Cannibal & the Headhunters were one-hit wonders, but what a hit to have, if you're only going to have one: "Land of 1000 Dances." The group was also one of the first Mexican-American rock bands to have a national hit record, courtesy of that same tune. Founded by Frankie Garcia -- who reportedly earned his nickname "Cannibal" as a boy when he... [+] Read More

Cannibal & the Headhunters were one-hit wonders, but what a hit to have, if you're only going to have one: "Land of 1000 Dances." The group was also one of the first Mexican-American rock bands to have a national hit record, courtesy of that same tune. Founded by Frankie Garcia -- who reportedly earned his nickname "Cannibal" as a boy when he bit an opponent during a fight -- with Robert Jaramillo and Joe Jaramillo of East L.A. in the mid-'60s, the group grew out of a number of earlier bands, including the Rhythm Playboys and the Romanos. The Headhunters' version of "Land of 1000 Dances," written by Chris Kenner and Fats Domino, was issued on the Rampart label in early 1965 and peaked at number 30 on the charts, which got the group booked supporting the Beatles, among many other bands. Wilson Pickett later had the biggest hit version of the same song, reaching number ten, but dozens, perhaps hundreds, of versions were issued. The group's next single didn't do much, but the Land of 1000 Dances album did chart in mid-1965. The group later moved to Columbia's Date Records imprint (home of the Zombies' "Time of the Season"), and at the end of the 1960s they signed with Capitol Records, but found no more success. After a decade of doing oldies shows, Garcia and his then-current group of Headhunters called it quits in 1978, although he has since led other versions of the group in shows on the oldies circuit. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide [-] Hide

A Minneapolis rock & roll band, they evolved from Jim Thaxter & the Travelers, recording one single under that name ("Sally Jo"/"Cyclone"). The group comprises Tony Andreason (lead guitar), Dan Winslow (guitar/ vocals), Bob Reed (bass), and Steve Wahrer (drums/vocals). Unfairly depicted as a novelty act, the Trashmen were in actuality a... [+] Read More

A Minneapolis rock & roll band, they evolved from Jim Thaxter & the Travelers, recording one single under that name ("Sally Jo"/"Cyclone"). The group comprises Tony Andreason (lead guitar), Dan Winslow (guitar/ vocals), Bob Reed (bass), and Steve Wahrer (drums/vocals). Unfairly depicted as a novelty act, the Trashmen were in actuality a top-notch rock & roll combo, enormously popular on the teen-club circuit, playing primarily surf music to a landlocked Minnesota audience. Drummer Steve Wahrer combined two songs by the Rivingtons ("The Bird's the Word" and "Pa Pa Ooh Mow Mow"), added freakish vocal effects and a pounding rhythm to the mix, and, by early 1964, the group was in the Top Ten nationwide with "Surfin' Bird." Though the group continued to release great follow-up singles and an excellent album, their moment in the sun had come and gone; they disbanded by late 1967/early 1968. They re-formed in the mid-'80s and continued to play locally until Wahrer's death. The Trashmen are revered by '60s collectors as one of the great American teen-band combos of all time, their lone hit exemplifying wild, unabashed rock & roll at its most demented, bare-bones-basic, lone-E-chord finest. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Remembered chiefly as proto-punkers who reached the top of the charts with the "caveman rock" of "Wild Thing" (1966), the Troggs were also adept at crafting power pop and ballads. Hearkening back to a somewhat simpler, more basic British Invasion approach as psychedelia began to explode in the late '60s, the group also reached the Top Five with... [+] Read More

Remembered chiefly as proto-punkers who reached the top of the charts with the "caveman rock" of "Wild Thing" (1966), the Troggs were also adept at crafting power pop and ballads. Hearkening back to a somewhat simpler, more basic British Invasion approach as psychedelia began to explode in the late '60s, the group also reached the Top Five with their flower-power ballad "Love Is All Around" in 1968. While more popular in their native England than the U.S., the band also fashioned memorable, insistently riffing hit singles like "With a Girl Like You," "Night of the Long Grass," and the notoriously salacious "I Can't Control Myself" between 1966 and 1968. Paced by Reg Presley's lusting vocals, the group -- which composed most of their own material -- could crunch with the best of them, but were also capable of quite a bit more range and melodic invention than they've been given credit for.

Hailing from the relatively unknown British town of Andover, the Troggs hooked up with manager/producer Larry Page (who was involved in the Kinks' early affairs) in the mid-'60s. After a flop debut single, they were fortunate enough to come across a demo of Chip Taylor's "Wild Thing" (which had already been unsuccessfully recorded by the Wild Ones). In the hands of the Troggs, "Wild Thing" -- with its grungy chords and off-the-wall ocarina solo -- became a primeval three-chord monster, famous not only in its original hit Troggs version, but in its psychedelic revamping by Jimi Hendrix, who used it to close his famous set at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.

"Wild Thing" made number one in the States, but the Troggs' momentum there was impeded by a strange legal dispute which saw their early records simultaneously released on two different labels. Nor did it help that the band didn't tour the U.S. for a couple of years. As a consequence, the fine follow-up singles "With a Girl Like You" and "I Can't Control Myself" didn't do as well as they might have. In Britain, it was a different story -- they were smashes, although "I Can't Control Myself" had such an open-hearted lust that it encountered resistance from conservative radio programmers all over the globe.

The Troggs tempered their image on subsequent ballads, which utilized a sort of pre-"power ballad" approach. These weren't bad, and a few of them were British hits, but they weren't as fine as the initial blast of singles which established the band's image. "Love Is All Around," which restored them to the American Top Ten in 1968, was their finest effort in this vein. It was also their final big hit on either side of the Atlantic.

But the Troggs would keep going for a long, long time. In a sense they were handicapped by their image -- they were not intellectuals, certainly, but they weren't dumb either. They wrote most of their songs, and their albums were reasonably accomplished, if hardly up to the level of the Kinks or Traffic, containing some nifty surprises like the gothic ballad "Cousin Jane," or the tongue-in-cheek psychedelia of "Maybe the Madman." By 1970, though, they were struggling. They continued to release a stream of singles, most of which had a straightforward simplicity that was out of step with the progressive rock of the time, all of which flopped, though some were fairly good.

The Troggs' image as lunkheads couldn't have been helped by the notorious Troggs Tapes, a 12-minute studio argument that was captured on tape while the band were unawares. The Spinal Tap-like dialog helped keep their cult alive, though, and as punk gained momentum in the mid-'70s, they gained belated appreciation as an important influence on bands like the Ramones and (earlier) the MC5. They found enough live work (sometimes on the punk/new wave circuit) to keep going, although their intermittent records generally came to naught. In 1992, they rose to their highest profile in ages when three members of R.E.M., which had covered "Love Is All Around," backed the Troggs on the comeback album Athens Andover. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The unsung heart and soul of the Motor City rock & roll scene, Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels' blue-eyed R&B attack boasted a gritty passion and incendiary energy matched by few artists on either side of the color line. Born William Levise, Jr. in Hamtramck, MI on February 26, 1945, as a teen Ryder sang with a local black quartet dubbed the... [+] Read More

The unsung heart and soul of the Motor City rock & roll scene, Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels' blue-eyed R&B attack boasted a gritty passion and incendiary energy matched by few artists on either side of the color line. Born William Levise, Jr. in Hamtramck, MI on February 26, 1945, as a teen Ryder sang with a local black quartet dubbed the Peps but suffered so much racial harassment that he soon left the group to form his own combo, Billy Lee and the Rivieras. While opening for the Dave Clark Five during a 1965 date, the Rivieras came to the notice of producer Bob Crewe, who immediately signed the group and, according to legend, rechristened the singer Mitch Ryder after randomly selecting the name from a phone book. Backed by the peerless Detroit Wheels -- originally guitarists James McCarty and Joseph Cubert, bassist Earl Elliot, and drummer Johnny "Bee" Badanjek -- Ryder reached the Top Ten in early '66 with "Jenny Take a Ride"; the single, a frenzied combination of Little Richard's "Jenny Jenny" and Chuck Willis' "C.C. Rider," remains one of the quintessential moments in blue-eyed soul, its breathless intensity setting the tone for the remainder of the band's output.

Ryder and the Detroit Wheels returned to the charts weeks later with their reading of "Little Latin Lupe Lu," scoring their biggest hit that autumn with the Top Five smash "Devil with a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly." "Sock It to Me Baby!" followed in early 1967, but at Crewe's insistence Ryder soon split from the rest of the band to mount a solo career; the move proved disastrous -- outside of the Top 30 entry "What Now My Love," the hits quickly and permanently dried up. In 1969 Ryder teamed with Booker T. and the MG's for an LP titled The Detroit/Memphis Experiment before returning home and reuniting with Badanjek in a new seven-piece lineup known simply as Detroit. The group's lone LP, a self-titled effort issued in 1971, remains a minor classic, yielding a major FM radio hit with its cover of Lou Reed's "Rock and Roll"; however, the years of performing were taking their toll, and as Ryder began suffering more and more from severe throat problems, he retired from music, relocating to the Denver area in 1973. In time he began writing songs with wife Kimberley, also taking up painting and working on a novel.

Ryder resurfaced in 1978 on his own Seeds and Stems label with How I Spent My Vacation, his first new LP in seven years; Naked but not Dead appeared a year later, and he continued his prolific output in 1981 with two new efforts, Live Talkies and Got Change for a Million?. In 1983 ardent fan John Cougar Mellencamp agreed to produce Ryder's major label comeback, Never Kick a Sleeping Dog, which generated a minor hit with its cover of the Prince classic "When You Were Mine" but otherwise failed to return the singer to mainstream success, at least at home -- in Europe, and particularly in Germany, he retained a large fan following, releasing In the China Shop on the German label Line in 1986. After satirizing the Iran-Contra debacle with the 1987 single "Good Golly, Ask Ollie," Ryder issued the full-length Red Blood, White Mink the following year; subsequent efforts include 1990's The Beautiful Toulang Sunset, 1992's La Gash and 1994's Rite of Passage. He continued touring steadily in the years to follow and also worked on an autobiography. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Best known for their 1965 smash "Wooly Bully," which helped introduce Tex-Mex rhythms to mainstream rock & roll, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs were formed in Dallas by lead singer Domingo Samudio, who took the name Sam the Sham from a joke about his inability as a vocalist. The Pharaohs consisted of guitarist Ray Stinnet, bassist David Martin,... [+] Read More

Best known for their 1965 smash "Wooly Bully," which helped introduce Tex-Mex rhythms to mainstream rock & roll, Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs were formed in Dallas by lead singer Domingo Samudio, who took the name Sam the Sham from a joke about his inability as a vocalist. The Pharaohs consisted of guitarist Ray Stinnet, bassist David Martin, saxophonist Butch Gibson, and drummer Jerry Patterson. Before hitting it big with "Wooly Bully," a song about Samudio's cat, the band recorded the independent single "Haunted House," which helped them get a deal with MGM. Following "Wooly Bully," the group recorded a series of largely novelty singles, but only "Li'l Red Riding Hood" approached the success of its predecessor. Frustrated at being perceived as a talentless novelty act, Samudio broke up the Pharaohs in 1967 and recorded as the Sam the Sham Revue, and adopted the name Sam Domingo in 1970. His lone solo LP, Sam, Hard and Heavy, featured slide guitarist Duane Allman, but failed to establish him as a major talent. Samudio contributed two songs to the 1982 film The Border and later moved to Memphis and became a street preacher. "Wooly Bully," of course, remains a bar band staple. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Since the rights to the original 96 Tears album and singles are held in limbo, fans have to be content with records like ? & the Mysterians Featuring 96 Tears, a collection of re-recordings by the original lineup that was recorded in 1997, 31 years after their one hit topped the charts. Surprisingly, the group sounds tough, dynamic and exciting... [+] Read More

Since the rights to the original 96 Tears album and singles are held in limbo, fans have to be content with records like ? & the Mysterians Featuring 96 Tears, a collection of re-recordings by the original lineup that was recorded in 1997, 31 years after their one hit topped the charts. Surprisingly, the group sounds tough, dynamic and exciting -- it's easy to tell that this is not the same group of young garage punks from the mid-'60s, but these guys can still kick hard, which is what makes the record worthwhile for diehard garage freaks. In addition to "96 Tears," the album also features Mysterians classics like "I Need Somebody," "'8' Teen," "Smokes, '" Up Side," "Stormy Monday," "Make You Mine," "Got To," "Don't Tease Me" and "You're Telling Me Lies." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

CD reissue of the group's first album, including the rock anthem "Louie Louie," issued here for the first time minus the annoying overdubbed crowd noises. Also nice is the inclusion of three bonus tracks. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide

CD reissue of the group's first album, including the rock anthem "Louie Louie," issued here for the first time minus the annoying overdubbed crowd noises. Also nice is the inclusion of three bonus tracks. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide [-] Hide

A really solid dance album, and a great '60s party album, sparked by a lot more than just "Land of 1000 Dances." Among the 16 tracks here (which includes a version of "La Bamba" and covers of "My Girl, " "Shotgun, " and "The Boy From New York City"), there's not a bad number to be found. The sound quality is excellent, and the notes are pretty... [+] Read More

A really solid dance album, and a great '60s party album, sparked by a lot more than just "Land of 1000 Dances." Among the 16 tracks here (which includes a version of "La Bamba" and covers of "My Girl, " "Shotgun, " and "The Boy From New York City"), there's not a bad number to be found. The sound quality is excellent, and the notes are pretty thorough as well, and since it's unlikely that even Bear Family would do a box set on the group, this is probably as good as it's going to get. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide [-] Hide

A budget-priced but bountiful -- 18 tracks -- collection of the group's best. All of their chart hits are aboard ("El Rancho Rock," "Chariot Rock," "Tequila Twist," "Midnighter," "Too Much Tequila," "Limbo Rock," and an especially crisp transfer of the title track), a fact all the more amazing since the group is generally misrepresented as a... [+] Read More

A budget-priced but bountiful -- 18 tracks -- collection of the group's best. All of their chart hits are aboard ("El Rancho Rock," "Chariot Rock," "Tequila Twist," "Midnighter," "Too Much Tequila," "Limbo Rock," and an especially crisp transfer of the title track), a fact all the more amazing since the group is generally misrepresented as a one-hit wonder. The Champs may have only worked a small, select piece of rock instrumental turf, but it remains theirs to this day. This single-disc compilation is a one-stop buy, containing just about everything you'll need on this seminal rock & roll combo. ~ All Music Guide, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Best of the Troggs on Fontana/Chronicles is one of the better single-disc Troggs collections you are likely to find. The 12 tracks cover the band's best work from the initial period of their career in the mid-'60s. Of course, the set leads off with their biggest hit, the wild and nasty "Wild Thing," but the rest of the tunes show the band to... [+] Read More

The Best of the Troggs on Fontana/Chronicles is one of the better single-disc Troggs collections you are likely to find. The 12 tracks cover the band's best work from the initial period of their career in the mid-'60s. Of course, the set leads off with their biggest hit, the wild and nasty "Wild Thing," but the rest of the tunes show the band to be even wilder with a raft of frantic stompers like "From Home," the pleading "I Can't Control Myself," "I Want You," and "Gonna Make You." The group also made some of the most sensitive and pretty music of the British Invasion. Tunes like "Love Is All Around," "Anyway That You Want Me," "With a Girl Like You," and the impossibly tender "You Can Cry if You Want To" are the work of a band with a delicate mastery of emotion and dynamics. Hard to believe it's the same louts who bashed out "Wild Thing." Apart from a few minor cuts like "I Just Sing" and "Jingle Jangle," this collection delivers all the Troggs a casual fan would ever need and is a fine first purchase. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide [-] Hide