Three of the quirkier imprints from Hollywood’s heyday in the mid-1960s were the record labels Doré, Era and Mira. Like most seasoned indie producers in that epoch, their owners Lew Bedell, Herb Newman and Randy Wood struggled to get to grips with the onslaught of rock’n’roll activity that followed in the wake of the British Invasion. But amongst each company’s catalogue of R&B, pop schlock and novelty discs were a number of outstanding garage and proto-psych 45s that today are sought-after collectors’ items.
“Blow My Mind: The Doré-Era-Mira Punk & Psych Legacy” collects together the best of this venerated repertoire in a power-packed set that also constitutes the first official reissue for many oft-bootlegged titles. Cuts like ‘The Thief’, ‘Slander’ and ‘I’ll Blow My Mind’ would be expensive to acquire in their original, minutely-pressed incarnation. Here, with top-notch sound and extensive annotation, these totemic garage rock items shine brighter than ever.
There is the expected quota of attitude-laden classics such as ‘My Baby’s Barefoot’, ‘Just Wanna Be Myself’ and the incredibly snotty ‘So What!!’, along with less heralded gems by bands such as South Hampton Story, the Puddin’ Heads, Yesterday’s Tomorrow and the Search. An unexpected bonus is a superb unreleased cut by ‘Hey Joe’ hitmakers the Leaves, along with off-beat garage-psych titles by Simon T Stokes, the Outlaw Blues and the Wrench.
“Blow My Mind!” is the natural sequel to Big Beat’s recent, well-received collection “Lost Innocence” and is an essential purchase for the dedicated garage head.
Big-Beat
Artists - Title - Composer
1. The Syndicate -.My Baby's Barefoot (Bill Rash) - 2:42
2. The Leaves - Do Me A Favor (Unknown Artist) - 1:50
3. The No-Nâ-Mee's–.Gotta Hold On (Doug Wareham) - 2:33
4. The Motion - The Thief (Stanley House) - 2:26
5. The Lyrics - So What!! (Christopher Gaylord) - 2:49
6. South Hampton Story - Leave Me Behind (Dick Garcia, Tony Ponzo) - 2:39
7. Simon T Stokes -.Big City Blues (Simon T Stokes) - 2:16
8. Yesterday's Tomorrow–.The Other Half (RW Chandler, Anthony Bertolet) - 2:21
9. The Regents - Worryin' Kind (Mike McDonald) - 2:48
10.John Winfield Jr.- She Touched My Soul (John Winfield Jr.) - 2:26
11.Ty Wagner -.Slander (Ty Wagner) - 2:08
12.The Puddin' Heads - Now You Say We're Through (David Russell, John Greek) - 2:03
13.The Lyrics - They Can't Hurt Me (Christopher Gaylord) - 2:48
14.Spencer's Van Dykes–.I'll Blow My Mind (Edward E. Spencer) - 1:54
15.The Decades - I'm Gonna Dance (The Decades) - 1:56
16.The Wrench - The Day Is Hard (Gary Scott) - 2:16
17.The Search - Climate (Jim Mannino) - 2:32
18.The No-Nâ-Mee's - Just Wanna Be Myself (Doug Wareham) - 2:21
19.The Outlaw Blues - Non-Stop Blues (Victor Aleman) - 2:41
20.The Front Page And Her - Shame (Bobby Mell, Randy Larkin) - 2:15
21.The Bees - Forget Me Girl (Robert Zinner) - 2:17
22.The Tormentors - She's Gone (Lee Harper) - 2:25
23.Basil And The Baroques - It's No Use (Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn) - 2:57
24.Unknown Artist - To Make A Lie (Unknown Artist) - 2:31
25.Simon T Stokes - Cobwebs (Christian Wilde) - 2:22
The Syndicate
*Bill Patapoff - Bass
*Bob Bourbon - Drums
*Rick Cronin - Lead Guitar
*Bill Rash - Lead Vocals
*Jim Kobzeff - Rhythm Guitar
The Leaves
*Jim Pons - Bass
*Tom "Ambrose" Ray - Drums
*Bobby Arlin - Lead Guitar
*Robert Lee Reiner - Rhythm Guitar
*John Beck - Vocals, Harmonica
The No-Nâ-Mee's
*Dewayne Wareham - Bass
*Rod Williams - Drums
*Clay Ice - Organ
*Cliff Davis - Rhythm Guitar
*Doug Wareham - Vocals, Guitar
The Motion
*Lee Bickford - Bass
*Bill House - Guitar
*Mark Shinbrott - Organ
*Stan House - Vocals, Drums
The Lyrics
*Danny Garcia - Bass
*Gary Neves - Drums
*Michael Allen - Lead Guitar
*Chris Gaylord - Lead Vocals, Keyboards
*Craig Carll - Rhythm Guitar
*Steve Khailer - Vocals
South Hampton Story
*Danny Beckon - Bass
*Leon Beckon - Drums
*John Valenzuela - Guitar
*Danny Garcia - Keyboards, Lead Vocals
*Tony Ponzo - Lead Guitar
The Regents
*John Harris - Bass
*Craig Boyd - Drums
*Tom Baker - Guitar
*Mike McDonald - Guitar
*Jerry Rosa - Organ
The Puddin' Heads
*John Greek - Guitar
*Denny Reed - Vocals
The Lyrics
*Danny Garcia - Bass
*Gary Neves - Drums
*Michael Allen - Lead Guitar
*Chris Gaylord - Lead Vocals, Keyboards
*Craig Carll - Rhythm Guitar
*Steve Khailer - Vocals
The Bees
*John York - Bass
*Cary Slavin - Drums
*Bob Zinner - Guitar
*Peter Ferst - Guitar
*George Caldwell - Vocals
The Tormentors
*Dan Davis - Bass
*Tim Daley - Drums
*Lee Harper - Guitar
*Mark Davis - Lead Guitar
Basil And The Baroques
*Jim Messina - Bass
*Roger Brennan - Drums
*John Hartnett - Lead Guitar
*Bruce Miller - Lead Vocals
*John Cahners - Rhythm Guitar