Chocolate Watch Band - No Way Out LP

Label: Unknown (Counterfeit); Year: 20??; Format: Vinyl LP

Music is a wonderful thing, and records such as "No Way Out" by California band Chocolate Watch Band are proof of that. Many years ago my interest in music started to change direction and I no longer wanted to just be listening to anything punk rock related but discover music and the many genres that pre-dated the punk rock explosion, because let's face it without those records said explosion might have looked totally different. The other day I walked into my local record stores and had a good chat with the proprietor. I was sat in the chair sipping on a much needed bottle of water after walking for about two miles to get my exercise in and nearly walked out of there without buying anything until I heard the magic sentence "I think I know a record you'll like". When I heard the name Chocolate Watch Band it did ring a bell as I have some Nuggets Compilation LPs in my collection so I must have heard them before, but it's not like I knew the record or much about the band at all. After hearing the opening track "Let's Talk About Girls" I said immediately I'd buy it. We ended up listening to the entire record in the store and today I decided to put it on again for this blog entry and to learn a bit more about the band and the history of this record. For all you record junkies out there the version I bought is a counterfeit but sounds actually incredibly good for a boot. Sundazed reissued this classic a few years back officially hence unless you are wealthy you'll have to grab a repress to get your kicks. Originally the record came out in 1967 on Tower and was supposedly mistakenly distributed through more blues oriented channels which didn't help the band nor the sales figures. Still, by the early '70s the album was out of print and since then has gradually gained interest amongst crazy folks like myself. It doesn't surprise me at all since the songs are a perfect mixture of psychedelic rock and garage rock ultimately leading to a strong influence for proto-punk acts down the road. Reading up about the making of the record I was intrigued to learn that the full band participated only on a handful of the songs with original singer Dave Aguilar being replaced with session singer Don Bennett. The members in Chocolate Watch Band were young kids, all under the age of twenty, and quite frankly weren't quite ready to record a full length, especially after being rushed to do so. No matter what though, the record itself is a masterpiece and one of those records that will take you on a journey where you don't need to take any mind-altering drugs. It's simply a killer record and my mission will be to get their 2nd LP as well. 

Back Cover of the LP where the band listed hundreds of names this LP is dedicated to, including Jackie Kennedy, All Playboy Bunnies, Jack The Ripper, Jack Kerouac, Ghandi and the list goes on...