I have to start with the context for this compilation, given that Strawberry / Cherry Red Records have already built up a collection of releases covering this period of American music history. This set, a 94-track companion volume being a prequel of sorts to 2024’s Pushin’ Too Hard that gathered together the ‘best of’ garage rock.
So now in Steppin’ Out – The Roots Of Garage Rock 1963-1965, what we get to hear is the origin story, that illustrates the spread of popular music out from the specific geographic hubs that had developed up to this time, when youngsters across the whole of America began to form, quite literally, garage bands to emulate the sounds that they were hearing on the increasingly popular and widespread local radio stations. It’s basically the story of the first US punk explosion. Well, maybe a punk commotion would be a better description. This collection traces an evolution rather than a revolution, the impression is more that the culture of the time is giving surf, folk, blues and rockabilly a bit of a shake, a rattle, and a roll. Youth culture was being unleashed across the nation and these aspiring musicians began to break down the music genre barriers by stamping their individuality on their local music scenes.
All of these artists are pioneers to some degree but with the exception of a few of the brightest stars most were destined to become footnotes, forgotten sons in the history of popular music, only to be saved, eventually, from complete obscurity by the heroes at Cherry Red. In a few short years 12” vinyl LPs would no longer be reserved for the compilation of singles and b-sides. The Moody Blues would be releasing Days of Future Passed, Procol Harum Shine On Brightly, and in 1969 the US would be hosting the Woodstock festival. The music world was moving on at an extraordinary pace.
This is a sprawling 3CD boxset that introduces the listener to a huge number of deep cuts and rarities, and I have to say that if you aren’t an American who lived through the time, or a 60’s American music junkie, listening from start to finish in one sitting isn’t to be recommended. Still, it’s a great resource for compiling a more palatable playlist or two and there are a fair share of coveted golden nuggets to be mined.
The UK and the US had very different origin stories when it comes to popular music. In the timeline, the late 50’s could be characterised as a period when US rockabilly and blues were key influences on the UK, whereas in the period of the mid-sixties, covered by this boxset, it was the British Invasion that bought the influence of Beat music from the UK to the US. In the 50’s, America was still a country defined by the racial segregation that was prevalent in all aspects of political, social and cultural life, including music. On the one side black musicians were predominantly located in Memphis, Detroit and New Orleans, with white musicians predominant in Nashville and California.
Blues, country, jazz and folk had their own, self-contained, cultural identities and as Elvis Presley found to his cost, social norms of the day created barriers to ‘crossing over’. The audience was certainly ready to embrace new artists in new contexts, but the authorities were determined to maintain the status quo forcing the gyrating Elvis to re-invent himself temporarily as a movie idol, selling a more modest, family-friendly product.
California had long been the home of the US film industry and by the 50’s it had also developed into a hub for folk music. The congregation of musicians in the area led to the exchange of ideas and also provided the impetus for instrument makers to meet the increasing demand for acoustic and amplified musical instruments. Out of that melange ‘surf music’ evolved and this is where Steppin’ Out begins its story, with a snapshot of the surf music scene in 1963 in the first half of CD1.
The Chantays open up with, it has to be said, a proto-progressive instrumental called Pipeline, that wouldn’t be out of place as a TV theme tune to something mysterious and enigmatic, such as ‘The Prisoner’. As an opening statement in the set list it fits the bill, a track from an established surf music band that shows a bit of imagination and suggests ‘progression’. Instrumentals were an integral part of the surf genre, arguably the original, authentic surf music, and second up The Dartells with Hot Pastrami is a more straightforward example of its type. R.P.M. by The Four Speeds is a textbook surf song, unmistakeably, from the opening car sound effects to the harmony vocals, the jaunty, unrelenting backbeat, and the reverb guitars.
Jan and Dean make an appearance with Dead Man’s Curve, but it is Louie Louie by The Kingsmen that is the centrepiece of this section. An R&B song originally it is given a surf-punk makeover and landed the band with a number 2 Billboard hit. The punk undertones are also characteristic of The Trashmen’s novelty, plagiarised hit Surfin’ Bird – once heard never forgotten, and a song later covered by punk icons The Ramones and The Cramps.
Just before this surf section is topped off with the Beach Boys and 1964’s I Get Around, Link Wray and his Raymen provide a lesson in garage rock with the surf-instrumental-inspired The Shadow Knows. Link Wray has been name-checked by Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend, Neil Young and Mark E Smith as a key influence and this track definitely counts as a nugget.
The second phase of the compilation reflects the impact of The Beatles, who performed on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, marking the beginning of the so-called ‘British Invasion’. The Everly Brothers, with Gone, Gone, Gone is a prime example of how the Beat sound would influence even established stars on the West side of the Atlantic. The Beefeaters meanwhile, were a manufactured band named specifically to cash in, and included David Crosby and Jim McGuinn amongst the ranks, who would move on up next to form The Byrds. Please Let Me Love You is textbook Beat, just listen to that groovy ‘Oh yeah’ chorus, oh yeah. And for good measure, the ‘Oh yeah’ mantra pops up again in one the aforementioned Byrds early demo recordings from 1964, You Movin’.
CD1 closes with a pair of unrelated tracks that each give out their own brand of ‘garage pop’ vibe. The Actioneers heralded from unfashionable (musically-speaking) Houston and It’s You is a ‘passionate but slightly ragged recording’ (a neat summary from the accompanying booklet). It’s influenced by the surf/beat style, whereas Bel Canto’s Feel Aw Right on the other hand is an R&B song with a loose garage feel arranged by, and with piano and vocal contribution, from none other than Mr Barry White.
A slight digression now, as I was interested in following up on the subject of the two-minute pop song, a striking characteristic of the songs featured on all three of these discs. This was basically a consequence of the acoustical limitations of the 78-rpm vinyl 10” disc era, that was replicated in the introduction of the 45-rpm 7” disc that superseded them. Radio stations were keen to have songs that came and went so that audiences would be less inclined to turn off or tune to another station when a song that they were not interested in was played. The technology was effectively designed to meet the marketing requirements, and although this is a questionable process it certainly suited the times, since garage bands could learn their trade copying simple, short songs and radio stations would be only too happy to be able to expand their playlists with more of the same.
The Beatles were followed to the US by the Rolling Stones, amongst others, and CD2 turns out to be a melting pot of surf and beat embellished with R&B, R&R and folk influences. Track 1 illustrates this trend perfectly, She’s About a Mover by the Sir Douglas Quintet, led by Doug Sahm, blends home-grown Tex-Mex and R&B with a hint of surf and beat. This is a song that has a gloriously sunny and upbeat feel, and I can’t help but think that the extended 12” mix would be well worth a listen, if only….
With Disc 2 we have jumped forward to 1965 in the timeline, that means two discs and 62 tracks from this year alone. For me, this is overkill, and a more prudently curated selection, limited to two discs would probably have done the job for most listeners. There seems to be more emphasis on rescuing rarities than creating a wholesome, coherent, and accessible collection. Of course, that perspective belies the fact that in many cases the more obscure tracks are generally great fun to listen to! For example, The Surfaris Storm Surf is ostensibly just another surf instrumental, but it contains a more interesting mix of guitar styles and some cool, extravagant for the time, guitar solos, packed into its 2’17” playing time.
The Passions Lively One is heavily influenced by the Rolling Stones, firstly you can hear it in the vocal delivery, and secondly, they were inspired to grow their hair long and ditch their matching outfits. That may sound trivial, but at the time, each small step would contribute to the journey towards Woodstock. Early on in the CD2 set is also some textbook early garage punk from Washington-based The Wailers with Hang Up. Stylistically-speaking Disc 2 is all over the place, which reflects the rapid expansion of music across the territory, but it does mean that the flow of the compilation becomes hard to follow.
With the greatest respect, I hope I will never have to listen to The Gentrys Keep On Dancing again, a bland, formulaic, and predictably repetitious song that has the misfortune to be sequenced after The McCoys iconic number 1 Hang On Sloopy, sung by Rick Derringer. This juxtaposition is both the joy and the trials of listening to this type of compilation.
The Everley Brothers, The Beau Brummels and Dion are featured, and the set closes with some serious garage attitude from Johnny Winter, with Gone For Bad and The Gas Co’s Blow Your Mind, leaning heavily on the influence of Barry Mcguire’s Eve of Destruction.
On Disc 3 there are some noticeable and notable developments. There are more songs in this set that break through the 2.5-minute mark and whilst the improvement in song-writing, musicality, and production is not exactly transformative, it does indicate the opening up of new possibilities. For example, track 3, Look What Your Doin’ (To Me Baby) by The Rationals is a self-penned, self-confident, original song influenced by the Kinks, and the clean sound of Ognir & The Nite People’s I Found New Love is also an original song from a bold and tight-sounding band. Ognir is, by design, Ringo backwards, by the way.
The Girls, one of the few bands to feature women, in this case four sisters from LA, stands out with its previously unheard of 30 second instrumental introduction. It has a very garage-y feel but also a relatively sophisticated arrangement and is not dependent on a catchy chorus to grab the listener’s attention. Similarly, The Young Rascals, with I Ain’t Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore contribute a strong, innovative, debut single. It’s garage rock but with the tempo dialled down and the vocals providing an expressive extra instrument and not just used to voice the lyrics. The highlight of the set is The Shadows of Knight cover of Them’s garage classic Gloria, followed by set closer You’re Gonna Miss Me by the 13th Floor Elevators who would soon be taking garage rock to new horizons.
This compilation demonstrates how the growing popularity of Surf and Beat music inspired waves of grass roots musicians to emulate the most successful bands and subsequently introduce their own stylistic variations. The more adventurous then began to push the boundaries of the garage music culture incorporating ever more adventurous, less commercially orientated but arguably more artistic sounds. The package as a whole is a fascinating source of historical information and musical artefacts. It doesn’t necessarily fit the criteria of being an essential purchase for the progressively minded muso, but it will enhance your perspective on this particular moment in US cultural history.
Niche – yes, nuggets – yes, good for the soul – yes, inconsistent and over-extended – also yes.
TRACK LISTING
DISC ONE
01. THE CHANTAYS – Pipeline (2:20)
02. THE DARTELLS – Hot Pastrami (1.56)
03. THE FOUR SPEEDS – R.P.M. (2.31)
04. THE LIVELY ONES – Surf Rider (3.20)
05. THE KINGSMEN – Louie Louie (2.45)
06. THE TRASHMEN – Surfin’ Bird (2.21)
07. THE ASTRONAUTS – Baja (2.28)
08. THE RIVIERAS – California Sun (2.27)
09. CONRAD & THE HURRICANES – Hurricane (2.19)
10. THE RIP CHORDS – Hey Little Cobra (2.02)
11. THE MARKETTS – Out Of Limits (2.07)
12. THE SURVIVORS – Pamela Jean (2.29)
13. JAN & DEAN – Dead Man’s Curve (2.41)
14. THE PREMIERS – Farmer John (2.27)
15. THE TOMBOYS – Mary Had A Little Kiss (2.08)
16. LINK WRAY & HIS RAYMEN – The Shadow Knows (2.29)
17. THE RANGERS – Reputation (2.14)
18. THE BEACH BOYS – I Get Around (2.13)
19. RONNY & THE DAYTONAS – G.T.O. (2.30)
20. THE PUDDIN’ HEADS – Now You Say We’re Through (2.06)
21. THE NEWBEATS – Tough Little Buggy (2.36)
22. THE FENWAYS – Be Careful Little Girl (2.13)
23. THE BEEFEATERS – Please Let Me Love You (2.22)
24. THE EVERLY BROTHERS – Gone, Gone, Gone (2.04)
25. TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS – Hanky Panky (2.53)
26. THE ANGELS – Get Away From Me (1.53)
27. THE BOOTMEN – 1, 2, 3, 4 (1.59)
28. THE SONICS – The Witch (2.37)
29. MERRELL & THE EXILES – Let Me Go (2.21)
30. THE BYRDS – You Movin’ (2.10)
31. JERRY ALLISON & THE CRICKETS – Now Hear This (1.57)
32. THE ACTIONEERS – It’s You (1.53)
33. BEL CANTO’S – Feel Aw Right – Part 1 (2.15)
DISC TWO
01. SIR DOUGLAS QUINTET – She’s About A Mover (2.25)
02. THE STANDELLS – Someday You’ll Cry (2.31)
03. THE AVENGERS – When It’s Over (1.51)
04. THE BYRDS – I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better (2.34)
05. THE SURFARIS – Storm Surf (2.17)
06. THE HUMAN BEINGS – Ain’t That Loving You Baby (2.39)
07. THE PIRATES – Cuttin’ Out (2.01)
08. THE PASSIONS – Lively One (3.11)
09. THE JUST VI – Bo Said (2.46)
10. THE WAILERS – Hang Up (2.27)
11. SAM THE SHAM & THE PHARAOHS – Ju Ju Hand (2.09)
12. THE McCOYS – Hang On Sloopy (3.02)
13. THE GENTRYS – Keep On Dancing (2.12)
14. THE DENIMS – Everybody Let’s Dance (2.04)
15. THE SEEDS – Can’t Seem To Make You Mine (2.37)
16. THE LIVERPOOL FIVE – Too Far Out (3.03)
17. THE EVERLY BROTHERS – Man With Money (2.20)
18. THE BEAU BRUMMELS – Don’t Talk To Strangers (2.22)
19. BOBBY FULLER FOUR – Never To Be Forgotten (2.59)
20. THE BLUE THINGS – Baby, My Heart (2.13)
21. DION – Kickin’ Child (3.02)
22. JOHN FRED – Fortune Teller (2.01)
23. THE MISUNDERSTOOD – She Got Me (Version 1) (2.53)
24. THE CHEVELLE V – Come Back Bird (2.25)
25. PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS – Steppin’ Out (2.15)
26. THE SYNDICATE – My Baby’s Barefoot (2.44)
27. SIR FROG & THE TOADS – The Frog (2.22)
28. THE TWELFTH NIGHT – Grim Reaper (1.57)
29. THE PRIMATES – Knock On My Door (2.26)
30. THE DOVERS – I Could Be Happy (2.24)
31. JOHNNY WINTER – Gone For Bad (Alternate Version) (2.30)
32. THE GAS CO. – Blow Your Mind (2.26)
DISC THREE
01. THE BROGUES – Don’t Shoot Me Down (2.20)
02. THE GANTS – Road Runner (2.18)
03. THE RATIONALS – Look What You’re Doin’ (To Me Baby) (3.04)
04. KING BEES – What She Does To Me (2.19)
05. THE WAILERS – Out Of Our Tree (3.31)
06. THE SIGMA FIVE – Comin’ Down (2.28)
07. OGNIR & THE NITE PEOPLE – I Found A New Love (2.11)
08. THE STANDELLS – Dirty Water (2.46)
09. THE LEAVES – Hey Joe, Where You Gonna Go? (1965 Version) (2.45)
10. THE KNICKERBOCKERS – Lies (2.43)
11. THE SONICS – Cinderella (2.44)
12. THE STRANGELOVES – Night Time (3.26)
13. THE LOVIN’ SPOONFUL – You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice (2.26)
14. THE LYRICS – They Can’t Hurt Me (2.51)
15. THE GIRLS – My Love (3.23)
16. THE SPADES – We Sell Soul (3.10)
17. THE UNIQUES – You Ain’t Tuff5 (2.21)
18. THE TROPICS – I Want More (2.30)
19. MITCH RYDER & THE DETROIT WHEELS – Jenny Take A Ride! (3.24)
20. AMBERTONES – Clap Your Hands (2.36)
21. GAYLAN LADD – Her Loving Way (2.15)
22. THE SEEDS – Excuse, Excuse (French EP Version) (2.19)
23. THE YOUNG RASCALS – I Ain’t Gonna Eat My Heart Out Anymore (2.46)
24. THE MISUNDERSTOOD – Bury My Body (2.33)
25. THE JOKERS – What’cha Gonna Do (2.50)
26. JAY BROWN – Don’t Push Me Around (2.10)
27. THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT – Gloria (2.36)
28. THE GROUPIES – Primitive (3.35)
29. THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR ELEVATORS – You’re Gonna Miss Me (2.28)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Strawberry | Cherry Red Records
Country of Origin: International
Date of Release: 23rd January 2026
LINKS
Cherry Red Records – Boxset Info at Cherry Red | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | X | Instagram
