DOUBLE BILL FOR THE AGES

I know, just did the Richard Berry thing, that had the Sonics and the Wailers. But I had to post this. It's a first hand account of a Sonics/Wailers double bill that happened back in the day, written by Frank Gutch Jr. He attended as a teenager, and writes about the show with amazing recall. I'm downright proud to say that Frank was the first person to make me listen to them, over thirty years ago. In my world, the man deserves a medal. (He also turned me on to the Flamin' Groovies and Big Star, among others.) Frank was partners in a record store, called "Scratching the Surface." The San Diego punk scene was just beginning, and his encouragement was essential in getting things off the ground, as was his store, which served as an ersatz hub.

I had lost track of Frank, for easily two decades, when a friend at a record store told me he saw a copy of my old fanzine on Ebay. When I looked at the item description, I knew the seller had to have been someone I knew, the description was so thorough. Out of curiosity, I emailed the seller, only to find out it was Frank. (He had a column in that issue, called "Boss Hoss," after the Sonics' song.) We've been in touch ever since.

One quick note: Because the Wailers share a name with the reggae Wailers, it's nearly impossible to find mp3s of the Fabulous Wailers.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Read: The Sonics vs the Wailers - Battle of the Bands! by Frank Gutch Jr., at Indie Musicology
Rock and Reprise - Frank's older stuff
Listen:
The Sonics - Boss Hoss mp3 at Pretty Goes With Pretty
The Sonics - Psycho mp3 at The Adios Lounge
The Sonics - The Witch mp3 at Blah Blah Blah Science
The Sonics - Walking the Dog mp3 (via MediaFire) at Metal Bastard Goes Soft
The Wailers - Out of Our Tree mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Wailers - Louie Louie mp3 via MediaFire
The Wailers - Mashi mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Wailers - Gunnin' For Peter mp3 at API.Ning
Let's Go Chopping:
Norton Records 45 RPM Juke Box Series -11 Sonics and Wailers singles on vinyl (scroll halfway down page)