Before I get into this next video, let me offer a little personal perspective.
I grew up in a household that was geared more toward country music than rock. If I wanted rock, I had to listen to my transistor radio. As a teen, I began branching out, not only to rock, but gospel, and, later, blues & jazz. At no time during this period did I hear this next song, only discovering it via YouTube over the last several months, and learning, albeit so late, about The Seeds.
The Seeds' biggest hit, "Pushin' Too Hard", released in 1966, not only got some major airplay, but it landed the band plenty of primo television appearances. Not just in the usual places, mind, but Sky Saxon and company landed a guest gig on the sitcom, The Mothers-In-Law. Who'dathunk, right? Now, what could I have known back then? I was but a toddler.
Anyway, Saxon passed away 3 years ago, and up until recently, some enterprising soul grafted "Pushin' Too Hard" onto some Flintstones footage, including an ep with guest star James Darren. I think that clip's been pulled due to copyright issues or some such, which might be just as well. Following is a performance clip of "Pushin'", from the Los Angeles-based weeknight variety show, Shebang!, complete with an introduction by series host Casey Kasem, who later does a brief interview with Saxon.
The first time I'd ever heard this tune it was back in the 90s. I'd purchased a cassette of hits from 1966 which featured music that was seen as a bit harder that the usual fare. The Count Five's hit, "Psychotic Reaction" was also part of that collection.
ReplyDeleteI think the song holds up fine, as it reminds me of the garage band sound that would become more popular. Dare I even say it's almost proto punk?
Some say that it is a precursor to the punk movement of the 70s. The Ramones' New York sound, come to think of it, might've been an East Coast copy of the Seeds.
ReplyDelete