One of the most popular TV Shows from the 1960s was The Andy Griffith Show. Sheriff Andy Taylor and his bumbling sidekick Deputy Barney Fife kept Law and Order in the town of Mayberry, North Carolina. It is said that this fictitious town is based on the real town of Mount Airy, NC.
Mount Airy is up in the northern part of NC, and a far smaller town than Charlotte which was the home of The Paragons as I mentioned in my last post. One might think that laid back "Mayberry" might have produced a similar vibe with their Garage Rock, compared to the lively sound of Abba by the Paragons. This was not the case with the well known among Garage Rock fans band, The Nomads!
Maybe they sound a little more crazy due to their raw sound, which didn't seem to be processed out in the recording studio. Of course the name of their big Garage Rock hit, Thoughts of a Madman, set the tone for creepy, right from the start.
And at the start of this song, we have a fuzzed out guitar blowing out the half the main riff, ending in total reverb sonic destruction. Two more reps of the riff with organ accompaniment and then its off to the vocals.
Thoughts of a madman seem to say, that I'll have to die someday! Suicide has just crossed my mind...
You've Got To Hear this fierce Garage Rock / Garage Punk song! It's well known among Garage Rockers and there is a reason why its so beloved. It freakin' Rocks!