Pebbles, Volume 9 LP

PEBBLES, VOLUME 9 (LP)

Pebbles, Volume 9 is a compilation album among the LP’s in the Pebbles series. The music on this album has no relation to Pebbles, Volume 9 that was released on CD many years later. (More from Wikipedia)

As best I can recall, the above albums were the first two that I acquired in the Pebbles series that has filled my life with great, unknown 1960’s garage rock and psychedelic rock for more than 30 years. These LP’s, Pebbles, Volume 9 and Pebbles, Volume 10 were the last two albums in the first group of 10 that was released in 1979-1980, purportedly by BFD Records of Kookaburra, Australia. Actually, the series was masterminded by Greg Shaw, founder of Bomp! Records in North Hollywood.

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In 1983, another long series of Pebbles LP’s came out on a brand-new label called AIP Records (standing for “Archive International Productions”) that was openly affiliated with Bomp! Records. But even at that point, the idea that there were 10 volumes in the Pebbles series, and that these two (Pebbles, Volume 9 and Pebbles, Volume 10) were so good made me determined to get them all. Before it was over, I had purchased close to 100 LP’s and CD’s with the Pebbles name, and I still don’t have them all.

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On the back side of the Pebbles, Volume 9 and Pebbles, Volume 10 LP’s were cool liner notes that normally (not always) gave some information about the bands and the songs on the album. Greg Shaw wrote the liner notes for the original Pebbles release (they are available online now).

For the most part, the bands on the Pebbles albums were completely unknown to practically everyone when they came out, but a few were virtually unknown songs by better known bands. Pebbles, Volume 9 features a track by the Outsiders, to my mind a first-rate American band that had a big hit with “Time Won’t Let Me” and released several more singles, along with four albums. If memory serves, Greg Shaw oversaw a Collector’s Choice compilation (or something like that) of the Outsiders’ music – I assume for Capitol Records, since that is the label that originally released their music. I have all of their albums except Album #2; despite the boring album names, their stuff is really good.

I also remember New Colony Six back then (who also have a track on Pebbles, Volume 9), though for the life of me I can’t remember what song of theirs I heard back in the day.

The song that I love best on Pebbles, Volume 10 is “Train Kept A-Rollin’” by the Bold (also known as Steve Walker and the Bold) – actually there is a song by this band on both Pebbles, Volume 9 and Pebbles, Volume 10.

(July 2013)

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Items: Pebbles, Volume 9 LP