VA Midnight Sound of the Milky Way (requested)

The Midnite Sound studio in Danville, IL was one of many such operations grinding out obscure garage rock in the mid-'60s. If any of its product is remembered at all, it's the weird rockabilly-cum-garage of Dean Carter, who put out a few singles on the Milky Way label. Carter's legacy is enshrined on another Big Beat release, the Carter anthology Call of the Wild!; Midnite Sound of the Milky Way collects 24 other mid-'60s tracks by different artists recording at Midnite Sound, only four of which were previously released.

 In some respects this material is run-of-the-mill local garage rock music, but there's enough of a difference and unique character to the Midnite Sound sound to make this worth searching out by some garage aficionados. First, the Midnite Sound studio had weird lo-fi, echoey acoustics that exuded outer space-like amateur mayhem. Second, the performers were, even by the standards of '60s garage rock, untutored and naively strange, creating an uncommercial racket to the best of their limited abilities. Also, Midnite Sound/Milky Way's particular brand of garage music was less British Invasion-influenced than most, with anachronistic echoes of rockabilly and pre-Beatles rock of both the instrumental and vocal varieties. Not too many of the songs here have much substance, but there's some compensation in the outright weirdness of some of them, like the aptly named Kookie Cook's "Workin' Man," with its deranged angry vocal, booming drums, enervating staccato guitars, and happy-go-lucky whistling. Other items of note are the Cobras' 1966 single "Try"/"Goodbye," true kiddie rock as the members were a mere 12-13-years-old; "The Fiery Stomp" by Willie & the Travelaires, paced by the lead vocals of Amish (!) singer Wilbur Miller; and George Jacks' "Love Is Fine" and "Fortunate Child," which have a raw early Beau Brummels-style folk-rock moodiness. The recommended Dean Carter collection Call of the Wild! is a better place to start for getting acquainted with the Midnite Sound/Milky Way legacy, however.

Tracklist

1 Kookie Cook– Workin' Man

Written-By – Richard Cook*

1:55

2 The Four A While– Low Class Man

Written-By – Arlie Miller, Arlie Neaville

2:06

3 George Jacks– Rebel Woman

Written-By – Arlie Miller, Arlie Neaville

2:03

4 The Cobras (3)– Try

Written-By – Eric Welsch

2:08

5 Willie & The Travelaires*– The Fiery Stomp

Written-By – Floyd Strode, Wilbur Miller

1:58

6 Kookie Cook– Don't Lie

Written-By – Arlie Miller, Arlie Neaville, Richard Cook*

2:05

7 George Jacks– Love Is Fine

Written-By – George Jacks

2:43

8 Kookie & The Satalites– Space Race

Written-By – Arlie Miller, Arlie Neaville

1:55

9 Dave Marten– You Gotta Love Me

Written-By – David Phipps (2)

1:53

10 Kookie Cook– Revenge

Written-By – Arlie Miller, Arlie Neaville, Richard Cook*

2:07

11 The Grapes Of Wrath (2)– I'm Gonna Make You Mine

Written-By – William Carr*, Carl D'Errico, Carole Bayer

2:32

12 George Jacks– Look

Written-By – George Jacks

2:00

13 The Cobras (3)– Goodbye

Written-By – Eric Welsch

2:08

14 Kookie Cook– Misery

Written-By – Richard Cook*

1:54

15 George Jacks– There's Got To Be A Reason

Written-By – George Jacks

2:33

16 The Four A While– Baby's Good

Written-By – Arlie Miller, Arlie Neaville

2:09

17 Kookie Cook– I Feel Alright

Written-By – Richard Cook*

2:21

18 Jack Johnson (7)– Soul Soul Soul

Written-By – Jack Johnson (7)

2:54

19 George Jacks– Fortunate Child

Written-By – George Jacks

2:05

20 The 12th Knight– Rebel Woman

Written-By – Arlie Miller, Arlie Neaville

2:17

21 Kookie & The Satalites– Space Monster

Written-By – Arlie Miller, Arlie Neaville

2:15

22 Kookie Cook– Ooby Dooby

Written-By – Dick Penner, Wade Moore

2:39

23 The 12th Knight– Death Row

Written-By – Karl Pundt

2:40

24 Kookie Cook– Drums

Written-By – Richard Cook*

2:06

Enjoy

As requested

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