Reviews (page 6 of 9)
I liked this more than I expected. I get why it was influential to so many PNW bands later. Honestly, its a pretty good listen.
Enjoyed this one
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.
Gee whiz, these mother fuckers can certainly play that rock -n-roll...4.5
Great 50’s rock sound
I'll be honest: I am a sucker for nice production and impressive musical craftsmanship. But I also love music that embraces life and which is truly full of energy. And it has been a really long time since I heard something as full of vitality as this album right here. Beautifully connecting rock n roll to punk, I don't understand why more people are not talking about this.
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.
Chad
A worse version of early beatles
Non memorable 60s rock. Crap sound quality.
All covers
Really outdated and sounds like shit. It actually seemed to get worse as it went on, maybe from all the unnecessary screams into audio equipment that couldn't handle it
Creedence did better covers
I need to snort some strychnine
The Good: RnR The Bad: one too many WOAWWWW The Ugly: listening to this might cause confusion… I am trying to figure out what punk has to do with this? Most of the songs sounded like a bad impression of what Little Richard would do with a song. Guess that means that Little Richard is the grandfather of punk??!!?!??!??!! Reserving my stars for other albums… 2* because, though annoying, the album does not make you want to skip songs and at times even gives energy.
Great album, so many hits I don’t know came from them.
Strictly for what this album symbolises - the reclamation of popular music from the clasps of musical proficiency and industrial finance - it more than deserves its place on the list. As an album itself, it might not strike you as that revolutionary today, but this is effectively the template for the most revolutionary cultural movement of the 20th century in punk rock. The original material is pretty iconic, even if the covers aren't. It has more than withstood the test of time, and I simply love it.
Really cool I’m starting to hear what sets them and the Who apart from the others around this time. It’s one of those albums that is tough to believe it came out so early. Rating: 4.0
Strong start. It was fine, liked the vibe but overall a bit underwhelmed.
While I did like the lo-fi, garage band sound (and that you can hear the early punk influence), I didn’t like the fact that the album was mostly covers. I was on the fence between 2 and 3*, but I’m rounding down because of that.
So much shrieking
This was actually kinda cute. Classic party band sound. Very fun. It’s cute how they start off sounding like little Mormon boys doing covers, and by the end they’re screaming like rowdy garage punks. 4/5
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.
Seems pretty unnecessary compared to its contemporaries. The covers are pretty weak, but the original songs have something pretty cool to them.
Good, old fashioned garage rock. 12 great pop songs in under 30 minutes. I really enjoyed this album. There are some great original songs like the witch and Strychnine and some classic rock and roll covers. This album is good fun. Favourite song: Have love will travel and money Least favourite: Walkin the dog Album artwork: Basic
Sim, as versões dos Beatles são melhores, mas encaixaram bem no disco deles.
Album full of covers that are worse than their original. I actuallt like their sounds-it is nice and raw- but the covers suck. Best thing about the album is its length.
2.5
Never heard of them, but not bad. A punk version of the Beatles.
I've heard of The Sonics before as a pioneering garage rock group. From this debut album, I had already heard singles "The Witch" and "Boss Hoss", along with their cover of Richard Berry's "Have Love, Will Travel." The rest of Here Are the Sonics is on par with the songs above. This is a collection of hard-rocking tunes and covers where grainy production is a feature. In particular, I want to highlight Gerry Roslie's vocals, as his conviction to belt and scream with such power won me over on most of these songs. Add to that, Gerry was also impeccable behind the piano, complimented by Rob Lind's prominent saxophone play. The only cover I didn't care for was Rufus Thomas's "Walking the Dog". Their rendition was played at a mid-tempo pace and sung by a different vocalist who did not have the same presence as Gerry did behind the mic. If you dig the later garage rock sound and style of acts like The Stooges and The White Stripes, you're in for a treat with these forebearers. Check them out.
This feels like one of the first albums to sound this "heavy". You can hear where some later bands like The Stooges got inspiration from this album.
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
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.
There are classics here. but I have a hard time ranking this as a 5 since most of the albums are just really excellent cover songs.
No hate but why on list?
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 sounds like it was recorded in a sort of cramped space with only one, low-quality microphone. And I only assume it was a cramped space because I hafta assume the saxophone player was placed right next to the microphone the way it blasts over everything every time it appears. But, I'unno, it adds to the charm. This whole "garage proto-punk" thing they got. I mean, I feel like it tends to play out better when they're doing their few originals over the covers—which is a bit of a shame given that the album's 1:2 originals to covers. Like, even with their ramshackle recording, the covers just don't sound too terribly special to me? Honestly, in some parts it sounds like the parodies of garage rock Frank Zappa would have The Mothers do. And, yeah, it does feel like at least 25% of the words spoken on this album are just the lead singer going "WWWWWOOOOOAAAAAAAAWWWWW!!" But I still think I can nod at it as a good enough time to give it a 4. I can understand an argument for why it could go lower—that it's just noise that later bands would refine into less noise—but I'unno. Here are The Sonics, and here I am pretty satisfied.
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.
I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4 because I just admire the hell out of this. This is an extremely raw album for 1965 – it feels poorly recorded, poorly mixed, overtly loud, and doesn’t feel like it has as much professionalism as it’s trying to get across. I love every single thing about that – this is raw in a beautiful way, because it’s clearly made with a lot of love and respect to most of the songs they covered here, as well as their original ones. 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 to fruition roughly a decade later with harsher metal tones and punkier sounds – “The Witch” in particular feels like a damn Motorhead song, and this is 12 years before their debut album. 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. The sax solo on Have Love Will Travel is a great example of this – it has a sort of scratchy effect because of how much the mic is being distorted, and it’s such a unique effect that I don’t really know if it can be replicated on modern day equipment. In that sense, this album is both desperately of its time and rather ahead of it. 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 about 7 of the 12 tracks. There’s not really a bad track here. I think it’s a good album – I can see how people might give it a 1 or 2, but for my tastes, I admire the hell out of this for trying something so bold and loud. It’s probably closer to a 3, but I’m gonna go up to a 4. It’s worth listening to. Probably with loud-ass speakers in a garage somewhere, but it’s definitely worth it.
Lofi, fast and cheap. Further proof that good music (and albums) can be made on a budget with lots of filler. very few originals fill this album, but that's not what garage rock really is. The Sonics put together a tight and easy album that serves as a long lasting influence. 4/5
This album was hilarious. I have no idea the context for it which makes it funnier. Love the sax
The WITCH! So cool. Love their sound. Proper 4.5
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.
Wonderful album - you can hear the influences to White Stripes and Black Keys etc. Totally new to me
No one has a voice like Gerry Roslie. Those screams are amazing and fit perfectly, especially at the end of Psycho. A brilliant album.
Like the early rock n roll version of punk
This album is the blueprint for so much of what I love. Gerry's vocals alone were enough to influence teenage me to shred my own vocal cords trying to replicate that scream. Basic, primal angst and aggression in its most suburban teenage form. What a band.
Some of the most obnoxious songs ever recorded
You can hear rock starting to get harder, but every song does sound the same
Classic and great
A cover band from 1965 with all the sonic clarity of a 1970 cassette recorder. On most songs I was thinking, "Ok, that's Motown", "Ok, that's the Beatles" or "That's the Beatles covering Motown." I read that they were influential in Seattle. Maybe so. I don't know.
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.
Timeless garage rock
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
Lots of shouting in the album 🤣 The cover of roll over beethoven was so bad that it single handedly got the rating down to 2. Favorite track: have love will travel other picks: psycho, money, strychnine
Marked down for every fucking scream. Whilst edgy on a 45 fucking annoying on an LP. Didn’t finish.
Even in 1965 this music couln't have been cutting edge. It plods, is bland and I had to turn it off after 3 or 4 songs. Its like being in an inescapable Dirty Dancing themed holiday camp. To think The Beatles were producing Rubber Soul and Revolver around the same time...
When I listened to this I thought this band was the source code for all these huge hits for others. But the opposite was true, this is an album of covers. Albeit somewhat punk sounding a decade before punk, but not good enough for this list.
The standard.
Good collection of cover songs done reasonably well so 3 stars or C-.
Holy moly! How did I miss this band before? Right in my wheelhouse. Straight ahead raw rock and roll.
Rating: 8/10 A really fun album to listen to, plenty of catchy songs and melodies. Also seems to have been influential in hard rock and punk. Best song: Have Love Will Travel. Worst song: The Witch.
This album is a real shrieker
I liked this a lot. I can totally see how it is so influential - punk 15 years before punk! Great stuff
Loved this!
Lively night at the local
Ironic name, it sounds like it was played through blown out speakers
4 out of 5. I haven't heard of The Sonics before and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this album. It can be a bit basic but given the year it's from that's not shocking or even bad
even for the standard of 1965 the mixing is terrible
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. ***
I'm not sure how an album with only four original songs can be on the 1001 list. One extra star for the singer and jangly guitar player(s).
Really loved it. Loved hearing how this sound became the rock that followed. Loved the covers and loved the originals. Can’t understand why people didn’t enjoy it!
I enjoyed it, it was very raw and energetic
!!! Introducing Sonic the Hedgehog !!! Well this makes me appreciate some of the other albums from 1965 a lot more! Mostly covers, and I know one song from an advert (and their own 'Psycho' sounds almost identical). Not great on the ears. !!!Una Estrella!!!
“Here are the sonics” the can leave
🔥
Definitely hear the bands they influenced. Mostly covers on here, decent stuff good sound
Some primo garage rock mixed in with a few undistinguished copycat tracks.
2.5
Malogen, poorer covers of some great songs
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.
Good old rock n roll
Here's the first artist I'd never really heard anything about before starting doing this. Of course, anyone who's ever heard LCD Soundsystem before is familiar with the reference to them on Losing My Edge. But even with that in mind I had no idea what I was getting in for when starting this album. Listen to that blown-out production, the vocals are clipping, the instruments are being played shoddily, the harmonies are out of time. Perfect, a rock n roll record that isn't mind-numbingly boring. It's not like with Guided By Voices where each song is badly-produced in a unique way that injects each song with personality, but if I were to listen to any of these songs, this would be my preferred way of doing so. I truly do believe that the spirit of rock n roll is making as much noise as possible, and I think this sticks to that ethos, taking really basic songwriting and song structures and bending them to a level that would've felt unrecognisable in 1965. 7.5/10
Totally mediocre
Now I will say I enjoy the erratic nature of the album but that enjoyment comes at the cost of replay value. You like at first but then it starts to get stale fast. There are some good songs on here but for most part it's just dated 60's track rock with some classic rock songs thrown into it. Best - The Witch, Have Love Will Travel, and Strychnine Worst - can't be bothered tbh 2.50/5
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.
!!!it’s shit!!!
Good and catchy, made me wanna dance
Bad sound quality recording. Tracks are not really my taste either
Never heard of these guys. Happy that’s been corrected.
Great sound I like this a lot
An album I would put on in the background if I was cleaning around the house
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.
It wasn't bad, but I definitely would have net preferred not to listen to this album. Wasn't really my thing, felt a bit repetitive and non-imaginative.
Was ok - not my favourite rock and roll album.
It’s a decent garage band album……that’s it. The covers were not exceptional - just ok. They also live to wail…..too much.
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.
Historical influence of some rock acts to come. By itself, meh. I like lo-fi garage band stuff. This isn't it for me, though.
Very loud, really pushing recording tech of the 60s. But not really into the songs.
This is pretty good. I wasn't overly impressed by their musicianship, but it's a lot of fun. The guitar distortion is excellent, and the vocals find a great balance between singing and screaming (lol). If the album was any longer without any other stylistic changes it might get old, but it's kind of the perfect length. It's also really solid from beginning to end, without any songs that are "duds". Favorite Song(s): Night Time is the Right Time, Good Golly Miss Molly
Never heard about this band. Was a great surprise
Totally hits the spot. The kind of music you can boogie to at a club night full of weirdos in your local city. Amazing fun and much more authentic than their peers.
Middling surf and garage rock. Doesn't reach the level of Dick Dale & His Del Tones, who were also performing during this era and changed how people viewed surf music and garage rock. Competent covers but nothing special. Sounds like your typical bar band from anywhere around the west coast at this time who were all trying to imitate The Beatles. If the album were mostly originals I could take it a bit more seriously. I honestly don't think this album belongs on the list.
The Witch starts this album off on a high note. Psychedelic sixties rock in full swing and heavy beat to get down to. All downhill from there. What follows are dated-feeling and unoriginal covers that have no business existing. Has the feeling of a debut and I don’t mean that in no nice way neither. Highly disappointed. 2/5
Seems like a random choice. I don't mind it but it doesn't super stand out, I can imagine they were influential but it feels more like something a lot of groups were doing at the time rather than them pioneering. One of the reviews said they just occasionally yell WHOAWWWWW and now it's the only thing I can focus on. Eventually quite grating. 2.5
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
Didn't care for this
Aika menevää rock n rollia. Tässä on ihan meininkiä. Aika rajua. Parhaat: Roll Over Beethoven, Money, Strychnine
Rockabilly music. Think “Johnny B Goode”. It would’ve been okay but the singer’s constant screaming really made me dislike this album.
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.
Pre-punk covers of classics.
Very enjoyable, high energy early 60s rock album. We've sure heard many other bands go in the very same direction later on—at times with better results—but it doesn't make this album any less good. The only thing I disliked was the screaming (way too overused). Highlight: Have Love Will Travel 3.5 - 4 stars
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.
The thing about '60s music is that everybody did everybody else's songs and they all sound kinda the same. The quality of the recording I listened to was awful.
This is definitely an interesting album from a historical perspective. It clearly presents an intermediary step between classic rock'n'roll and what later involved into punk rock. As clean as these guys look on the album cover, their sound is surprisingly raw for its time. I'd definitely prefer the original versions of the rock'n'roll and R&B covers, they just don't really do it for me in these raw, dirty garage versions. That they still sound somewhat good is a testament to the quality of songwriting of some of these fantastic classics. That said, the original material by The Sonics certainly works better in their transitionary style of rock. Favorite track: Psycho
Felt very Beatles
Early punk sound plus covers of 60’s songs
just some classic rock'n'roll covers i guess, but nothing wrong with that
Solide, handgemacht, aber die Originale sind dann doch besser für meinen Geschmack!
Love the oldies
A generally enjoyable album with some versions of songs I like.
Just a fantastic album- you can’t help feel excited when you hear it - the sound the voice the drums- excellent
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.
Don’t care for it. 2
beach blanket bingo type beat
That was the same song for 1 hour and no one can tell me otherwise. Fun mid 60s jam album but man get a different riff. D teir.
Not my style. 2*
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
A very early 60s rock album. It's enjoyable and fun, though the lead singer's scream in every song is a bit much, but it does what it sets out to do and is very good for its era. I like their originals more than their covers, as I can hear better covers of those songs on other albums.
I love 60s music, but not so much this one.
a classic unique sound but too much clipping and random screaming
The Monks last week, a garage band I didn't know, The Sonics this week, a garage band I very much did. Name-checked repeatedly in 'Losing My Edge', I sought them out, pretty sure this would be Limewire times. So one track at a time. Then a few years later they started turning up in adverts on TV. Psycho. Have Love Will Travel. Whatever else. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Etc. Never going to be up there in the greatest recordings of all time but hell it doesn't half shake things up.
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.
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
Rad
Never heard of them before. Amazing for their time.
Ooh, this joined some useful dots on my Jack Black-style, School of Rock, mental blackboard. Definitely a link between nice 60s-style guitar pop and the punk and indie stuff to come. Even a wee bit o' screamo! Who knew. Is it just in the UK they're a bit obscure? Good to hear some boys enjoying making some noise and being innovative. I enjoyed the blend of traditional rock n roll classics with the desire just to be properly noisy. My fave tracks, truthfully, were Gerry Roslie's originals; I shall endeavour to remember his name. (And I now know that Richard Berry wrote Louie Louie, which isn't on here, as well as Have Love Will Travel, which is. Satisfying musical knowledge.) 7 out of 10 but I'm feeling generous
Quite enjoyed the covers, but by the end the incessant WAAAAAAAing was really getting on my nerves. Started as a 2.5, ended as a 1.5 and that’s only cos Roll Over Beethoven reminds me of my dad and made me smile.
listened on 06/08/25 whilst organising soap episode trackers
Вокалист пугал меня почти всë время своими криками
Nope
It was alright, surprised to recognize a couple songs. Do You Love Me and Roll Over Beethoven
Though there's usually never a precise point that genres get created, you can always trace them back through albums and artists, and this one feels like a very early indicator of what punk would be. Super energetic and fun garage rock. I also love how despite most of the album being covers, it's 3 original songs that steal the show. 'The Witch'. 'Strychnine', and the classic 'Psycho' are 10/10 bangers. None of them sound like they came from 1965, it's insane. The vocalist also carries the whole thing on his back, his energy is untouchable, similar to legendary punk artists that would come later.
Short and sweet. Classic rock and roll sound.
they're so fucking loud but damn this and a bump would be unmatched
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.
The covers ran the gamut from pretty good to downright woeful ('Miss Molly'), but the originals weren't bad and overall I didn't mind the vibe and lo-fi aesthetic. But Jesus fucking Christ, the cumulative effect of the constant WOWWWWWWWW!!!!!s was just way too much. Each one hurt more than the last, and turned into the longest 28 minutes and 42 seconds of my life. Might have made a decent 45 or couple of tracks in a shuffle playlist, but as an album it became actively unpleasant to listen to.
Mid-sixties garage / rock 'n roll band -- a few Chuck Berry covers, drums, guitars, bass; just the essentials with simple chords. I can see how this raw sound would be influential to later bands, but I still think it's odd that I've never heard of them before this.
Raucous and life affirming despite being 60 odd years old, don't know why so many are giving this bad reviews
Some classics on here - enjoyed listening!
Evidence the the US northwest has always been grungecentric. I do love the feel of this album a true American garage version of the pop that was flowing freely everywhere. Raw, grating, celebratory and dark a great gem that more need to hear.
Sonics walked so the punk could run?? Idk this was the most pleasant surprise so far. Early tones of punk, garage, surf rock for sure
It all kinda sounded the same
Very cool to hear such early versions of songs. I liked it.
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
YEOWWWWW!!! This sounds like it was recorded through a walkie talkie. I understand that it was the 60s and quality equipment wasn't as plentiful as it is today, but Jesus does it make it difficult to listen to. I wouldn't mind if it was just a poor recording as much if it wasn't for the repetitive and obnoxious songs. It's just a scream, basic rock jam, scream, repeat. I don't care how influential they are, they're not for me. 2/10 Would I listen again? It would be very difficult for someone to make me listen to this again.
Radical for its time, but a time we are so far removed from that it doesn’t shake any modern musical conventions
I wish i could hear them live
Although I love 60’s music never heard of The Sonics before. Probably because as far as I can tell they never had any success in the UK. Listening through the album I don’t know how they made this list. Maybe because according to Wiki some quite influential musicians say that they themselves were influenced by them. The few original songs are just standard 60’s rock and roll. The remainder (and majority) are second rate covers which bring nothing new to the originals. The recording quality is chronically bad. I know it’s just 60’s tech but even allowing for that it sounds as if it was done on a low budget. The number of covers also indicates just one or two takes so the whole thing could be done it has little time has possible. I streamed this on Tidal and all I was getting was sound from one speaker. That could be Tidal’s fault but the whole listening experience was poor only helped by the fact that the album was less than 30 mins long. I think overall and not meaning to be rude to our American cousins, this album is very American centric and came in response to the real explosion of UK groups about that time and who put The Sonics week into their shadow. 1/5 28/4/24
4.8
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.
Wow. Definitely ahead of its time. This is very different from most stuff from the early 60’s.
I'm not a fan of the Jerry Lee Lewis style of jitter bug and screaming. I wont be listening again unless I need a soundtrack for 60s themed party
low fi fun
The recording doesn’t hold up. It sounds really old. Nevertheless, this album is full of hits which everyone knows; however, most of them are covers. This album came out about the same time as some Beatles albums did with the same songs. Interesting. The Beatles did them better, though. I love the screams..too many?
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.
Nobody: The Sonics lead singer: WAAAAAH!!!!
This rocks, did not expect it to go this hard. Excellent album
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.
The witch was a very nice listen. Afterwards it just became rock n roll with a very abrasive sound. I can see how they were pioneers but musically there was absolutely no innovation to be found after the first track.
73/1001 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑
If I’d liked them in the 60s that would have been better. But they’re just average and they’re doing songs that had already been done. Hearing them now for the first time isn’t winning me over.
Oldies, but not the good version of any
This is a pretty rotten album. Production is terrible, vocals are awful, its almost all badly performed covers. 1/5
Oh hell yeah, this album opens with what sounds like a hard rock version of the 60s Batman theme song. These guys aren’t messing around. They’re rock n roll but they’re rocking so hard that they push the music close to heavy metal territory at times. And the screaming wail on the lead vocals! Wow. I was familiar with about half of these songs but the band totally transforms them and brings a wild energy. Even the guy on saxophone is a maniac! The production is pretty rough but the energy is through the roof!
Growing up my mom had a great record player and her, my brother, and I would dance in the basement to some great doo wop and early rock and roll vinyls for hours on end. This wasn't one of those records, but "Do You Love Me" was one of the songs (I think probably the version by "The Contours") and I haven't heard that song in so long and this was a huge flashback for me to those times. This version is so great, although similar to The Contours version. I really enjoy the performances on here. It's way more rock and rock than I was expecting and the energy is super high and fun and youthful. That was a real highlight of this listening experience.
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.
Kan fatta att man gillade detta 1965. Men idag håller det verkligen inte. Står ut eftersom jag är Dirty Dancing evigt trogen och Do You Love Me är med i filmens näst hetaste scen. Finns något rörande i att de vill kaxa med Beethoven. Får tyvärr lätt PTSD av alla OAAAAAA! WTF. Håll käft med det. En 2a eftersom det inte är lika tröttsamt som Elvis men väldigt nära. Och vrålen. Va fan!! Det är som att de också hatar sin musik och måste släppa ut lite ångest. Så grabbar. Ni som är kvar. Ta lite Stryknin och klipp håret. Tur albumet hållits kort. En svag 2a.
Skrev förut. Men ser att det inte sparats. Aja, det var ingen vidare lyssning. Jobbigt mest.
Det här måste vara den absoluta motsatsen till ”stort ljud”. Låter som att de spelat in skiten i en sardinburk. Rätt trist i övrigt också.
"Here Are the Sonics" by The Sonics is a seminal album that epitomizes the raw, primal energy of 1960s garage rock. Released in 1965, this record is a high-octane explosion of gritty guitar riffs, thunderous drums, and snarling vocals that define the genre. Tracks like "The Witch," "Psycho," and "Strychnine" are adrenaline-fueled anthems that showcase the band's rebellious attitude and musical prowess. What sets "Here Are the Sonics" apart is its raw and unfiltered sound, captured in lo-fi production that adds to its gritty charm. The album's influence can be heard in countless garage and punk bands that followed, making it a cornerstone of rock 'n' roll history. Overall, "Here Are the Sonics" is a must-listen for fans of garage rock and a testament to the enduring power of raw, unbridled rock music. 4/5
Us 60's!
WAAAAAAAAAAAA
A garage full of arse and bees.
The hedgehog, not the boom
YHEOW!
Hmm. I was pretty up for this - I like garage rock and thought this would be really interesting, but it let me down I'm afraid. It didn't have the oomph that I'd been expecting, and was surprisingly generic I thought.
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
A fun listen - transitional fossil style, it's the missing link between trad rock & roll and punk. Kinda basic, but fun all the same. I don't necessarily trust Dimery to pick a good example of such a transitional fossil, but skimming the wikipedia page for garage rock, it looks like these guys were big in the pacific north west, so arguably they are a forerunner of grunge? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Fave tracks - "The Witch" and "Boss Hoss" stood out, and happen to be two of the non covers, huh. They shoulda trusted themselves more and included more originals!
Some bangers
Soooooo many covers
Maybe it's because I couldn't sleep and so was cranky, but this was really annoying.
conventional sixties
Liam’s fav
throwing ass to this in the club
Great songs performed with rawness and high energy, what more could you ask for? It made me dream of being a kid in the 60s and having bands like this performing at parties.
Rather poor recording, too many covers, and lots of yelling. The original songs were decent tho
So this is the band I've been calling the "shouting garage band" all these years. I've been trying figure the name of Have Love Will Travel for a long time, too. What a relief to FINALLY get it. What a fun & raucous album. I wish more garage bands had this raw enthusiasm & talent. This is definitely an album I'll eagerly revisit.
good lord the number of shit early/mid 60s albums on this list that were just nothing but rock & roll staple covers. It's bad! same goes for Rolling Stones' debut album!
A first class high school dance band in the 60’s. The artist radio on Tidal for this group is very good.
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.
I like the garage sound. But if this album is consistent with their overall output, the Sonics are a cover band.
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.
Pretty cool to hear garage sounding rock from the 60's... a lot of the same song structure I've seen from other acts but I hear some more lo-fi and dirtier vocals than pop versions. I love the song Night and Day with the background vocal jarring with the main singer's. A lot of the best songs are just covers which makes me not give this the highest rating, but I did enjoy listening.
Not even the best "crappy garage band" sound, which is hard to pull off. 2 stars.
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? 🤔 “
The original songs aren’t great and there are much better versions of all the covers
Wasn't terrible but not sure it needs to be on this list.
I have heard a lot of these songs sung better by other people
I liked it. Not a fan of the amount of covers but a solid album.
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)
Fun blast from the past listen. Great energy and only 30 minutes long
This is fun. They really are raw and I love the terrible production quality. I bet I would have had a blast at their concerts where I around back in the day. I can't in good contious give a 5 to an album that's 2/3rds covers, especially one that has so many covers of black musicians repackaged for white audiences, so a 4 it is.
The 2nd best sonic since the hedgehog. This was a good album, quality 60s rock and roll with some top quality covers of of the classics.
I liked the juxtaposition of the lyrics with the upbeat music
Minimum of three “screams” per song. Best song was Strychnine (L was thinking about taking some and screaming by the end of the album.) Too many cover songs. Was that kazoo heard on a couple of songs? Or just out of tune instruments? Either way, it gets (0.3*s)
My ghat, what is that buzzing sound? The recording quality of this album is abysmal to the point where it's actually distracting. Is that why it's considered "garage rock"? Because this beach-y piano says otherwise. The originals are slightly better than the covers (also too many of those). I can see how people think this influenced early punk but I'd say more The Black Keys really. This sounded like it was from the 50's and was just ok. Service Announcement: You aren't punk if you button the top button on your collared shirt and please stand closer to the mic next time. Oooph, there won't be a next time.
Not sure why an intro album with mostly covers (that aren't even that great) makes the list. I like the originals on here by the band. Maybe should have introduced them when they had a few more songs for a full album? Lead singer has a scream that may have set them apart at the time but not enough to cement them on a must listen list.
Early garage punk rock. A dozen rapid paced, 2-3 minute songs. Despite the lack of polish its pretty to easy to digest which might be part of its allure. This sounds like something that would have been unique and refreshing at the time of release. I kinda dug it. 2.35 stars
I was actually surprised by the ferocity of this record at first, with the opening track really feeling like the pinnacle of "proto-punk" and while it wasn't really my thing, I could respect it. However, that feeling was quickly subdued by the rest of the track listing just being rock 'n' roll standards performed with a blown out speaker. The energy is there, but there's no balance present on the record, going as fast as you could for 1965, but I feel it just causes the album to be dated and repetitive, as for most of the tracks all I can think is "Oh, the Beatles did this, but those are their worst tracks," and while I know that isn't fair to the Sonics, it doesn't help to know that this was basically made obsolete by the wave of rock coming in the late 1960s, and by the time punk was emerging, the Stooges seems like the more obvious influence. This just feels like Jerry Lee Lewis on steroids, and at the end of the day that's still boring rock 'n' roll, even if it is raw for 1965, it doesn't feel it holds much prevalence today. Its okay at points, but hardly feels essential, and that scream he does on every track can be grating very quickly. Check it out for punk origins or if you like simple rock 'n' roll classics, otherwise don't bother.
Not really my vibe. Interesting pick!
Decent garage rock covers
Punk blues?!
Do you love me on aivan mahtava kappale, eikä sen tarvinnut edes kannatella tätä levyä, kun mukana oli kaikki muutkin hitit. Erinomaisen hauskaa kuultavaa siis. Ja tanssittava tietenkin. Aika metal huudot välissä! Keveää silti.
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
It's really almost all covers, and nothing special there. I guess they are influential, but that's really the end of it.
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.
Meh
Oldie, but (only 50%) „Goldie“ For me it does not work anymore
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
Perfectly average 60's cover band.
Passabler Rock'n Roll.
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.
Oh good. Another album from the 60s. There's a cover of "Do You Love Me" on here...it's fine but the original is way better. I might be a little biased since the original was on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack lol, but still. I'm sorry...I don't care for their sound. I feel like a broken record at this point because I've said that about almost every album from the 60s that I've listened to for this project. 2/5 I mean, it sounds like they were having fun, which is great. But I was not having that much fun.
A bit bland, nothing special, in terms of old indie type of music
“Here Are the Sonics” Live Reaction -This sounds like ass. -Why is this on here? -Oh, it was very influential for punk and garage rock genres? … -This sounds like ass.
3-4
Not unenjoyable, but honestly they just feel like a bunch of hacks making pale imitations of far better artists. Toddler's review: "Turn it off. Music all gone now"
Really fun. Have Love will travel is the one that gets played a lot but other than that the original songs I liked best. psycho, boss hoss, the witch, and strychnine are all great. Nice protopunk, surfy garage rock guitars on the cover. Solid 4 or 4.5
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!
Average 60s cover band
Rougher Garage-Sound auf dem Weg zum Punk, aber noch mit 60er-typischem Rock'n'Roll-Einschlag. 2,5
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOH 3/10
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.
12 songs; 189 “screams”. Precursor to Punk? Seems ironic since half of the songs on the album were hits written by R&B performers. Nothing anti-establishment about that. Again, not my style, I suppose.
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.
Hm, een echt klassiek rock album. Ik weet niet zo goed wat ik hier van vind. Het klinkt flink gedateerd, en ik ben niet zo'n fan van de Rock n roll schreeuw die hier nog vaak in zit. Maar ik moet zeggen, gezien dit uit 1965 komt kan ik begrijpen waarom het in de lijst staat, ik vind het vooral gewoon echt niet heel erg goed. 2 sterren, uit respect. Als ik nog 1 keer WWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW moet horen dan ga ik echt iets anders doen, schijtirritant. Het gebeurd in de soul van James Brown en Charles Bradley, maar daar gebeurd muzikaal weer een stuk meer en het is niet zo frequent als hier. blegh.
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.
Good group….
Guys, if it’s showing as red, you need to turn your instruments down or move back from the mic. I don’t understand why the fuck anyone would choose to listen to this. You could be listening to The Beach Boys or The Beatles or Chuck Berry or Rufus Thomas or literally anyone who didn’t record their album using a paint tin suspended from a light fitting.
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.
Decent covers album.
Serviceable, full of covers.
Swing type music.
60s garage band. Pop style rock. Upbeat. 2/3 originally but kept listening after a few days and liked more and more. 4
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
I give up on trying to find a funny response to this album, it sapped all the energy in me
oh boy. this album is mostly... irritating. lame uninspired progs, songs that sound so similar you wonder if the player is skipping, ear-bleeding mastering. speaking of ear-bleeding this singer. whoever he is. he looooooves to just hold that microphone really close and SCREECH. like he's SCREAMING into that mic. every single song he does it. UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGHHH!! is it that necessary?
fun album. had only heard one song previously
Not my cup of tea
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
A couple songs are good but overall, pass.
An amazing example of an American garage band. Spectacular album.