Don't Blow Your Mind

One of my favorite parts of listening to 60s garage/psych music is discovering lesser known bands that feature musicians who achieved mainstream success later in their career. In a previous post, The Moving Sidewalks has been cover (which featured members of ZZ Top), as well as pre-King Crimson band, Brain.

Today's featured song is written by Dennis Dunaway and Vincent Furnier, "Don't Blow Your Mind." If those name don't ring a bell, perhaps Furnier's pseudonym will - Alice Cooper. Both Dunaway and Furnier were members of the classic Alice Cooper lineup, with Dunaway playing bass and Furnier being, well, Alice Cooper.

This song was recorded in 1966 by The Spiders, who, in addition to Dunaway and Furnier, included drummer John Speer and future Alice Cooper guitarist Michael Bruce. "Don't Blow Your Mind" is a nice pre-punk gem. Sounding like a fuzzier Shadows of Knight, The Spiders guitars and drumming gives the song a much more aggressive sound than Furnier's vocals. Furnier sometimes sounds in-your-face and inspired, but also tends to have the stoned lethargic sensibilities that you'd imagine a song entitled "Don't Blow Your Mind" would have.

The Spiders
"Don't Blow Your Mind"
1966