The Squires | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Bristol, Connecticut, US |
Genres | Garage rock, psychedelic rock |
Years active | 1965–1967 |
Labels | ATCO Records, Peyton Records, Crypt Records |
Past members | Michael Bouyea Thomas Flanigan Kurt Robinson Jim Lynch John Folcik Brian Blake Paul Shea |
The Squires were an American garage band from Bristol, Connecticut, United States, operating in the 1960s.
They released just one single, which failed to be even a regional hit, but which is now regarded as a classic of its era. One critic wrote: "The yearning lyrics and melody, vibrant jangling guitars and brisk propulsive beat all combine to make The Squires' 'Going All the Way' a transcendent rock n roll record. That the song wasn't a huge hit and isn't heard daily on today's 'oldies' or 'classic rock' radio stations is shameful - but when it comes right down to it, it doesn't matter. The fact that 'Going All the Way' is little more than a secret, known only to a few thousand fanatics, only adds to its greatness. Success can be measured in terms other than units sold, and with "Going All the Way" The Squires succeeded in ways that much wealthier musicians failed". [1]
The band formed in Bristol, Connecticut, in 1965 and comprised high school friends Michael Bouyea (drums, guitar, vocals), Thomas Flanigan (lead guitar, vocals), Kurt Robinson (organ), Jim Lynch (rhythm guitar), and John Folcik (bass). They were originally known as "the Rogues", who released one single, "It's the Same All Over" on the local Peyton label, and started to build a strong local following. Later Folcik and Robinson were replaced by Brian Blake (bass and vocals) and Paul Shea (organ and vocals)
In April 1966, they drove to New York City and booked time at Capitol's studios, their main aim being to re-record their first single, but also recording several more songs at the same time, including Bouyea's "Going All the Way". Atco Records liked their material, but insisted on a name change to "the Squires", and "Going All the Way" was released in September 1966. Although it gave the band a higher profile in their home state, it met with no success elsewhere, the record company did not issue any follow-up, [2] and Folcik and Robinson left the band. Lead singer Mike Bouyea was drafted the following year and sent to Vietnam. The Squires slipped into obscurity. Bouyea later released several singles: "The Fury", "Lover Of The Night", and "I Can Wait". He later became a radio personality at 1050 CHUM, Toronto, and recorded a theme song for the Toronto Blue Jays under the name "Home Run". The track was called, "We Got the Blue Jays" and was released as either "The R.B.I. Single Version" or the "7th Inning Stretch Version".
"Going All the Way" was reissued on the first of the Pebbles compilations of garage tracks in 1979, and its B-side "Go Ahead" on Pebbles, Vol. 2 . They have subsequently been included on compilations by Rhino Records and others. All the recorded Squires and Rogues tracks were issued together on a compilation album, Going All the Way With The Squires on Crypt Records in 1986. [3]
Despite their short list of recorded titles, "Go Ahead" was covered by the short-lived New Zealand indie supergroup Pop Art Toasters on their eponymous 1994 EP. [4] [5]
The Bo-Weevils are a psychedelic rock band blending psychedelic music, pop music, garage rock and rock music which formed in early 1985. Their early garage incarnation was a lot easier to classify and won fans easily, but the band evolved away from these roots from the late 1980s into more cerebral and accomplished directions. They released four studio albums, Where Particular People Congregate (1988), Destroyer of Worlds (1990), Reap (1992), and Burn (1994) before they semi-retired in 1999. Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane described the group as "one of the first Australian bands of the 1980s to play wild, 1960s-inspired garage-punk".
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 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.
Pebbles is a compilation of US underground and garage single record releases from the mid- to late-1960s. It had a limited original release in 1978 and a more general release in 1979. It was followed by several subsequent Pebbles compilations and albums. 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.
Mouse and the Traps was the name of an American garage rock band from Tyler, Texas, United States, that released numerous singles between 1965 and 1969, two of which, "A Public Execution" and "Sometimes You Just Can't Win", became large regional hits. The leader of the band, nicknamed "Mouse", was Ronny Weiss. Two of their best known songs, "A Public Execution" and a cover of "Psychotic Reaction", are not actually credited to this band but, respectively, to simply Mouse and Positively 13 O'Clock instead. Their tangled history also included one single that was released anonymously under the name Chris St. John. The band are not to be confused with the girl group Mousie and The Traps who recorded for Toddlin' Town records around the same time.
Washington, D.C.'s Slickee Boys' third "proper" album, Uh Oh… No Breaks! was released on LP and cassette in March 1985 by Twin/Tone with the catalog number TTR 8544. Almost half of the album is re-recorded versions of songs they had previously released. There are cover version of songs originally by the French band the Dogs, 1960s garage band the Squires, Perry Como, and D.C. all-star punkers the Afrika Korps.
The Outcasts are an American garage rock band from San Antonio, Texas that released a total of five singles between 1965 and 1967. Their best-known songs are "I'm in Pittsburgh ", and "1523 Blair". Their recordings have been reissued on a number of compilation albums. According to the Ugly Things compilation album notes, they are the most recognized band of this name that were active in the mid-1960s, including another popular band from Manhasset, New York.
Highs in the Mid-Sixties were a series of compilation albums released in the mid 1980s on AIP Records developed by Greg Shaw. The series was spun off of the similar Pebbles series. Each volume focuses on a specific geographical region.
The Grodes, sometimes known as The Tongues of Truth, were an American garage rock band from Tucson, Arizona, that featured lead singer and songwriter Manny Freiser, and were active between 1965 and 1968. They are best remembered for two Manny Freiser written songs, the original version of “Let’s Talk about Girls" and Cry A Little Longer, recorded by The Grodes, the #46 single on the All-Time Garage Rock singles chart.
The Bruthers were an American garage rock band from Pearl River, New York, active in the mid to late 1960s, and whose membership consisted the four brothers, Alf, Frank, Mike, and Joe of the Delia family. They recorded several songs for RCA records, of which, "Bad Way to Go" is the best known. The song is included on the compilation album, Pebbles Vol. 8, and is regarded by enthusiasts and collectors as a classic in the genre.
Bohemian Vendetta was an American garage rock and psychedelic band from Long Island, New York, who were active from 1966 to 1968. In addition to recording two officially released singles and several previously unissued demos, they cut a self-titled album, Bohemian Vendetta, released by Mainstream Records in 1968.
"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 – most famously as the opening track on Pebbles, Volume 1, incorporating a skip in the recording – and has been the subject of cover versions.
The Mad Hatters were an American garage rock band from Annapolis, Maryland who were active in the 1960s and had a following in the Washington DC and Baltimore area. They enjoyed brief local and regional success with their first single, "I Need Love," released in 1965, later recorded by the Time Stoppers. Though they failed to reach a wider audience, in the intervening years since their breakup they have become known amongst garage rock collectors and enthusiasts. Their 1966 song "I'll Come Running" has also become a song highly regarded amongst enthusiasts.
The Groupies were an American garage rock-psychedelic rock band from New York City who were active in the 1960s and are known for an innovative approach to primal blues-based rock exemplified in such songs as "Primitive". They were a popular fixture in the New York club scene and recorded for Atco Records, later venturing to Los Angeles. Due to their uncompromising stance the Groupies failed to attract a wider audience outside of their local enclaves. They have come to the attention of garage rock and psychedelic enthusiasts and their work has been included on various compilations such as the 1998 Nuggets four-CD box set, which was released on Rhino Records. Their material has been re-issued on other garage rock and psychedelic compilations such as the Pebbles, Volume 10 LP.
T.C. Atlantic was an American garage rock/psychedelic rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota who were active in the 1960s. They were one of the most popular groups in the Twin Cities, but failed to break nationally. In the intervening years since their breakup, their recordings have attracted the interest of '60s music collectors and enthusiasts, and they are particularly remembered for their 1966 fuzz-tinged song, "Faces", which has been mentioned as one of the earliest garage rock songs to display psychedelic characteristics.
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.
The Escapades were an American garage rock band from Memphis, Tennessee who were active in the 1960s. They became one of the most popular groups in the Memphis area during the mid-1960s and recorded two singles. "I Tell No Lies", the A-side of their debut single, became a big hit in Memphis and around the South. They were signed to Verve Records, who released their follow-up, "Mad, Mad, Mad", which featured a fuzz-toned guitar line. Their work is highly regarded by garage rock enthusiasts and collectors and has appeared on various compilations.
Euphoria's Id was an American garage rock band formed in Saco, Maine, in 1963. Remembered as a popular live attraction in the New England teen scene, the group released two singles in their recording career, including the band's highly regarded cover version of "Hey Joe". A heavily favored inclusion on the New England Teen Scene compilation album series, a retrospective album was released in response to Euphoria's Id's reinterest.
Danny and the Counts were an American garage rock band from El Paso, Texas, who were active in the 1960s. They had a local hit with their 1965 R&B-flavored debut single, "For Your Love", but afterward switched their approach to reflect British Invasion influence. In 1966 they released a single on Coronado Records featuring the two songs for which they have become best-known, "You Need Love" and "Ode to the Wind". In the intervening years their work has come to be highly regarded by garage rock enthusiasts.
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".