Chains CD Reviews

 

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..."

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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."

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