Steppin' Out - The Roots Of Garage Rock 1963-1965

While the Beatles were whipping up the initial storms of mania in the U.K., bands in America werent just sitting around waiting for something to happen. Contrary to popular belief there were a few burgeoning rock & roll scenes cooking along quite nicely in the colonies. On the West Coast, surf music was riding the waves, while on college campuses across the country bands were cranking out a raucous take on rock & roll mixed with R&B in a style later known as frat rock. The early rumblings of garage rock were being heard in small towns and cities too, creating a vibrant sound that even the mighty Beatles couldnt wipe out. Cherry Reds 2026 compilation Steppin Out: The Roots of Garage Rock 1963-1965 digs into these strands of American music, unearthing plenty of rarely heard gems and sprinkling in some timeless classics as well. The first disc focuses on the pre-Beatles surf and frat rock sounds, mixing them together like a first-class DJ. Instrumental tunes like the Chantays "Pipeline" sit nicely next to three chord bashers (the Premiers "Farmer John"), drag race classics (Ronny & the Daytonas "G.T.O.") great tracks by rock & roll oldies who refused to fade away (the Everly Brothers "Gone, Gone, Gone") and a little bit of early folk/rock from the Beefeaters (aka the Byrds), whose "Please Let Me Love You" is a fascinating cross between Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan. Much of this disc, and indeed the whole set, will be familiar to devotees of sixties music, but there are quite a few gems that may stump even the most professional of listeners. The Angels -- no, not the group of "My Boyfriends back" fame -- deliver some terrifyingly tough proto-garage on "Get Away From Me" and Jerry Allison & the Crickets chase away the ghost of Buddy Holly with a cobweb-rattling rocker ("Now Hear This") that features some truly gnarly guitar soloing. The second disc of the set is a pleasing mish mash of surf, frat, and garage tracks, everything full of teenage energy and sweaty good times. Songs like the Denims’ Everybody Lets Dance" or Sir Toad & the Frogs "The Frog" capture the good times vibe of the era, while dispensing with any hint of sugary sweetness. As the disc progresses, some garage tracks (like the Seeds wistful ballad "Cant Seem to Make You Mine" and the Blue Things "Baby My Heart") sneak in, while some more trad artist like Dion ("Kickin Child") and the Everlys again ("Man with Money") stick around, titans like Bobby Fuller ("Never to Be Forgotten") and Paul Revere & The Raiders ("Steppin Out") pop in to remind everyone of their greatness, and underground classics by the Dovers (the pleading folk rock ballad "I Could Be Happy") and the Twelfth Night ("Grim Reaper") make an appearance. By the time the third disc rolls around, garage had taken over and the focus splits between acts with one classic track (the Avengers "When Its Over", the Lyrics "They Cant Hurt Me") built on clanging guitars, sneering vocals, and anti-social attitudes, and big name garage bands like the Standells, the Shadows of Knight, and the 13th Floor Elevators who recorded the songs early garage rock aficionados will know by heart -- like "Gloria" and "Youre Gonna Miss Me." Some of the gems non-hardcore fans might hear for the first time are Ognir & the Nite Peoples rollicking "I Found A New Love", the Girls wonderful garage-girl group hybrid "My Love", and the Jokers super moody putdown "Whatcha Gonna Do." Without these additions the set might have come across as a little too familiar, but even so, the brief is spotlighting this very particular moment in American rock & roll history and to that end it does a marvelous job. The selections are all first rate for a historical perspective, the sound is clean and crisp, the liner notes are informative, and most of all the music is a solid blast from start to finish. ~ Tim Sendra