeep, an overdose of heavy-frowning dramatic mood-pop. I'm sick of it now but I loved it the first 20 times I listened to it. I'm not sure what happens in the woods - I can't hear the words - but it must have been very dramatic indeed. Dramatic enough for me to name this set Before The Dawn.
(Redding-Ridgefield, CT) Dec '66
Direction 101

HANGMEN - THE GIRL WHO FADED AWAY

"..now the night is through and I find myself still thinking of you.." 

First recorded as the Reekers. Find the demo here.
BANG FOR THE BUCK! If you want you should be able to find this in the ballpark of 40 bucks. The top-side is the awesome swinging' punker What A Girl Can't Do.
Their next 45 - the mucho-cool Faces - is also around 40 buckaroonies. More bang for the buck!

(Washington, D.C.) Nov '65
Monument 910

JAGUARS - TWO CAN PLAY

"..now I know you've been out with some other one.."


A lot of hi-hat happening on this moody puppy. Rated 6 in TBM and righteously so.

(Columbus, OH) Apr '67
Mus-I-Col 

MICHAEL-JOHN & THE PENDULUMS - YOU'RE WRONG GIRL

"..you think no matter what you say I won't leave you..but you're wrong, girl.."


Another affordable 45. Don't pay more than $30.
This is the kind of song that most of the time is kinda "meh" but if you play at the right place at the right time the whole room lights up and you can smell roses in the distance and everything falls into place. Those songs are far and apart so give this more than one spin.

(Allen Park, MI) '66
Bob-Ke (121237/8) 

WILDE THINGS - CAN'T SEE THE SUN

"..the sun's gone and we've lost our way.."


You can find this and its (awesome!) flip on Crude PA Vol. 2. Very crude track.

(Whitemarsh, PA) '68?
acetate

MENACES - IF YOU WANT ME

"..I'm really nothing much.."


Phew, what a tearjerker. The flip is a silly mersey-esque pop-shuffle. Both rate 6 in TBM. I would argue If You Want Me is the winning side.

(Phoenix, AZ) '67
Dramel 22767

WE THE PEOPLE - ALWAYS LIES

"..even when I look into your eyes.."


Two years ago this went for $1415. It also gets a six in TBM but booooooyyyyyy..... This is not a six... This is.. something else completely.
It is just perfect. Best on the set.

(Boston, MA) '66
Seventeen 263/4


http://www.mediafire.com/file/5xar8jgya626ua4/036_Before_The_Dawn.zip/file