During the ‘60s, no one else was like ? and the Mysterians and no one else sounded like them. Their “96 Tears” surged all the way to #1 in October of 1966, eclipsing the Beatles and the Supremes in the process. Today “96 Tears” is recognized as an essential garage rock classic. 1966 & 1967 were whirlwind years for them as they released a slew of singles and two outstanding studio albums along with almost non-stop touring.
Fortunately, their other songs were built on the glorious keyboard-driven Michigan Tex-Mex garage au-go-go soul foundation of “96 Tears.” Staying in their lane worked for both them and their listeners, until their record company (Cameo-Parkway) no longer worked and was bought out in fall 1967. Cameo-Parkway’s demise meant their last and one of their best singles didn’t get the push and promotion that it deserved. “Do Something to Me” features the hypnotic, swirling, incessant organ that made “96 Tears” the #1 song in America just a year earlier. Tommy James and the Shondells actually covered “Do Something To Me” and took it to the top 40 in 1968, although it’s a much inferior version in my perspective. The glorious and smile-inducing “Love Me Baby (Cherry July)” epitomises the best parts of summer for me and brings back memories of being at Bay City boat festivals where oldies-circuit acts like Mitch Ryder, Len Berry and Sonny Geracii would appear (out of a trailer).
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| Top Deck (South Bend, IN) clipping courtesy of Rob Branigin |
The band got lost in the monkey…I mean music business and was required to jump from label to label. This 1968-1970 period included singles released on the towering Capitol Records and Tangerine Records, which was owned by Ray Charles. These four late-period singles stand up-even if they were considered passé in the chaotic late '60s/early ‘70s pop-rock period. Their Capitol 45 record “Make You Mine” has all the elements of a hit mid-sixties AM radio song, but it quickly stalled out in the heavy times of 1968. The flip “Love You Baby (Like Nobody’s Business)” seems inspired by “The In Crowd” by Ramsey Lewis Trio with its liveliness. You can actually hear the crackle 'n' pop of the “needle drop” on the digital transfer of both sides of this 45, which adds to the charm of being a singles collection. The band signed on to Super K and went straight up bubblegum with “Sha La La,” that is downright equal to the Equals. Hidden away on the b-side is “Hang In.” It’s a somewhat mysterious instrumental that first evokes the Yardbirds meeting the Chocolate Watchband, before later revealing itself as a stellar cover of “Going All the Way” by the Squires.
The band got bluesier when they switched over to Ray Charles’ Tangerine label in 1969. However, it was not much of a stretch as the group had delved into the blues before with their cover of “Stormy Monday” on their debut album. Besides its bluesy-tinge, “Ain’t it a Shame,” was frequently requested by Rachel of the Detroit Cobras during live performances. The flipside "Turn Around Baby" has a Paul Revere & the Raiders kick to it. Further intrigue surrounds their Tangerine Records phase as they recorded their third album for Ray Charles’ label with the the Raelettes on backing vocals, but it has yet to see the light of day and is supposedly locked away in the vaults. 1970’s “Talk is Cheap” starts off with a bit of space-age organ that leads into the infectious “96 Tears” keyboard riff and overall feel that slants towards Sly Stone with a stomping glam-ish beat. The flip ”She Goes to Church on Sunday” is another impressive “lost in time” groove-edged pop number permeating with garage fumes and that percolating organ. As testament to their strength, most of these singles were included as part of their live repertoire when they returned to regularly playing shows and festivals in the late ‘90s and were among the highlights in their set.
?, their flashy singer with many flashes of brilliance, could be the missing link between Little Richard, James Brown and Michael Jackson and Prince. It could be argued that ? had an especially strong influence on Prince as the purple one was also known by a symbol at one point in his career. Returning the favor, ? covered Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” in 2007. To this day, ? claims Mars as his birth planet and waxes poetic about seeing a "? constellation" in the desert skies over Joshua Tree National Park. When I look up to locate the Pleiades (aka Seven Sisters, aka Subaru), I often think of ? (aka Rudy Martinez).
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| ? live at the Magic Bag in Ferndale, MI 1997 |
They have never been equaled, and their songs still endure. Their sound went on to have a major influence on some of my favorite bands in subsequent decades including the Modern Lovers, the Original Sins, Lyres, Reigning Sound and Fortune & Maltese. Call these singles infectious. Call these singles hypnotic. Call these rare singles undeniably ? and the Mysterians.
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| ? and the Mysterians at the Magic Bag in Ferndale, MI-1997 L to R: Frank Lugo (bass), Frank Rodriguez (keyboards), ? (vocals) |
