Another half-hearted attempt though at least I've made this one semi-relevant ... if, admittedly a day or two late.
1. "The Witch" The Sonics - The Sonics kick arse any time of the year and this song is pretty much perfect for Halloween. Maybe Gerry Rosalie is not talking literally but his visceral vocal should be enough to scare the willies out of anyone who's not convinced.
2. "Werewolves of London" Warren Zevon - Not the first time this track has featured in a top five and probably not the last.
3. "Monster Mash" Bobby "Boris" Pickett & the Crypt Kickers - A song you'll either love or hate but one that could not be more appropriate for the season. It's a legal requirement that all radio stations play this tune at least once on all hallows eve.
4. "Halloween" Misfits - Not a band I explored much beyond buying the cool t-shirt to be honest. I did see former Misfits singer Glenn Danzig's band support Metallica once and this tune is about as on topic as you could find.
5. "Ghostbusters" Ray Parker Jr - Despite the terrible eighties synth and Ray Parker Jr's sartorial choices that had a hint of mechanic-about-town, this remains quite a tune. The song and the Ghostbuster's logo were well embedded in my psyche long before the film came to town and had the desired effect of making me desperate to see it when it did.
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An Easter Bank Holiday special in celebration of seeing The Sonics live on Friday night. "Have Love Will Travel" is fast becoming one of my all-time favourite songs. It probably goes without saying that from my point of view The Sonics recorded the definitive and greatest version, a point emphasised by the fact that at least two other entries in my Top 5 are fairly straight copies of The Sonics interpretation. I was struggling to find five versions I really liked but for now this'll do.1. The Sonics2. The Black Keys3. Thee Headcoatees4. Richard Berry & The Pharoahs5. Stiv Bators.
Second part of the Bank Holiday special, and this song's an institution on its own. The Sonics version is once again my favourite though I've still got a soft spot for the Kingsmen's more famous recording. Poor old Richard Berry's trailing behind his imitators again but he certainly knew how to write a good tune. Anyone who's off to see The Sonics tonight have a bloody good time - it'd be hard not too!
1. The Sonics
2. The Kingsmen
3. Motorhead
4. Paul Revere and the Raiders
5. Richard Berry & the Pharoahs
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A bit earlier than normal as it's a Bank Holiday weekend and, more importantly, I'm off to see The Sonics play live at the Forum on Friday night. I was introduced to The Sonics about 5 years ago and they pretty much turned everything I thought I knew about music on it's head. Formed in the early sixties they were initially an instrumental band until Organist Gerry Roslie began to sing vocals in 1964. Roslie's raw vocals combined with the band's wild distorted music to create a proto-punk vibe. More than ten years before the Ramones or the Sex Pistols, The Sonics were the true originators of a punk rock sound. They were pretty much over by 1968, and apart from a brief reunion gig in 1972 haven't played together for over 35 years. I'm really quite excited about seeing them. All of my choices come from their 1965 debut album "Here Are The Sonics" (which means I clearly need to re-do my top 5 albums), I did try to squeeze something in from second album "Boom" but these five were just too good to ignore.1. Strychnine2. Have Love Will Travel3. Witch4. Dirty Robber5. Psycho.
