The Seeds (album)
Encyclopedia
The Seeds is the debut album by American
garage rock
group The Seeds
. Produced by Marcus Tybalt and Sky Saxon
, it was originally released by GNP Crescendo Records in April 1966.
After the release of two singles for "Can't Seem to Make You Mine" and "You're Pushing Too Hard" in 1965, the group's debut album was released and charted in the United States
where it peaked at 132 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes
chart. Modern reception of the album is positive, with critics noting the album influence on punk rock
a decade later.
bands, Lead singer Sky Saxon
's vocal style was influenced by the vocals of Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger
, but have also received comparisons to the vocals of rockabilly
acts such as Buddy Holly
and Eddie Cochran
.
" was released in November 1965. The Seeds album was released in April 1966 and charted in the United States peaking at 132 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes
chart. The first single to follow up the album's release was "Try to Understand" which failed to chart in the United States. "Pushin' Too Hard" was re-issued in October 1966 and charted in 1967 in the United States, peaking at number 36 in February.
The Seeds has been re-issued several times in the United Kingdom
on vinyl and compact disc
. Several re-issues contain bonus tracks while the album itself has also been re-released as a double album
on compact disc with The Seeds's second album A Web of Sound. Some of the re-issues omit the song "Lose Your Mind" from the original album vinyl release.
." In a review for the double disc re-issue of The Seeds and A Web of Sound, the British music magazine Uncut
gave the album a positive rating of four and half stars out of five, describing the album as "...A brilliantly simple, headlong surge of fuzz-drenched guitar, bubbling organ riffs and Saxon's raw, throat-tearing vocals..." Stewart Mason of Allmusic praised The Seeds album in a review of the double album, stating that the album "is probably the best album by any of the original American garage bands, without the usual time-filling cover versions and elongated jams, and of course it features the immortal "Pushin' Too Hard" and the even better "Can't Seem to Make You Mine"".
Music of the United States
The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse array of styles. Among the country's most internationally-renowned genres are hip hop, blues, country, rhythm and blues, jazz, barbershop, pop, techno, and rock and roll. The United States has the...
garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
group The Seeds
The Seeds
The Seeds were an American rock band. The group, whose repertoire spread between garage rock and acid rock, are considered one of the pioneers of punk rock.-History:...
. Produced by Marcus Tybalt and Sky Saxon
Sky Saxon
Sky "Sunlight" Saxon was an American rock and roll musician who was best known as the leader and singer of the 1960s Los Angeles psychedelic garage rock band The Seeds.-Biography:...
, it was originally released by GNP Crescendo Records in April 1966.
After the release of two singles for "Can't Seem to Make You Mine" and "You're Pushing Too Hard" in 1965, the group's debut album was released and charted in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where it peaked at 132 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart. Modern reception of the album is positive, with critics noting the album influence on punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
a decade later.
Style
Like many garage rockGarage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
bands, Lead singer Sky Saxon
Sky Saxon
Sky "Sunlight" Saxon was an American rock and roll musician who was best known as the leader and singer of the 1960s Los Angeles psychedelic garage rock band The Seeds.-Biography:...
's vocal style was influenced by the vocals of Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, but have also received comparisons to the vocals of rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
acts such as Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
and Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran
Eddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...
.
Release
The Seeds' released two singles before the album was released in 1966. These singles were for "Can't Seem to Make You Mine" was released in June 1965 and "Pushin' Too HardPushin' Too Hard
"Pushin' Too Hard", originally titled " Pushin' Too Hard", is a song by American rock group The Seeds, written by vocalist Sky Saxon and produced by Saxon with Marcus Tybalt. It was released as a single in 1965, re-issued the following year, and peaked at number 36 on the U.S...
" was released in November 1965. The Seeds album was released in April 1966 and charted in the United States peaking at 132 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart. The first single to follow up the album's release was "Try to Understand" which failed to chart in the United States. "Pushin' Too Hard" was re-issued in October 1966 and charted in 1967 in the United States, peaking at number 36 in February.
The Seeds has been re-issued several times in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on vinyl and compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. Several re-issues contain bonus tracks while the album itself has also been re-released as a double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
on compact disc with The Seeds's second album A Web of Sound. Some of the re-issues omit the song "Lose Your Mind" from the original album vinyl release.
Reception
Modern reception of the album has been generally positive. Peter Kurtz of the online database Allmusic gave the album a positive rating of four stars out of five, praising the songs "Pushin' Too Hard" and "Can't Seem to Make You Mine" but noted that the record is " snotty boy-girl songs and teeters on the edge of musical ineptness" and the "rest of the record, though fairly forgettable, still reinforces the truth that pure punk appeared long before the Sex PistolsSex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
." In a review for the double disc re-issue of The Seeds and A Web of Sound, the British music magazine Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
gave the album a positive rating of four and half stars out of five, describing the album as "...A brilliantly simple, headlong surge of fuzz-drenched guitar, bubbling organ riffs and Saxon's raw, throat-tearing vocals..." Stewart Mason of Allmusic praised The Seeds album in a review of the double album, stating that the album "is probably the best album by any of the original American garage bands, without the usual time-filling cover versions and elongated jams, and of course it features the immortal "Pushin' Too Hard" and the even better "Can't Seem to Make You Mine"".
Side one
- "Can't Seem to Make You Mine" – 3:05
- "No Escape" (Lawrence, Dan Savage, Saxon) – 2:16
- "Lose Your Mind" – 2:11
- "Evil Hoodoo" (Daryl Hooper, Saxon) – 5:19
- "Girl I Want You" – 2:26
- "Pushin' Too HardPushin' Too Hard"Pushin' Too Hard", originally titled " Pushin' Too Hard", is a song by American rock group The Seeds, written by vocalist Sky Saxon and produced by Saxon with Marcus Tybalt. It was released as a single in 1965, re-issued the following year, and peaked at number 36 on the U.S...
" – 2:38
Side two
- "Try to Understand" – 2:53
- "Nobody Spoil My Fun" – 3:54
- "It's a Hard Life" – 2:40
- "You Can't Be Trusted" – 2:12
- "Excuse, Excuse" – 2:21
- "Fallin' in Love" – 2:49
Personnel
- Rick Andridge – drums
- Chuck BritzChuck BritzCharles "Chuck" Dean Britz was a recording engineer who most famously worked with Jan and Dean, Brian Wilson, and The Beach Boys on numerous albums between 1962 and 1967....
– engineer - Cooker – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bottleneck guitar - Mike Durrough – engineer, remixing, mixing
- David Hassinger – engineer
- Daryl Hooper – organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocals - Lanky Linstrot – engineer
- Stan Ross – remixing
- Jan Savage – guitar, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, vocals - Sky SaxonSky SaxonSky "Sunlight" Saxon was an American rock and roll musician who was best known as the leader and singer of the 1960s Los Angeles psychedelic garage rock band The Seeds.-Biography:...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, vocals, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, concept, cover art - Doc Siegel – remixing
- Marcus Tybalt – producer, liner notes
- Rafael O. Valentin – engineer
External links
- The Seeds at Rate Your MusicRate Your MusicRate Your Music is a metadata database where musical albums, EPs, singles, videos, bootlegs, and movies are rated and reviewed by users. This data is then used to generate recommendations for users and to create rated lists of albums...