The Sonics

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sonics
The Sonics in Chicago (2014)
The Sonics in Chicago (2014)
General information
origin Tacoma , United States
Genre (s) Rock 'n' roll , garage rock
founding 1960, 2007
resolution 1968
Current occupation
Gerry Roslie
Andy Parypa
Rob Lind
Larry Parypa
Bob Bennett

The Sonics are an American rock band from Tacoma , Washington state . The band, founded in 1960, is one of the pioneers of garage rock and anticipated elements of punk with their fast and raw style of play .

history

The band formed in 1960 and played instrumental rock 'n' roll . In the first few years there were various line-up changes, until in 1963 there was a permanent line-up consisting of Andy Parypa ( bass ), Gerry Roslie ( vocals & keyboards ), Bob Lind ( saxophone ), Larry Parypa ( guitar ) and Bob Bennett ( drums ). Since the purely instrumental rock'n'roll was slowly going out of fashion, Gerry Roslie, who previously only played the electric piano , became a singer. All band members had already gained experience in other music groups, so there was enough potential for professionalism, which gave the band the opportunity to perform in various clubs in the Pacific Northwest area of ​​the USA .

In 1964, the band was discovered by the bassist of local heroes The Wailers for their own label Etiquette Records . The Sonics' first single , The Witch , was released in November 1964 and was a local success, although radio stations occasionally refused to play the single out of fear of endangering the public calm. You have to consider the size of the US to understand that local success meant good sales. So the band rushed to release the second single called Psycho . This too became a great local success.

The band released their first album Here Are The Sonics in 1965. A year later, the second album Boom followed . Both records were characterized by an energetic sound that was created by overdriving the instruments during the recording. It made very raw and aggressive sounding recordings. The singer, who screamed more than sang, had a dynamic, powerful voice. The band was still heavily influenced by rock'n'roll, with a tendency towards compositions by Afro-American musicians and thus a tendency towards rhythm and blues . The original compositions Witch , Psycho , Strychnine , Cinderella and He's Waitin ' are considered classics and prime examples of the garage rock of the 1960s.

With the release of the two albums, the band got better and nationwide performance opportunities. They played as support act for The Beach Boys , The Kinks , The Lovin 'Spoonful and The Byrds , among others . The band moved to the larger Jerden label in 1966 and recorded their third album Introducing The Sonics , which was released in 1967. During the recording, however, they had to make various compromises that were required by the label out of commercial interest. The album should be more suitable for the masses. The result was a powerless album with which the band themselves were dissatisfied. Gerry Roslie left the band and a new singer came along who also completely changed the style of the band. A few more singles were recorded, which sounded very poppy but completely flopped. In 1968 the band finally broke up completely.

The Sonics achieved late fame during the punk explosion in the late 1970s and were marketed as " garage punk " or " sixties punk ". In fact, there are musically parallels, which is why the band is seen by many as one of the first punk bands. In 1979, the Bomp label managed to bring the original line-up into the studio for another album.

In the fall of 2007, the band performed together for the first time at Club Warsaw in Brooklyn, New York. The original line-up included guitarist Larry Parypa, saxophonist Rob Lind and songwriter Gerry Roslie, three other musicians had to be replaced. It was the first concert of national importance in the history of the band, which had only achieved worldwide fame after its end. The journalist Bodo Mrozek wrote in a concert review from New York (in the daily newspaper on March 20, 2007): “There is a certain tragedy about the historical moment. The band's problem was never their music - it was their timing. Back in the sixties, the Sonics were at least ten years ahead of their time. Today, in the 21st century, it is a good thirty years too late for them. "

Discography

Albums

  • Here Are The Sonics (Etiquette Records, 1965)
  • Boom (Etiquette Records, 1966)
  • Introducing The Sonics (Jerden, 1967)
  • Sinderella (Bomp, 1980)
  • Full force! (Compilation by Etiquette Records , 1987)
  • This is the Sonics (2015)

Singles

  • "The Witch" / "Keep A-Knockin '" (Etiquette, 1964)
  • "The Witch" / "Psycho" (Etiquette, 1965)
  • "Psycho" / "Keep A-Knockin '" (Etiquette, 1965)
  • "Boss Hoss" / "The Hustler" (Etiquette, 1965)
  • "Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark" / "Shot Down" (Etiquette, 1965)
  • The Sonics '"Don't Believe In Christmas" / The Wailers' "Christmas Spirit" (Etiquette, 1965)
  • "Cinderella" / "Louie Louie" (Etiquette, 1965)
  • "You Got Your Head On Backwards" / "Love Light" (Jerden, 1966)
  • "Like No Other Man" / "Love Light" (Jerden, 1966)
  • "The Witch" / "Like No Other Man" (Jerden, 1966)
  • "Psycho" / "Maintaining My Cool" (Jerden, 1966)
  • "Love-itis" / "You're In Love" (Jerden, 1967)
  • "Lost Love" / "Any Way The Wind Blows" (Piccadilly, 1967)
  • "Any Way The Wind Blows" / "Lost Love" (UNI, 1967)
  • "Dirty Old Man" / "Bama Lama Bama Loo" (Burdette, 1975)
  • "The Witch" / "Bama Lama Bama Loo" (Great Northwest, 1979)
  • "The Witch" / "Keep A-Knockin '" (Norton, 1998)
  • "Psycho" / "Have Love Will Travel" (Norton, 1998)
  • "Cinderella" / "He's Waitin '" (Norton, 1998)
  • "Boss Hoss" / "The Hustler" (Norton, 1998)
  • "Strychnine" / "Shot Down" (Norton, 1998)
  • The Sonics '"Louie Louie" / The Wailers' "Louie Louie" (Norton, 1998)
  • "Don't Believe In Christmas" / "Santa Claus" (Norton, 1998)

Web links