It's Cold Outside

Yes, indeed. Winter has arrived with a bold entrance and friends of the blog all over the USA are scrambling to find their gloves, scarves, parkas, and breaking out their sturdiest holiday elixirs. All of which brings us to today's featured song from the classic Psychedelic Garage era of the mid to late '60's.

The 1967 Roulette 45

I know I've mentioned before on these pages how I'm a little envious that my wife's first Rock concert was The Guess Who and The Raspberries. I would have loved to have seen either of those bands in their prime. (For the record, my first concert was Golden Earring, Foghat and Black Oak Arkansas!) But I bring this little factoid up again because one of today's featured bands was a predecessor of The Raspberries, and that little old band from Cleveland was known as The Choir.

Three members of The Choir, Jim Bonfanti, Dave Smalley, and Wally Bryson went on to form The Raspberries with Eric Carmen. The Choir had a fairly good repertoire of original songs, most notably "It's Cold Outside", which parlayed impressive local success (a #1 hit in Cleveland), into a nationally charting single for Roulette Records that maxed out at #68. This song had been recorded for a local label under the bands' first name, The Mods, in 1966. But the group soon learned that a Chicago group calling themselves The Modernaires had shortened their name to The Mods, and so, our heroes quickly changed their name to The Choir to avoid potential hassles.

The Choir at a reunion in 2006.

Not long after that single was recorded, two members left the band and a series of line-up changes ensued. Ironically, considering that he would later front The Raspberries with three core members of the band, Eric Carmen's audition to join The Choir did not go well, and Kenny Margolis was selected instead. The band's second and third singles did not have the same success as their first, and in the spring of 1968, The Choir disbanded.

But then, in late 1968, they had second thoughts and reformed. So, in early 1969, the band returned to the studio and recorded a planned album that had a more psychedelic flavor, with eight original songs and a cover of the song "David Watts" by The Kinks. The tape was shipped to several different record labels without success. The Choir released a final unsuccessful single on Intrepid Records in 1970, and the band officially broke up for the final time. Such was the tale of many bands of that era.

Here's The Choir with "It's Cold Outside". This is a record with all the flavor of its origins and its time.

The Queers play VERY loud. Can't you tell?

So, if you were to form a band that would have a sound based on your two biggest musical influences, what would it sound like? Well, one band decided that a blend of The Beach Boys and The Ramones was the ticket. Unfortunately, they named the band The Queers. I feel they could done better with their name, but the sound is definitely there. Supposedly, the band name was adopted just to poke fun at their local art community, so let's all just smile and nod, and roll with that explanation for now.

The Queers are a punk rock band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that formed way back in 1982. Singer-Guitarist-Songwriter Joe King has been the principal member of the group all along, with a long list of musicians cycling in and out of the band over the years. While some punk bands use their music to impart a social or political message, King has made it clear that The Queers exist simply to play just for the fun of it. The Queers' style of juvenile pop-punk has produced anthems like "Can't Stop Farting", "Born To Do Dishes", and "I Can't Get Invited To The Prom", but also features plenty of songs about girls, beer, and a variety of other rude topics. But their repertoire is also jam-packed with cover songs and they have a way of making each one sound like it belongs in their set list. Case in point: their kickin' rendition of "It's Cold Outside", from their 2002 album, "Pleasant Screams", which ranks as one of their very best efforts. Play this as loud as you can stand it. You know you want to.

While it appears that an official website for The Queers is MIA, and there are a few fan sites online, the band seems to rely on their infrequently updated Facebook page, which does have a link to their Online Store where you can buy records and CD's direct from the band. There's also lots of their music available on Amazon, as you might expect. You'd think that a band that has been going for over 30 years would at least have a decent website by now. Just sayin'.

Buy this album NOW!

Recordings by The Choir are a little harder to come by. The Sundazed anthology from 1994 can be had, used, for under $20, but a new copy might get spendy. "It's Cold Outside" first made a CD appearance on Volume 4 of the authoritative and extensive Garage-Psych-Rock compilation series, "Pebbles". I also found it on the now out-of-print, box set version of "Nuggets" from Rhino Records, which is trading hands at enough of a collectors' premium that you may have to fill out finance paperwork. Wow.

But, although "It's Cold Outside" isn't on it, the original "Nuggets" album is a must-have, all-time great compilation of mid-60's Psychedelic Garage classics; many of them one hit wonders, in excellent quality. It's still in print and available affordably. And yes, there's 180 gram vinyl too! If you enjoy 60's Rock at all, you owe it to yourself to get this one. Yes, seriously.