Category: (Music)
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1994 compilation featuring 15 tracks recorded in 1965-66 in their original mono sound from the original multi-track and full-track mono master tapes. Includes the smash hit 'Dirty Water', plus the previously unissued tracks 'Take A Ride', 'Poor Man's Prison' and 'Medication' (Instrumental).
I'd like to spend time with my baby, walk around.Reviewed by Johnny Heering, 2007-02-06
The Standells were a 1960s rock and roll band from Los Angeles, California who, like The Seeds, exemplified the garage rock style. "Dirty Water" was their only legitimate hit song, although they had a couple of others come close. Other than "Dirty Water" there are a number of other great songs on this album. "Medication", "Little Sally Tease", "Rari" and "There's a Storm Comin'" are all terrific garage rock songs. The group also does a good cover version of the Rolling Stones' "19th Nervous Breakdown". Most of the songs on this CD are good, although the group doesn't handle ballads that well. Fans of the '60s garage rock sound will enjoy this CD.
Standells - 'Dirty Water' (Sundazed)Reviewed by Mike Reed, 2005-05-16
Originally released in 1966,this looks to be a reissue of the Standell's very first lp.It's sort of hard to figure out just how many 'actual' albums they had put out during their WAY too short of a career.'Dirty Water' has six(6)bonus cuts tagged on as I thought most of them were decent.I've ALWAYS liked this band.See my review of their '99 reunion 'Ban This!' disc.I find myself played this disc often.Well,often enough anyway.Tunes I found to be good were "Little Sally Tease",their Stone's cover "19th Nervous Breakdown",their sole hit "Dirty Water",The Leaves cover "Hey Joe,Where You Gonna Go?","Medication" and the full version of "Rari".Maybe not a garage classic,but it comes close.A should-have.
Standells: LA garage / punk classics reissued--TRY 'EM!!Reviewed by J P Ryan, 2004-08-19
The Standells' career was both helped and hindered when the band
signed with manager Ed Cobb and Tower / Capitol Records. Cobb wrote
some classic hits for the group, and raised their profile. But
Tower and Cobb's plan was -characteristic for the era - very
shortsighted, issuing, for example, "The Hot Ones" a third album
styled on the Beau Brummels' 1966 misconceived set of current
top-40 hits. "Hot Ones" like the its predecessor, the group's
excellent sophomore album, "Why Pick On Me/Sometimes Good Guys
Don't Wear White," repeated 1 or 2 tracks from "Dirty Water."
Luckily, when Sundazed licensed the Standells' catalog in the mid
'90s the label eliminated duplicated tracks, and packed each of the
group's four Tower-era classics with rare singles and unissued
bonus tracks. Now each set contains 15 songs - The Standells thus
recorded a prolific 60 releasable tracks - plus a nifty 1966
archival live set issued in 2002 - beginning with the classic
single / title track "Dirty Water" in 1965 through their final 45,
the haunting "Animal Girl," from early 1968 (the latter has been
appended to the underrated fourth album "Try It.")
"Dirty Water" is the Tower debut. The title song is a Punk classic
reproduced on numerous "Nuggets"-type comps, and along with the
five and-a-half minute b-side, "Rari" was recorded in Hollywood by
Richard Podolor. Most of the remaining tracks - originals, covers,
and songs written by Cobb, an accomplished sonwriter - were
recorded a year later (April 1966) at Kearnie Barton's Seattle
Studio, and as re-mastering engineer Bob Irwin points out, were
"over-modulated directly to the multi-track tape, causing the
finished master to become a powerful...gritty and distorted wash of
sound..." charactistic of the Northwest punk/garage bands recording
at Barton's studio during the period (such as the Sonics). These
early recordings contained influenced later groups like the
MC5.
Drummer Dave Dodd (an ex-Mouseketeer!) had a sexy, delicately cool
and seductive voice that influenced (N.Y. Dolls guitarist)Johnny
Thunders' breathy singing on "Hurt Me" and other classics. Dodd
sings about two-thirds of the material included and is a
near-forgotton punk-rock progenitor. He could snarl with the best
Jagger-imitators and convey the soft bad-boy sexiness that exudes
both cruelty and vulnerability. (His vocal on the classic
"Medication" is one of the most understated and seductive ever!).
Despite scores of versions recorded in 1966, Dodd manages to make
"Hey Joe" sound like it was written for him. Keyboardist Larry
Tamblyn also contributes a couple of fine rockers. The bonus cuts
are all worthy,including the pre-Cobb audition track, the
early-Beatles influenced "It's All In Your Mind," and two solid
outtakes from the "Try It" sessions, with ex-Love bassist (and
"Jaws" cinematographer) John Fleck. I advise the reader to pick up
all four Sundazed remasters rather than the earlier Rhino Best-of
or the ugly Hip-O comp. Not only do you get the complete Tower
recordings, but the best sound and notes as well. With more forward
looking management, this group might be remembered as more than 1
or 2 hit wonders today - they were LA garage rockers of the first
rank, with plenty of attitude and raunch - and, good songs - to
spread macross these four killer sets. (The other remasters are
"Why Pick On Me/Sometimes Good Guys Dont Wear White," 1966; the
much improved-by-bonus-material "The Hot Ones," from early '67; and
the mostly brilliant and risk-taking "Try It," 1967.)
Hey kids, collect 'em all!
Lost TreasureReviewed by G.C., 2000-08-07
Great LP from the '60's. "Dirty Water" is a classic. "Medication" is great too. But the best thing I like about the Standells is their legendary 1965 TV appearance on "The Munsters", where they sang "I Wanna Hold Your Hand". Unfortunately, the individual band members were not much for writing songs, and the band broke up in the late 1960's.
