The Seeds

Regarded as one of the earliest punk bands The Seeds were a prolific Los Angeles band during the rise of Psychedelia. The group was first headlined by ex Electra-Fires / Soul Rockers singer Sky Saxon who recorded during the pre-Beatle days under the name Richie Marsh. The Seeds formed in 1964 when keyboardist Daryl Hooper and drummer Rick Andridge from the Four Sharps in Michigan moved to California replying to an add by Sky Saxon. Saxon had already recruited a hot surf guitarist called Jan Savage from Jack & The Rippers and rhythm guitarist Jeremy Levine to complete the quintet, The Seeds officially formed in 1965 whose ‘debut performance was supporting an early formation of The Doors at the ‘Turkey Joint West’. The groups debut “Can’t Seem to Make You Mine” was a regional Californian hit in 1965 (years later ‘Axe Bullet’ underarm TV jingle) The Seeds ’only national # 40 hit  in 1966,  the angst “Pushin’ Too Hard” characterised Hooper’s ‘Wurlitzer’ sound while live sessions had Hooper also utilizing keyboard bass like latter day Ray Manzerak of the Doors.

During album sessions although Sky is credited for bass it was actually Harvey Sharpe from The Beau Jives that stood in. The Seeds were rampant and highly toxic with their scorching “Evil Hoodoo” and Hooper’s fab “Tripmaker”, all sensational alien encounters. The Seeds also appeared live in the soundtrack Psyche Out performing “Two Fingers Pointing to You” with actor Jack Nicholson on guitar alongside music by Strawberry Alarm Clock. The follow up single after the Psyche Out soundtrack was the trippy “The Wind Blows through Your Hair”. The Seeds also had a guest appearance on the sitcom The Mothers-In-Law and featured on the soundtrack- Riding the Bullet. Controversy arose when their single “Mr Farmer”, first song about marijuana was regionally banned, years later appearing in the soundtrack Almost Famous. Levine was the first to leave replacing Lee Freeman in Strawberry Alarm Clock in 1968. while Andridge was then replaced by ex Eliminators/ Glass drummer Carl Belknap.

The 1966 self titled debut and A Web of Sounds were riffing fearless boosted by “Mr. Farmer”, and a re-release of “Can’t Seem to Make You Mine” (1967) and “A Thousand Shadows” (1968). Notably slide guitarist Cooker John (aka Norman Desrosiers) from The Downchildren, later The Rain is credited on the sleeve to Web of Sound .The latter 1967 Future was largely a psychedelic conceptual album reeling through “Travel with Your Mind” and March of the Flower Children”while A Full Spoon of Seedy Blues had liner notes by Muddy Waters. In 1968 The Seeds launched their Raw and Alive covering the classic songs in a mean fashion plus a sassy new number called “Satisfy You”. By 1969 the band was renamed Sky Saxon & the Seeds with ex Yellow Payges guitarist Bob Norsoph & ex Good Guys drummer Don Boomer (later with Point Of Doom) replacing Savage & Andridge. Yet strangely the last Seeds 45 released by ‘GNP Crescendo’ was the Kim Fowley-produced “Falling off the Edge” / “Wild Blood” from Feb 1969. The Seeds disbanded in the early ‘70s and Saxon joined a Californian religious group, ‘The Source Family’ and often played with their band Ya Ho WA 13.