The Leaves - Hey Joe
LP original released in 1966. This rip is from the 1993 expanded CD-reissue, released by One Way Records (Cat.#: OW 29307).
One of the first L.A. folk-rock groups to spring up in the wake of the Byrds in the mid-'60s, the Leaves are most remembered for recording the first -- and one of the most successful -- rock versions of "Hey Joe," which reached the Top 40 (and was a huge California hit) in 1966. None of their other releases approached this success (although "Too Many People" was a local hit), but the group recorded a fair number of strong covers and original songs during their brief existence. More explicitly Stones and Beatles-influenced than the Byrds, they didn't project as strong an identity as competitors like the Byrds or Love, despite displaying considerable talent for harmony rockers in both the folk-rock and British Invasion styles. After cutting some singles and an album for the tiny Mira label, they moved to Capitol and disbanded after a disappointing follow-up (All the Good That's Happening, 1967) that offered less distinguished material and a more diluted sound. Leaves bassist Jim Pons went on to join the Turtles for a while in the late '60s. [All Music Guide]
Tracks:
01. Dr.Stone (2:23)
02. Just A Memory (2:21)
03. Get Out Of My Life Woman (2:51)
04. Girl From The East (2:57)
05. He Was A Friend Of Mine (3:25)
06. Hey Joe! (2:52)
07. Words (2:24)
08. Back On The Avenue (3:13)
09. War Of Distortion (2:13)
10. Tobacco Road (2:15)
11. Good Bye, My Love (3:09)
12. Too Many People (3:24)
13. Be With You (Bonus Track) (2:08)
14. You Better Move On (Bonus Track) (2:29)
15. That's A Different Story (Bonus Track) (2:33)
16. Love Minus Zero (Bonus Track) (2:33)
17. Funny Little World (Bonus Track) (2:06)
The Leaves were an American garage band formed in California in 1963. They are best known for their version of the song "Hey Joe", which was a hit in 1966. Theirs is the earliest release of this song, which became a rock standard.
History:
The band was founded by bass player Jim Pons, inspired by hearing The Beatles while a student at Cal State Northridge in Los Angeles. Originally called The Rockwells, they were fraternity brothers who formed a group and then taught themselves how to play. Besides Pons, the line up consisted of John Beck (vocalist), Bill Rinehart (lead guitar, replaced by Bobby Arlin), Tom Ray and Robert Lee Reiner.
They began by playing surf and dance music at parties. Their first actual show was in the school gym with Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band. In 1966 The Byrds left their residency at Ciro's on Sunset Strip after making their first hit, and The Leaves (as they were by now known) were chosen to replace them. It was there they were discovered by popular singer and actor Pat Boone, who got them their first record contract.
Their first single, "Too Many People", was a local hit in Los Angeles. The Leaves released "Hey Joe" in November of '65, and dissatisfied with the sound, pulled it. They released a second version in early '66, which flopped. Original guitarist Bill Rinehart left, and the Leaves redid the song again with a fuzztone by new guitarist Bob Arlin. This version of the song, the best of the uptempo versions, became a hit, hitting #1 in L.A. It debuted on both Billboard and Cash Box on May 21, 1966. It peaked at #31 on Billboard, while showing a humbler peak position of #43 on Cash Box. The song ran nine weeks on both national charts.
Their debut album Hey Joe followed. It took a run on the Billboard charts for 5 weeks, beginning on July 30, 1966, peaking at #127. The album did not make it onto the Cash Box charts.
The band appeared on TV shows - American Bandstand, Shivaree, Shebang - and briefly in a Hollywood film, The Cool Ones (1967). One more album, All the Good That's Happening, was released before the band broke up in 1967 when Pons left to join the pop group The Turtles (In the early 70s Pons played bass with Frank Zappa). Arlin went on to form heavy psychedelic band The Hook. The band reunited in 1970 before Pons becmae a member Zappa's band. The reunited lineup included Jim Pons on rhythym guitar, John Beck on lead guitar, Buddy Skylar lead singer from thre Hook and The Spencer Davis Group, Al Nichols on Bass from the Turtles, and Bob "Bullet" Bailey on drums. The band did some touring and performed at local Los Angeles based nightclubs before disbanding in 1971.
A new generation of music fans discovered the band when their version of "Hey Joe" was included in the classic 1972 garage rock compilation, Nuggets. According to the Nuggets liner notes, the as yet unnamed band was hanging around a tree-shaded pool, smoking, when a newcomer gave the traditional 60s greeting, "What's happening?" "The leaves are happening," came the answer, which struck them all as a good name for a band.
Discography:
US Singles:
* Love Minus Zero / Too Many People: Mira 202 (1965)
* Hey Joe, Where You Gonna Go / Be with You: Mira 207 (Nov. 1965)
* You Better Move on /A Different Story: Mira 213 (1965?)
* Be with You / Funny Little Word: Mira 220 (1966)
* Hey Joe / Girl from the East: Mira 222 (1966)
* Hey Joe / Funny Little World: Mira 222 (1966)
(Mira 222 was issued with two different B-sides)
* Too Many People / Girl from the East: Mira 227 (1966)
* Get out of My Life Woman / Girl from the East: Mira 231 (1966)
* Be with You / You Better Move on: Mira 234 (1967?)
* Lemon Princess / Twilight Sanctuary: Capitol 5799 (1967?)
Albums:
* Hey Joe (1966)
* All The Good That's Happening (1967)
***
This is one hell of a debut album, especially for a group that only lasted for about a year after its release. The Leaves perform some superb folk-rock in a Byrds/Beatles vein ("Just a Moment," "Girl From the East"), excellent lyrical garage punk ("Words," "Tobacco Road"), and solid hard rock ("Hey Joe," "Too Many People"), and cross swords with the Rolling Stones ("You Better Move On," "Back On the Avenue" -- the latter a ripoff of the Stones' "2120 South Michigan Avenue") and Bob Dylan ("Love Minus Zero"). The sound isn't exactly consistent, given the gamut of influences at work here, from Bo Diddley ("Dr. Stone") to primitive psychedelia ("War of Distortion"), but there isn't a bad song on the disc, and the CD reissue has about the best sound ever heard on this material, bringing out the guitars in a genuinely crisp and vivid fashion. Maybe the strangest and best track in that regard is their cover of "He Was a Friend of Mine," which incorporates elements of both the Searchers' "When You Walk In the Room" and the Byrds' "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better" into its structure and beat -- the guitars are a real kick there. The bonus tracks may have come from vinyl sources rather than tape, but they hold up very well for sound quality. Anyone who enjoyed the first two Byrds albums must own this disc.
One of the first L.A. folk-rock groups to spring up in the wake of the Byrds in the mid-'60s, the Leaves are most remembered for recording the first -- and one of the most successful -- rock versions of "Hey Joe," which reached the Top 40 (and was a huge California hit) in 1966. None of their other releases approached this success (although "Too Many People" was a local hit), but the group recorded a fair number of strong covers and original songs during their brief existence. More explicitly Stones and Beatles-influenced than the Byrds, they didn't project as strong an identity as competitors like the Byrds or Love, despite displaying considerable talent for harmony rockers in both the folk-rock and British Invasion styles. After cutting some singles and an album for the tiny Mira label, they moved to Capitol and disbanded after a disappointing follow-up (All the Good That's Happening, 1967) that offered less distinguished material and a more diluted sound. Leaves bassist Jim Pons went on to join the Turtles for a while in the late '60s. [All Music Guide]
History:
The band was founded by bass player Jim Pons, inspired by hearing The Beatles while a student at Cal State Northridge in Los Angeles. Originally called The Rockwells, they were fraternity brothers who formed a group and then taught themselves how to play. Besides Pons, the line up consisted of John Beck (vocalist), Bill Rinehart (lead guitar, replaced by Bobby Arlin), Tom Ray and Robert Lee Reiner.
They began by playing surf and dance music at parties. Their first actual show was in the school gym with Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band. In 1966 The Byrds left their residency at Ciro's on Sunset Strip after making their first hit, and The Leaves (as they were by now known) were chosen to replace them. It was there they were discovered by popular singer and actor Pat Boone, who got them their first record contract.
Their first single, "Too Many People", was a local hit in Los Angeles. The Leaves released "Hey Joe" in November of '65, and dissatisfied with the sound, pulled it. They released a second version in early '66, which flopped. Original guitarist Bill Rinehart left, and the Leaves redid the song again with a fuzztone by new guitarist Bob Arlin. This version of the song, the best of the uptempo versions, became a hit, hitting #1 in L.A. It debuted on both Billboard and Cash Box on May 21, 1966. It peaked at #31 on Billboard, while showing a humbler peak position of #43 on Cash Box. The song ran nine weeks on both national charts.
Their debut album Hey Joe followed. It took a run on the Billboard charts for 5 weeks, beginning on July 30, 1966, peaking at #127. The album did not make it onto the Cash Box charts.
The band appeared on TV shows - American Bandstand, Shivaree, Shebang - and briefly in a Hollywood film, The Cool Ones (1967). One more album, All the Good That's Happening, was released before the band broke up in 1967 when Pons left to join the pop group The Turtles (In the early 70s Pons played bass with Frank Zappa). Arlin went on to form heavy psychedelic band The Hook. The band reunited in 1970 before Pons becmae a member Zappa's band. The reunited lineup included Jim Pons on rhythym guitar, John Beck on lead guitar, Buddy Skylar lead singer from thre Hook and The Spencer Davis Group, Al Nichols on Bass from the Turtles, and Bob "Bullet" Bailey on drums. The band did some touring and performed at local Los Angeles based nightclubs before disbanding in 1971.
A new generation of music fans discovered the band when their version of "Hey Joe" was included in the classic 1972 garage rock compilation, Nuggets. According to the Nuggets liner notes, the as yet unnamed band was hanging around a tree-shaded pool, smoking, when a newcomer gave the traditional 60s greeting, "What's happening?" "The leaves are happening," came the answer, which struck them all as a good name for a band.
Discography:
US Singles:
* Love Minus Zero / Too Many People: Mira 202 (1965)
* Hey Joe, Where You Gonna Go / Be with You: Mira 207 (Nov. 1965)
* You Better Move on /A Different Story: Mira 213 (1965?)
* Be with You / Funny Little Word: Mira 220 (1966)
* Hey Joe / Girl from the East: Mira 222 (1966)
* Hey Joe / Funny Little World: Mira 222 (1966)
(Mira 222 was issued with two different B-sides)
* Too Many People / Girl from the East: Mira 227 (1966)
* Get out of My Life Woman / Girl from the East: Mira 231 (1966)
* Be with You / You Better Move on: Mira 234 (1967?)
* Lemon Princess / Twilight Sanctuary: Capitol 5799 (1967?)
Albums:
* Hey Joe (1966)
* All The Good That's Happening (1967)