HIDDEN GEMS
Snatch and The Poontangs | Snatch and The Poontangs
For the discerning fan of both electric blues and dirty words, you can’t do much better than the 1969 release, Snatch and The Poontangs. It’s the uncredited work of expert bluesman Johnny Otis and a tight backing band including his wunderkind son Shuggie. The Poontangs’ only album has 9 filthy, funny songs, including a super-bloody, sexed-up version of the Stagger Lee story (“The Great Stack-a-Lee”) that seems to have lyrically influenced Nick Cave’s similarly X-rated 1996 version. Other highlights include “Hey Shine,” where black boxer Jack Johnson saves all the other blacks from the sinking Titanic, and “The Pissed-Off Cowboy.”
by Justin Remer

The Dovers | We’re Not Just Anybody
Sixties garage rock enthusiasts may already know The Dovers, but I’d highly recommend them to the uninitiated, especially those of you who’ve been enjoying “Walkabout,” the newish single from Atlas Sound and Noah Lennox. That bubbling organ loop you hear on “Walkabout” is sampled from The Dovers’ single “What Am I Going To Do.” But The Dovers aren’t as cheerful as the “Walkabout” sample might imply: they’re California pop alright, but rain-soaked and full of teenage melancholy. The Dovers only recorded eight singles, which used to be pretty hard to come by, but now you can find them all on We’re Not Just Anybody, their 10” compilation.
by Erin Sheehy
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compiled by Max Sebela