The Weads - Today b/w Don't Call My Name (Duane - 1966)

One of my favourite double-decker 'garage' 45s is The Weads' moody folk-rock jangle triumph; Today b/w the sombre and down cast 'Don't Call My Name'.

Both sides of this record are hugely important in influencing my own music, if you are familiar with my own sounds you will hear similar song themes, similar jangley sound and the general  vibe are all pretty similar to this 45rpm, the first track on my LP 'I Go Walking' in fact was a slight nod of the hat to the track 'Today'.

The Weads recorded this killer 45 in of all places Bermuda, where the Duane label was based. Duane was owned by record shop owner and producer Eddy Demell who seemed to add a spark of genius onto the recordings released on his Duane label, this 45 alongside a whole album and 45 by The Savages are proof of his golden touch as it were.

Although The Weads had a record out in Bermuda, they were in fact from a small town in New York State called Stony Brook, the reason the band had a release in Bermuda was that one of their school friends was originally from the island and took a demo back on his return home (Thank God he did, else we may never have had these songs). Weirder stuff has been lost in the Bermuda Triangle, thankfully it wasn't The Weads' demos.

Here are both sides of the 45 for your listening enjoyment.

Today

A brilliant piece of garage folk-jangle, this song to me is the epitome of the jangly Byrds-inspired sound that many groups recorded in the mid-60s, I really love this song, the sound of summer is evoked, yet their is a dark yearning in the lyrics, the song is reflective of a break-up and is total genius recording. I love songs which sound happy on the surface but have a strange sadness about them, this song is one-of-those types of song. As mentioned above this song has played a huge influence on my own music, in songs such as 'I Go Walking' and 'Time Will Tell', it will continue to influence me as I just adore the sound.

Don't Call My Name

YES!!!! this is a piece of confused and pissed-off genius, just listen to the lyrics "Now Don't You Think Of Me Anymore, Cos Now You're Just The Girl Next Door, Don't Call My Name!", sung in the most downtrodden yet beautiful harmony going, what a work of  pure greatness, I dream of writing songs like this. I love how the Farfisa Organ snakes in the background unnoticed but perfectly there, a great piece of song-writing, I love how the song seems to go up and down in a movement. This track totally compliments the A-side, they are kind of like Heaven and Hell, this being Hell off course, I take influence myself on my 45s by having an UP side as it were and DOWN side, it just is what most of the bands did back in the 60s garage genre.

So there you have it folks, a double sided work of the highest order.

Enjoy 

Paul