Monday, October 31, 2005

Happy Halloween!

Happy halloweeen readers! No tricks for you today, only treats. For today's Halloween post, I decided to post a song by what many consider the very first punk rock band - The Sonics. Hailing from the Pacific northwest, The Sonics were a high energy garage band that used a lot of fuzz and distortion to create their historic sound. If you aren't familiar with The Sonics, I highly recommend picking up Here Comes The Sonics, essential listening for any fan of 1960s garage rock.

Their first single was "The Witch," which was also the opening track on their debut LP Here Comes The Sonics. This was one of many original compositions on the album, that also included many garage rock standards. "The Witch" tells the cautionary tale of a girl who is new to town, an evil girl known for her long black hair,big black car, and walking around late at night. This girl is someone lead singer Gerry Roslie recommends keeping a distance from.

The song is a great example of The Sonics quintessential pre-punk sound. The sound is drenched in fuzz guitar and a driving drumming effort. Its this dark, dirty backdrop that Roslie delivers his wild howls and in-your-face vocals over.

The Sonics
"The Witch"
1964

1 comment:

guapo said...

Did you ever hear the version by a band called "The Lancers". They do it as a surf record- no kidding!