The Buckinghams - Don't Want To Cry

great garage punk
Their 2nd single released in 1966
I'll Go Crazy/Don't Want To Cry (USA 844) 1966
Originally known as The Pulsations, The Falling Pebbles, The Centuries and later The Buckingham Fountain, this Chicago-based act came together in 1965. Their biggest early exposure was on WGN-TV's "All Time Hits" show in 1965, playing cover hits of the day. Their first 45 release was a cover of the Drifters/Searchers' hit Sweets For My Sweet on Spectra Sound. They were soon signed by the Chicago-based USA Records. Their first three 45s were also substantial local hits but their big 'national' break came when Kind Of A Drag (written by Jim Holvay of local Chicago band The Mob) climbed to the top of the U.S. Singles Charts in February 1967. This resulted in Columbia buying their contract from USA Records and Jim Guercio, who was later involved with The Mothers Of Invention taking over production of their recordings.
They enjoyed two further Top Ten hits with Don't You Care (which was again written by Holvay and fellow Mob member, Gary Beisber) and Mercy Mercy, which took a top twenty instrumental hit by jazz musician Cannonball Adderly earlier that year and added vocals. Their first two albums also sold quite well peaking at No's 109 and 58 respectively in the Album Charts.

Not a psychedelic or garage band as such they did release a 45, Susan, which was an attempted venture into psychedelia and this was their most relevant recording to this book, whilst their first album is quite garagey, and of their early 45 cuts Don't Want To Cry is a great fuzz raver and I've Been Wrong Before is a great British-inspired slice of garage-pop.
Although they fell from favour in 1968, following a drug bust, they struggled on until 1970 and their Greatest Hits compilation, released in the Summer of 1969, made No. 73 in the U.S. charts. Incidentally, Martin Grebe, who joined the band in 1968 had earlier played in Chicago act The Exceptions.
Carl Giamarese and Dennis Tufano later signed to A&M Records as a duo (recording under that name) and met with further chart success. They were one of a number of acts managed by Jon-Jon Poulos before his drug-related death on 26th March 1980. Marty Grebb also played with Dick Campbell and became an active sesson musician during the seventies.

The Buckinghams reformed in 1980 and again in 1981 for the annual Chicago festival. In 1985/86 they released two cassettes Sincerely Yours and A Matter Of Time, and for their 30th anniversary in 1996 a live CD/cassette and video Places In Five was released. They have also recently released their first new album of mainly original material Terra Firma, available on CD.
The vinyl junkies out there may want to know that in 1966 they released a juke-box only 45 on red wax. It consisted of a track from their first album and interviews with the band and is now one of the rarest sixties recordings out of Chicago. The compilation Psychotic Reactions (LP) also includes their rare I'm A Man cut featured only on the first pressing of their debut LP (and the Sundazed CD reissue). A right roarin' rave-up it is too which is why it was replaced makes you wonder if The Litter had heard this.
You can also find I've Been Wrong on Pebbles Vol. 6 (CD) and I Don't Want To Cry (the flip side to their first 45 on USA Records) on both Glimpses, Vol. 1 (LP) and Glimpses, Vol's 1 & 2 (CD).
For more information on the band - check their website:
www.thebuckinghams.com

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• drag

[789pequignot]

happy birthday nick fortuna

[Branjabella483]

Bands like this and music like this should be recognized.

[merseymain]

@vampyros1- @songsamsung- thanks for replying. Great comments.

[songsamsung]

@merseymain That's true about 'I Need You'. You're also right that what they added to that basic riff makes this song unique. The Kinks could seriously rock out when they wanted to but they never had as big and fat a fuzztone sound as this. It sounds like they've got 2 fuzzboxes on everything! Who would believe they were the same nice clean-cut boys who did 'Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)'?

[vampyros1]

@merseymain I agree, but the Mops? I seriously doubt the Mops were of any influence in the U.S. at that point. But yea, all those groups brought their own primal slant to the proceedings, which made it so special.

[0213kay]

cool !

thanks for the great post :))

[merseymain]

blatant rip of The Kinks' I Need You!. But that's what made these thousands of garage bands of every city in every state of the U.S., special. They added something that nowhere else in the world, neither Liverpool or London included, had. A SPECIAL, GRITTY SOUND, taken from Kinks, Yardbirds, Who, Stones, the Mops, etc,etc THEY MADE THERE OWN sound. The Seeds, Count Five,Electric Prunes,etc, lesser known, i.e this band, they ALL rocked. and there music still.*A great write up.Thanks Stefano.

[sonicjay007]

Great Song