The King Of Garage Rock
by Sky Sunlight Saxon
2008 album
The last Sky Sunlight Saxon album to be released in his lifetime was a fitting final word for his monumental career: The King Of Garage Rock (2008) is an outstanding collection of groovy and heavy sixties covers. With a wonderfully able band, Sky opts for an eclectic selection of classic songs, mixing evergreens like "Gloria" and "Wild Thing" with surprising choices from disparate names like The Beatles, Iggy and The Stooges, and (of course) his own Seeds.
Every song on The King Of Garage Rock is fantastic – each is suffused with energy and glows incandescent with the band’s affectionate touch. Sky is focused and enthused about the material and even the cover art is great. Everything just came together on this project.
The King Of Garage Rock was released as a CD and as corners-cutting a vinyl LP which sounds great but uses a blank white label on each side. Part of the fun of playing the record is that you don’t know which set of songs you’re going to get. Not that it matters; you need to hear it all every time.
The musicians on The King Of Garage Rock are:
Sky Saxon – vocals
Danny B. Harvey – guitars and background vocals
Don Randi – keyboards
Trent Stroh – bass
Clem Burke – drums
Debbie Hennessey – background vocals
Burke is the drummer for Blondie, and also produced this album. Harvey played with no less than Lemmy Kilmister while Randi is a legendary 1960s session player. Stroh played in the band America in the early 2000s. This was quite an all-star band Sky (or Clem) put together – it was even co-engineered by Guns ‘N’ Roses’ Gilby Clarke.
The 2007 7″ single.
Before the album was released, in 2007, a pink-vinyl single came out with three of the album’s songs on it. Pressed in limited numbers with a nice picture sleeve, the single featured "Pushin' Too Hard", "Gloria", and "Have Love Will Travel".
A beautiful epitaph for the truest of rock and roll’s true believers, The King Of Garage Rock works not only as a sweet send-off for Sky Sunlight Saxon but it’s a fun disc to spin irrespective of historical significance. Put it on, dig that gritty vibe, and let yourself be transported to a place where every dog is fed, every sound is an electric guitar, and the King of the world is wise and benevolent indeed.
About the songs on The King Of Garage Rock
- "Pushin' Too Hard"
Where else could he start? Yet another re-recording of Sky Saxon’s most famous moment, from way back in 1966. - "Gloria"
Perennial garage classic as made famous by The Shadows Of Knight. The round and round chord pattern sound like the creeping of a cat burglar. - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
Sky’s second Stones cover of the decade (after "The Singer Not The Song" in 2004), the sentiment of one of history’s most famous songs is something Sky could well relate to: frustration. - "Mr. Farmer"
Sky always loved this Seeds song, and re-recorded it many times in his career. This is the first one in almost two decades, and the last. - "Have Love Will Travel"
A classic from Seeds-esque The Sonics from 1965, this too is right up Sky’s alley but in a more fun and light-hearted way. - "I Wanna Be Your Dog"
Out personal favorite from this album. Nothing is wilder than Iggy and The Stooges’ 1969 original so this one just concentrates on the heavy vibes and those chords sinking into the quicksand. And yes that endless pinging sound is here. - "Can't Seem To Make You Mine"
The third Seeds self-cover is the band’s 1965 debut single, still one of the sixties’ biggest classic garage tunes. - "Love Me Do"
The Beatles, sure, but "Love Me Do"?! It’s an inspired choice and Sky and the gang make it sound great. - "My Little Red Book"
Sky released three versions of this Bacharach-David via Arthur Lee song; this one is much more sober than the one on Transparency. Sky always loved Arthur and does him proud here. - "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone"
A great song no matter who does it, this Monkees classic has nearly all the energy of the original. - "Come Together"
To the other end of The Beatles’ career we go from "Love Me Do", this is another stupendous choice for the album. The whispery rock-funk of the original is transmuted somewhat into a more straight-garage tune and it’s great. - "Wild Thing"
Let’s finish on a high note – The Troggs’ legendary song ends The King Of Garage Rock with a perfect stomp through brainless three-chord mania.
