I don't know how to express my utter delight when I played the 3 CDs in this compilation for the first time other than to say it is just amazing. The music on is so, so good. Just about every track blows me away.
That's enough of the superlative ranting. Let's get on with telling you more about what you can find in the package.
First thing to tell you about is the comprehensive 41 page full colour booklet with sleeve notes from the compiler, Jon Harrington. It gives excellent information on each track on the CDs.
Then I need to tell you about the music. And there is a lot of it. 94 tracks to be precise. Almost four hours worth of sounds from the sixties.
The collection is a companion volume, and prequel of sorts, to Pushin’ Too Hard American Garage Punk 1964-1967 released in 2024. If you are familiar with the Nuggets series, or the Pebbles series, of releases of Garage Rock and Psychedelic then you will know what to expect from Steppin' Out. It just goes a little further starting with surf, frat rock, and folk rock, and moving on to the Proto-Garage of the early 1960s, when American teenagers were influenced by the British Invasion of early rock from The Beatles, Rolling Stones, et al.
Most of you will familiar with tracks like Surfin’ Bird from The Trashmen and Louie Louie by The Kingsmen. The sounds are just limitless. I quote from the sleeve notes "There are national US Billboard Hot 100 hits from The Chantays – ‘Pipeline’ (#4), The Dartells – ‘Hot Pastrami’ (#11), The Kingsmen – ‘Louie Louie’ (#2), The Trashmen – ‘Surfin’ Bird' (#4), The Rivieras – ‘California Sun’ (#5), The Rip Chords – ‘Hey Little Cobra’ (#4), The Marketts - ‘Out Of Limits’ (#3), Jan & Dean – ‘Dead Man’s Curve’ (#8), The Beach Boys – ‘I Get Around’ (#1), Ronny & The Daytonas – ‘GTO’ (#4), The Everly Brothers – ‘Gone, Gone, Gone’ (#31), Tommy James & The Shondells – ‘Hanky Panky’ (#1), Sir Douglas Quintet – ‘She’s About A Mover’ (#13), Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs – ‘Ju Ju Hand’ (#26), The McCoys – ‘Hang On Sloopy’ (#1), The Gentrys – 'Keep On Dancing’ (#4), The Seeds – ‘Can’t Seem To Make You Mine’ (#41), The Standells – ‘Dirty Water’ (#5), The Strangeloves – ‘Night Time’ (#30), Paul Revere & The Raiders – ‘Steppin’ Out' (#46), The Knickerbockers - ‘Lies’ (#20), The Lovin’ Spoonful – ‘You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice’ (#10), Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels – ‘Jenny Take A Ride!’ (#10), The Shadows Of Knight – ‘Gloria’ (#10) and The Thirteenth Floor Elevators – ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me’ (#55)."
Included are not just the hits but also some rare recordings like Come Back Bird by The Chevelle V, Knock On My Door from The Primates, The Twelfth Night with Grim Reaper and strangely a folk rock track by future blues legend Johnny Winter called Gone For Bad. If you have the original copies they will fetch big bucks on eBay.
I think by now you will realise that I can not recommend Steppin' Out enough, so go and check it out.
You can hear some of the songs in The Groove Yard visit 203
And for a full track listing, and other information, go to the Cherry Red Records website.
Check out the previous collection Pushin’ Too Hard American Garage Punk 1964-1967