Here Are the Sonics

Meh covers

I don't get the hate for this album. It's a pretty good proto punk or proto garage rock sound. If I don't know the band when I get my album for the day I always try to guess at what the sound is (based on the name and year) and this time I was way off by saying Surf or a kind of Pop Rock. It was a good freshman album and I would like to hear more.

It's pretty one note but the sound kicked off some garage sound in rock I guess so that is something.

Dig the early garage screamer style. Glad the half-cover/half-original albums went away, though I gotta admit, they land a couple of those covers. Fortunately there's enough original content here to keep it fun.

Not a bad album, even if most of the songs are covers, a few of them slap. They do seem to have been quite influential, so they get some extra points there. But I did get a bit tired of the repetitive sounds and screaming from the singer.

I’d never heard of these guys before. They had a pretty decent sound and the covers don’t bother me. That was so common back then when the majority of bands didn’t write much of their own stuff. They put their own cool spin on the songs. The screaming got annoying, but I think I get what they were trying to do with their sound. I do like how it sounded fuzzy and unpolished at times. I don’t think I’ll listen to this album again, but I’m happy I heard it.

pretty good!

Liked the sound but not the lyrics, very generic

too old

Ganske tøft, men blir litt mye i store doser.

interesting that i knew one song from a commercial - pretty middling though

A fun Little Rock and roll garage rock album of the early 60s but nothing insanely special. It’s mostly covers and I prefer covers by other artists or the originals of them, and the originals aren’t particularly good. But it’s a fun time

6/10

Pretty cool old school sounds with some very good covers!

This is #day383 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... let's rock! Or, shall we? I've never heard of this band before. But, hearing the first couple of songs on the record, I seem to understand what they were doing. It's crazy to think it's only 1965 outside. The thing is raw, loud, and completely unhinged. Those psycho squawks, though... Liking sax interpolations. Let it be a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day384.

1965. Shouting and hollering kind of early rock. So many of these tracks are totally iconic!

Very fun early rock and roll

Я зазвичай або стримано, або негативно до раннього гаражного року, але цей альбом мені сподобався. В першу чергу авторські пісні. Той самий Psycho топовий бенгер з гітарою з сьорф-року. З іншої сторони дуже багато каверів і деякі не витримують критики. Я думаю навіть в 65 році каверити Roll Over Bethoven мало бути западло.

With that gritty sound and so many familiar covers, this would be a good late night bar album.

This was fun. 'Night Time is the Right Time' is a standout, but the rest feels like early Beatles without the buzzing energy.

These songs are great whether you record them in a garage or at Hitsville U.S.A., but I'm more into the Motown versions.

Punk on diapers! Good songs :D

.

Fast and fun. It's clear that they didn't have a lot of peers to lean on when creating there sound and I think that should count for something. However some of the vocal tricks get a bit tired after a while.

While this was fun to listen to, I'm not understanding how it ends up on this list. Is it really that unique or influential? I also felt like the singer had some interesting vocal improvisations, while being backed up by standard vocalists. It didn't mesh well.

I like their gritty sound though it can become grating. The songs do not overstay their welcome. 1965! Punk before its time. 3.2

Kind of an early punk version of the Beatles. Terrible sound quality, and way way way to many WWOOOOOWWW!! So its worth a listen, and only a quick 30 minute album.

Fun songs from that time, recognised a few tracks. Probably wouldn't listen to again but it is fine

I don't think I would ever listen to this album again, but glad I heard it. The screeching vocals were very taxing about half way through. But I do get why this album, even if the songs were mostly covers, is on this list. These guys for sure had influence in changing how rock n roll were be played in the coming decade(s). Now I dont think they were as influencial as their cleaner cut, more buttoned-up British counter parts, The Beatles. But this is one of those album on this list where I say, "Ok Dimery, you nailed it." And 137 albums in that sentiment has not been applied very often. The album on it's own is below average, but in the context of history, it gains some merit and credit. 5.4/10 137/1001

Love the energy and the fuzzy bass. Have heard better versions of most of the covers (not least by the Beatles). Not sure its one of the 1000 best albums of all time but gave me joy.

För många covers! Men kul och garage:igt

Ah, det är de här som är Sonics! Jomen rätt sköna.

Quite enjoyed listening to this, a much rawer presentation of some classic tracks & sounds pretty impressive given it was recorded on just 2 tracks. Personally I do think some of the rave reviews from other artists is a bit OTT, but then what do I know!

I thought this album was a lot of fun! old school raw rock and roll. Is spin this album again!

I enjoyed the energy and unpretentiousness of the rock n roll / precursor to the punk sound - on the other hand the production value hasn't aged well and I the blown out 'wwhhaaahooos' are pretty jarring after a while, plus the originals of the covers are way better (IMO) and the lyrics are basic. Quick and fun for the most part, but won't get another spin from me.

Good garage rock but idk what makes it special

He likes a scream ! 7/10

This was a pretty interesting one to me. Very early punk/garage-type sound. There were shades of the earlier rock sound, but definitely rougher around the edges than the typical mid-60s rock you hear. I enjoyed the listen. One downside was that the album had a lot of covers. The originals were fresh and interesting. The covers were good, but didn't offer much beyond the distinct sound being applied to them. It was also pretty similar throughout the tracks given the style. There wasn't a lot of variety there. I enjoyed it and thought it was good, though it definitely had flaws. If there were more originals I probably would've rated it higher. Even so, I'm glad I heard it. Overall: 3.25/5

I guess if this was the first rock and roll I heard it would be cool

Pretty punk for 1965.

He has a scream. And he wants you to hear it

Included for it's importance as an influence, rather than the actually quality of all of the songs. Still an enjoyable listen, the originals are all good, and a few of the covers are really fun through this distorted garage rock lens. This is the definitive Have Love, Will Travel as well. Doesn't overstay its welcome either. I'll be giving it a 3.

Didn’t really need a bunch of covers but I appreciate their original material.

Nice short album with some decent songs. Shortness helped keep my attention. Any longer and this probably goes to a 2.

Found myself tapping my toes fairly often while listening to this. Not sure if a couple of the tracks were covers or not, but quite a few others certainly were. Covers and originals were both enjoyable - seems fairly raucous for the time, sort of Kingsmen-like, I think, though not sure who came first. Fun stuff.

This was decent.

More gritty than the album cover would suggest but still 60s rock, good golly miss molly etc.

The smattering of originals amongst this predominately covers collection fit nicely. Frantic at times but fun all the way through.

there were a lot of sounds going on apart from the music. i liked the classic feel to it. i like how its not remastered. the music itself was enjoyable.

So I don't get this one being on here...so I had to do a little researching and I am still not sure why this is on here. First off half the songs are covers, by people that did them better. The reviews and Spotify call them punk and hard rock n'roll, maybe I am missing it but they really just did Beatles Pop for 60's Rn'B songs...musical appropriation much... The singer yells "Yooowwww" on every song so we call it pop and pushing rock, for me that doesn't really track or mean you should be considered influential. That being said I don't dislike the music, but I would much rather listen to the original artists sing their songs. Their original songs weren't bad, just not amazing. If I lived in Tacoma and they were playing at my local bar I would go, dance and sing along with the covers and go to the bar and bathroom during the original songs. I would enjoy the night dancing, but I wouldn't think they should have made it big.

It's pretty cool these guys started paving the way for the grungy garage rock sounds that eventually took the world by storm. I didn't find their covers to be better than any of the originals, but they were interesting versions of them. And their original songs were pretty good. Overall, I wasn't wowed, but kudos to garage rocking in the mid-60s.

Never heard of them before despite them apparently being an influence on some reasonably big-hitters. 60s rock and blues standards done well in a fairly raw style. It was an easy listen but not one I would probably reach for again.

Hardt og tøft til å være så gammelt a gitt. 3,5/5

Bratty Attitude, Mafia 2 Radio vibes, heavy overdrive on mics, bad sound quality for 1965

Raw 60's rock and roll. Meh.

Beach Boys, but less beach and more boy AHHHH

Fun for the time, I'm sure, but I wouldn't ordinarily listen to something like this at home.

Too many cover versions. The originals were fine. Like the lo-fi production

Interesting for its relatively raw, hard sound for the era, but far too many middling covers to be of true note. A 2 would be harsh. Strychnine and the song of the advert were both good tracks. A generous 3, but a good inclusion in the list.

I feel like 60s garage rock would best be served on a list like this with a greatest hits compilation. Just get it over with. This is done, but it’s the same thing throughout. Revolutionary in a sense, but also boring

3,5/5

Goed om te luisteren

This is loud, screamy, and fuzzy. Not entirely awful, mostly because it's short (12 songs; 29 minutes). I can totally get that this was influential on a lot of subsequent artists. Too much screaming for my taste.

I can see how they influenced a lot of early punk bands, but this isn’t for me

78% Best: The Witch; Dirty Robber; Money; Strychnine Must-Hear? Nah

A harsh but passionate sound. Rough vocals. Soulful instrumentals. High energy, they really went for it.

Sounds like a bunch of angry teens broke into a studio, screamed into the mic, and somehow invented punk by accident.

I guess this is historically important, but listening today is less than fulfilling. No better than OK

Never heard of them before, but I like their sound. Shame there’s only 4 of their songs on the album as these are good. Covers are ok if nothing special. Could do with a remaster.

Pretty good. They did some great covers

This was a rocking good time. I had already pit a couple of these songs on a 60's playlist, but I hadn't listened to the whole album yet. Are some of these covers? We'll, it jammed. I'll give this a 3.

I actually like this type of 60's garage band sound. It seems this sorry of thing really had a moment in the PNW. Despite being the mid-60's, this was already leaning toward punk. Punk attitude, loud, brash. "Who cares if we don't sound technically correct? We made noise with our instruments." They didn't really seem to have their own songs, which would have made them more enduring, perhaps. They may not have achieved the great heights of other bands of their era, but I see them as having planted seeds that would be fully realized with other groups later.

Nice, good to hear some classics, and wild that it is so old. Fun to hear, won't revisit.

I like their covers, and some of their originals aren’t too bad.

Intriguingly familiar

Very danceable with so many classic songs! Not my style however :')

There’s not a lot to this but what there is, is a lot of fun

The sound quality is terrible and there are far too many standard covers on the album. However, it's easy to hear how this album influenced the punk bands that came after it. It just has that energy that comes with listening to punk music. The original songs are far better than the covers.

where's knuckles

There are alot of covers on this album, but for the most part it wasn't to bad

Great music

Blue eyed soul/50s garage band. Nothing special.

Decent garage versions of some classic tunes. I see the alleged influences but too many exclamation points and too much screaming “WOW!” to needlessly punctuate a song.

Garage rock in its birthday suit. Zero polish, no pretense. Just primal riffs and frantic drums like the mics were duct-taped to the ceiling. I admire the guts to release something this raw and barebones back then. It’s over before you know it. Not essential, but I get why it exists on this list. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions: - Do You Love Me - Roll Over Beethoven - Money - Good Golly Miss Molly

This is pretty neat, they stand apart from their peers in this era just due to the sheer bite they put in each of their songs. That being said. I'd still say their covers kinda miss the mark more often than not. Night Time Is The Right Time is a summation, like the usual blues riff inspired songs of the era and later, its repetitive and unless you're a fan of that genre there isnt much here for you, strong vocals aside.

If the 1950s had a punk scene it would be these guys. This album is fun but I don’t think I’ll ever return to it

First of all, this album is perfect the way it is. That said, this album sounds like absolute shit, lol. I don't think I've heard a worse sounding album this side of black metal. The drums sound awful, the guitars/bass gets buried a lot of the time in the mix. It sounds like a live record recorded in their grandma's basement. But again, I wouldn't have it any other way. It gives it charm. Mostly the songs worth anything on this record are the covers and not the originals. They really add a hard punk edge to the covers that's great. The Originals I could take or leave. You can definitely tell when they're covering something and when they're playing originals (even if you don't know the originals). Strychnine is probably their best original. As much as I'm enjoying this record, I can't give it more than a 3 purely due to mostly being a covers record.

the original compositions are really good but they are few and far between the just ok covers

3.5

High energy and a lot of fun. I was going to give them a higher rating but a lot of the songs were covers.

2.8 2x nice covers

I wanted to like it more.

I was quite skeptical of this, as it's quite old and sounds pretty rough at times. But a couple of the songs here kicked ass. It helps that I already like the R&B songs they're covering, but their versions were undeniable. "Have Love Will Travel" was the song where I was convinced, then I had a great time the rest of the way through.

I like this just fine. It's inconsistent but when it's good it's really good. Almost all the songs are covers and there's nothing really special about the covers, but it has a raw and raunchy punk energy for 1963. At least the beginning and end of it does. Some of it is honestly boring and just reminds me of early Beatles, but not as good. I can see how you could see this as punk before punk. It's really timeless in songs like Strychnine and The Witch, especially if you like noise rock and garage rock revival and stuff like that. But not all of it is timeless. I would say the middle chunk of it mostly feels like second tier early '60s rock and roll. Filing this under "cool but I don't think I'll ever listen to it again".

It’s ok, about what you would expect from the 60’s. It’s good but I don’t really see what the fuss is about or why it made this list. But I enjoyed it, I just don’t think I would ever go back to it.

7/10

Nice! Raw and grungy..

I dunno, it's pretty good. It's kinda fun to listen to. Like I don't see myself in any situations where I would itch to put this on, but if it's on I'm not rushing to switch it up. I actually love the lo-fi scrappy recording quality, it gives it a really early punk edge. There are a ton of covers and few of them are as good as their originals. I guess this is really just a 3-star album, but I think it's one of those weird 3-star must-listens...I do really think everyone should give this album at least one spin, it's worth at least that lol. ML #97

Yahoo

Ikke så meget mig først og fremmest. Proto-punk og garage rock. Proto-punk var forløberen til punk revolutionen i 70’erne hvor det dominerede meget. Har inspireret bands som the ramones og senere Nirvana. De var nogle af de første proto punk bands og de var nærmest med til at opfinde “lo-fi” hvor det meste er indspillet meget råt og ikke perfekt og på dårligt equipment. Ja nærmest i en garage.

very fun! i love how wacky the mix is, how loud and fuzzy

Solid proto garage rock. Fun but not a lot of repeat value.

Do I love straight strychnine? Boy do I. I love the.gibbering rush of Psycho and the unholy clatter of Strychnine.. both of which I was first exposed to through Nuggets, of course. My dear brother was so taken by them he passed out from giddy excitement brought on by an excess of vodka in a shop doorway. They're.that good. It's not that great an album though. Not that it hangs around long enough to worry about it!

This is a good enough listen and all but this list has shown me how unoriginal music used to be in a lot of ways... and that's even before you think abt the appropriation!

Making art in a garage … is cool as fuck

Had a few moments sounding a bit same-y, but it rocked. 3.5/5

The Sonics once said to us that they’d solved the equation for a successful album. They said, write a couple of decent songs, then just do some decent rock n roll covers! Great advice. Houmous & Chutneys next album ‘A Couple of Decent Songs, Then Some Decent Rock n Roll Covers’ was a hit! 3.3

Fairly passable impressions of Little Richard. Quite fun sounding but I guess I don't understand the context properly; why so many cover versions?

It was cool listening to it as a precursor to bands like The White Stripes or The Black Keys, but the inferior cover songs (“Do You Love Me,” “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Money,” etc.) distracted from their style.

Like 1960s punk

This was interesting based on how old it was but pretty noisy.

Garage rock dos anos 60 não é o meu estilo favorito, mas esse disco é OK.

Good

This is almost like 60s grunge. Like if the Beatles first album found the distortion/scream button

Raw and lots of power here. I can see why this is called proto punk, you can kind of draw a pretty direct line from here to the Stooges and such. This album is decent, and is certainly something I tend to like. I just didn't find it that memorable. I'll probably give it another listen at some point though.

had no idea this band was seattle-based too. you can easily do a mash-up between "good golly miss holly" and "roll over beethoven" (made me want to see the movie again!)

WAAAAAAOOOOOW Favorite song - Have Love Will Travel Never heard of this band before. Sounds like old The Who. The end of the record got a bit repetitive and jangly for my liking, but I did enjoy the garage rock vibes. This band was contemporary with Jefferson Airplane, but where JA's sound helped pave the way for psychedelic rock and folk rock, The Sonics paved the way for punk, garage rock, and later grunge (they were from Tacoma after all)

Not bad and even kinda punk but I just wasn’t feeling it

Kinda reminds me of Paul Revere & the Raiders but with often messy production value. Middle of the road for me. I’d give it a 2.75 if I could

quality mid-60’s garage rock album featuring both originals and covers.

Interesting and influential, but very one note and the constant clipping on the vocals does grow tiring.

Hmmm. Hard to believe there weren't thousands and thousands of these type of garage rock bands. Some became more polished, some probably did it better and disappeared to only exist as a dull anecdote Grandpa tells at parties. For whatever reason, The Sonics have been dubbed influential and, if it's good enough for Nicholaus Arson, then that's good enough for me. 2 stars + 1 for The Hives.

Fun album, got a bit repetitive by the end

Pretty good classic but wasnt in the mood

Goes harder than expected, but also mostly just covers. Wish there was more original material (The Witch slaps)

-oo this is cool! I love the 50s and 60s Elvis-adjacent hard rock sound -apparently this is classified as “proto-punk” which is very interesting as a concept to me -very consistent in quality and I respect the influence the Sonics had on later artists. definitive 3.5 -Favorites are The Witch, Have Love Will Travel, and Strychnine

I don't understand why the reviews for this album are so mixed - it's just some fellas having a blast playing music in their garage. Did they reinvent music and change history forever? Probably not, but it's short and sweet, and full of character and energy

Honestly, I was so confused why I knew half the songs until I realised most of the album is covers. The audio quality isn't great but I think they did a good job of giving enthusiasm (wAAAAAAAAOOOOOooooHHHH). Not sure if I can give them any higher considering ive heard the better versions of songs already from original artists.

Whaaaaoooow! WHaaaaa!! Whaaaaooooow! Lots of classic songs on here, good example of what is I guess classic '60s rock and roll. Enjoyed the one about strychnine

!!!This must have RIPPED in 1965!!! Favourite Track: The Witch, Strychnine Least Fav Track: Boss Hoss

Quite ferocious for its time. I think some individual of the album are enjoyable, but when you listen to it as a whole, a lot of it is pretty similar to one another. Lots of covers of old 12 bar blues songs. First song was the most interesting. But it was good enough for a 3.

Mid 60s white boy frat party

Correcto

3.5

7/10

The garage band sound quality doesn’t hold up well. This is a 3.5 that might be a 4 if re-recorded with today’s equipment.

The music was pretty good and this might have been a 4, but I got exhausted from all the "woahs".

This must have been so subversive in the mid 1960s.

This was decent for the sound and style they were going for, nice nod to the originals in the case of the covers.

A fun listen. I can appreciate the basic two-track recording technique used, and can definitely see how this band has been cited as influencing bands like the White Stripes. But in the end the other guys are just better: gimme The Dave Clark Five, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and The Beatles over these lads.

I think the most common take on this album is… Beatles did it better. And I agree. Totally fine, but not great. AHWAAAAAHHHHH 2.75/5

I thought this was pretty cool - particularly liked the original songs on it, which had a great proto-punk feel to them. The covers weren't nearly as interesting though. Strong 3.

S'okay, not much love for this one. Decent instrumentals and okay vocals. 'Money' was my fave.

Yea...it's an influential album. The sound quality is bad, but lets excuse that due to the era it was recorded in. The album is not specifically bad, but it's not anything I'd go back to. Very much what you'd expect from 50s-60s rock and roll when it comes to instrumentation, lyrics, and vocal style.

More enjoyable than I had hoped. Not too samey which I’ve found can happen with a lot of these, some nice stand outs.

Not too bad, surprised I hadn’t heard of them before. First track hits, the rest, mostly covers, were done better by others.

Sort of like the sound, sort of early Beatles rock n roll with a better singer. Seems like the stooges might have listened to these. Mostly covers though, which doesn't seem essential to me. That whole era where people would record a few originals and wack on a load of covers must have been tiring. Not sure I'd listen again but I'd prefer more of these over another kinks record.

Didn't think I was going to enjoy this, judging by the cover and the release date, but it surprised me! It's very energetic, lots of \"woooooooowwsss\" which I don't mind. It's also pretty short so didn't lose interest. I can kinda hear the early punk influence.... However, my main issue is that most of the songs are covers! I had to check to make sure, but yeah there's way too many covers. They weren't bad covers, but still, don't think this many covers should be here. I'm still going to say 3 though as it surprised me

Pretty enjoyable as a historical document and has some great moments. As a whole, I'm not sure if I'll revisit. 3.5

If they scream “Wow” one more time I’ll go crazy

This album grew on me. I like their takes on some oldies. The Sonics know how to make a racket.

This sounds like it was recorded in a closet full of straw, but it is entertaining, and you can even hear the clear influence the band had on future hard rock bands with tracks like "Have Love Will Travel", "Walkin' the Dog", and "Strychnine." These (and other) forays away from 50s rock'n'roll staples are also the strong points on the album. With a little more originality this could be five stars, but ends up at 3.5 for me.

That mid 60s mix/audio fidelity. A surprisingly fun record with a ton of energy. Mostly covers but 2 of the 4 originals on the album I really enjoyed (The Witch and Psycho). Boss Hoss is what I imagine every classic car obsessive has playing at home on repeat.

Mid-60s proto punk/Nirvana record. Sounds a bit like Surfin Bird but with more screaming and leagues lower recording quality. Whereas early Kinks singles are mint examples of proto punk this is much more ridiculous and novelty and kinda rubbishy. Interesting in certain ways but I probably won’t be getting the 60th anniversary reissue when it comes out.

Not bad, kinda fun for '65 and +1 for Tacoma Boys

Love the dirty, fuzzy garage sounds

This might be the most "blink and you miss it" album of the entire project. It doesn't help that a lot of the songs sound exactly the same, and the singers screaming on every track gets old really fast in my opinion. Still some good catchy songs, and I definitely see how this was an influential record to so many musicians. I'm just glad others have improved on this formula. Top tracks: Have Love Will Travel, Psycho, Strychnine

Made like a dark, fucked up version of the Beatles haha. Just a glimpse into my dark reality. A full stare into my twisted perspective would make most simply go insane lmao Jokes aside, this actually sort of rocks in a weird way, and I say this as a person who kinda hates garage rock.

3+

Pretty cool. I won't be adding this to my library, but I won't be mad if YT Music's algorithm tossed it in to the super mix it rolls out for me.

Pleasingly brief and punchy songs. They all kind of sound the same and none are especially adventurous. Strange to think that just 4 years after this album the psychadelic revolution would be in full swing. But a bunch of nice 2-minute rock and roll songs, nothing wrong here.

This one's okay. I don't love it, but it's not the worst thing I've ever heard. It is slightly above-average 60s rock and roll. I have problems with this album, as well as things that I like. I'll start with the positives. I think the style that these guys have is pretty unique for the time. It's fairly high-energy in a strong way. The album doesn't over stay its welcome. It lasts exactly as long as it needs too. Finally, the writing could've aged worse. I've heard worse writing in this kind of music. Now for the negatives. First of all, while I praised the writing somewhat, that isn't really a praise for The Sonics as they didn't write much of this album. There's a few songs they wrote, but as is to be expected with artists from around this time, most of their music is comprised of covers. Secondly, the sound quality isn't great. I know this is from 1965, but it kind of hurt to listen to at times, especially when the singer does those screams, which is something that happens quite a bit. Speaking of which, this album is fairly repetitive. There's more repetitive albums out there, but there's also a sense of originality that is a bit lacking in this album. Overall, while I do have problems with this album, I generally respect it for what it is. It is a solid early rock album that managed to be decently influential. It could definitely be worse. Low 3/5.

A worse version of early beatles

Non memorable 60s rock. Crap sound quality.

Creedence did better covers

Strong start. It was fine, liked the vibe but overall a bit underwhelmed.

Un assemblage de plusieurs standards et de pièces désormais classiques, avec une énergie et une âpreté qui préfigure effectivement le punk.

Good solid proto-punk and the actual songs written by the band are special - but the covers makes this a bit more generic. So great band, great songs - mediocre album.

2.5

I definitely enjoyed this one, it’s like an early version of Me First and The Gimme Gimmes.

Eh, it's garage rock alright. Not an album I'd come back to on its own. Prefer to hear the handful of singles in something like the Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 box set

Album 541 of 1001 The Sonics - Here Are the Sonics (1965) Rating : 3.75 / 5 I really enjoyed this album. Reminded me of the first couple of Rolling Stones albums. Some great rock/blues covers. Like a very good garage band. Clocks in at 29 minutes so I listened twice.

Oldest album to date; the recording quality and style makes that clear. Some of the subject matter is wildly out of date, but the messages hold true to today. Has a sort of twangy sound coupled with a saxophone, interesting but not always my favourite. Cool album to listen to. I kept hearing "twist and shout" in the music style. Favs: Dirty Robber, Roll Over Beethoven, Do You Love Me

This album was hilarious. I have no idea the context for it which makes it funnier. Love the sax

I liked this, and had never heard it previously. I do question how that many covers results in placement on this list. But it was a great sound, and impressive for 1965.

This was a delight. I hadn't expected to hear so many familiar songs and to enjoy those I didn't know this much. A great bit of rock n roll.

You can hear rock starting to get harder, but every song does sound the same

Captures that same raw, bluesy energy from the Beatles earliest albums. I like the original songs on here ("Strychnine" and "The Witch" stand out particularly) but most of it is treading old ground with well-covered songs from the time.

Generally don’t stand on principles but although this is pretty good, a lot of the songs are covers and bands like MC5 just did this better

Good collection of cover songs done reasonably well so 3 stars or C-.

A fun iteration through covers

Interesting album. I liked this one as it's just good garage rock and a clear progenitor of punk. It's got most of the sensibilities of good early 60s rock, but it's loud and raw. Interestingly enough, "Sytrchnine" was also covered on the earlier The Cramps album I had a few days prior. ***

🔥

Definitely hear the bands they influenced. Mostly covers on here, decent stuff good sound

enjoyable enough but the recording sounds surprisingly bad and all the songs are expectantly similar

mi sbaglio o sono dei Beatles un po' più aggressivi? e a proposito di aggressività, PERCHE DEVI URLARE A CASOOOO TI STRAPPEREI IL MICROFONO DI MANO

Not too special, pretty early pre punk thing.

Totally mediocre

Old garage band music from back in the day when rock and roll was still fresh. The soul and R &B covers were certainly not as good as the originals (don’t try to one up Little Richard), but it was pretty enjoyable.

Good and catchy, made me wanna dance

An album I would put on in the background if I was cleaning around the house

Was ok - not my favourite rock and roll album.

It's a bit dated and the production isn't the best but this is a good glimpse into proto-punk and the beginnings of the Seattle scene which would really emerge 25 years later. I wish there were more originals but I'd still put it in the book.

Very loud, really pushing recording tech of the 60s. But not really into the songs.

Really surprised how good this was

60s garage-rock that sounds like it was recorded in a garage entertaining, but too many covers

Too many basic covers

Enjoyed listening to this album. Beat tracks are Roll Over Beethoven and Have Love Will Travel 3/5

Aika menevää rock n rollia. Tässä on ihan meininkiä. Aika rajua. Parhaat: Roll Over Beethoven, Money, Strychnine

This was so stereotypical of 60s music that I spent the whole runtime imagining it being played over a Woodstock montage or at some point in once upon a time in Hollywood or throughout a 1968 counter culture documentary.

Garage rock at its rough-and-tumble best. I bet their live shows were a ton of fun.

This is a bunch of R&B covers, but there’s an obvious proto-punk energy to it all that makes it worth listening to.

Felt very Beatles

Solide, handgemacht, aber die Originale sind dann doch besser für meinen Geschmack!

A generally enjoyable album with some versions of songs I like.

A mix of original songs and rock n roll standards. It's classed as garage rock, presumably because of the less produced sound, which gives it a bit more of an edge. Apparently quite influential with bands like The White Stripes and Nirvana. Enjoyed it, but nothing I've not heard before. 3/5

I love 60s music, but not so much this one.

groundbreaking pioneers invent the world's first throwback album

Not really my jam but great for the era. 2.5

Knew way more songs thank expected

Would I listen to it again: yes Is it a no-skip album: yes Favorite song: Strychnine Least favorite song: Roll Over Beethoven Do I like it: yes

It was alright, surprised to recognize a couple songs. Do You Love Me and Roll Over Beethoven

Short and sweet. Classic rock and roll sound.

I don't know who is who on the cover, but the guy in the hairy cardigan is clearly existing on a different plane than the other guys. This is also borne out in the album itself. It's got four feet in the fifties, one in the seventies. While I mostly prefer their originals on the album they only work because they're broken up. Without the lyrics (or with) it's apparent their original music is a variation of the same phrases with a different intro and tempo. Sometimes with a little Chuck Berry thrown in for variety. The transition to Have Love Will Travel (not original) to Psycho (original) is wild since the rhythm is so similar. I initially wanted to say that The Witch is by far the best track, but after listening to it multiple times, it's sort of metronomically plodding. Very square. The same with Boss Hoss. They find a lick they really like and just lean into it. Repeatedly. I'm done with Garry Roslie's screaming. Too much of a good thing used as filler. Waaaaaoooh. Psycho.

If I wanted to listen to a Kinks album, I'd just listen to the Kinks. Yes, I know. Cobain loved him some Sonics and their big drum sound. James Murphy shouted them out multiple times in "Losing my Edge." It's *fine*, I guess. I mean, it's loud and straightahead and probably pissed off a lot of mid-1960's parents. And I'm sure it's one of those "influential" records -- there was a lot going on in rock and roll then. But it's a bunch of covers with a couple of originals. The lead singer has the "OOOHYEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" scream down to a science, but the whole thing -- I dunno. Just didn't click with me.

Some classics on here - enjoyed listening!

Radical for its time, but a time we are so far removed from that it doesn’t shake any modern musical conventions

The Sonics certainly nailed a sound that was trendy yet fresh at the same time, what with its surfy spinning guitar riff skipping set to rough vocals and dissonant lo-fi production. Pretty fun stuff.

Seemd like a lot of covers, and very few original tracks. The original tracks were also the weakest part of the album. I feel like this is not a great example of 60's music, there must be hundreds if not thousands of albums like this that are immeasurably better.

Us 60's!

A garage full of arse and bees.

The hedgehog, not the boom

YHEOW!

repetitive irgendwann

As The Witch kicks off I'm like oh yeah this is pretty cool but the rest of the album feels like these guys were hired for a wedding band. Faves: The Witch, Boss Hoss

Some bangers

Soooooo many covers

conventional sixties

Garage rock cover versions. And not outstanding covers at that.

The lead “singer” sounds like he’s doing the Tom and Jerry scream constantly. It’s got some moments that are pretty enjoyable, most of those moments being me laughing at this, which could just be me listening to this running on 2 hours of sleep.

TIL that Black Keys song was a cover.

An absolute garage rock thunder through the classics. More covers than originals which is a shame but they’re having a great time doing it for sure. Only half an hour but tbh that’s plenty - it does get a bit samey.

This album is definitely a 60s vibe. I enjoyed it in parts. But the high pitched "woah's" got really old.

WAAOOH (in a James Brown way)

This is like the Everyman album of the 60s. Each song is familiar and gets you asking “is this the band that sang the original song in that film I know this song from? 🤔 “

Vintage rock turned up to 11. Like the Beatles or Dick Dale with heavy drums, fatter guitars and growly/screamy vocals. Unfortunately packed with covers but notable in their aggressive sound. Can hear their influence in bands like Nirvana and The Black Keys

I like the energy of this record. It's like Little Richard with more variation. They even do a Little Richard cover. They do a lot of covers, but their own songs are just as good. The sound quality is pretty bad. Favorite song: Have Love, Will Travel (which is a cover song)

Decent garage rock covers

Punk blues?!

Originaalit ovat yllättävänkin hyviä, enkä ole tästä edes kauhean yllättynyt. Bändi harrastaa koukkuja siinä määrin kuin niille on tilaa. Lainakappaleet eivät mielikuvituksettomuudestaan huolimatta häiritse, mutta onkohan mikään niistä tarpeellinen? Money? 3,5

I think you would have to be insane to believe this album has aged well. The production is extremely primitive which dates it a lot, along with very little diversity. And not to mention the constant screaming "WOOOWWWW", after about 3 of those I was already getting sick of them. But despite all this, this album has undeniable charm, and I can't help but like it. It still has amazing 60s energy all the way through, and even the production, as low quality as it is, can sound good at times. And I absolutely loved the last 2 songs, there was something about them that really felt different compared to the rest of the album that was really good. It's almost like they made a 10 song album and thought "damn, this album sounds pretty much exactly the same all the way through. Let's record 2 more songs, but use a piano this time too and just stick those on the end of the album". I get that they were trying to be more diverse, but those songs needed to be actually *in* the album, not just shoved on the end. At the end of the day, I can't bring myself to give this album any higher than a 3 because of how poorly it's aged. But there is definitely something great about this album, and overall is still absolutely worth a listen in my opinion.

I really liked this album, imagine what they would have sounded like with modern production.

Clearly “ahead of its time.” Can definitely see the roots of punk here.

I was shocked i knew a lot of the album. Weirdly enjoyed it but still not what i'll listen to normally

very grungy, a bit heavy on the distortion so it never sounds clean, consistently solid on the drums and guitar. would bump this up to a 4 if most of the songs weren't covers that others have done better

Never heard of this group. Had I been alive back then, I woulda been into it.

A bit bland, nothing special, in terms of old indie type of music

3-4

It's always fun to me to hear the earlier days of certain trends in music, and this album is a nice example of how the "edgier" rock in the decades that followed was built on the foundation set by bands like this and the other bands of the time, and even earlier on, who were pushing things in a less polished, more wild direction. Fun!

Rougher Garage-Sound auf dem Weg zum Punk, aber noch mit 60er-typischem Rock'n'Roll-Einschlag. 2,5

Great little album, 3.5 stars

Gritty with quite a bit of energy. Definitely has that garage band vibe. A bit over the top at times.

Songs were almost there but the lyrics seemed to take away from the rest of it

Not bad, nothing super stand-out

This album felt ahead of it's time for 1964 rock. I enjoyed it, but it still feels underwhelming.

Kind of goes hard, rock ‘n roll with a garagey edge.

Total mixed bag of an album.

2/1/24. Fun album! Short and right in your face music that laid the foundation for a lot of my favorite garage rock bands of the 2000s. Lot of fun guitar riffs.

Definitely not the sound I was expecting. 3/5

Thoughts before listening: I believe this is 60s garage rock/proto-punk from Seattle. This should be an interesting listen because I've always seen them listed as influences on a lot of my favorite music. Review: This is pretty good. Something cool about a bunch of kids getting together, covering some songs, and writing a few of their own. That being said, there's nothing particularly special about these guys compared to 100s of other bands from the 60s other than that they recorded an album and were from Seattle. I feel like their praise largely comes from being local cult heroes often cited as influential by the grunge bands of the early 90s. 3-stars.

I'm sure this album had some impact at the time in music, but it's hard to hear it, at this point. It took me a long time to appreciate The Beatles, but once I did, I understood the genius in their well-polished hooks and complexities under the surfance. And I still prefer early The Zombies work to all of that music at the time. The Sonics just feels like something along the way that, at least with this album, just produced white person rock versions of other people's songs. It's got value, but I can't give it too much credit based on what I hear.

There is a ton to like about this. Sounds like the grandfather of modern day garage rock bands. I hate when albums end up on here with cover songs and this album is packed with them (although well done). I think there are only 4 originals which is ridiculous.

It was pretty fun, the songs were short and I was in the mood for something like this, even the singer's tourettes felt fitting, but the audio quality ruined everything. Ah, fuck it, it's still fun

Some cool stuff on there.

Album is fine but the Sonics aren't as good as the The Seeds.

in my opinion, what sets Here Are The Sonics apart is its unapologetic, rebellious attitude - they definitely influenced countless bands that followed. this album is a sonic time capsule, a visceral snapshot of a band unafraid to push the boundaries of the musical landscape, leaving an indelible mark on the evolution of rock music. i enjoyed this album, even though i didn’t think i would. there are definitely skips, but this is not a bad album overall. i’ll give this a 6/10. rest of the review on ig: @musicwithnessa

YYYYYYYYEEEOOOOOWWWW This sounds like it was recorded on a potato. The levels are so distorted it’s hard to listen to, and then he screams into the mic the 37th time (in a row?). If this was better recorded and had more original songs it’d be rated higher. The third of the songs that are original are good, but the covers barely hold up to their counterparts.

Tons of covers but generally pretty cool rock n roll album!

Do you love me en roll over Beethoven zijn goed

Not sure I can give an album of mostly covers any more than 4 stars but I did enjoy this. Some good versions and clear to hear why they were influential! It's a fun and riotous ride through some rock classics

Garage Rock from the 1960s. Some of the original songs are not bad, the covers are fine, but any band can do covers.... Their versions are a little more "garage" which gives them something unique. Have Love Will Travel is probably the best cover on the album. Originals / Standouts: The Witch, Boss Hoss, Psycho, Strychnine 3.5

can you step off the mic a bit? the same old 3 chord songs with a bit more hoarsness and franticness

This is where I wish I could rank out of 10. It would be a 7 out of 10, but it’s a 3 out of 5 here

Remade rock n Roll? Not sure what the achievement is here

2.75

Good energy. I can see how they could be influential perhaps, but it passed me by a bit to be honest. It just feels a bit too dated.

I bet these guys would have been a blast to see live. Majority of the songs are covers, but I found their energy and raw presentation to unique and very entertaining. I did get a little tired of the same scream over and over in every song, but I did enjoy my listens. Funny thing is, I let the genre play out for awhile and heard 2 more songs by these guys, but different albums and yet that same scream in both. Just too much, brother. Again, really enjoyed my listens. Favorites were the covers of Night Time Is The Right Time and Walking The dog. Favorites of original material were The Witch and Strychnine. Not sure I would download the album, but definitely wouldn't turn it off either. Overall, I am happy to be introduced to The Sonics and enjoyed my listens. I'm going to score a 3.5. Scoreboard will show a 3. 3.5

3 Released the same year as Rubber Soul, and yet these guys go so much harder than those wussies in The Beatles ever did. Supposedly this helped lay the framework for punk rock, and I can definitely hear that with the group’s energy and attempt at shocking, irreverent songwriting on Strychnine (my personal favorite track here), but I also can’t help but feel that a lot of this blends in with other garage rock music from the era, so it’s hard to point to this album as being a key influence, especially considering that the vast majority of the songs here are covers. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool hearing faster, heavier takes on rock and R&B classics, but it also holds back the album from feeling particularly unique or commendable, and it’s especially disappointing considering that the four songs that are originals (The Witch, Boss Hoss, Psycho, Strychnine) are probably the best four on the album. I know it was commonplace for albums at this time to consist mostly of contemporary covers, but to play devil’s advocate, Rubber Soul, despite its faults, is comprised entirely of original compositions, so there was nothing stopping these guys from breaking the mold here. A fine and fun album by its own merits, but I don’t think it’s overly impressive in any real sense of musical identity or influence.

It's a'ight

Mwa

Quite fun, but too bad the sound quality on most songs is pretty bad. I like the energy of the main vocalist

Classic punk. Kind of messy.

Was ok, not great or bad

so much grit and gruff esp for 1965. Very fun!! 7.4/10

Yeah, it was fine. It’s nice to see the evolution of punk and what it came from - the proto punk sound. But I need something else at this point. I’m a bit tired of the rock sound. It was a decent album. My favs were - witch, do you love me, psycho, night time. It’s not bad but it’s not good to me also. The grooves sound the same. It’s the same drum pattern and guitar chords and rhythms. Strong 2 to a light 3.

Solid but oldie

Awful sound quality, mostly covers, some pretty painful, but still there's some infectious energy swirling around that gives this album charm and momentum. Making it fun, but not actually great.

classic, nothing fancy garage rock. most of the songs are covers, but i liked a few of their originals ("The Witch" and "Strychnine"). i generally love the vibe of these lo-fi recordings, and the singer has a great scream. i can see the influence on future artists. not much more to it. giving it a 3.

Another in the "i understand that it's foundational and influential but i'll stick to the things that built upon its foundation and were inspired by it thank you"

This was pretty fun! Lots of classic rock standards that I recognized. I enjoyed it but it wasn’t my favorite.

Good “at the beach throwing around an inflatable ball” album

I guess this is ahead of its time and reportedly influential, but seemed like pretty by the numbers rock and roll, with too many covers of standards that hardly seemed definitive or even particularly necessary.

3.5

Neat historical curiosity. Nothing beyond that.

If you wanted to listen to an album that was recorded through a tin can and a potato, look no further.

Je suis quand même impressionné par comment ça sonne vraiment en avance sur son temps par son style beaucoup plus distortionné et "sale" que le rock de cette époque. Je comprends comment ça a pu être un précurseur des mouvements garages et proto-punk. Par contre, j'ai de la difficulté à vraiment apprécié car en même temps il y a beaucoup de stéréotype blues/rock n roll qui me fatiguent un peu. Globalement, un album qui ne m'a pas complètement séduit, mais vaudrait la peine d'être réessayé et définitivement nécessaire de l'inclure dans ces 1001. 7/10

Nothing spectacular about the album, but you can obviously hear the influence it has on punk/alt music in the future. Covers of some noticeable oldies were fun, but not noteworthy. 2.5/5 Might listen again

"Do You Love Me" - loved this song from the dd soundtrack, good cover. Good album overall imo, entertaining & short.

Too much synth noise for me

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yeah, a solid record with a great track run through the middle Favourite song: Have Love Will Travel