The Seeds: Night Time Girl (Norton Records/2014)

The Seeds were allegedly the best live band from Los Angeles in the 1960's, so it's a mystery why their label would want them to record a “live” album in the studio and then overdub crowd noise over the results. In April of 1968 the band recorded the album at Western Recorders and would be released as Raw & Alive: The Seeds In Concert At Merlin's Music Box. In 2014 the UK label Big Beat Records released the album without the dubbed audience noise plus another earlier attempt at a full-length live-in-the studio affair, on a two-disc set simply called Raw & Alive.

The wonderful Norton Records released a 7” vinyl teaser from the album. “Night Time Girl” starts off with what sounds like an early synthesizer but it's probably just an over-modulated keyboard. The song sounds like The Stooges meets The Doors, which isn't so surprising. You can hear how Sky Saxon's vocal prowess influenced Iggy Pop on the B-Side “Gypsy Plays The Drums”. These may be my favorite recordings by The Seeds.

If you're a fan of proto-punk, garage rock or rock and roll in general this most very highly recommended.   

Here's the video review:

The Seeds: Bad Part Of Town/Wish Me Up/Love In A Summer Basket/Did He Die (Sundazed Music/2013)

Los Angeles, California's The Seeds were a unique 60's band. They influenced bands in the genres of acid rock, garage rock, psychedelia and protopunk. They had a few hit singles in “Pushin' Too Hard”, “Can't Seem To Make You Mine” and “Mr. Farmer”. They're only now finally getting vinyl releases of the retro/revisionist variety. Sundazed Music has released such an item on Record Store Day of 2013. It's a double-seven-inch release of the bands two MGM singles. Recorded as a short-lived quintet at the end of the bands in 1970, the sound is similar to what the band had done on the GNP 
Crescendo label from 1965-1969.

“Love In A Summer Basket” and “Wish Me Up” are blissed-out would-be Summer Of Love concoctions that employ flutes, lazy guitars and Daryl Hooper's keyboards. “Bad Part Of Town” and “Did He Die” sound like early tracks by The Stooges. The latter of which retains an intensity not commonly associated with the late 60's/early 70's. I only wish this line-up had recorded more as than what's been made available (once again after having been out of print basically since their release).

Very highly-recommended!

Here's the video review: