Pebbles, Volume 1

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Pebbles, Volume 1
Pebbles-Volume-01-lpcover.jpg
Compilation album
Released1978 (LP)
1979 (LP – BFD Records)
1992 (CD)
RecordedMid-1960s
Genre Garage rock, psychedelic rock, freakbeat
Length37:56 (LP)
Label Mastercharge
BFD
AIP
chronology
Pebbles, Volume 1
(1978)		 Pebbles, Volume 2
(1979)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 8/10 [2]

Pebbles is a compilation of US underground and garage single record releases from the mid- to late-1960s. [3] It had a limited original release in 1978 and a more general release in 1979 (where the album was identified simply as Pebbles). [4] It was followed by several subsequent Pebbles compilations and albums (nearly 100 in all). This album is nowadays known as Pebbles, Volume 1 and was originally issued in 1978 as Pebbles, Volume One: Artyfacts from the First Punk Era, an obvious riff on Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era , a similar, groundbreaking compilation from 1972.

Contents

Release data

Original cover Pebbles-Volume-01-orig-cover-new.jpg
Original cover

The Pebbles album was originally released as an LP on Mastercharge Records in 1978 as a collaborative effort of several collectors in a limited edition of just 500 copies. The album had no catalogue number and a plain pink-and-black cover sheet; it had the appearance of a bootleg recording. Greg Shaw was probably one of the collectors involved in this album, since the on-line listing of the original liner notes is marked as being "Courtesy of Greg Shaw". The AIP label that he founded released the later volumes in the series. The Mastercharge label appears to have been created only for this release and is apparently not a real record company.

The tracks were taken directly from the original vinyl or cassette dubs, not the master tapes. [5] [6] Many members of the bands included on the album were difficult to find. The scratch heard on the first track, "Action Woman", was so warmly thought of that it continued to be reproduced on subsequent reissues. [7] [5]

The liner notes to Volume 1 are attributed to "Nigel Strange", a suspected alias of Greg Shaw. [8]

The release of this album on BFD in 1979 gained the record and the Pebbles series wide recognition. AIP kept the LP in print for many years.

AIP issued the first volume in the Pebbles series in CD format in 1992. [9] Although the CD has bonus tracks and a colored cover, the two formats are largely the same album and even have similar catalogue numbers. Also, ESD released an earlier edition of Pebbles, Volume 1 on CD in 1989 with almost completely different tracks.

Two box sets of the first five volumes of the Pebbles series have also been released, the Pebbles Box on LP (in 1987) and the Trash Box on CD (in 2004). More recently, the first 10 volumes and the first 5 volumes in the Pebbles series are being marketed together as a package, in a rigid polypropylene envelope with the original Pebbles Box cover. [10]

In 2008, apparently in honor of the 30th anniversary of this landmark compilation album, Bomp began offering a reissue of the first Pebbles album in clear vinyl, complete with a reproduction of the original pink insert. As with the original release, this special reproduction is limited to 500 copies. This edition was made with the BFD masters, so the skip in "Action Woman" is still in place, and "Crackin' Up" by The Wig is missing.

Omitted tracks on the CD

CD cover Pebbles-Volume-01-cdcover.jpg
CD cover

Due to a mastering error, the tracks printed on the cover copy for the CD differ somewhat from the tracks actually included on the album. Two songs were listed on the tray card that are not included on the album: "Crackin' Up", by The Wig (which was included on both the original LP as well as the BFD reissue) and "I Need Love" by The Third Booth (which was to have been a bonus track). Also, the Shadows of Knight song is split into two tracks on the CD.

Also, when AIP issued the early volumes of CDs, they omitted some tracks from the corresponding LP for the stated reason that they were already widely available on other anthologies. In this case, another track on the LP is not included on the CD: "Going All the Way", by the Squires.

Notes on the tracks

The music on this first volume sets the tone for the obscure music collected in the Pebbles series. The first cut on the LP includes a skip during the break – on the original record, according to the liner notes – scrambling the line: "You say you love me, girl, but why are you so cold", but otherwise not really affecting the enjoyment of this genuine classic. Despite the fact that the Litter released three albums and is among the most well-known bands on this album, "Action Woman" was almost unavailable without this skip for many years. For instance, the bonus track at the end of the CD is a 1985 cover of this song which also omits the line. (The artist is not given on the CD but is identified on the AIP Records website as Echo & the Bunnymen).

The frantic cover of the Count Five classic by Positively 13 O'Clock is from a one-time studio session that includes members of Mouse and the Traps; it also appears on a retrospective album of this band that was released on Eva Records. The cover of Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" is hilariously to the tune of "Louie Louie". "Spazz", by The Elastik Band, became a cult classic due to its inclusion on Volume 1, and was subsequently included on 1998's expanded Nuggets box set. [11]

Songs by well known bands are normally not included on Pebbles albums unless they are curiosities, and the track(s) by the Shadows of Knight – famed for their major hit with Van Morrison's "Gloria" – is no exception. Following a brief clip of "Gloria", the band introduces themselves with corny yet charming answers – sample: "What kind of fans do you prefer?", "I prefer electric fans" – followed by a song that the band wrote "especially for you". "Potato Chip" was originally released only on a five-inch cardboard record (possibly as a promotion for a potato chip company) and is surely the most earnest ode to a snack food ever recorded.

The bonus tracks on the CD include one of the most beloved of all garage rock songs, "Blackout of Gretely" by GONN. Remarkably, the band issued a reunion album 30 years later (in 1995) with all new material.

Critical reception

Gary Mullinax, writing for The Morning News of Wilmington, Delaware, found the album's sound "crude" but "also powerful." [12] Charity Stafford of AllMusic described the CD reissue as "an excellent second step into the garage rock underground." [1]

Track listing

LP

Side 1:

  1. The Litter: "Action Woman", 2:30 — rel. 1967
  2. The Preachers: "Who Do You Love" (Ellas McDaniel), 2:11 — rel. 1965
  3. The Floyd Dakil Combo: "Dance Franny Dance", 2:10 — rel. 1964
  4. The Outcasts: "I'm in Pittsburgh (and it's Raining)", 1:56 — rel. 1966
  5. The Squires: "Going All the Way", 2:18, — rel. 1966, vinyl-only track
  6. The Grains of Sand: "Going Away Baby", 2:10 — rel. 1966
  7. The JuJus: "You Treat Me Bad", 2:18 — rel. 1966
  8. The Haunted: "1-2-5", 2:46 — rel. 1966

Side 2:

  1. The Soup Greens: "Like a Rolling Stone" (Bob Dylan), 2:40 — rel. 1965
  2. The Wig: "Crackin' Up" (Rusty Wier), 2:18 — rel. 1966, Listed on the Cover and Label, but Not Actually on the Album
  3. Positively 13 O'Clock: "Psychotic Reaction", 2:00 — rel. 1966
  4. Kim Fowley: "The Trip" (Kim Fowley), 2:00 — rel. 1965
  5. The Elastik Band: "Spazz", 2:45 — rel. 1967
  6. The Split Ends: "Rich with Nothin'" (Knox/Ellassen), 2:15 — rel. 1966
  7. The Shadows of Knight: "Potato Chip", 3:23 — rel. 1967
  8. The Wilde Knights: "Beaver Patrol", 2:16 — rel. 1965

CD

  1. The Litter: "Action Woman" — rel. 1967
  2. The Preachers: "Who Do You Love" (Ellas McDaniel)" — rel. 1965
  3. The Floyd Dakil Combo: "Dance Franny Dance" — rel. 1964
  4. The Outcasts: "I'm in Pittsburgh (and it's Raining)" — rel. 1966
  5. The Grains of Sand: "Going Away Baby" — rel. 1966
  6. The JuJus: "You Treat Me Bad" — rel. 1966
  7. The Haunted: "1-2-5" — rel. 1966
  8. The Soup Greens: "Like a Rolling Stone" (Bob Dylan) — rel. 1965
  9. Positively 13 O'Clock: "Psychotic Reaction" — rel. 1966
  10. Kim Fowley: "The Trip" (Kim Fowley)" — rel. 1965
  11. The Elastik Band: "Spazz" — rel. 1967
  12. The Split Ends: "Rich with Nothin'" — rel. 1966
  13. The Shadows of Knight: "Radio Spot" — rel. 1967
  14. The Shadows of Knight: "Potato Chip" — rel. 1967
  15. The Wilde Knights: "Beaver Patrol" — rel. 1965
  16. The Sparkles: "Ain't No Friend of Mine" — rel. 1967, CD bonus track
  17. GONN: "Blackout of Gretely" — rel. 1966, CD bonus track
  18. The Weeds: "It's Your Time" — rel. 1966, CD bonus track
  19. Echo & the Bunnymen: "Action Woman" — rel. 1985, CD bonus/surprise track

Release history

LP

Mastercharge Records (no catalogue number) — 1978

BFD Records (#BFD-5016) — 1979

AIP Records – several reissues

CD

AIP Records (#AIP-CD-5016) — 1992

See also

Related Research Articles

The Choir was a garage rock band largely active in the greater Cleveland area from the mid-1960s into the early 1970s. Originally called The Mods, their largest commercial success came with the release of their first single "It's Cold Outside" in December 1966. The song, considered to be a classic of the garage rock era, was featured on Pebbles, Volume 2, one of the earlier garage rock compilation LPs. The flipside, "I'm Going Home" was included as a bonus track when the Pebbles album was reissued as a CD, and it can also be found on a garage rock compilation LP on Ohio bands, Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 9. The Choir is well known for containing three of the four original members of Raspberries.

AIP Records Record label

AIP Records is a record label that was started by Greg Shaw's Bomp! Records in 1983 to continue the Pebbles series. AIP stands for "Archive International Productions". The first 10 volumes in the Pebbles series had been released by BFD Records of Kookaburra, Australia in 1979–1980 and have been kept in print by AIP for many years. Including those in the companion Highs in the Mid-Sixties series – which concentrated on American regional music scenes – there are over 50 LPs covering some 800 obscure, mostly American "Original Punk Rock" songs recorded in the mid-1960s – primarily known today as the garage rock and psychedelic rock genres – that were previously known only to a handful of collectors.

<i>Pebbles</i> (series) 1978 compilation album by Various Artists

Pebbles is an extensive series of compilation albums in both LP and CD formats that have been issued on several record labels, though mostly by AIP. Together with the companion Highs in the Mid-Sixties series, the Pebbles series made available over 800 obscure, mostly American "Original Punk Rock" songs recorded in the mid-1960s — primarily known today as the garage rock and psychedelic rock genres — that were previously known only to a handful of collectors. In 2007, the release of the Pebbles, Volume 11: Northern California CD marked the final album in the Pebbles series. The following year, Bomp! marked the 30th anniversary of the original Pebbles album with a spartan, limited-edition, clear-vinyl reissue complete with the original pink cover insert.

<i>Pebbles, Volume 3</i> 1979 compilation album

Pebbles, Volume 3, subtitled The Acid Gallery, is a compilation album featuring American underground psychedelic rock musical artists from the 1960s. It is the third installment of the Pebbles series and was released on BFD Records in 1979. The album is marked for containing among the most unusual recordings of psychedelic music.

<i>Pebbles, Volume 4</i> 1979 compilation album

Pebbles, Volume 4 is a compilation album in the Pebbles series that has been issued in both LP and CD formats. Unlike other volumes in the series – which compile obscure garage rock and psychedelic rock music – Volume 4 collects rare examples of surf rock. The LP is subtitled Summer Means Fun, while the CD is subtitled Surf N Tunes. Another Pebbles, Volume 4 was issued on CD a few years earlier by ESD Records and has completely different tracks.

<i>Pebbles, Volume 5</i> 1980 compilation album

Pebbles, Volume 5 is a compilation album in the Pebbles series that has been issued in both LP and CD formats.

<i>Pebbles, Volume 6</i> (1979 album) 1980 compilation album

Pebbles, Volume 6 is a compilation album among the LPs in the Pebbles series. Subtitled The Roots of Mod, Volume 6 is the only album in the Pebbles series that features primarily British music. The Pebbles, Volume 6 CD is not at all related to this LP; instead, the CD featuring the songs on this LP was released as English Freakbeat, Volume 6.

<i>Pebbles, Volume 9</i> (1980 album) 1980 compilation album

Pebbles, Volume 9 is a compilation album among the LPs in the Pebbles series. The music on this album has no relation to Pebbles, Volume 9 that was released on CD many years later.

<i>Pebbles, Volume 11</i> (1983 album) 1983 compilation album

Pebbles, Volume 11 is a compilation album among the LP's in the Pebbles series and has no relation to the Pebbles, Volume 11 CD that was released many years later. The cover was adapted and colorized for a later Pebbles double CD, Essential Pebbles, Volume 2.

<i>Pebbles Box</i> 1987 compilation album

The Pebbles Box is a 5-LP box set of mid-1960s garage rock and psychedelic rock recordings, primarily by American bands. Several years later, a similar 5-CD box set was released that was called the Trash Box. The Pebbles Box purports to collect the first five volumes of the Pebbles series, although there are fewer songs than on the original LPs: 72 total tracks on the five discs, as compared with 86 on the original LPs. Also, as is generally true of the CD reissues of these five volumes, the tracks differ significantly on all five discs as compared to both the original Pebbles LPs and the later Pebbles CDs in the corresponding volumes; and the surf rock rarities on Pebbles, Volume 4 have been eschewed entirely.

<i>Trash Box</i> 2004 compilation album

Trash Box is a 5-CD box set of mid-1960s garage rock and psychedelic rock recordings, primarily by American bands. This box set is similar to the earlier Pebbles Box and includes almost all of the same recordings in that box set, along with numerous bonus tracks at the end of each disc. Supposedly, the Trash Box collects the first five volumes of the CDs in the Pebbles series. However, as is generally true of the CD reissues of these five volumes, the tracks differ significantly on all five discs as compared to both the original Pebbles LPs and the later Pebbles CDs in the corresponding volumes; and the surf rock rarities on Pebbles, Volume 4 have been eschewed entirely. Overall, there are 109 tracks in the box set as compared to 101 songs on the individual CDs and 72 tracks in the Pebbles Box. Although most of the recordings on the Trash Box were released at some point on one of the individual Pebbles albums, several of the songs have not appeared elsewhere in the Pebbles series. Inexplicably, one of these songs is the well-known hit "I Fought the Law " by the Bobby Fuller Four – which is also included in the Pebbles Box – in place of the much rarer "Wine Wine Wine" by Bobby Fuller that appears on Pebbles, Volume 2.

<i>Pebbles, Volume 7</i> (1994 album) 1994 compilation album

Pebbles, Volume 7 is a compilation album among the CDs in the Pebbles series; it is subtitled Chicago 2. The previous CD in the series, Pebbles, Volume 6 also features bands from Chicago, as does the LP Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 4.

<i>Pebbles, Volume 8</i> (1996 album) 1996 compilation album

Pebbles, Volume 8 is a compilation album among the CDs in the Pebbles series; it is subtitled Southern California 1. The next CD in the series, Pebbles, Volume 9 also feature bands from Southern California; while Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 1, Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 2, and Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 3 showcase music from Los Angeles specifically.

<i>Pebbles, Volume 9</i> (1996 album) 1996 compilation album

Pebbles, Volume 9 is a compilation album among the CDs in the Pebbles series; it is subtitled Southern California 2. The previous CD in the series, Pebbles, Volume 8 also features bands from Southern California; while Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 1, Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 2, and Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 3 showcase music from Los Angeles specifically.

<i>Pebbles, Volume 10</i> (1996 album) 1996 compilation album

Pebbles, Volume 10 is a compilation album among the CDs in the Pebbles series.

<i>Essential Pebbles, Volume 2</i> 1998 compilation album

Essential Pebbles, Volume 2 is a compilation album in the Essential Pebbles series. Although subtitled Still More Ultimate '66 garage classics!, not all of the recordings on the album were originally released in 1966.

<i>Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 10</i> 1984 compilation album

Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 10 is a compilation album in the Highs in the Mid-Sixties series, featuring recordings that were released in Wisconsin. A later volume in the series, Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 15 also features bands from this state.

<i>English Freakbeat</i> series

The English Freakbeat series is a group of five compilation albums, released in the late 1980s, that were issued by AIP Records. The LPs featured recordings that were released in the mid-1960s by English rock bands in the early punk, proto-punk, R&B, mod, and beat genres. The series served as a follow-up to the Pebbles, Volume 6 LP, itself subtitled The Roots of Mod, which was the only album in the Pebbles series that was devoted to English music. When the English Freakbeat series was reissued as CDs in the 1990s, the Pebbles, Volume 6 LP was adapted into the English Freakbeat, Volume 6 CD.

<i>English Freakbeat, Volume 1</i> 1988 compilation album

English Freakbeat, Volume 1 is a compilation album in the English Freakbeat series, featuring recordings that were released decades earlier, in the mid-1960s.

<i>English Freakbeat, Volume 2</i> 1989 compilation album

English Freakbeat, Volume 2 is a compilation album in the English Freakbeat series, featuring recordings that were released decades earlier, in the mid-1960s.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pebbles, Vol. 1: Original '60s Punk & Psych Classics - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-12-12.
  2. ↑ Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 275–276.
  3. ↑ "Pebbles, Vol. 1-28 - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  4. ↑ "Perfect Sound Forever: 60s Punk Compilations". www.furious.com.
  5. 1 2 Reynolds, Simon (2011). Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to Its Own Past. Faber and Faber, Inc. pp. 263–264.
  6. ↑ Bovey, Seth (2019). Five Years Ahead of My Time: Garage Rock From the 1950s to the Present. Reaktion Books. p. 142.
  7. ↑ "PEBBLES - Vol 01 (RARE 60s GARAGE PSYCH!) Comp LP". Bomp Records.
  8. ↑ Bovey, Seth (Oct 2006). "'Don't Tread on Me': The Ethos of '60s Garage Punk". Popular Music and Society. 29 (4): 451–459, 503.
  9. ↑ Johnson, Vernon (2004). Fuzz Acid and Flowers Revisited: A Comprehensive Guide to American Garage, Psychedelic and Hippie Rock (1964-1975). Borderline Productions. p. 1095. ISBN   1899855149.
  10. ↑ "PEBBLES "BOX" SET". Bomp Store.. Retrieved 27 Aug 2022.
  11. ↑ Lindblad, Peter (May 8, 2009). "The Elastik Band: More than just a 'Spazz'". Goldmine. 35 (10): 14, 16.
  12. ↑ Mullinax, Gary (June 24, 1979). "'60s punk rock". The Morning News. Retrieved 2018-12-12– via Newspapers.com.
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