Pushin' Too Hard: American Garage Punk 1964-1967

Overview

When the Beatles suddenly took over the American singles charts in early 1964, they reminded teenagers across the country that playing rock & roll was still the coolest hobby you could have. For the kids who thought "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" were a bit too clean and neat, the U.S. debut of the Rolling Stones a few months later confirmed that sneering delinquents had a place in this scheme as well. That one-two punch led to tens of thousands of kids buying cheap guitars and drum kits, turning up their amps, and creating their own kind of racket with dreams of fame and wealth, or at least impressing their peers. Thus began the American garage rock revolution, with countless bands celebrating teen angst and bad attitude on low-budget local singles, some of which miraculously went on to become major hits. Lenny Kaye codified the 1960s garage punk phenomenon in his masterful 1972 compilation album Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968, and since then a cottage industry has created an endless stream of multi-artist collections documenting the handful of stars and the countless also-rans who populated the scene. Grapefruit Records has joined the fray with Pushin' Too Hard: American Garage Punk 1964-1967, a three-disc box set that features several well-known garage rock icons (the Seeds, the Standells, ? and the Mysterians), lots of cult favorites (the 13th Floor Elevators, the Remains, the Sonics, the Misunderstood), some similarly inspired stars (Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Shadows of Knight), and a bunch of little-known yet inspired lunatics (the Third Bardo, the Jefferson Handkerchief, the Durty Wurds). The 1998 expanded box set version of Nuggets will always be regarded as the definitive garage punk anthology, and Pushin' Too Hard doesn't seem to be trying to usurp that status. Instead, the compilers have created a plus-size mixtape that addresses the width and breadth of the garage scene's recorded legacy while delivering a lot of entertaining listening, and on that count it succeeds brilliantly. There aren't many revelatory unknown tracks here, but there aren't any real duds, either, and while licensing issues have led to lesser-known tracks appearing from some of the better-known artists, hearing the Shadows of Knight's "Dark Side" instead of "Gloria," or ? and the Mysterians' "Girl (You Captivate Me)" instead of "96 Tears" shows that plenty of these bands had more than one trick up their sleeve, even if they only scored one major hit. For garage punk novices, Pushin' Too Hard may not be the best introduction to this music, but it's better than most, and serious fans will find this delivers lots of kicks in one convenient package. It's a grand celebration of what happened when kids let their fuzz boxes do the talking. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	01/19/2024
Label:	Strawberry
UPC:	5013929432239
Rank:	20380

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Justine  - Don Harris  - Don Sugarcane Harris  -  Rangers  - Dewey Terry
2. Wooly Bully  -  Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs  - Domingo "Sam" Samudio
3. I Want Candy  - Bert Berns  - Bob Feldman  - Jerry Goldstein  - Richard Gottehrer  -  Strangeloves
4. Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl  -  Barbarians  - Douglas Morris  - Ron Morris
5. I'm Your Man  - Arnold Belosic  - Steve Cuprys  -  Denims  - Ronald Lisowski  - Peter Punckowski  - Doug Super  - Mike Zaccor
6. Liar, Liar  -  Castaways  - Dennis Craswell  - James Donna
7. Why Do I Cry  -  Remains  - Barry Tashian
8. Just a Little  -  Beau Brummels  - Bob Durand  - Ron Elliott
9. Pushin' Too Hard [Unedited Version]  - Sky Saxon  -  Seeds
10. Too Many People [Single Version]  -  Leaves  - Jim Pons  - Bill Rinehart
11. Got Love [Trident Version]  - Dennis Lanigan  - Front Line  - Gary Philippet
12. I Ain't No Miracle Worker  -  Brogues  - Nancie Mantz  - Annette Tucker
13. Rari [Extended Version]  - Ed Cobb  -  Standells
14. You're Gonna Miss Me  - Roky Erickson  -  Spades
15. So What!!  - Christopher Gaylord  -  Lyrics
16. I Need Love  - Tom Curley  -  Mad Hatters
17. Little Sally Tease  -  Don & the Goodtimes  - Don Gallucci  - James Valley
18. Alright  -  Coastliners  - Jameel Hayes  - Gerard Purcell
19. Fever  - Eddie Cooley  - John Davenport  -  McCoys
20. I Fought the Law [Single Version]  - Sonny Curtis  -  Fuller
21. You Treat Me Bad  - Ray Hummel  -  JuJus
22. My Baby  -  Girls  - Margaret Sandoval
23. Louise  -  Raymarks  - Mike Spotts
24. I Want My Woman  - Rick Barthelme  - Steve Cunningham  -  Emperors  - Mayo Thompson
25. Just Like Me  - Richard Dey  - Roger Hart  -  Revere
26. Heart  - Georges Aber  - Petula Clark  - Tony Hatch  -  Liverpool Five
27. A Taste of the Same  -  Bad Seeds  - Mike Taylor
28. She's Gone  - Merrell Fankhauser  -  Merrell & the Exiles
29. Forget Me Girl  -  Bees  - Merrell Fankhauser  - Robert Zinner
30. Don't Break Me Down  - Rick Brown  -  Misunderstood  - Rick Moe  - George Phelps  - Greg Treadway  - Steve Whiting
31. Out of the Question [Version 1] [Take 1]  - Sky Saxon  -  Seeds  - Russ Serpent

Disc 2

32. Tried to Hide [Single Version]  -  13th Floor Elevators  - Tommy Hall  - Stacy Sutherland  -  Thirteenth Floor Elevators
33. My Little Red Book  - Burt Bacharach  - Hal David  -  Love
34. She's My Baby [Autumn Version]  -  Mojo Men  - Sylvester Stewart
35. Ain't It Hard  -  Electric Prunes  - Roger Tillison  - Terrye Tillison
36. Diddy Wah Diddy  -  Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band  - Willie Dixon  - Ellas McDaniel
37. Mellow Down Easy  -  Dirty Wurds  - Willie Dixon
38. I'm in Pittsburgh (And It's Raining)  - Jim Carsten  -  Outcasts
39. One Track Mind  - Keith Colley  - Linda Colley  -  Knickerbockers
40. Flash and Crash  - Jeff Beals  - Daniel Denton  - Jeff LaBrache  - Alan Park  -  Rocky & The Riddlers  - Rick Ulsky
41. Knock You Flat  -  Dimensions  - Tex Hughes  - Butch Turner
42. I'm Walking, Babe  - Jay Hamilton  -  Unusuals  -  Unusuals
43. Dark Side  - Warren Rogers  -  Shadows of Knight  - James Sohns
44. Mirror of Your Mind  - Tommy Talton  -  We the People
45. Rejected  - Sterling Damon  - Melvin Douglas Gilmore
46. Please, Don't Be Mad  - John Gibson  -  Soothsayers  - Dave Van Omen
47. Judgement Day  -  Esquires  - Wes Horne  - Charley Snellings
48. Hard Times  - Billy Beard  -  Centurys  - Larry McKinney
49. You Got Your Head on Backwards  - Gerald Roslie  -  Sonics
50. Hidden Charms  - Willie Dixon  -  Link Wray & the Raymen
51. Thunder 'N' Lightnin'  - Hoyt Axton  -  Misunderstood
52. She's Got You  - Chris Gerniottis  - John Lopez  - Pete Stinson  -  Zakary Thaks
53. Going All the Way  - Michael Bouyea  -  Squires
54. Extra Girl  -  Blue Beats  - Lance Drake  - Jack Lee
55. Show Me the Way  - Keith Colley  - Linda Colley  -  Free for All
56. There She Goes  - Durwood Haddock  - Eddie Miller  -  Morgan  - W.S. Stevenson
57. I Want the Rain [Vocal Version]  -  Executioners  - Terry Grimm  - Ed Wasczak
58. Out of Sight, Out of Mind  - Steve Duboff  -  Limey & the Yanks  - Doug Morris
59. She's So Satisfyin'  -  Apparitions  - Forrest Dieckman  - Mike McNerney  - Doug Retherford
60. If You Try  -  Hustlers  - Bob Leavitt
61. No Place or Time  -  Echoes of Carnaby Street  - Travis Fairchild  - Mark Resnick
62. No Friend of Mine  - Larry Parks  -  Sparkles  - Jay Turnbow
63. Velvet Illusions  - George Radford  -  Velvet Illusions  - Steve Weed

Disc 3

64. Barracuda  - Ed Cobb  -  Standells
65. You Burn Me Up and Down  - Tommy Talton  -  We the People
66. I Need You  - Ray Davies  -  Rationals
67. Mr. Pharmacist  - Jeff Nowlen  -  Other Half
68. Shame on You  - Neal Ford  -  Ford  - Walter Johnson  - John Stringfellow
69. It's Cold Outside  -  Choir  - Dan Klawon
70. Top Secret  - Michael Kunze  -  Newbeats  - Ralph Siegel
71. Love Special Delivery  - James Espinoza  -  Fire Escape  - William Garcia
72. Girl (You Captivate Me)  -  ? & the Mysterians  - Joseph Di Francesco  - Alan Dischel
73. I'm Five Years Ahead of My Time  - Rusty Evans  - Victoria Pike  -  Third Bardo
74. See If I Care  - Kenneth Johnson  -  Ken & the Forth Dimension
75. Tired of Crying  - Billy Hopkins  -  Off Beats  - Richard Simon
76. Why Baby Why  - Rich Carrino  -  Mistics
77. Bad Day Blues  -  Headstones  - Dave Williams
78. Victim of Circumstances  - Roy Junior  - Don Turnbow
79. Hipsville 29 B.C. (I Need Help)  -  Sparkles  - Don Turnbow
80. Love Times Eight  - Phil Campbell  -  Jackals  - Billy Lawson  - Mike Neal  - Ronny Sterling  - John Talley
81. Piccadilly Circus  -  Galaxies IV
82. Thoughts  -  Front Page News  - Sam Routh  - David Wadley
83. Mindrocker  - Keith Colley  - Linda Colley  -  Fenwyck
84. I'm Allergic to Flowers  - Dave Burgess  - Keith Colley  -  Jefferson Handerchief
85. Lost Innocence  -  Buddhas  - Gary Lettiere  - Michael McCarthy  - Larry Meador  - Dane Nelson  - Dennis Roark  - Rick Starr
86. Try It  - Marc Bellack  - Joey Levine  -  Ohio Express
87. Action! (Speaks Louder Than Words)  - Dennis Mills  -  Tidal Waves
88. For What You Lack  - Ron Hunt  -  Liberty Bell
89. You Can Forget About That  - Stephen Brown  - Jan Pedersen  -  Thursday's Children
90. Come Back  - Greg Hood  -  Jades
91. Talk to Me  -  Checkmates  - Don Cox  - Richard Green  - Ronnie Nix
92. Again  - Ken Fillmore  - Bill Hudson  - Mark Hudson  -  New Yorkers
93. Mini Shimmy  -  Georgy & the Velvet Illusions  - Buddy Motola  - George Radford  - Steve Weed
94. No One Left to Love  -  Bedlam Four  - Dick Pogue

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Brogues   Primary Artist
Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band   Primary Artist
The Apparitions   Primary Artist
Front Line   Primary Artist
Front Page News   Primary Artist
Paul Revere & the Raiders   Primary Artist
The Castaways   Primary Artist
The Checkmates   Primary Artist
The Remains   Primary Artist
The Standells   Primary Artist
The Tidal Waves   Primary Artist
The Coastliners   Primary Artist
Chris Morgan & The Togas   Primary Artist
The Free for All   Primary Artist
The Unusuals   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
The Thirteenth Floor Elevators   Primary Artist
Georgy & the Velvet Illusions   Primary Artist
Link Wray & the Raymen   Primary Artist
Galaxies IV   Primary Artist
The Girls   Primary Artist
Velvet Illusions   Primary Artist
The Mad Hatters   Primary Artist
Sterling Damon   Primary Artist
The Jades   Primary Artist
The Headstones   Primary Artist
The Blue Beats   Primary Artist
The Echoes of Carnaby Street   Primary Artist
Limey & the Yanks   Primary Artist
Rocky & The Riddlers   Primary Artist
The Liberty Bell   Primary Artist
Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs   Primary Artist
Roy Junior   Primary Artist
Love   Primary Artist
Neal Ford & The Fanatics   Primary Artist
Ohio Express   Primary Artist
Shadows of Knight   Primary Artist
The Esquires   Primary Artist
The Lyrics   Primary Artist
We the People   Primary Artist
Liverpool Five   Primary Artist
The McCoys   Primary Artist
The Mojo Men   Primary Artist
The Other Half   Primary Artist
Rangers   Primary Artist
The Bad Seeds   Primary Artist
The Barbarians   Primary Artist
Executioners   Primary Artist
The Choir   Primary Artist
The Bobby Fuller Four   Primary Artist
The Centurys   Primary Artist
The Hustlers   Primary Artist
Jackals   Primary Artist
JuJus   Primary Artist
The Jefferson Handerchief   Primary Artist
Ken & the 4th Dimension   Primary Artist
The Knickerbockers   Primary Artist
The Emperors   Primary Artist
The Denims   Primary Artist
The Bees   Primary Artist
The Beau Brummels   Primary Artist
The Electric Prunes   Primary Artist
Leaves   Primary Artist
Fenwyck   Primary Artist
Bedlam Four   Primary Artist
Dirty Wurds   Primary Artist
The Dimensions   Primary Artist
Don & the Goodtimes   Primary Artist
The Squires   Primary Artist
Merrell & the Exiles   Primary Artist
The Outcasts   Primary Artist
The Soothsayers   Primary Artist
The Newbeats   Primary Artist
Off Beats   Primary Artist
The Sonics   Primary Artist
The Sparkles   Primary Artist
The Misunderstood   Primary Artist
The Mistics   Primary Artist
The Strangeloves   Primary Artist
The New Yorkers   Primary Artist
The Rationals   Primary Artist
The Raymarks   Primary Artist
Thursday's Children   Primary Artist
The Seeds   Primary Artist
The 13th Floor Elevators   Primary Artist
The Spades   Primary Artist
Buddhas   Primary Artist
? & the Mysterians   Primary Artist
The Third Bardo   Primary Artist
Fire Escape   Primary Artist
Zakary Thaks   Primary Artist
Sky Saxon   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Joey Levine   Composer
Victoria Pike   Composer
John Davenport   Composer
Ron Elliott   Composer
Mark Hudson   Composer
Hoyt Axton   Composer
Roger Tillison   Composer
Roky Erickson   Composer
Petula Clark   Composer
Jerry Goldstein   Composer
Ray Davies   Composer
Jim Pons   Composer
Richard Dey   Composer
Hal David   Composer
Billy Lawson   Composer
James Donna   Composer
Durwood Haddock   Composer
Stacy Sutherland   Composer
Don Gallucci   Composer
Don "Sugarcane" Harris   Composer
Roger Hart   Composer
Richard Gottehrer   Composer
Mike Neal   Composer
Merrell Fankhauser   Composer
Mike Taylor   Composer
Tony Hatch   Composer
Stephen Brown   Composer
Sonny Curtis   Composer
Bob Feldman   Composer
Keith Colley   Composer
Bill Rinehart   Composer
Barry Tashian   Composer
Dirty Wurds   Cover Photo
Billy Beard   Composer
Doug Morris   Composer
Eddie Cooley   Composer
Don Cox   Composer
Ed Cobb   Composer
Ellas McDaniel   Composer
Rusty Evans   Composer
John Talley   Composer
W.S. Stevenson   Composer
Dewey Terry   Composer
Annette Tucker   Composer
Ralph Siegel   Composer
Jay Turnbow   Composer
Jack Lee   Composer
Rick Ulsky   Composer
Marc Bellack   Composer
Travis Fairchild   Composer
Larry Parks   Composer
Pete Stinson   Composer
George Radford   Composer
Ed Wasczak   Composer
Wes Horne   Composer
Tex Hughes   Composer
Christopher Gaylord   Composer
Tom Curley   Composer
Jim Carsten   Composer
Mayo Thompson   Composer
Tommy Talton   Composer
Butch Turner   Composer
Dave Williams   Composer
Dave Burgess   Composer
Alec Palao   Mastering
Jon Harrington   Liner Notes,Project Manager
Tommy Hall   Composer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
William Garcia   Composer
Sky Saxon   Composer
Sylvester Stewart   Composer
Steve Duboff   Composer
Bert Berns   Composer
Ronny Sterling   Composer
Billy Hopkins   Composer
Richard Simon   Composer
Sam Routh   Composer
David Wadley   Composer
Richard Green   Composer
Ronnie Nix   Composer
Doug Retherford   Composer
Forrest Dieckman   Composer
Mike McNerney   Composer
Dane Nelson   Composer
Dennis Roark   Composer
Gary Lettiere   Composer
Michael McCarthy   Composer
Dick Pogue   Composer
Doug Super   Composer
Mike Zaccor   Composer
Peter Punckowski   Composer
Ronald Lisowski   Composer
Steve Cuprys   Composer
John Gibson   Composer
Willie Dixon   Composer
James Sohns   Composer
Dennis Lanigan   Composer
Gary Philippet   Composer
Rick Starr   Composer
Rick Moe   Composer
Jeff Beals   Composer
James Espinoza   Composer
Bill Hudson   Composer
Rick Barthelme   Composer
George Phelps   Composer
Nancie Mantz   Composer
Dan Klawon   Composer
Steve Whiting   Composer
Rick Brown   Composer
Chris Gerniottis   Composer
Ron Morris   Composer
Eddie Miller   Composer
Jeff Nowlen   Composer
Bob Durand   Composer
Georges Aber   Composer
Jeff LaBrache   Composer
Ken Fillmore   Composer
Galaxies IV   Composer
Larry McKinney   Composer
Larry Meador   Composer
Steve Weed   Composer
Buddy Motola   Composer
Don Turnbow   Composer
Michael Bouyea   Composer
Alan Dischel   Composer
Walter Johnson   Composer
Arnold Belosic   Composer
Dave Van Omen   Composer
Lance Drake   Composer
Melvin Douglas Gilmore   Composer
Gerard Purcell   Composer
Jameel Hayes   Composer
Mike Spotts   Composer
Rich Carrino   Composer
Neal Ford   Composer
Jay Hamilton   Composer
Robert Zinner   Composer
Greg Treadway   Composer
Terry Grimm   Composer
Kenneth Johnson   Composer
Alan Park   Composer
Domingo "Sam" Samudio   Composer
John Lopez   Composer
Margaret Sandoval   Composer
Warren Rogers   Composer
Gerald Roslie   Composer
Ron Hunt   Composer
Michael Kunze   Composer
Phil Campbell   Composer
Linda Colley   Composer
Andy Morten   Design
Ray Hummel   Composer
Daniel Denton   Composer
Dennis Mills   Composer
Joseph Di Francesco   Composer
Charley Snellings   Composer
Douglas Morris   Composer
Russ Serpent   Composer
Steve Cunningham   Composer
Dennis Craswell   Composer
Don Harris   Composer
Bob Leavitt   Composer
Greg Hood   Composer
John Stringfellow   Composer
Jan Pedersen   Composer
Mark Resnick   Composer
James Valley   Composer
Terrye Tillison   Composer