The Fantastic Dee-Jays - The Fantastic Dee-Jays (1966)

A Pittsburgh garage band whose high point was opening for a Rolling Stones concert in 1965. They might have been total unknowns in the grand scheme of things, but they actually managed to cut a few mostly self-penned singles on local labels in 1965 and 1966 that are well respected by '60s collectors. The trio featured two guitarists and a drummer — a bass-less lineup, which is a rarity in rock music. Some of their singles were recorded at a local radio station, and indeed the crudeness of the production is fascinating, with mounds and mounds of reverb making the band sound like nothing so much as a garage punk version of Peter & Gordon. After five singles and an album, the group disbanded and evolved into the Swamp Rats, a harder-edged combo relying almost exclusively on nasty punk versions of big rock and R&B hits.

You all might know that the Fantastic Dee-Jays from McKeesport/Pennsylvania later transformed into the legendary Swamp Rats. Their one and only album from 1966 contains their great version of "Fight Fire", the strong self compositions "Get Away Girl" and "Love Is Tuff" as well as competent covers of "What A Shame" and "What You're Doing". "Apache" on the other hand sounds like it was taped at their first practice session. The other stuff is in the beat/garage style. The sound is pretty crude but this shouldn't scare you away. The tracks were taken from the reissue on EVA records (EVA 12028 / 1984).

***~Tracklist ~***
- Fight fire
- Get away girl
- Shy girl
- Mr. Sad
- Two tymes two
- Apache
- You're the one
- What a shame
- What you're doing
- Love is tuff
- Just a boy
- This love of ours

***~The Band~***

Dick Newton (gtr, vlcs) [AB]
Denny Nicholson (gtr, vcls) [AB]
Tom Junecko (drms) [A]
Bob Hocko (drms, vcls) [B]

Band origin:
McKeesport (Pennsylvania/US)

Discographie:
Albums:
1. (B) The Fantastic Dee-Jays (Stone 4003) 1966

45's:
1. Apache/This Love Of Ours (Sherry 309) 1965
2. Love Is Tuff/Two Tymes Two (Fleetwood 1096) 1965
3. You're The One/Two Tymes Two (Red Fox 102) 1965
4. Fight Fire/Get Away Girl (Tri Power 421) 1966
5. Love Is So Tuff/Just A Boy (Stone 044) 1968

**Enjoy**