Listen - The Standells perform Medication
We're building off our last post. The same label, the same producer, the same year and probably the same studio (and maybe even musicians) as our
Chocolate Watchband post just below.
Most people know
The Standells for their out of the garage hit,
Dirty Water. That song, written by producer
Ed Cobb, has led most people to believe the band is from Boston.
Cobb was, but not the
Standells. The members of
The Standells all hail from LA and even had a long history in the film scene in LA. One of them was even a
Mousekateer. Like the San Jose based
Chocolate Watchband,
The Standells were a real band and had been kicking around the LA scene in one form or another since the late 50's.
When
Mouskateer escapee,
Dick Dodd, left the surf combo,
The Bel-Aires (known for their regional hit,
Mr. Moto), the band began to take a more modern shape.
Dodd took over singing duties and the band, like all others around them, became hugely influenced by the British Invasion. The band released a few forgettable singles on
Liberty Records and
VeeJay Records. They even performed a number on the TV show,
The Munsters. Here is where
Ed Cobb enters the picture.
Cobb was looking for a group to market on his
Tower Records label and
The Standells fit the suit. They immediately hit it big with
Cobb's homage to his hometown of Boston,
Dirty Water. An inconsistent album of the same name followed. The first song off of that album is our SoTW.
The song is
Medication, and, to tie it back into our last post,
The Chocolate Watchband also did a version of the song. It's a beautifully produced, well restrained song that keeps our fingers snapping every time.
