So much has been said about this album, everything has been analysed and disclosed. So why add to that? Why write another feature on how the Sonics changed music forever and their debut album ranks among the best recordings in human history?
Well, because some people still don’t know about the Sonics. For starters, here are the facts: The Sonics are five guys from Tacoma, Washington who play music since the 60s. Initially, they didn’t sell too well nationally, but their records, especially their debut and their second LP “Boom”, were more than influential for the birth of the genre that is now known as “punk rock”. Alright, enough with the boring facts. What’s on this record?
Nothing less than the pure, distilled essence of what is Rock’n’Roll. The sound quality is awful, but that doesn’t sound bad in the LP’s context. The lo-fi sound makes the atmosphere a lot more gritty and that’s what it is about.
“Here Are The Sonics!!!” may be the most energetic record ever made. Vocalist Gerry Roslie screams and bawls vigorously over the loudest guitar riffs, the tightest grooves and some of the most catchy melodies ever committed to tape. It’s like a kick in the ass from the past. It’s pure, unfiltered, pristine energy on wax.
This is, in a way, a typical American 60s LP. There are songs about girls and cars, covers of the Sonics’ favourite tunes and loads and loads of Rhythm and Blues. What makes the LP so special are the self-penned tracks about darker subject matters, like “The Witch”, “Strychnine” or “Psycho”. And then there’s the reckless bashing and noise-making that the band indulged in here that had never been heard before or ever again.
After all, it must be magic. Because everything that came after the album that tried to emulate the overall “feeling” of it had failed. Without that record, the music world we all know and love today would’ve been a much more boring place. It should be up there with “The Velvet Underground & Nico”, or “Never Mind The Bollocks”, or even “Sgt Pepper” as one of the most influential records ever made. Its power can not be underestimated.
The Sonics are still touring the world. Go see them if you get the chance to. If you’ve never heard their two first LPs, start listening now. And buy them on vinyl, they’re readily available as a very good (yet cheap) repress and also some of these records that only the vinyl format really does justice.
