We move today to round 6 of the Battle of The Garage Bands' "super-duper, bestest ever, most epic garage single bracket". It is indeed the final showdown of the first round of said bracket.
On Turntable number one we have The Enfields of Wilmington, Delaware. The quintet will put forth with their 1966 single for Richie Records, She Already Has Somebody/I'm For Things You Do. Both sides of the single were composed by the band's guitarist, high schooler, Ted Munda. Somewhat like the single put forth by Phil and the Frantics, the Enfields take a moody, minor key, harmony approach to their double sided gem.
And on the other side of the music room, on turntable number 2, we have a band from Toronto, Canada calling themselves The Ugly Ducklings. Just In Case You Wonder/That's Just A Thought I Had In My Mind are two band composed numbers. The single was the band's third record and was released in 1966 on Yorktown Records.
Both of these singles had very stiff competition on their way to representing their region in The Battle of The Garage Bands. Both bands won only by the most narrow victories. Here is a look at the top 4 singles they bested to take the number 1 spot.
Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!
I vote Ugly Ducklings here. (How did The Painted Ship not beat The Ugly Ducklings in the Canadian bout??)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I predict the honorable judges will understand that the sheer strength of the The Uglys "Just in Case You Wonder" (without even the help of the B-side) will ultimately over-power the Enfields as cool as that single is. SPOILER ALERT! I will even go as far as saying neither outcome here will ever beat the Watchband in the next round!
Always the first to vote. Good job. The Ugly Ducklings and the Painted Ship was a VERY, VERY close vote indeed.
DeleteOh Canada... those Canucks, "The Ugly Ducklings", took this one hands down for me. He shoots, he scores with both sides. "Just In Case You Wonder" was spectacular, one of the most stellar songs so far.
ReplyDeleteI go with the Ugly Ducklings. The Enfields cuts are really nice folk-rock à la the Dovers or JuJus, but the Ducklings' A-side has that great mega-fuzz guitar, chimey rhythm guitar, and 2-part harmonies. Amazing guitar solo! I love the B-side too, heavily-strummed acoustic guitar with triplets, interesting chord changes and nice drum break at the end. These guys were clearly excellent musicians and imaginative songwriters and I really enjoy listening to these cuts. Perfect 60s band name too - the Ugly Ducklings!
ReplyDeleteGoing into today I thought I would pick The Enfields and their excellent single. But after playing both sides of both singles over and over again today, I am going to go with the narrowest of margins with The Ugly Ducklings. Not only did I have their name written on my leather jacket in High School, but Just In Case You Wonder was one of the first songs I learned on bass as a 14 year old.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the difference for me? The lead guitar work. Both The Enfields and The Ducks have great work here, but the guitar laid down by Roger Mayne of the Ducks is just brilliant. Really a cut or two above. Maybe three.
The Ugly Ducklings by a ducklings beak.
The ultimate stomping rhythm section, snarly lyrics about counting all the rats, a riveting, fuzzed-out lead - you don't have to wonder, I go with the Ugly Ducklings. Another song that I remember hearing for the first time.
ReplyDeleteI'm going with the Ducks too. The Enfields record is cool -- both sides -- but "Just In Case You Wonder" is a fave for all the reasons Jack described above. I also have some wonderful memories of playing this song live countless times with the Tell-Tale Hearts. I always enjoyed singing the high harmony part while trying to keep that bass line pinned down.
ReplyDeleteGoing against the tide - though almost felt swayed by the thoughtful comments - with a vote for Enfields. Just like "She Already Has Somebody" a lot - and holds up nicely with the test of time for me.
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