The Seeds - First & A Web Of Sound (1966-1967)

"Garage music is not bad, because Christ was born in a manger,
which was probably like a garage of that time."
Sky Saxon

Amerykańska grupa The Seeds powstała w Los Angeles. Jej założycielem był Sky Saxon (prawdziwe nazwisko Richard Marsh), występujący wcześniej w zespołach Sky Saxon & The Soul Rockers i The Amoeba. The Seeds byli kultową grupą w L.A. i modnego wówczas nurtu undergroundowego. Singlowy debiut "Can't Seem To Make You Mine" był preludium do wydanego wcześniej "Pushin' Too Hard", który stał się standardem garażowego grania.

Sky Saxon - vocal, piano, organ, sitar
Rick Andridge - drums
Daryl Hooper - keyb, vocal
Jan Savage-guitar, vocal

Drugi album "A Web of sound" wydany wcześniej w Wielkiej Brytanii przez wytwórnię Vocalion zawierał dawkę surowego garażowego punka lat 60-tych i nie przyniósł, ale nie cieszył się na wyspach zbyt wielkim uznaniem i popularnością. Nowy menadżer Tim Hudson namówił muzyków aby skłonili się ku muzyce psychedelicznej, czego wyrazem jest ich kolejny album "Future" wpisujący się dobrze we flower power. Następną płytę "A Full Spoon Of Seedy Blues" nagrywają jako The Sky Saxon Blues Band, ze względu na bluesowe utwory będące ewenementem w dotychczasowej karierze nagraniowej, choć przez zespół wykonywane były chętnie na koncertach.

Pushin' Too Hard

Do właściwej nazwy grupa wraca w następnym wydawnictwie "Raw and Alive", zawierającym nagrania koncertowe. Ten specyficzny album zawiera dużą dawkę bardzo ostrego grania. Zespół rozwiązuje się wraz z końcem ery flower power w 1969 roku.

Lider - Sky Saxon śmiało kontynuuje karierę solową w przeróżnych projektach muzycznych, a także biorąc udział w sesjach wielu dziwacznych i tajemniczych grup jak Yahowa 13, z którą nagrywa m.in. album "Golden Sunrise" (a tak szczerze mówiąc są to cudowne perełki !)

Best-known for their rock & roll standard "Pushin' Too Hard," the Seeds combined the raw appeal of garage rock with a fondness for ragged, trashy psychedelia.

Sky Saxon (vocals) and guitarist Jan Savage formed the Seeds with keyboardist Daryl Hooper and drummer Rick Andridge in Los Angles in 1965. By the end of 1966, they had secured a contract with GNP Crescendo, releasing "Pushin' Too Hard" as their first single. Its raw, simple riff and Saxon's howling, half-spoken intonation established a pattern that remained almost unchanged throughout the group's career. The song climbed into the Top 40 early in 1967, and the group immediately released two sound-alike singles, "Mr. Farmer" and "Can't Seem To Make You Mine," in an attempt to replicate their success. The latter came the closest to being a hit, just missing the Top 40.

Mr Farmer

While their singles were garage-punk, the Seeds attempted to branch out into improvisational blues-rock and psychedelia on their first two albums, "The Seeds" (1966) and "Web of Sound" (1966). With their third album, "Future" (1967) the band attempted a psychedelic concept album in the vein of Sgt. Pepper. While the record reached the Top 100 and spawned the minor hit "A Thousand Shadows", it didn't sell. Two other albums -- "Raw and Alive: Merlin's Music Box" (1968) and "A Full Spoon Of Seedy Blues" (1969), which was credited to the 'Sky Saxon Blues Band', were released at the end of the decade, but both were ignored. The Seeds broke up shortly afterwards.

During the early '70s, Saxon re-emerged as 'Sky Sunlight', fronting several combinations known variously as 'Stars New Seeds' or the 'Universal Stars Band', before retreating from society and moving to Hawaii.

Sky 'Sunlight' Saxon

Saxon reunited the original Seeds for a short tour in 1989 and in the late 90's, made still another resurgence, having become a cult icon to the international psychedelic crowd. As recently as 1998, Saxon performed at The Campstove Festival in New York, backed by Question Mark and the Mysterians.

In 2002, bassist Rick Collins, along with Sky Saxon, resurrected the Seeds with a new line up, playing all of the Seeds classic songs. Original guitarist Jan Savage even re-united for a stint in 2003, playing some West Coast, East coast, and European dates before returning home.

In 2004, another new line-up appeared, with Ryan Maynes on keyboards, Nate Greely on guitar and Justin Smith on drums joining original members Sky Saxon and Rick Collins. This new edition toured the US and begining in March, 2005, played several shows in Europe, Japan and Australia. The band was also hard at work on a new album.

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