Pebbles, Volume 1
Encyclopedia
Pebbles is a compilation of US underground and garage
single record releases from the mid- to late-1960s. It had a limited original release in 1978 and a more general release in 1979 (where the album was identified simply as Pebbles); this album was followed by several subsequent Pebbles compilations
and albums (nearly 100 in all). This album is nowadays known as Pebbles, Volume 1 and was originally issued in 1978 as Pebbles, Volume One: Artyfacts from the First Punk Era, an obvious riff on Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era
, a similar, groundbreaking compilation from 1972.
The Pebbles album was originally released as an LP on Mastercharge Records in 1978 as a collaborative effort of several collectors in a limited edition of just 500 copies. The album had no catalogue number and a plain pink-and-black cover sheet; it had the appearance of a bootleg recording
. Greg Shaw
was probably one of the collectors involved in this album, since the on-line listing of the original liner notes
is marked as being "Courtesy of Greg Shaw". The AIP
label that he founded released the later volumes in the series. The Mastercharge label appears to have been created only for this release and is apparently not a real record company.
The release of this album on BFD in 1979 gained the record and the Pebbles series wide recognition. AIP kept the LP in print for many years.
AIP
issued the first volume in the Pebbles series in CD format in 1992. Although the CD has bonus tracks and a colored cover, the two formats are largely the same album and even have similar catalogue numbers. Also, ESD released an earlier edition of Pebbles, Volume 1
on CD in 1989 with almost completely different tracks.
Two box sets of the first five volumes of the Pebbles series
have also been released, the Pebbles Box
on LP (in 1987) and the Trash Box
on CD (in 2004).
In 2008, apparently in honor of the 30th anniversary of this landmark compilation album, Bomp
began offering a reissue of the first Pebbles album in clear vinyl, complete with a reproduction of the original pink insert. As with the original release, this special reproduction is limited to 500 copies. It should be noted that this edition was made with the BFD masters, so the skip in "Action Woman" is still in place, and "Crackin' Up" by the Wig is missing.
Due to a mastering error, the tracks printed on the cover copy for the CD differ somewhat from the tracks actually included on the album. Two songs were listed on the tray card that are not included on the album: "Crackin' Up", by The Wig (which was included on the original LP but not on the BFD reissue) and "I Need Love", by Third Booth (which was to have been a bonus track). Also, the Shadows of Knight song is split into two tracks on the CD.
Also, when AIP issued the early volumes of CDs, they omitted some tracks from the corresponding LP for the stated reason that they were already widely available on other anthologies. In this case, another track on the LP is not included on the CD: "Going All the Way", by the Squires.
Side 2:
BFD Records (#BFD-5016) — 1979
AIP Records
– several reissues
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
single record releases from the mid- to late-1960s. It had a limited original release in 1978 and a more general release in 1979 (where the album was identified simply as Pebbles); this album was followed by several subsequent Pebbles compilations
Pebbles series
Pebbles is an extensive series of compilation albums in both LP and CD formats that have been issued on several record labels, though mostly by AIP...
and albums (nearly 100 in all). This album is nowadays known as Pebbles, Volume 1 and was originally issued in 1978 as Pebbles, Volume One: Artyfacts from the First Punk Era, an obvious riff on Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era
Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968
Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era is a compilation album of American garage rock singles released in the mid- to late 1960s. It was assembled by Jac Holzman, founder of Elektra Records, and Lenny Kaye, later lead guitarist for the Patti Smith Group...
, a similar, groundbreaking compilation from 1972.
Release data
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
. Greg Shaw
Greg Shaw
Greg Shaw was a Los Angeles-based fanzine publisher, music historian and record label owner. He grew up near San Francisco, California.It was as a young teenager that he started writing about rock and roll music...
was probably one of the collectors involved in this album, since the on-line listing of the original liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
is marked as being "Courtesy of Greg Shaw". The AIP
AIP Records
AIP Records is a record label that was started by Greg Shaw's Bomp! Records, being launched in 1983 to continue the Pebbles series. The abbreviation AIP stands for "Archive International Productions". The first 10 volumes in the Pebbles series had been released by BFD Records of Kookaburra,...
label that he founded released the later volumes in the series. The Mastercharge label appears to have been created only for this release and is apparently not a real record company.
The release of this album on BFD in 1979 gained the record and the Pebbles series wide recognition. AIP kept the LP in print for many years.
AIP
AIP Records
AIP Records is a record label that was started by Greg Shaw's Bomp! Records, being launched in 1983 to continue the Pebbles series. The abbreviation AIP stands for "Archive International Productions". The first 10 volumes in the Pebbles series had been released by BFD Records of Kookaburra,...
issued the first volume in the Pebbles series in CD format in 1992. Although the CD has bonus tracks and a colored cover, the two formats are largely the same album and even have similar catalogue numbers. Also, ESD released an earlier edition of Pebbles, Volume 1
Pebbles, Volume 1 (ESD Records)
Pebbles, Volume 1 is a compilation album among the CDs in the Pebbles series and is actually the first CD to be released in the series. This is a different album from the Pebbles, Volume 1 CD that was released by AIP Records in 1992.-Liner Notes:...
on CD in 1989 with almost completely different tracks.
Two box sets of the first five volumes of the Pebbles series
Pebbles series
Pebbles is an extensive series of compilation albums in both LP and CD formats that have been issued on several record labels, though mostly by AIP...
have also been released, the Pebbles Box
Pebbles Box
The Pebbles Box is a 5-LP box set of mid-1960s garage rock and psychedelic rock recordings, primarily by American bands. Several years later, a similar 5-CD box set was released that was called the Trash Box...
on LP (in 1987) and the Trash Box
Trash Box
The Trash Box is a 5-CD box set of mid-1960s garage rock and psychedelic rock recordings, primarily by American bands. This box set is similar to the earlier Pebbles Box and includes almost all of the same recordings in that box set , along with numerous bonus tracks at the end of each disc...
on CD (in 2004).
In 2008, apparently in honor of the 30th anniversary of this landmark compilation album, Bomp
Bomp! Records
Bomp! Records is an Los Angeles-based indie label formed in 1974 by fanzine publisher and music historian Greg Shaw.-History:The label has featured punk, pop, powerpop, garage rock, new wave, old school rock, neo-psychedelia among other genres, and its roster has included artists such as The Modern...
began offering a reissue of the first Pebbles album in clear vinyl, complete with a reproduction of the original pink insert. As with the original release, this special reproduction is limited to 500 copies. It should be noted that this edition was made with the BFD masters, so the skip in "Action Woman" is still in place, and "Crackin' Up" by the Wig is missing.
Omitted tracks on the CD
Also, when AIP issued the early volumes of CDs, they omitted some tracks from the corresponding LP for the stated reason that they were already widely available on other anthologies. In this case, another track on the LP is not included on the CD: "Going All the Way", by the Squires.
LP
Side 1:- The LitterThe LitterThe Litter was an American psychedelic and garage rock band, formed in 1966 in Minneapolis. They are best remembered for their 1967 debut single "Action Woman." The group recorded an album in 1972 but would re-unite in 1990, 1992, and again in 1998, when they recorded a new studio album consisting...
: "Action Woman", 2:30 — rel. 1967 - The Preachers: "Who Do You Love" (Ellas McDaniel), 2:11 — rel. 1965
- The Floyd Dakil Combo: "Dance Franny Dance", 2:10 — rel. 1964
- The Outcasts: "I'm in Pittsburgh (and it's Raining)", 1:56 — rel. 1966
- The Squires: "Going All the Way", 2:18, vinyl-only track
- The Grains of Sand: "Going Away Baby", 2:10 — rel. 1966
- The Ju-Ju's: "You Treat Me Bad", 2:18 — rel. 1966
- The Haunted: "1-2-5", 2:46 — rel. 1966
Side 2:
- The Soup Greens: "Like a Rolling StoneLike a Rolling Stone"Like a Rolling Stone" is a 1965 song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Its confrontational lyrics originate in an extended piece of verse Dylan wrote in June 1965, when he returned exhausted from a grueling tour of England...
" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
), 2:40 — rel. 1965 - The Wig: "Crackin' Up" (Rusty WierRusty WierRussell Allen "Rusty" Wier was an American singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas.Wier's career dates back to the 1970s and covers multiple music genres...
), 2:18 — rel. 1966, vinyl-only track * - Positively 13 O'Clock: "Psychotic ReactionPsychotic Reaction"Psychotic Reaction" is an early garage rock song released by the American rock band Count Five in 1966, and also the title of their only album. The song Psychotic Reaction was written by the five members of the Count Five, Craig "Butch" Atkinson, John Byrne, Roy Chaney, Kenn Ellner and John...
", 2:00 — rel. 1966 - Kim FowleyKim FowleyKim Vincent Fowley is an American record producer, impresario, songwriter, musician, film maker, and radio actor. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult rock pop singles in the 1960s, and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s...
: "The Trip" (Kim FowleyKim FowleyKim Vincent Fowley is an American record producer, impresario, songwriter, musician, film maker, and radio actor. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult rock pop singles in the 1960s, and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s...
), 2:00 — rel. 1965 - The Elastik Band: "Spazz", 2:45 — rel. 1967
- The Split Ends: "Rich with Nothin'", 2:15 — rel. 1966
- The Shadows of Knight: "Potato Chip", 3:23 — rel. 1967
- The Wild Knights: "Beaver Patrol", 2:16 — rel. 1965
- The Wig's "Crackin' Up" is not on the vinyl BFD release of the album, even though it does appear on the track list.
CD
- The LitterThe LitterThe Litter was an American psychedelic and garage rock band, formed in 1966 in Minneapolis. They are best remembered for their 1967 debut single "Action Woman." The group recorded an album in 1972 but would re-unite in 1990, 1992, and again in 1998, when they recorded a new studio album consisting...
: "Action Woman" — rel. 1967 - The Preachers: "Who Do You Love" (Ellas McDaniel)" — rel. 1965
- The Floyd Dakil Combo: "Dance Franny Dance" — rel. 1964
- The Outcasts: "I'm in Pittsburgh (and it's Raining)" — rel. 1966
- The Grains of Sand: "Going Away Baby" — rel. 1966
- The Ju Jus: "You Treat Me Bad" — rel. 1966
- The Haunted: "1-2-5" — rel. 1966
- The Soup Greens: "Like a Rolling StoneLike a Rolling Stone"Like a Rolling Stone" is a 1965 song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Its confrontational lyrics originate in an extended piece of verse Dylan wrote in June 1965, when he returned exhausted from a grueling tour of England...
" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) — rel. 1965 - Positively 13 O'Clock: "Psychotic ReactionPsychotic Reaction"Psychotic Reaction" is an early garage rock song released by the American rock band Count Five in 1966, and also the title of their only album. The song Psychotic Reaction was written by the five members of the Count Five, Craig "Butch" Atkinson, John Byrne, Roy Chaney, Kenn Ellner and John...
" — rel. 1966 - Kim FowleyKim FowleyKim Vincent Fowley is an American record producer, impresario, songwriter, musician, film maker, and radio actor. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult rock pop singles in the 1960s, and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s...
: "The Trip" (Kim FowleyKim FowleyKim Vincent Fowley is an American record producer, impresario, songwriter, musician, film maker, and radio actor. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult rock pop singles in the 1960s, and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s...
)" — rel. 1965 - The Elastik Band: "Spazz" — rel. 1967
- The Split Ends: "Rich with Nothin'" — rel. 1966
- The Shadows of Knight: "Radio Spot" — rel. 1967
- The Shadows of Knight: "Potato Chip" — rel. 1967
- The Wilde Knights: "Beaver Patrol" — rel. 1965
- The Sparkles: "Ain't No Friend of Mine" — rel. 1967, CD bonus track
- GONNGONNGONN is a 1960s American garage rock band from Keokuk, Iowa whose signature song is "Blackout of Gretely". Although releasing only two singles in 1966-67, the band also recorded numerous other tracks that have been collected on three retrospective albums. Following a 1989 solo album released by...
: "Blackout of Gretely" — rel. 1966, CD bonus track - The Weeds: "It's your Time" — rel. 1966, CD bonus track
- Echo & the BunnymenEcho & the BunnymenEcho & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
: "Action Woman" — rel. 1985, CD bonus/surprise track
LP
Mastercharge Records (no catalogue number) — 1978BFD Records (#BFD-5016) — 1979
AIP Records
AIP Records
AIP Records is a record label that was started by Greg Shaw's Bomp! Records, being launched in 1983 to continue the Pebbles series. The abbreviation AIP stands for "Archive International Productions". The first 10 volumes in the Pebbles series had been released by BFD Records of Kookaburra,...
– several reissues