Again, back to the garage for the sixth release
The Cheques “To Stone”
The Cheques were an open-minded garage/soul band from Louisiana comprised mostly of young Italian/American Air Force personnel. They started by playing in the officer’s mess, then as their popularity grew they began getting gigs off base and recording offers. They went on to release six 45’s for various labels, with this being the most stunning. Moody garage perfection with a rolling dance beat. Sadly 1969 saw them broken up and sent to various posts around Vietnam.
The Buddhas “Lost Innocence”
The only single from this Bakersfield band came out in 1967 on a tiny local label, but oooh that single was a killer. All you want in a garage dancer, a tight arrangement, with a thumping rhythm track supported by handclaps and heavily reverbed vocals. Sadly for collectors, tiny labels tended not to press many copies, so the price for an original is a tad high. As usual, the band played a few local gigs for a few months, then they too were gone.
