This album, Why Pick On Me – Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White (1966), was the second studio album from The Standells, a garage rock band that was formed in Los Angeles in 1962. The group started out with a clean-cut look while doing mostly cover songs, though eventually picked up a shaggier look, somewhat like the career path of The Beatles. A song from their first album, Dirty Water (1966) reached as high as #11 on the Billboard charts. Another bit of information I found interesting was that Lowell George briefly played guitar in the band around the year 1968 before playing in Little Feat. I’ve been meaning to listen to some garage rock lately, so I’m pretty stoked to listen to this album. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Why Pick On Me” starts out with some really groovy flavors that have a certain discordance to them, and nearly reminds me of a bit of cross between the earlier days of The Rolling Stones mixed a little bit with The Doors. Oh wow, there are some super flavorful keyboards and organs that nearly bring an experimental element to the track. I seem to really dig Los Angeles based rock bands from around 1967 on onwards; this is I think my first exposure to the rock music scene from that area before 1967, and I really dig the sound so far. Great track, and a great way to start the album.
“Paint It Black” is a cover of the classic tune by The Rolling Stones, but there is a much different approach to this version, with some seemingly strange chromaticism in the guitar work to vary the tune. There also seems to be a heavy emphasis on the rhythm section with the bass guitar and drums keeping the tune grooving with a nearly trudging and syncopated rhythm, which nearly sounds like a heartbeat ass both the drums and bass collide to propel the tune forward. Oh wow, the droning vocals at the end are really interesting as they seem to almost have a tin-like quality to them. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Mi Hai Fatto Innamorare” starts out with some super delicate mandolin or possibly the lute, alongside some sweet and smooth electric guitar lines. Oh wow, the album as a whole seems to have completely switched gears at this point, and I absolutely dig it. Oh wow, as the tune progresses a bit there’s almost a bit of the ominous strangeness that could be heard in the previous tunes, seemingly tying the sweetness of the tune even more tightly with the garage rock sounds of the previous tracks. Super sweet track.
“Black Hearted Woman” starts out grooving right away with a super sweet bluesy sound that vaguely reminds me of The Animals’ version of “House Of The Rising Sun” with the epic bluesiness of the soundscape. Oh wow, this is super sweet. At this point it almost sounds like a vague garage surf rock version of “House Of The Rising Sun” that has qualities that I would probably associate with the Los Angeles rock scene of the time. Wow, great tune.
Oh wow, “Girl And The Moon” has such a sweet sound at the onset of the tune, and nearly reminds me of some earlier tunes from The Beatles or The Beach Boys, but with a noticeable garage rock inflection as well. Oh wow, I really dig the drum track in this one, especially as the crack of the snare matches up with the tambourine. I’m really into the album at this point. Great track.
Oh wow, “Mr. Nobody” has a classic sort of sound that seems to remind me a little bit of The Rolling Stones meets American psychedelic garage rock bands of the era, such as the Blues Magoos. Oh wow, this little electric guitar jam as the song comes to a close is super tasty. Super sweet tune.
“My Little Red Book” starts out with some high hats that are soon joined by some bass guitar, and then some organs, all of which seem to gradually propel the tune forward with short staccato’d notes and chords that remind me a little bit of John Lennon’s solo music and even some of the songs from The Beatles from around 1967 with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and Magical Mystery Tour. Super groovy track.
Oh wow, “Mainline” has a really slick sound that seems to have some influence from surf rock with a classic psychedelic garage rock sound coming from the raw and groovy sounds of the electric guitar work, the snappy drums, and the flavorful organs that seem to act as some really flavorful connective tissue. I really dig the vocals in this track as well, which seem to further enhance the psychedelic qualities of the song. Great tune.
“Have You Ever Spent The Night In Jail” starts out in a manner that almost sounds like a west Texas cowboy bluesy saloon tune meets California garage rock, and I absolutely dig it. The cowbell and the tambourine as the percussion section is super flavorful. Holy smokes, some harmonica just came into the track and the super tasty sound seems to tie together both the song and the album quite nicely. Great track and a great way to end the album.
Holy smokes, this album is sweet. Though the record itself is quite short, coming in around 25 minutes total, this LP from The Standells only makes me want to hear more from them. This is an album that I would very much like to own on vinyl, and to me is both unique and representative of the (psychedelic) garage rock sound of the era, especially when considering that the band was based in Los Angeles. If you dig garage rock to any degree, especially that in the psychedelic style, I would recommend checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A