Let's Talk About...THE SONICS!

Hey guys.

Looking to start an informative and entertaining thread about the seminal Tacoma proto-punk garage rockers THE SONICS. Apart from Alec Paleo's essay in the "Psycho Sonic" compilation, I don't know a lot about these guys, apart from their huge influence on the rock scene. Lets get this started!

 

Greatest garage band there ever was, and still absolutely tearing it up live. I have been lucky to see them twice since their reunion, and was totally knocked out both times. They have a reunion album (Sonics 8) which is a mixed bag, but one or two songs are up there with the classics.

 

They definitely had a raw sound, for sure. Not just The Sonics per-se, but many of the bands on the Etiquette label used the same studios and had the same hard driving sound. Listen to The Wailers' "Out Of Our Tree". Killer.

So, who has control of the Etiquette masters? Ace/Big Beat? Norton?

 

There's a Sundazed batch of 7"s just coming out late this month. They were pre, proto and the like before what we today consider the punk family tree. They probably put the seeds for more than they could have posibly imagined.

 

I love the Sonics. LOCAL PRIDE!

Their first album was consistently good and while their second album wasn't quite up to that level, I find it had higher peaks like "He's Waiting" and Louie Louie".

I also don't understand people's dislike of their third album, "Introducing The Sonics". While nothing compared to previous work, it still stands up well against their peers. It's much better than anything The Wailers were doing in 66 or 7.

 

A local group when I was growing up. I was 15 in 1965 and living in Spanaway. "The Witch" and "Psycho" were all over the AM radio.

 

The Sonics... Great name, great band (and vocals that could strip paint from a wall).

 

Here is a piece I wrote after hearing that Kent Morrill of The Wailers had passed away. http://indiemusicology.blogspot.com/2011/04/wailers-vs-sonics-battle-of-bands.html

Frank G

 

To my knowledge, Buck Ormsby still has the control over the masters, but I'm pretty sure that Norton Records leased them for some releases.

Frank G

 

There's lots of info on the band on the back of the vinyl reissues of their first 2 albums, by norton, they are dirt cheap too. Around 10 bucks a piece. Sounds good to me, too.
Also bought the fabulous Wailers album which was great, and the Northwest killers compilations which had some nice tracks, too.

Any other recommendations?

 

Required Ettiquette - Ace/Big Beat label CD Release.
Lotsa the more obscure artists on that legendary Northwest label but with that raw raunchy sound. Also includes previously unreleased longer version of Psycho and alternate version of The Witch by the Sonics.

 

I've been trolling my usual used CD spots to try to find a copy of Psycho-Sonic for about two months.

 

Amazon has it both new and used for reasonable prices.

 

Etiquette is still owned by Buck Ormsby; he's licensed Etquette material to Ace/Big Beat and Norton. Like Rene mentioned, Required Etiquette is a must have comp with plenty of garage crushers. The Psycho-Sonic set of Sonics tunes on Big Beat is great. Be sure to get the 2003 version as Big Beat released a Sonics comp in the 1990s with the same name. The 2003 remaster uses better sources and sounds great. It has a mix of stereo and mono tracks. Big Beat has straight reissues of the lps in digipacks - these are mono. Norton has reissues of the lps with bonus tracks, all in mono; they also have a set of pre-Etiquette material called The Savage Young Sonics that's composed of home and live recordings.. The Norton and Ace/Big Beat sets have excellent liners, so if you want the whole story get them all.

For a history of Etiquette, try this: http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=8947

 

they are actually cardboard vinyl replica sleeves, not digipack
Big fan of vintage Sonics here, not so much of the reformation and recent touring

 

Whoops - they are indeed mini lp cardboard covers - thanks for the catch!

Here's a link to a page with an awesome collection of Pacific Northwest lp covers: http://www.vinylbeat.com/album-34-Northwest60s.html

 

Etiquette's catalog is loaded with great music, but they didn't corner the market on the teen garage scene in Tacoma and Seattle. Jerry Denon's Jerden family of labels released a lot of great garage material - check out the Ace/Big Beat and Sundazed comps for scoop ups with that Northwest stomp.

 

Awesome band! Been a big fan for a long time.
I was lucky enough to see them last year with The Woggles & Detroit Cobras (what a bill!!) I must admit I was a little apprehensive about seeing them at this late stage in their career, but they played an amazing set.
The $100.00 me, my wife and my best friend spent on tequila shots was well worth it (ha ha).
If they play anywhere nearby go check them out. They still BRING IT.

 

I possess many Sonics cds and comps and i have on question about original lps and stereo mixes.

Norton and Big Beat cds of the first two albums are all mono. 199 Psycho-sonic comp and the ultimate sonics too. But according to discogs there was original stereo lps. Were these lps true stereo or fake stereo ?

I possess the Fan Club Here's the sonics + Boom ! Two fer one cd. Is is full stereo and sound like a needle drop. Does it sound like the stereo lps or is it different stereo mixes ? Is this cd the only way to get the first full two albums in stereo on cd ? Thanks.

 

I'm a fan, although I only own one CD comp. by them titled "Here Are The Ultimate Sonics." It's a trimmed down single CD version of the 2 CD version on the same label. Both were released on Etiquette records.

 

I'm still amazed that something as raw as "The Witch" got played on AM Top 40 radio, but it was a pretty good-sized hit in quite a few regional markets. It was big enough in San Jose, CA. (peak #13...!) for the Syndicate of Sound to cover it.

 

Part of The Sonics material has appeared in true stereo on vinyl from Etiquette, and has also shown up on cd from Big Beat/Ace in stereo as well. The updated Psycho-Sonic comp has stereo (roughly half the disc), and the Required Etiquette comp has some stereo Sonics as well.

Fan Club cd - crappy sounding needle drop, if memory serves it's rechanneled - I got burned picking that one up right after it came out. A dubious release at best, not worth tracking down unless you have to have everything that's been put out. Get the Big Beat/Ace and Norton reissues for reissues of the lps in mono; if you want stereo, Alec Palao got to dig through Etiquette's vaults, and used 2 track masters where possible on the upgraded Psycho-Sonic comp, as well as a couple tracks on the V/A Required Etiquette set (definitely a great cd to pick up if you like garage crunch from the Pacific Northwest).

 

Thanks. Were the original stereo lps complete stereo or just a few tracks ? If yes, are all these stereo tracks available on the Psycho_Sonics comp ?

How do you recognize a fake stereo cd ? I can post samples from the New Rose cd if you want to compare and tell if it is true stereo or fake.

 

Now we are talking. Those early Sonic records are the IT.

 

If I remember, the Fan Club set was really echoey sounding - I'm pretty sure it wasn't true stereo or I would have kept it. I don't have the Etiquette stereo lps, so I can't say for sure of the stereo content. I don't think Cinderella was ever mixed to stereo. Perhaps rene smalldridge can chime in on stereo content of the original lps...