THE WOODY PEAKERS - Beat solution - SREAMING APPLE 2008 ____________________________________________________
If you just dip deep enough into the grotto of 80's garage-punk you'll still find some incredible treasures of this genre which certainly need to get introduced to all you garage heads around the globe. One of these 'lost jewels' are the WOODY PEAKERS from Pordenone, Italy. The band that included members of RUNNING STREAM started in 1986 playing wild ravin' fuzzed-out beat-punk with moody garage vibe to it and released a split 45 with a Ska-band named MAD JOKE the same year. Particularly well-known they got for their stylish look. Their mop tops and chelsea boots scared all their neighbours. After a few line-up changes they found a constant formation which played from autumn '87 until spring/summer '92. In these years the WOODY PEAKERS were: Vetriolo (drums+vocals), Gege (guitar+vocals), Spazzola (bass+vocals) and Ugly (organ+maraccas). 1988 they decided to record their first LP which was recorded predominantly in their rehearsal-space, a mouldy garage in the hometown Pordenone on a 4 track portable tape-machine. It was the perfect place for a garage band to record and the band loved the result. The sound was 100% authentic! The album was full of crude'n'primitive teen-punk from the 60's, but also offered some of the most amazing moody garage-howlers you can think of. The LP was released the same year on Vinyl Salvage Records based in Udine, as some kinda promotion for the collectors 2nd hand record shop they had just opened. 1989 garage music got 'officially' buried by trendy music companies and even more trendy media people, but the WOODY PEAKERS couldn't care less and a few months later, early 1990 they released a 4 track EP (with circulation of 500 copies) on their own Peak Records label. They band continued playing for another year or so, but in 1992 they decided to split up. Sixteen years later Screaming Apple thought that it was about time to re-release the whole musical legacy of the band (their one and only album and their 45) for the first time on CD and even include 5! bonus tracks, which have never been put out before on one compilation. 'Beat solution' is a real classic of the late 80's garage-punk mayhem. It offers 21 tracks of pure organ-drenched, fuzz-loaded teen-beat insanity that could've been easily recorded in 1966!!! Besides their stunning originals they've recorded a bunch of real wylde covers, such as 'Writing on the wall', 'Ricordarmi', 'Blackout of Gretely' and 'It's a crying shame' to name but a few. So if you still go mad when you fave DJ plays the LARRY & THE BLUE NOTES, the ALARM CLOCKS, the UNRELATED SEGMENTS, the SICK ROSE, the CHESTERFIELD KINGS and the MIRACLE WORKERS, you absolutely need this album! Totally limited to 500 copies only! Get it, before it's gone - FOREVER!!!
___________________________________________________
One cursory glance at these 4 mop-topped guys, and a casual spin of this CD, and you'd be forgiven to believe that you've stumbled upon some long lost 1966 session. But, truth be told, 20 years after the event, it's the courteous people of Screaming Apple that let us in one of the best kept secrets of the 80's. Italy's Woody Peakers, were one more of the countless bands that went unnoticed during the heydey of the 80's Garage Revival, but the 21 track Beat Solution CD, comes to set things straight. This new release, compiles their 1988 LP , 1990 EP and 5 previously unreleased songs, which is nearly all of the group's recorded output. The guys deliver their 100% pure 66 US teen punk, like the 70's never happened, while avoiding all the comicbook trappings that plagued so many 80's revival bands. These guys aren't afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves, and their eclectic choice of cover tunes, seems like a Garage Hall Of Fame. They successfully tackle the Love, the Squires, Gonn, the Remains, The 5 Canadians and more, but the real merit of this collection is the band's own songs. All of the tracks are strong compositions, that wouldn't be out of place in a Pebbles or a Back From the Grave volume. They span all the range of garage music, from frantic r&b stompers, to moody folkpunk, to fuzz monsters. The guitar jangles throughout the CD, though the fuzz is regularly steped on, the organ swirls along, while the backbeat is solid and the appropriately snotty vocals are shared between three of the guys. All in all, this is a solid release, that should bring the Woody Peakers into the garage pantheon, alongside the Chesterfield Kings, the Crimson Shadows etc, so it if you missed out first time round, be sure to pick it up before it's too late. (http://www.fuzzoverdose.com)
Little story of the Woody Peakers (by UGLY): _____________________________________________
WP started in '86 in Pordenone (the punk-town in Italy in the 70/80s). They did a split 45 with a Ska-band named Mad Joke: WP were Gegè on Guitar +vocal+keyboard. Drums and bass were session people in that Studio. Vetriolo and Spazzola , which played before in different (punk styled) bands, joined WP fall '86.
Band started to play in a beat-fuzz, neo-garage mood, and they had very nice hairs'n'dresses look. They had some good own songs too (Gegè was the composer of the band).
I reached them in spring '87. I had enough of R.S.and even to play! (Hey, i was on a stage from '73!). I liked them! They were only 60s garageband around: just those 5 guys at 150km far from me! I wanted to be their producer: they promptly recorded 4 songs which i sent to Lee Joseph (i met him during tour in Europe in '87). No reactions for W.P... he liked Running Stream only. I said sorry to Lee and to W.P. and i went home..! After some weeks, guys phone me and wanted me to play organ.
with them. Why not? I was for 60s garage, i liked so much punkier sounds.
From Autumn '87 till spring/summer '92 W.P. line-up stayed the same: Vetriolo drums+vocals; Gegè: guitar+vocals; Spazzola: bass+vocals; Ugly: organ. The band had no lead vocal. Guys were excellent leads and did superb chorus. And more!
Great screamin', explosive drum+bass, super reverbs and fuzz guitar...a wall of sound: i enjoyed a lot!
We did not too many gigs, since the main goal was to have fun. Always. We wished to play what we liked and to enjoy in and out the stage. Not so much stress!! We were usually an opening band, a little bit underrated ..but... with such weird name....who the hell gave the name Woody Peakers ??? LP was recorded in '88 in Pordenone in rehersal Garage of Vetriolo. We had a 4 track portable tape-machine (working with those old C60..) We had true garage place. Perfect 'live' sounds. Boys liked! Crude and primitive sounds in many tracks, some quieter songs, as had to be for 60s garagers. Final mixing here in Trieste. LP releasing was agreed with Vinyl Salvage in Udine. They wished to promote opening of Collectors /2nd hand Shop. One of two owners was a friend of mine, Christian Demel, which had left TUT Wien to work in Italy. C.D. wanted the 2nd Running Stream LP (i was owner of R.S. Mastertape)only... i said well, but you MUST do WoodyPeakers too! ...this is another story...
In '89, we knew Franco Serena (vocal of RANGER SOUND - RICORDARMI top 60 punk 45 from Italy), which proposed to produce us a LP for Contempo Florence. We did mistake: we said yes... we went in studio here in Trieste.
We recorded 13 songs. I wasn't so happy (i preferred sounds of Garage LP): final results were not as good.
And then we've been refused by Mr Serena and Contempo... and then No other labels wanted to release our full lenght LP! Garage is dead, everybody's told me!
We were not a 'name', for sure... So in '90, we released one EP - 4 songs for our own label: Peak Records.
Pressing 500 copies. Greatest Lp collectors of 60 Garage/Beat/psy.. such Hans Pokora, A.De Dolcetti, Reinhardt Bugel
(allow me now to say RIP for Reinhardt, a really nice man, passed away few years ago) they wrote lines on back of Ep. Unfortunately original mastertape had missed in the cold east-europe breezes...
In '92 band disbanded. People had to work, to make family etc...... (In same year i started with Vetriolo 'The Grains'. 'Back from the grave' sounds !) In '95 we tried to reunite W.P. band, but nothing happened (just a couple of rehersals). In '99 AUA records wanted to make a CD with our unr.live, demo etc.. songs. I wasn't in good mental shape.. I gave 'em tapes (usual C60 tapes...) and i said: do the best you can. In that cd there were 3 songs from same sessions as for EP. Music in Cd is not so bad, as reported by many. Problem was quality of that low-fi job, it was not properly masterized.
Worth to buy it anyway, it's a document!!
I had good luck i didn't gave them the last 4 survived 'good songs':
Don't tell me: was by 5canadians and was uncomped at that time.
She's the one original is a fave of mine!
Dear Freddy: a joke… rip-off from 'Stormy'… i wished to send it to Fangoria horror 'zine... good score for a Nightmare part XV!
Out of mind: …my song...
WELCOME!!! +The Micragirls own shows in 14.5.2009 Hazelwood Yellow Stage, Frankfurt, Germany 15.5.2009 St. Gervais, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland 22.5. 2009 FESTIVAL FRENCH CONNECTION in Cabaret Alèatoire, Marseille, France
Sabato 18 Aprile al DEPOSITO GIORDANI di Pordenone
ore 21.00 HAPPY HOUR + Incontro con DENNIS MUNDAY Discografico della Polydor Records di JAM e STYLE COUNCIL autore del libro "SHOUT TO THE TOP" raccolta di memorie a cavallo tra gli anni '70-'80 a fianco di PAUL WELLER.
Ore 22.00 PARTY DJ SET: Garage, Beat, Soul, Freakbeat, Glam-Rock, Power-Pop.
Online Now!
<
