Reviewer: Will Shade, Ugly
Things - "The Chains' Tor
Pinney knows his way around hooks like a fisherman at a tackle shop."
"Mike
Dugo's debut release on his new label 60sgaragebands.com... highly, highly
recommended, folks! The stuff from '67 is a blast from the get go...the
later stuff - '68 & '69 - isn't usually quite my cup of tea... a bit
heavier and, er, funkier... but it's grown on me over the last few days...
(It's) easily the best rock 'n' roll reissue I've heard this year so far -
not that I've heard everything reissued to date, but even if I did this
would still be a contender..."
Reviewer: John Jackson - "Great
CD!! You gotta' get one."
"This CD
is excellent. I heard it at a buddy's house 2 weeks ago and will get a
copy for my collection. As a UTEP college student in El Paso in the late
60s, I would frequently attend Chains concerts/dances. These guys would
pack them in every time, often up to 2,000 kids! They made a Rock Concert
wild and exciting! There were sometimes fist fights as guys tried to get
close to the stage for a better look. The Chains were great musicians and
would be jumping all over the stage while they played! The vocals and
harmonies were very strong and their records were played all over Texas,
New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. I once saw them perform with Linda
Ronstadt and another time with Eric Burden and The Animals. Also, you
always knew there would be a ton of girls at a Chains Concert!"
Reviewer: Tom Kirby / Tonto & The Renegades - "Must
Buy!"
"I can't
come up with enough good words to say about this CD. I highly recommend
it. The packaging is superb. The booklet is full of info about and from
these guys and the pictures are top notch as well. But, the main reason to
pick this up is, this band is absolutely FANTASTIC. I'm surprised they
didn't become a household name like some of the others. Everything about
this 20 track CD is awesome. The drumming, the guitar work (both
lead/rhythm and bass) and the Hammond organ on here. And man, I can't
leave out the vocals. For some reason the Chains are touted as "The
Beatles of El Paso", but they really don't have a Beatles sound. Maybe
they are compared to the Beatles just because they're so damn good. This
is all the same basic band lineup throughout with minor changes, so it is
different than a comp of all those different bands, but even my wife and
kids like listening to this one. Again, I can't say enough good things
about this band and CD."
Reviewer: Goran Obradovic, POPISM Radio (www.popism-music.com)
- The Beatles of El Paso (60sGarageBands.com;
2006)
"Except
maybe to a bunch of local kids for a brief moment in '67, The Chains
weren't really The Beatles by importance and especially not musically,
but they sure might be considered for another one of those "unknown
treasures"
that could’ve shone much brighter than it did. Revolving around
the Pinney brothers, Tor and Roy, the story begins in New York in the
first half of the decade with the usual Merseybeat/Surf wannabees
scenario. After a short stint as Johnny & The Starfires, with
the ‘63 recording of Tor’s Brit-sounding Curtis Mayfield-inspired
beat ballad "No Good", already suggesting his songwriting
talent, they enter the world of showbiz as The Dolphins,
releasing a pair of raw sounding surfy A-sides, backed by a much more
interesting pair of B-sides, with "I Should Have Stayed”
being a superb piece of moody folk rock, in the vein of The Poets
and The Beau Brummels, while "There Was a Time” is a harmony-
fueled garagey r’n’b. A move to the Southwest, as well as a name
change, brought the band their own share of at least local fame with The
Chains’ debut single, "I Ain’t Gonna’ Eat Out My Heart
Anymore" becoming an instant smash. Unfortunately, only two more
singles followed, with the first one still featuring The Dolphins
strong harmonies, now moving towards the slightlydelic sunshiny pop
sound, coupling "You’re In Love" with the re-recording of
"I Should Have Stayed", now with a more polished, Zombiefied
treatment, while the last single finds them in a heavier mood, fully
realized by the time of their unreleased ‘68/’69 recordings.
However, "It’s a Shame” is a full-blown heavy freakbeat classic
that never was, while "Stop the World (I Want to Get Off
Again)" is an Eastern-tinged, psychedelic gem, making a perfect
crossover between the softer and the heavier side. Besides "A Walk
in the Woods", a Turtle-sounding harmony pop, and a cover of The
Lovin’ Spoonful’s "She’s Still a Mystery to Me", the
mentioned bunch of unreleased ‘68/’69 recordings mostly fall under a
slightly heavier sound, ranging from the funked-up acid-rawk of
"Has Anybody Seen My Friend" or "Animal Farm", to
the more sophisticated side of the genre, adding some of Buffalo
Springfield and Moby Grape eclecticism ("Heading Up Heading
Down" and "Come Tomorrow").
Considering
label owner Mike Dugo’s researching qualities, as well the
high-quality packaging of the label’s debut release,
60sGarageBands.com’s new-found activity is bound to take serious part
in future ‘60s re-releases."
Back to
Tor's Music Page
