| Distortions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1, 1967 | |||
| Recorded | 1966 | |||
| Studio | Dove Studios, Minneapolis, Minnesota | |||
| Genre | Garage rock | |||
| Length | 34:10 | |||
| Label | Sundazed Records | |||
| Producer | Warren Kendrick | |||
| The Litter chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Distortions | ||||
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Distortions is the debut studio album by American psychedelic and garage rock band the Litter. It was released on May 1, 1967, by Warick Records and includes the single "Action Woman".
The Litter formed in 1966 from the remains of two locally popular Minneapolis groups, the Victors and the Tabs. [1] Early into the group's existence, the Litter enjoyed tremendous popularity, particularly in Chicago where the band became regulars at the Electric Theatre as they performed alongside the Byrds and Jethro Tull, among others. [2] During this time, bass guitarist and keyboardist Jim Kane got the Litter in contact with record producer Warren Kendrick, who was a capable instrumentalist in his own right before an arm injury prevented him from performing. Seeing the group's potential, Kendrick signed the Litter to a recording contract to his self-owned record label, Scotty Records, to produce their debut single and subsequent album. [3]
"Action Woman", a Kendrick-penned composition about a man in search of a "woman who'll satisfy his soul", was chosen for the group's first release. Musically exhibiting heavy influence from the British Invasion bands the Yardbirds and the Who, "Action Woman" was marked by distorted guitar riffs and feedback provided by lead guitarist Bill Strandlof. [4] The fuzz-toned instrumentals evident in the song were regularly utilized in the Litter's later recordings, even prompting Kendrick to name their first album Distortions. In addition to Strandlof's motif, the composition was also highlighted by Denny Waite's authoritative and snarling lead vocals, coupled with a raw musical stance emulating from the band's relatively live-recording style. [5]
In January 1967, "Action Woman", with a cover version of Pete Townshend's "A Legal Matter" as its B-side, was released and became a regional hit in Minneapolis. The song received a broader audience when it was featured as the opening track to the highly regarded compilation album, Pebbles, Volume 1 in 1979. [6] Music historian Richie Unterberger praised "Action Woman", saying it is "an archetype of the tough '60s garage rock favored by fans of the Pebbles reissue series". [7] Along with its inclusion on Pebbles the composition also appears on the 1998 reissue of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 and Trash Box . [6]
The song has been covered by multiple groups, the first of which came just a month after the Litter's version by fellow-Minnesota band the Electras. The Electras' rendition, along with sharing Kendrick as their producer, has caused many record collectors to wrongly believe the two groups contained some of the same members. [8] Other versions were recorded by Naz Nomad and the Nightmares during the garage rock revival of the 1980s, Kek '66, and Echo & the Bunnymen. [9]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Action Woman" | Warren Kendrick | 2:34 |
| 2. | "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" | 2:28 | |
| 3. | "Codine" | Buffy Sainte-Marie | 4:32 |
| 4. | "Somebody Help Me" | Jackie Edwards | 1:57 |
| 5. | "Substitute" | Pete Townshend | 4:28 |
| Total length: | 15:59 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm So Glad" | Skip James | 3:50 |
| 2. | "A Legal Matter" | Townshend | 2:49 |
| 3. | "Rack My Mind" | 4:44 | |
| 4. | "Soul Searchin'" | Kendrick | 2:49 |
| 5. | "I'm a Man" | Bo Diddley | 3:59 |
| Total length: | 18:11 | ||
Garage rock is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is characterized by basic chord structures played on electric guitars and other instruments, sometimes distorted through a fuzzbox, as well as often unsophisticated and occasionally aggressive lyrics and delivery. Its name derives from the perception that groups were often made up of young amateurs who rehearsed in the family garage, although many were professional.
The Electric Prunes are an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. Much of the band's music was, as music historian Richie Unterberger described it, possessed of "an eerie and sometimes anguished ambiance." Their most successful material was by songwriters Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz, though the group also penned their own songs. Incorporating psychedelia and elements of embryonic electronic rock, the band's sound was marked by innovative recording techniques with fuzz-toned guitars and oscillating sound effects. In addition, guitarist Ken Williams' and singer James Lowe's concept of "free-form garage music" provided the band with a richer sonic palette and exploratory lyrical structure than many of their contemporaries.
Acid rock is a loosely defined type of rock music that evolved out of the mid-1960s garage punk movement and helped launch the psychedelic subculture. Named after lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), the style is generally defined by heavy, distorted guitars, lyrics with drug references, and long improvised jams. Much of the style overlaps with 1960s garage punk, proto-metal, and early heavy, blues-based hard rock.
The Music Machine was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. Fronted by chief songwriter and lead vocalist Sean Bonniwell, the band cultivated a characteristically dark and rebellious image reflected in an untamed musical approach. Sometimes it made use of distorted guitar lines and hallucinogenic organ parts, punctuated by Bonniwell's distinctively throaty vocals. Although they managed to attain national chart success only briefly with two singles, the Music Machine is today considered by many critics to be one of the groundbreaking acts of the 1960s. Their style is now recognized as a pioneering force in proto-punk; yet within a relatively short period of time, they began to employ more complex lyrical and instrumental arrangements that went beyond the typical garage band format.
The Litter was an American psychedelic and garage rock band, formed in 1966 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. They are best remembered for their 1967 debut single, "Action Woman". The group recorded three albums in the late 1960s before disbanding, but they re-united in 1990, 1992, and again in 1998, when they recorded a new studio album consisting of both old and new material. All of their Minneapolis recorded material was produced by Warren Kendrick, who owned the Scotty and Warick and Hexagon labels.
The Zakary Thaks were an American garage rock band from Corpus Christi, Texas, United States, which formed in the mid-1960s.
The Rising Storm is an American rock group that was active at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, United States, between 1965 and 1967. Their music is considered to belong in the folk rock and garage rock genres. The original members of the group were Bob Cohan (guitar), Todd Cohen (bass), Charlie Rockwell (keyboards), Tom Scheft (drums), Tony Thompson, and Rich Weinberg.
"You're Gonna Miss Me" is a song by the American psychedelic rock band the 13th Floor Elevators, written by Roky Erickson, and released as the group's debut single on Contact Records, on January 17, 1966. It was reissued nationally on International Artists, in May 1966. Musically inspired by traditional jug band and R&B music, combined with the group's own experimentation, "You're Gonna Miss Me", along with its Stacy Sutherland and Tommy Hall-penned B-side, "Tried to Hide", was influential in developing psychedelic rock and garage rock, and was one of the earliest rock compositions to utilize the electric jug. Accordingly, critics often cite "You're Gonna Miss Me" as a bona fide garage rock song, as well as a classic of the counterculture era.
The Mystic Tide were an American rock band who have been credited for creating some of the first psychedelic anthems. Despite their lack of commercial success, they are now highly regarded amongst followers of garage rock and are recognized for their innovative musical approach.
Pebbles, Volume 12: The World is a compilation album featuring psychedelic and garage rock musical artists from outside North America and the UK that were active in the 1960s. It is a compact disc installment of the Pebbles series and was released on AIP Records on October 5, 1999.
The Driving Stupid was an American garage rock band formed in New Jersey in 1966. The group issued one cult favorite single called "Horror Asparagus Stories" that is most known for its absurd lyrics and psychedelic instrumentals. Though short-lived, the band's sole release has been included on numerous compilation albums. Previously unreleased material by the band was also issued in 2002.
The Electras were an American garage rock band formed in Ely, Minnesota in 1962. The group recorded between 1965 and 1967 during their musical career, including their most-known tune "Dirty Old Man". The band, which also worked under the moniker, 'Twas Brillig, released a version of the song "Action Woman", a composition that was made into a garage rock classic by the Litter, and has consequently caused the two groups to be wrongly associated with each other.
"Action Woman" is a song by the American garage rock band the Litter, written by their record producer Warren Kendrick, and first released as the group's debut single on Scotty Records in January 1967. The song also appeared on the band's first album Distortions. Although "Action Woman" never broke out on the national charts, it is now revered as a classic piece of the musical genre of garage rock. Accordingly, the composition has appeared on several compilation albums, and has been the subject of cover versions.
The Velvet Illusions, also known as Georgy and the Velvet Illusions and the Illusions, were an American garage rock band formed in Yakima, Washington in 1965. The group, with influences spanning from R&B standards, the British Invasion, to early psychedelia, released five singles in their brief recording career. Despite never breaking out nationally, the band's music has been revived, thanks, in large part, to its inclusion on several compilation albums, most notably Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets: 1965–1968.
The Guilloteens were an American garage rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1964. Much of the band's musical stance was distinguished for incorporating their homegrown Memphis influences with a hard-edged sound. Among the group's singles, the Guilloteens are most-known for their regional hit "I Don't Believe" and "Hey You". Although national success eluded the group, they are now considered one of the more accomplished garage rock acts to emerge from the era.
The Freeborne was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1966. The band was one of the numerous groups associated with the "Bosstown Sound", and is noted for releasing one eclectic album, Peak Impressions, in 1967, which exemplified the young members' versatility embedded in psychedelia.
"It's Cold Outside" is a song by the American garage rock band the Choir, written by the Choir's drummer, Dan Klawon, and first released on Canadian-American Records in September 1966. It is considered a classic of the musical genre of garage rock, and became the group's only national hit. The song has since been featured on several compilation albums.
"Bad Girl" is a song by the American garage rock band the Zakary Thaks, written by the whole group—Chris Gerniottis, Pete Stinson, Stan Moore, Rex Gregory, and John Lopez—and was first released for the band's debut single on J-Beck Records in July 1966. The song was an immensely successful regional hit in Texas, precipitating "Bad Girl"'s national release on Mercury Records later in the year. Since its initial distribution, the tune has received further recognition for its appearance on several compilation albums.
The David was an American garage rock/psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles, in southern California who were active in the 1960s and early 1970s. They are known for songs such as "40 Miles," which became a minor hit in Bakersfield. They began with a basic garage approach but later expanded their creative palette to incorporate esoteric and baroque elements on the 1967 album, Another Day, Another Lifetime. They continued for a few more years but disbanded in the early 1970s.
New England Teen Scene: Unreleased! 1965-1968 is a compilation album, which features previously unreleased material by American garage rock bands from the New England region. The album was released in 1996, and is the third and final compilation issued on Arf! Arf! Records related to the New England garage scene. The featured artists on New England Teen Scene: Unreleased 1965-1968 were sorted after 15 years of research to uncover their obscured recordings. For the most part, the bands never had the opportunity to release any official material, with five of the tracks being completely uncredited, having been discovered in undocumented tapes. Perhaps the most prominent group on the album is Underground Cinema, the pre-band that manifested into the psychedelic rock band Ultimate Spinach. Speaking on the album, music historian Richie Unterberger wrote "New England bands in general seemed to favor melodic pop and Zombie-ish keyboards more than groups from other regions, and that's reflected in many of the selections on the disc".