“Satisfy You”
by The Seeds
1968 song
For years, "Satisfy You" was a Seeds fan favorite that existed only in annoying and bastardized form. And few knew how hard The Seeds worked to get the perfect version of the song.
It was originally released, with fake crowd noises added on top, to the fake 1968 live album Raw & Alive. It was also released as a single, with an edited "900 Million People Daily (All Making Love)" as its B-side, in a unique plastic bag picture sleeve. This has become a rare collector’s item.
It’s an obviously great song, a fiercely exuberant garage rocker that pounds forward and never lets up. The melodies, such as they are, are to-die-for and Sky’s delirious insistence that he can satisfy you is infectious. But, as fans would come to learn, there was more to the "Satisfy You" story.
The track was attempted by The Seeds no fewer than four different times. The first was on January 15, 1968, when the band was recording some new songs for a vague future project that hadn’t been defined. Six takes were done, with some overdubs on take 6. This was released in 2013 on the expanded Future 2-CD set as “Satisfy You [version 1]”. (This same version also made it to a rare 2015 7″ from Record Collector.)
2015 outtake version from Record Collector.
On February 20, 1968 the band recorded an entire “live” set, in the studio, for a possible fake live album. "Satisfy You" was among the tracks recorded, but nearly the entire performance was rejected and needed to be redone. This second attempt was released on the 2-CD expanded Raw & Alive in 2014.
On April 2 The Seeds tried recording some of their fake live songs again, including six takes of "Satisfy You", five of which were complete. None of these from attempt #3 has been released. But when the band had a long session on April 9, a fourth and final stab at "Satisfy You" (along with most of the rest of Raw & Alive) was finally nailed down. It was the third of three takes that ended up on the LP and in fans’ hearts.
In 1993, GNP Crescendo released "Satisfy You" without crowd noises on Travel With Your Mind. This was also added to the 2014 2-CD Raw & Alive, as was the version with crowd noises. So, depending on how you count it, three or four "Satisfy You"s are out there for fans to compare and contrast on the Big Beat expanded CDs.
They’re all highly recommended. Better yet, find an original with the mylar sleeve and spin that baby at 45 rpm – the song rocks!
