Reviews (page 2 of 8)
The Sonics
Just fantastic proto garage rock. Boss Hoss and Have Love are personal favourites.
Classic fuzz and primal screams. Yes, please.
Good enough for The Cramps. Good enough for The Fall. Good enough for me.
I had a great time with this album. Bangers the lot of them.
Fun!
This fucking ROCKS! Pure garage power and attitude. More music should sound like this.
Das ist eines meiner 5 meist gehörten Alben. Keine Ahnung warum gerade dieses, aber es geht irgendwie immer. Habe auch bisher immer gedacht dass es ein best of ist. Besitze auch gar keine CD oder LP davon, sondern habe es irgendwann per MP3 Exchange entdeckt. Perfekt.
The cardigan is imbued with a ✨powerful✨ magic
This is music that's loud & makes you want to turn it up louder, a soulful & playful romp that teaches you the meaning of rock 'n' rolling. It's attitude, sure, but that's not what's fresh. It's also fun, but Chuck Berry was as fun & full of attitude as anyone before or since. No, what The Sonics were able to tap into was a sound that was simultaneously in your face & subtle, that was unforgivingly bold yet redeemably unadorned. It's not as obvious as it may seem to be loud & lo-fi at the same time, to be that confident in one's rough edges. I know The Beatles did 'Twist & Shout' & a plethora of other soul tracks, but these boys are really doing something else, foreshadowing MC5 & The Replacements's debut in particular. Tho Who? No way. This!
Just crazy. I cannot believe this is 1965. This is so punk. There's a fucking saxophone making it sound like a fuzz tone guitar. And the singer can really scream. This must have blown people heads up back then. Punk as fuck
eigenlijk jammer van de covers... de eigen nummers zijn echt wel de beste
Proto-punk Par excellence! This still sounds fresh and is banging like a new band.
Classics
Quite the raw, energetic sound for the mid-1960's hints of punk and grunge.
Fabulously aggressive music from 1965. It's like the Beatles but with actual balls. Thundering guitars and insane raw vocals. There is NOTHING refined about this music. Loved it.
I wish my high school prom was in the 60's/70's
Totally Punk Rock
A pretty spotless rock record balancing experimentation with timeless styles. Phenomenal
It’s like they took all their favorite rock and roll classics and played them as loud and fast as they could. I loved it.
Ok I loved this?? Great stuff, loved the covers too! 5 ⭐️
Old school rock n roll with actually a bit of swag. Some classics that I didnt know came from these guys. The Sonics are probably a forgotten great group.
Another new one to me. Track one amd i lile it so far - garage rock from the 60’s. A lovely bridge from the 50’s doowop, 4 on the floor blues influenced rock n roll of Elvis, through the stooges, the cramps and oneqrds to grunge. That reach is far (though not necessarily wide). Are they the best muso’s i’ve heard? Nope. Is it the cleanest production ever? Not even close. Does it matter? Not a bit. Looks like quite a few covers on this no? Also doesnt matter. Still their own relentless rhythmically driven dirty rock stylemon the covers so they fot well. I swear you can hear this band breathing and grunting with effort - consider the manically fast drum fills aa the deep breath in and the outpouring rythm that flows after as the grunting effort and strain of pulling out the music from the band. Love the ryt section. Again, not the most polished but definitely in it together and there for each other, driving the band onwards. Really enjoying the grunt and grunge of this album.
This is simply garage rock. Just raw and unrefined, like rock is supposed to be. Definitely 5 stars.
12/12, no notes
Five white dudes in 1965 making garage rock. A sax and a piano show up. Kinda want to do a cover of "Psycho." Grew on me as it went on. Thankful the version I found was just the album, and not a re-release with a bunch of bullshit added on because time no longer exists. Five stars because why the hell not
I really liked this! I think the only song of theirs off here I had heard was "Have Love Will Travel" but I liked basically everything on here. Mostly covers of 50s songs but done in such a rough and energetic way you can really feel the essence of punk kinda forming within. "The Witch" "Psycho" and "Strychnine" were faves as well.
Just fantastic pure garage rock with a tinge of proto-punk and maybe deep roots of eventual grunge that came out of the same neck of the woods. And now I'm looking for this on Discogs. Damn it.
Wild ass album, if my kids were coming home playing this shit in the 60’s, I would whoop their ass.
Excellent album. Insane how they got that raw sound when 2 tracks. Solid guitar work, cool vocals, and they did it at such a young age! AND so early in the 1960's! Raw, powerful, technical, furious.
9/10… garage rock / proto punk
Possibly the first proto punk album. The formula was pretty simple: cheap recording set up, rough sound quality, and a fair amount of screaming. Essentially it's rock and roll for anyone without enough money or willingness to confirm to record label norms. The brassness of this band, along with others like The Monks, and later The Stooges, would set the stage for the punk movement to fully embrace the idea that anyone can start a band, and that rules are very much meant to be broken. The Sonics were so important to underground music that they received four separate shout outs on LCD Soundsystem's "Losing My Edge". I'm not sure how much that's worth, but it's still a damned good and bold album that shattered the mold for other bands to come.
honestly, the DIY sound of 60s garage rock is something that i haven't looked into too much, but hearing it in the original DIY sound with the aggressive clipping of just the wall of sound is so much fun. Huge fan.
This album rocks. If you don't like early garage rock, you suck. Do yourself a favor and listen to all of Nuggets.
Blind album and artist. This was so freaking cool to hear something like this from the 60s. Grittier, more diverse dynamic, rougher Beatles for sure and I thought it was wicked cool. This is the stuff I love to find on this project.
Въпреки, че е доста шумен мисля, че е впечатляващ. Звучи като 90-тарски а не 60тарски албум
This one need to be listened to at high volume, preferably in a residential area. Fun, punchy party rock from the 60's. Weaponized covers made their own. Distortion used like a sixth member of the band. Influential? maybe not. Fun and boppy? Hells yes! My rating: 5/5
LOVED this one. So much fun. Just rip roaring renditions of some great rock n roll tunes. 4.5/5
Paras garagelevy ikinä!!! 5/5
Takes me back to 1960s Seattle. You can hear how Mudhoney was inspired by this. Can't listen to this album without dancing!
The American Kinks. No nonsense rock n roll. What the Sonics have done is take the energy of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis and delivered it with overdriven guitars. And it zings. In fact it's so vibrant that even the rnb covers, if which we've all heard too many, sound fresh. If you heard this being played in a bar or pub on a night out it would still bang 60 years later. But then I am nearly *cough* years old, so maybe not the best judge of what constitutes relevant youthful energy. It's the perfect encapsulation of the emergence of guitar-led bands bringing new life to the classics, alongside their own raw take on rnb/rock.
could i write poetry to this? y
Too good for 1965
Love this album, legendary from start to finish 🤘
This album is really fucking cool. Truly a sound I’ve never heard before. The bridge between Buddy Holly and punk that I never would have imagined to exist.
I spent about four years in a garage punk band where we played a cover of Strychnine at about twice this speed and with half the ability. It introduced me to this incredible band and I’ve loved this album ever since. It’s a proper raw, fuzzy, distorted blast of glorious noise and I recommend it wholeheartedly. 10 out of 5 from me.
Brought grit to some classic songs. Hard to believe this is 1965! Loved it.
Total bops
Rock n roll band playin rock n roll. Not reinventing the songs we all know, but playing them loud and proud. 5/5.
Really enjoyable
Really good 💯
The beginning of the Seattle scene and man does it cook. Love this band.
New York's finest!!!
This was incredible. It was great music all around, but also for this to come put in 1965 is insane. Super innovative and limit pushing.
At first I thought, ugh another 60s album. But no! This was awesome!
So goddamn good. It's a tragedy these guys didn't get way bigger and have a major influence on pop/rock music in the mid-60s rather than years later.
Rock n Roll 101
Loved the energy and groovy songs. I have heard covers of strychnine before but never the original!
Dirty Robber had me groovin'
Great vibes. Lots of covers, but great early garage rock sound.
Proto punk of the first order
I've never heard of this band. Why is it here? It's a very amateurish sounding production and most of the songs are covers. Why in the world would I give this a 5/5? It's just fun to listen to. That's it. No boring ballads, no failed experimental stuff, just rough around the edges straight-forward rock & roll. Like the Beatles started, they mimic Little Richard's scream and Chuck Berry's guitar playing. It all works for me, but I understand if it's too sloppy for others to enjoy.
im not even sure how Subversive this is or whatever, ive heard the monks, That was subversive. this is closer to just cranking the contemporary state of rock and roll to its highest extremes yet reached...the essence always feels entirely preserved and unironic, its just overclocked and caught on fire. maybe one of the most purely fun records of the entire decade!! societal and sonic tolerances for rock music have been raised immensely since its inception when it was the most gut-level exciting sound yet made by man but that excitement is still there if ur looking for it , and if ur having trouble this might be a great place to look since its just reveling and emphasizing things that were already there
Garages all across America were newfound bases for shelf and door rattling once the British Invasion dug its claws deep in the minds of the wonderfully afflicted. One of those wonderfully afflicted groups of kids, The Sonics, let their hearts and voices go wild in this all-killer, no-filler collection of covers and scattered originals that best showcased who they were and how they were to be immortalized. The kicker? They hail from Seattle, surely not the kind of place that would herald any revolution of a musical sort in later years... anyway, The Sonics, here they are!!!
Love me some good garage rock
!!! HATERS OF THE 1-4-5 CHORD PROGRESSION BEWARE !!! but in all seriousness, i do love this album. this era of garage rock is near and dear to my heart and this is a classic of the genre. looking through the reviews here though, you wouldn't know it! contextless, there's not a lot here. there's harder and more interesting music on this list and in general. but in 1965, this was pretty damn aggressive. and to me, what's important about this album is not the covers, but the originals. between 'the witch,' 'psycho,' and 'strychnine,' this is sort of rock music's first baby steps into a darker sort of vibe - taking the goofy paranormal vibe of 'love potion number nine' and taking it a little darker. there are some pretty decent, even good covers on here, but they are definitely not what is notable about this album.
4.5
Chad
Great album, so many hits I don’t know came from them.
Never heard of them, but not bad. A punk version of the Beatles.
A classic of early garage rock. A lot of covers on this album but fun to see harder takes of songs recently also covered by the Beatles. The originals are great too. Strychnine holds up among the best of the era.
Garage and proto punk just scratch this part of my brain in a good way, and this is certainly no exception. 4.5 bumped to 5.
Like the early rock n roll version of punk
Classic and great
Instantly loved this sound. Garage rock with a pretty rough edge, especially for 1965. You can tell they influenced a ton of punk and rock acts to follow.
Love the oldies
This feels like the origins of raw music. I had no idea Do You Love Me and Good Golly Miss Molly were from the same album. masterful work.
What a bop! High energy all the way through and just plain fun. Not every song was about love and far more interesting that I was expecting from a 60's album.
This was really really enjoyable, always love seeing this heavier kind of stuff arising in the 60s, especially since half it isn't the vocals necessarily being heavy and screechy but the mics being so abused by how loud it is that's its distorted and scratched to shit lol
4.8
Raw raucous riotous rock & roll, really influential and an important part of the story of so many other bands. And yet, a band I hadn't heard of before! I'm glad to have put that right now, cos they are great.
essential!
This album is so ahead of its time it's ridiculous. I have no idea how it sounds like Punk, Beach Rock, and Blues all at the same time. I love the vocals and the horns and everything else about it.
An amazing example of an American garage band. Spectacular album.
I found a stack of my dad's old 45s in an old bowling ball bag left up in the attic. That is when I heard The Sonics for the first time. The raw power and excitement sticks with me today. Five stars for almost inventing punk a decade before it happened.
The Sonics are one of my most favourite bands, and this is an amazing album full of great proto-punk, garage greatest. Boom is my favourite album but this is a very very close second.
Classic. First time listening. So good.
Pretty much the standard for garage rock. The hissy recording, the distortion, the drums that sound like they are coming from a closet adjacent to the studio. What really makes this album for me is the vocal energy of Gerry Roslie, who screams into these songs with a degree of commitment that is rarely matched in most rock albums. The aggression of this album is outstanding and presages so many of today's acts.
An absolute bop!
Here Are the Sonics!!!" is the debut studio album by the American garage rock band The Sonics, released in 1965. This album is considered a seminal and influential work in the garage rock and punk rock genres, known for its raw, aggressive sound and rebellious attitude. Here's a detailed review of the album: Raw Energy and Frenetic Pace: "Here Are the Sonics!!!" bursts with raw energy from start to finish. The album is characterized by its fast tempos, gritty guitar riffs, and high-octane performances. The Sonics' frenetic pace and enthusiastic delivery set the tone for the garage rock movement that would follow. Vocal Style: Lead singer Gerry Roslie's distinctive vocal style is a highlight of the album. His snarling, primal delivery adds an extra layer of intensity to the music, making tracks like "Strychnine" and "Psycho" particularly memorable. Song Selection: The album consists of a mix of original compositions and covers. The Sonics' versions of classic songs like "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Have Love, Will Travel" are charged with a rebellious spirit that transforms them into something entirely new. Instrumentation: The band's instrumentation, featuring saxophones, keyboards, and a prominent rhythm section, creates a rich and dynamic sonic landscape. The fuzzy guitar tones, thumping basslines, and aggressive drumming contribute to the album's powerful sound. Lyrics and Themes: Many of the lyrics on the album reflect the rebellious and anti-establishment ethos of the mid-1960s. Songs like "Strychnine" and "The Witch" express a sense of teenage defiance and rebellion, which resonated with the youth of the time. Impact and Influence: "Here Are the Sonics!!!" had a significant impact on the development of punk rock and garage rock. Its raw sound and DIY attitude served as an inspiration for countless bands that followed, including The White Stripes, The Hives, and The Black Keys. Production: The album's production is intentionally lo-fi, capturing the essence of the band's live performances. While this adds to its authenticity, some listeners may find the recording quality to be rough by modern standards. Standout Tracks: While the entire album is a rollercoaster of garage rock energy, standout tracks include "Psycho," "Strychnine," "The Witch," and "Have Love, Will Travel." These songs encapsulate the band's signature sound and attitude. Legacy: "Here Are the Sonics!!!" remains a beloved and enduring classic in the world of garage rock. Its impact on subsequent generations of rock musicians cannot be overstated, and it continues to be celebrated for its uncompromising attitude and sonic power. In summary, "Here Are the Sonics!!!" by The Sonics is a landmark album in the history of rock music. Its unrelenting energy, rebellious spirit, and influence on the punk and garage rock genres make it a must-listen for anyone interested in the roots of rock 'n' roll and the evolution of alternative music. While its production may feel dated to some, its enduring legacy as a seminal work of garage rock remains unchallenged.
It's like the American Beatles, and every song is a hit
Really enjoyed this album. Sounded like early punk.
So my last review I said maybe i was getting a little bored after a lot of threes in a row. This one was a five. Great energy in this one.
How the hell is this 1965? The covers are standards but something about this sound is so raw... Awesome, awesome stuff.
More wow screams pls
Early punk music. The album is high energy and makes you want to dance.
Holy shit this album rocks. It's like the hives covered early rock n roll hits. I feel like seeing these guys at a house party would be insanely good. 'The Witch' is a stand out, 'Have Love Will Travel' seems to be the certified banger.
Own on Vinyl
This music was dropped by Martians in search of the Creature From the Black Lagoon. Ed Wood produced it and Jayne Mansfield was on her way to sing back up when she lost her head. This is just doesn't belong on the planet, 1965 and all that. Who the fuck were these aliens? They swooped up a few Raquel Welch clones, returned to their planet and then came back with two hybrid babies and dropped them into Akron Ohio and said "you will become the Black Keys".
The birth of punk. Great album.
What an incredible album. I love the garage rock noise and excellent covers. The original tracks are no slouch either. The cathartic vocals are absolutely amazing. 5/5. Favorite Track: Psycho
I enjoyed this! Wish this could potentially be remastered, some of those screams are pretty grating but I cannot fault the band for that. It's a short listen, but I still listened through it twice. Just some excellent protopunk, brimming with energy and fun. Unfortunately Have Love Will Travel is sort of ruined for me as it just makes me think of car insurance. Favourite: Good Golly Miss Molly
one of the bigger differences between title and sound i’ve heard. great album
Superb, loved it.
Hey everybody! There’s a twist contest in the kitchen and you’re all winners! This was fun and these guys are still playing. Fun!
cool
LP
i was expecting a speedy blue hedgehog and his foxy mate singing some catchy J pop but this was marginally better.
Much better than Nick Cave banging on about his dead son.
This a great album. Full of energy and perfectly represents the garage rock movement. If you want to dance around and enjoy yourselves, just put this on!
Surprisingly good music, rock ‘m’ roll.
It's gutbucket garage rock that has a lot of energy. The originals like Psycho and The Witch are great and the covers were specifically chosen as high energy numbers which would kickstart whatever house party the band was playing at. The rawness makes this more appealing for me - I'd rather listen to the Sonics cover of "Money" than the Beatles cover, which just sounds too clean and less dangerous somehow. Five stars if you think Nuggets is one of the crowning achievements of American rock. Which I do.
Love the Sonics. Way ahead of their time and their peers of the time.
Loved it!
It's still incredible to think this album was recorded in the middle of the sixties. I've read unconvinced reviewers in this group saying you don't necessarily need to go back to the hidden origins of a genre, but I strongly disagree here. The genre at stake is punk, here, of course--or should I say, rockabilly played in such a intense fashion that it barely sounds like it. And this thing is *wild*, even 57 years later. To me, it seems that Washington State, with its lumberjacks and geographically remote location on the US map, knows a thing or two about authenticity and intensity. It took almost 30 years to make it a landmark place for that sort of music, with Nirvana and the other great bands of that area. But things did start then. And it's just a riot being able to listen to it. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 918 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 44 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 23 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 19
Amazing sound for the time period. Can't believe I hadn't heard of them before.
Vraiment bon
I loved this album. The cover photo betrays the solid rock contained therein. Highly recommend if you enjoy classic rock. Added, with pleasure.
5/5
At first listen i'm like 'what's this, loads of 60's white boys covering tracks' but oh my - the energy that goes into this. Forerunner of punk / grunge, used in a many a tv advert - very little original material - but The Witch is just disconcerting.
That's some good classic rock
Waren mir nicht unbekannt
Absolutely LOVED this. Total classics in there and banging riffs. Its a K Town banger for me
More nice shots than I expected, with classics littered throughout. Definite influencers of Black keys, who covered ‘have love will travel’
Very nice
Best album so FAR!!!!!! I love this shit!!
Super Fun with some absolute classics on here. It's short and sweet too. Top 2 tracks for me are Strichnine and Have Love Will Travel = Guy Richie - Rock N Rolla.
Awesome innovative band, ahead of their time. Fun fact, The Black Keys were inspired immensely by this band, you can hear it in a lot of their older music
Un básico Imprescindible
punk 60s
9/10, punky, garage, dark, rollicking, scratchy
pretty fun and energetic, especially for the time. the recording style is explicable and probably a fine stylistic choice, but i think it has consequences later on with other groups. they run out of songs right as it's about to go from hype to tedious, which is good timing
Never heard of them and no clue what to expect. The Witch was cool, but I nothing beyond that. But as the album progressed I got more and more into it, loving their interpretation of songs I’ve heard hundreds (or more) of times. By the end I had a very good appreciation for what they brought to rock music at that time and led the way for less refined music to come. Standouts were Have Love Will Travel, Psycho, and Strychnine.
!!!The amount of people on this site who get a whiff of anything remotely punk rock and rev up their fingers for a snarky review is deeply depressing. Is the point of this sort of challenge not to test yourself? You're not going to get laid because of how much of a smart-ass you are on 1001albumsgenerator.com, come down off the cross. With that said, even I can admit that he goes "WAAAAZAAAOOooow" a bit too often. But goddamn, is the machine well oiled. This is probably the best case scenario for a teenage garage rock band, it's teetering on the ledge that Iggy and The Velvets would plummet down a few years later. Don't listen to this because it's your favorite bands favorite band, listen to it because it kicks ass!!!
What a great discovery today. Never heard of this. After the first song I was not sold one way or the other. But as the album played and just started loving it. Raw and powerful. Like an American version of the early Kinks. Added to my listening collection. Definitely hear its influence in a lot of music I love.
It is not bad and I understand that this album was essential to later punk and grunge bands, but too much cover song for me.
The Witch 3.6 Do You Love Me 4 Roll Over Beethoven 3.6 Boss Hoss 3.4 Dirty Robber 3 Have Love Will Travel 4 Psycho 4 Money (That's What I Want) 3.7 Walking the Dog 3.5 Night Time Is the Right Time 3.5 Strychnine 4 Good Golly Miss Molly 3.4 Score: 3.641666667
Pleasantly surprised with this album. Not the biggest Rock and Roll fan, but this was really good. Some classic songs, very familiar stuff, and a couple of songs that almost could have been modern in how they were played. Overall, a decent album, and totally understand why this is on the list.
AMO!! Me han recordado a una mezcla entre los beatles y the animals. Adoroooooo
I liked it. Not to much to say about it other than the random screaming being a little off putting. Reminds me of the Beach Boys.
Rounded up from 3.5
Good solid garage punk from the 60s. Great songs and energy. 12 songs 29 minutes thats what i like. A nice refreshing change from some of the pompous jazz records iv had to listdn to.
You know I love 60s early rock and roll! A fun listen
It’s hard not to compare this to the Beatles as there are quite a few tracks on here that the Beatles also sang on their earlier records. I like they have put their own spin on it. The record reminded me of the soundtrack to an early 90’s Beatles film, Backbeat. That was also slightly edgier and heavier than the early Beatles originals. I also enjoyed some of their original stuff on here too. I liked it overall.
Fun.
This is a fun one, love the raw sound on it.
Rock'n'Roll und Punk
I already owned this album. Half of it sounds like it was recorded in a garbage can, multiple songs are covers, but I love the balls-out energy of the band. The Witch is a playlist staple for me.
Old school rock n roll with a lo-fi garage sound. Some filthy distorted guitars on some otherwise classic rock n roll tunes. A mix of originals and covers, but I quite enjoyed on the whole. A low 4.
Thank you for giving me the Sonics.
The Sonics are such an important piece of garage rock and Lo-fi history. I love myself some gritty garage rock sound. In the early 2000’s it consumed my listening habits. From the Black Lips, King Khan & BBQ, Ty Segall, Harlem, Strange Boys, I loved it. The Sonics were innovators and for that I respect the shit out of them. They also influenced the White Stripes and The Stooges, Nirvana, just an absolute plethora of amazing acts. They did it all by sounding so laid back and casual about it, such flawless messiness, fantastic shrieks and wails. You can’t fake this, they just had the coolness and they nailed it. 4 stars
A lot better than I thought it would be. Wasn't expecting to know as many songs as I did. It's loud, raw and punchy. Not bad given I generally dislike most of what the 60s gave us.
You know what? This is fun. And I can see how so many people were inspired.
This album is obviously very old, but I like the fact that the recordings sounds very 'static'. It makes it sound more intimate, as if you are listening to it on an old radio. Nostalgia.
4*
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this while imagining how much it probably scared the squares back in the 60s.
3.75. This rocks way harder than I was expecting. It’s mostly covers, but they’re pretty fun.
Great quick, concise record.
Hur har jag missat detta. Dom är tio år före sin tid! Föregångare till att slammer i världen. Hives från sextiotalet. Enda invändningen är att de mest spelar gamla rock'n'roll klassiker istället för eget material. Stark fyra.
The cover - all chillin' The tunes - all grillin' These boys absolutely cooked here, super fun high energy listen! I knew their cover of "Have Love Will Travel"
Solid early garage rock. You can hear the beginnings of the Stooges and punk in their sound.
Here were, indeed, The Sonics. Not only The Sonics however as most of the tracks (and all the best ones) are covers. Their version of Have Love Will Travel is great though.
12 songs, 29 minutes. rocks for 1965
This probably blew minds in the 60’s. And I’ll admit I like how it sounds like it was recorded in a tin can. Mostly covers, but they add so much energy to the songs they feel new. Favorites were The Witch, Do You Love Me, Roll Over Beethoven, Have Love Will Travel, Psycho, and Strychnine.
Listened a lot. Great album.
I think every garage band wants to sound like this.
The first word that comes to mind is "fun". It's a fun record to listen to, and sounds like the Sonics were having fun making it. I thought the covers would be boring and tiresome, but they inject enough energy and personality into them that they sound fresh. Growly, shouted vocals, fuzzy guitars and raunchy sax solos complete the picture. Will listen again.
Took me a while to find a groove with this but once I did I was so in. Long live lo-fi!
Would have been incredible to see these guys live back in 1965
Одна из первых по-настоящему гаражных групп. Не только оказали влияние на первых панков, но и до сих пор остаются актуальными благодаря вечному хиту Have Love Will Travel. Альбом неплохой, рок-н-рольчик с сырыми гитарами и криками, под настроение вполне себе
Для 60х очень круто. Простенько и со вкусом. Один бэнгер топ.
Редкое старое гаражное что мне нравится
Лучшая песня: Have Love Will Travel Худшая: Good Golly Miss Molly Задорно, но однообразно
Thought they were right in the Beatles q zone, but turns out they each took influence from the same bands. Fun album with many covers
love when "garage rock" actually sounds like its recorded in a garage. on its own this album is great. i dont usually like early rock and roll all to much this album has great energy. the album had yesterday feels like it was trying a lot of similar ideas that are way way better executed on here. still not over how obnoxious alex harvey is ugh
With all the covers, it's hard to tell how much is good because I like the songs vs because they're good covers. The album feels like it picks up on the biggest mainstream and outsider trends and marries them into something that sounds simultaneously right in the middle and on the edge. Ultimately, I dig their grungy, muddy, bluesy quality.
I love the edge these guys bring to stuff like "Have Love Will Travel" and "Strychnine". It's probably not more authentic than other white guys co-opting black music in the mid-60s, but it feels just a bit more dangerous than 'Please Please Me' or 'The Rolling Stones', which puts it square in my sweet spot of 60s music.
Don't let the cover fool you, these clean cut lads have a very noisy album in store for you!
The Witch - 3/5 Do You Love Me - 4.5/5 Roll over Beethoven - 3/5 Boss Hoss - 4/5 Dirty Robber - 4/5 Have Love Will Travel - 4.5/5 Psycho - 4.5/5 Money - 5/5 Walkin' the Dog - 3.5/5 Night Time Is the Right Time - 3/5 Strychnine - 4.5/5 Good Golly Miss Molly - 3.5/5
Garage Rock that sounds like it was recorded in the garage. It rattles by in less than half an hour and never stops for breath. "Have Love Will Travel" and "Psycho" are huge and the versions of "Walkin' the Dog" and "Good Golly Miss Molly" rival the originals, "Money" is one of the best versions out there. Great stuff.
The edge on these tunes would have decapitated a small Victorian boy. This album is, as the kids say, TOUGH.
The way this album by a Seattle-area band timed up with the news the Seattle Sonics are coming back is like destiny.
At first it feels poorly recorded, poorly mixed, and overtly loud. But in reality, It’s not poorly recorded or poorly mixed. It’s recorded exactly how they want it to sound, because this is their style. It’s so deeply rooted in what would come become punk rock roughly a decade later with harsher metal tones. Honestly, as much as I hated the loudness at the start of the album, in some kind of oddly charming way, it just grew on me. There are points where the screaming becomes too often and a bit obnoxious, but once this album settles in, what feels like ear bleeding harshness tends to normalize itself and become kinda cool. Does that mean it knocks it out of the park on every track? No, not really. There’s definitely a number of these tracks where the effects are still really overdone, and just makes me wish they had toned it down a little bit for a better listening experience. However, I think it gets it right on most tracks. There’s not really a bad track here. I can see how people might give it a 1 or 2, but for my tastes, I admire them for trying something so bold. It’s probably closer to a 3, but I’m gonna go up to a 4. It’s worth listening to. Did I need to hear this before I die? Shockingly, yeah
Zanger mag wat minder vaak gillen in de blikkerige jaren 60 mic
Great 60s music, loved it
I dig this kinda stuff. Rough and ready to party. 4/5
Pretty good. I can see how this band influenced a lot of bands to come after them.
Solid stuff
Impressive album of a real hard rock bamd of its era. They were more raw and hardcore almost punk like. They deserve better recognition although the best were cover songs but they killed it
Possibly one of the most influential bands of all time. You can hear the seeds of The Stooges, The Misfits, The Damned, Dead Kennedies, just every important and interesting punk band owes a nod to The Sonics. Bands of that kind sometimes lose their edge when listened to with modern ears but man, this album still sounds so raw and electric. It’s plagued with having too many covers but that’s a product of the time it was released.
My vinyl version has the Christmas songs, which I don’t like. The Spotify version has no Christmas songs, which I like. This album absolutely rips, let’s get that clear. Proximity to Christmas songs and the proliferation of covers are affecting my computation…
A good friend of mine once said “there would be no Sonics without Nirvana”. This was both the stupidest and most profound thing to ever leave his lips.
4/5
This was a lot better than it had any business to be!
Cool take on some great songs. Love the raw energy. This was a good listen.
Erfrischend gut dreckig gespielter Rock' n Roll
Real garage rock.
I really liked this. Certainly one of the better albums of the era. Wish it had more originals and fewer covers, since I think they’re significantly better.
Fun rock n roll, needs a remaster cause it hurts the ears a bit
60’s Rock ⭐️Strychnine
This is better than I thought it would be going in. The recording is so rudimentary that it improves this compared to if it were more polished. I love the song where the saxophone sounds like it is full of water and I think that the original songs especially The Witch and Psycho are really good.
Proto-punk's finest hour. The garage rock covers work, the originals kick ass, long live the Sonics.
This was great. Loved all the covers.
Pretty fun album, nice tempo, good feel. Not what I expected from the cover photo, LOL.
8/10
I enjoyed that. I understand why this album's on the list with its influence on the music that followed. I'm glad I've learnt a bit about The Sonics. 4/5
Decent 4
Strong American mid-1960s garage rock with some great originals and nice selection of covers! Love Roslie's voice.
Is this the origin of screamcore? Not quite as listenable as the best of the era, but still fun to hear the energy of this era.
Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Near Perfect - Maybe the greatest garage album ever. Everything about this is dirty, ugly and fun. 30 minutes of pure energy and I love it.
you can tell they loved doing that growl
Very meh- reminded me of the lv advert and one other song was nostalgic but that was about as far as it got me. Short at least Specific rating - 3.7 Fav song- roll over Beethoven Least fav- dirty robber
Excellent, didn't realise I knew so many of the tracks
Possibly the best collection of 60s hard rock, or at least in the top five. 4.5/5
Gostei muito de conhecer. Lembra Beatles mas sujo. Vi que foram essenciais para as bandas punks surgiram anos depois
Played one of these songs in my covers band. Have Love Will Travel. Shirt, sharp and very catchy. Less than 30 minutes. Lean as a greyhound. Spiky as a porcupine. Good stuff
Lots of fun this one. If you don't like this then you're boring.
4/5⭐️ listened to high
Good, loud, quick, simple garage rock. Nice listen.
Vanvittig energi for sin tid! Jeg så The Sonics på Voxhall for 10 år siden, og de havde stadig en rigtig fed energi men de var også pænt gamle. Tror det havde været sjovere at se dem i 60erne.
Awesome energy. Super fun listen. Whooo!
Really good, enjoyed that.
Individually good garage rock songs. Together… that’s a lot of “waaaaoooow!”
Really good garage rock from a transition period for rock music. Rough and dense but melodic. Good choice of covers but I liked the originals too.
Very 60s, but I can also see how it was an important album
Really liked this album, the vibes were solid and honestly would be a record I'd pick up to play on a slow chilly sunday morning
I adored this when I first heard it many moons ago. And Strychnine is still a punk classic, despite the various attempts to murder it, not least by The Fall. Along with Psycho, the original compositions are the standouts here. Overall, this feels like a US version of the early Stones . Have Love is a lot of fun, but hearing this again, these are largely fairly straightforward covers, and mostly not a patch on the originals in terms of energy. You probably had to be here, but - perhaps because of time elapsed - this wasn't as as thrilling as I remembered it to be. Psycho and Strychnine do make it worth the price of admission on their own, but they make me that wish they'd written a few more of their own songs.
Energy! Rawness! Rock 'n' Roll with cardigans! The Sonics were a new one for me. It's quite a find. It's an album that's impossible to sit still whilst listening. I bet the live experience is where the real action was. It's no masterpiece in terms of production, but that's not the point. The Sonics sound like they genuinely believe in what they're doing. Half an hour later and I was a convert.
I love the raw sound of slightly overdriven microphones. It was probably accidental but it really adds to the raucous garage band vibe. These guys are tight and I bet they were a killer live act.
Very classic 60s rock. Really enjoyed it. Liked the use of samples
Old time rock and roll at its best.
Shockingly really liked this. Definitely set the stage for so many genres.
Improbably, I really like this. If some songs weren’t so overplayed it would be a revelation.
I thought this was going to be a knock off Beatles, but actually the rawness it was recorded with made it a really fun listen.
Yup. They went for it. They did it.
Much fun was had listening to this. Unabashed mid-60s rock and roll that wouldn't have sounded out of place in its heyday in the late 50s. The highlight for me was Psycho, which is appropriate really because the singer is crayyyyzeeee!
What a sonic punch to the ears! This was fun, rollicking, and glorious. I love it!
Панкуха натрульная. Саксофон прикольный.
7/10 Favorites: The Witch Have Love Will Travel Money
Many bangers. Wish I was twisting on the dancefloor.
Never fails to disappoint when seeing the other reviews how many Beatles fanboys downvote everyone band from the period who isn't the Beatles. Who, of course, did not hit the studio until the year after they listened to this. It's almost as though they weren't the only band in the world, and had a greater appreciation for what was happening in the music scene then their fans...
Lot's of covers, but overall some good rock
Really good!, just a really fun album thats full of energy. "Have Love Will Travel" was one of those songs I never knew the name of or who it was by, really catchy! Love the vocals and how raw they are, aswell as all the screechy sax, and piano solo on "Good Golly Miss Molly" was BUSSIN. The lyrics on "Strychnine" reminds me of Viagra Boys.
Goeie ouwe, wat simpele rock 'n roll met een ruig randje. Proto-punk? Ja, er wordt wat geschreeuwd, maar dat deed Little Richard ook al. Verder weinig nieuws, vooral covers. Waarom staat dit eigenlijk in de lijst? De heren mikten drie albums op vinyl, belandden nergens in de hitlijsten, en verdwenen daarna nog verder in de onbekendheid waar ze toch al vertoefden. Ik zou eigenlijk meerdere punten aftrek moeten geven voor het feit dat de snobs dit schijfje überhaupt in de 1001-lijst hebben gezet. Ze hebben geluk dat ik het genre leuk vind. Rock 'n roll moet je niet al te braaf brengen.
Love this ! kinda like if the beatles were cooler and less boyband-y. Rough guitars, pounding drums, short songs, punchy vocals with the howls is chefs kiss. Have love will travel riff seems to have echoed through modern music. 29 minutes isn't long but maybe thats all you need. big fan.
The age and recording quality really hold this one back, but still some fun energy. 7 lizards out of 10 wizards
Took me a bit, but I definitely see the appeal. Sort of a complementary sound to the bigger hits of the time, the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, etc. I can tell that many punk and grunge bands derived their sounds from this band. I wish there weren't so many covers on here. Their original stuff is pretty good and fun, albeit dark AF. I am curious to know how Strychnine was received back in the day. And The Witch. Both are unique songs, but don't seem to jell with what I image the 60s were like.
Enjoyed!
Love the Sonics
Für diese Zeit unglaublich gut!
They’re playing the standards, sure, but the way they’re playing is anything but standard. It’s all slightly on the edge of good taste, fighting between distortion and a penetrating clarity. The performance is dirty, fuzzy, wild and nasty, elevating songs which could in the wrong hands be a simple, pretty distraction. I usually struggle to connect with these early 60s cover albums but have no such issue here given it has plenty of the Sonics’ own personality. Four of these songs are written by the band - which helps things whip by nicely. I can’t wait to hear more!
Rarely spoken of when talking about influential bands, but really should be up there 4*
so close to being a 5
Well, that was a wild ride. Intense and abrasive, even by today's standards.
It's like punk boogie, awesome
Fun!
Hadn't heard this one before but it was a fun listen
Brilliant raw rock n roll. The bands performance is intoxicating.
Looking at the cover and the title I was expecting an attempt at copying the Beatles, however what I got was very different. Its fast, raw, and almost proto-punk at times. A totally unexpected gem of an album.
Wild. I'm having trouble reconciling the way these guys sound with their appearance (was band practice before or after their Dead Poets Society meeting?). This must have been so edgy back in 1965. I love all the wailing and the lo-fi grit. Really sounds like these guys just wanted to jam and have a good time. The lead track, "The Witch," was definitely a standout for me. The darkness and moodiness...it really sets the tone for what garage rock evolved into. And then they get into some of those covers which aren't bad by any means but not as much fun; they give good context for where these guys are coming from. The cover of "Night Time is the Right Time" was a little distracting, though it sounded great. It just made me think of Bill Cosby, which is never fun. I have absolutely no idea what it would have been like to be one of these guys in 1965. If I had to choose one, I suppose it would be the dude with the fuzzy sweater and the bowl cut. He looks like he's ready to kick some ass.
Sounds like beetles, rockabilly, but also screaming rock, discordant sounds. Parts of Roll Over Beethoven sounds a bit like Johnny B Goode. Cool to hear their versions of familiar songs (Do You Love Me, Money).
Early rock with a bit of an edge.
Old school rock and roll. The recording is terrible. Done with 2 mics, with only 1 mic for the drums on a two track mixer. Music is definitely super heavy for the period, and the vocalist loves his rock scream, but then so do I. Fun listen. If it were still the 60s I could imagine myself being a fan of The Sonics.
pioneers deserves recognition
Came into this with no expectations and was happily surprised. This album is noisy, raw, and it rocks hard. For an album full of covers they were chosen tastefully and the originals are solid. It's a short album and I was toe tapping all the way through. Thoroughly enjoyable today.
Thoroughly enjoyable 60's "hard rock". The whole album has an edge that their contemporaries didn't really have, and as much as it sounds tame today I bet it sounded pretty heavy at the time. I particularly enjoyed the tiny amen break in "Psycho"; a 5 second drum fill that really shows how much the band wanted to be aggressive. The saxophone, keys, and horns in some of the songs were also good additions and they weren't overused. My only complaint is that a lot of the songs sound very similar and maybe the decision on the track order would've helped that. A really simple fix to an otherwise great album. The covers, of which there are many, are all good and if you didn't know that they were covers, wouldn't stick out at all.
Didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did. Can really see the influence this album had, also didn’t realize the black keys were just covering have love will travel, seems like they get worse by the minute. Fuckers.
I liked them
Surprisingly good for an early (1965) rock album. I find albums from this genre to be hit or miss and this is one of the better ones. All the songs were pretty catchy, especially Roll over Beethoven. 8 of the 12 songs are covers but they do a good job with them. Maybe a few too many random screams/shrieks. 7/10 (3.5/5)
Definitely garage sound. Hi energy rock and roll with lots of 'Waaa'-ing. Too much Waaa-ing. Would be fun to listen to live. Really a top 1001 albums? I guess if they were influential on the punk and grunge scene, then fair play. I feel enlightened, though done with hearing WAAAA so much, which loses them a star rating.
Now this is interesting, I always thought that garage rock and a decade later punk was invented by The Stooges and MC5, but hey, Here Are The Sonics! And how I liked it! This is really captivating, can even hear the beginning of psychobilly acts like The Cramps in their music. It's a shame that there only a handful of their own songs, but they do make the difference! Raw and energetic, and the contribution of the saxophone really does it. It's not polished or jazzy - it's just as raw and aggressive as the guitars, which gives them this unique sound! 4/5
A good rocker from 1965. I had not heard of the Sonics before, but they played their own style of some classic 60s covers.
This was a new one introduced by the list. Who knew Seattle grunge scene started in 1965? This was a hoot. High energy all the way through. And despite it being 80% covers of Black music by white musicians, they were making them their own. This didn't feel like recreating of the music to sell to white audiences, which was prevalent in that time. I'm giving them the pass on this one.
Infectious energy
Lots of famous tunes on here although the audio quality wasn't great. Enjoyably 60s pop rock I guess.
A really satisfying little chunk of rock n roll history. Nice on a Monday morning
1)The Witch 2)Do you love me 6)Have love will travel 8)Money 10)Night Time is the right Time 11)Strychnine 12)Good Golly Miss Molly Треки как будто одинаковые
Okay, go off. So many bops!!
*Love the low quality production- very proto-punk *Their original stuff is good- I'd give it a 5 if there wasn't so many covers *I would have totally been into this if I was a teenager at the time
I’d never listened to the Sonics before this. I only knew of them as one of the many genre pushing musical acts sounded off in LCD’s aging hipster bop Losing my Edge. But man, this kick ass. And it must have scared the shit out of the establishment in 1965. Just as parents had begrudgingly begun to accept the Beatles as here to stay, the Sonics drop this and deliver on the promise of rock n roll to consistently disrupt the status quo. I loved this - it’s basic punk. Wailing vocals, loud, hard sounding drums. It adds up to music with an edge. While I doubt this will be a mainstay in my rotation, I’m heartened to know this exists, and I know I’ll be back when the mood strikes. Solid 4! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1965 was a while ago but not sure these guys were breaking any ground at that point. I like it though.
A great album. Pure fire.
This album was so freaking cool. I loved the blend of rock and roll, blues, and surf rock. All of these songs were bops and I had a great time dancing and bopping to this album. I would 100% listen to this album again. Too much fun to listen to!
Garage rock at its origin, great energy
Fun little album! Its rating is hurt by having so many covers but it was kinda the way it was, and they were covered well. Real gritty recording actually gave it more interest to me, highlighted the garage-style rock, vocals were energetic and I’m sure made people want to get up and dance. 4/5
Klassista rock'n'rollia parhaimmillaan! Puoli tuntia kovaa ajoa. 4/5
Awesome
I liked this album of mostly covers way more than I expected. Great energy.
Rad. I’m hooked.
This is fun. They really go for it and I can totally see their influence. A lot of covers but they do them well and o like the originals too. A nice wee find from the generator
Classics!
Lo he escuchado dos veces seguidas. Son salvajes e irreverentes.
Whenever I’m craving some raw, old-school garage rock with a proto-punk vibe, The Sonics are always a go-to for me, right alongside The Seeds. This album is as straightforward as garage rock gets, but it’s incredibly raw with awesome energy and angst. I can only imagine what it must’ve felt like to hear this when it first came out, especially within the context of the early to mid-60s culture.
Remember when The Black Keys used to sound like this? That was pretty cool. Wish they still did. Obviously, a very influential album that launched a Lo-Fi movement that continues today. Knock off a half-star for just a few too many yelps, screams, and "woooo!"s.
so fun
Honestly a pretty incredible sound for 1965. Imagine this coming out then, it would have been unreal. The only thing I can think of that is similar and came before is The Kinks. There's a few duds like their atrocious cover Roll Over Beethoven, but some incredible tracks as well: The Witch Do You Love Me Have Love Will Travel Psycho Strychnine
Classic PNW rock n roll. This band hits you in the face, and they are going full speed the whole time. Love this energy for 1960s garage rock.
The Swans, the Soft Cell, the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics. Loved this - so raucous, can see their influence on everything that came after.
Cool rock n roll album, with some great songs.
Simple, short and straight forward rock album that gives you the early Beatles feel. Covered Roll over beethoven just like about any great band during that era and interpreted a lot of other songs as well. Like the drive and enthusiasm of the singer. The shouting at the beginning of tracks gives me stu king gizzy vibes. Black keys must have listened to Have love will travel. Love that the garage rock influence reaches this far.