The Sonics
A rock & roll band from Tacoma, Washington (USA), The Sonics
formed in the wake of the early-'60s success of local
favourites, The Kingsmen and The Wailers (whose Etiquette label
they recorded for).
The Sonics combined the classic Northwest-area teen-band
raunch with early English band grit (particularly influenced by
The Kinks), relentless rhythmic drive and unabashed 1950s-style
blues shouting for a combination that still makes their brand of
rock & roll perhaps the raunchiest ever captured on wax.
For those unfamiliar with the band, this is as primal as Rock
& Roll gets; shredded fuzz guitar, shrieked vocals and
nutter songs (Psycho, Strychnine, Boss Hog and, of
course, Louie Louie). The Cramps (and, indeed,
The Hives) owe a huge debt to these original subterranean garage
monsters!
Lead singer Gerry Roslie was no less than a White Little
Richard, whose harrowing soul-screams were startling even to the
Northwest teen audience, who liked their music powerful and
driving with little regard to commercial subtleties.
With hit after hit on the local charts - and influencing
every local band that ever took the stage - the band
inexplicably was never able to break out nationally, leaving
their sound largely undiluted for mass consumption.
Breaking up in the late '60s (after one ill-fated album
attempt to water down their style for national attention), The
Sonics continue today to be revered by '60s collectors the world
over for their unique brand of rock & roll raunch.
During their mid-60s heyday, they were unknown outside of
their native Pacific Northwest but these days Land Rover use
their Have Love Will Travel in their commercials and
The Sonics are racked in high street music stores.
In recent years the band have reunited for one-off gigs.
TRIVIA NOTE
During the Vietnam War, Saxophonist Rob Lind served as a fighter
pilot.
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