Surfin' The Great Lakes comp of 60s Kay Bank Studio gems out on CD

Sundazed's CD version of their Surfin' The Great Lakes comp adds six rare bonus tracks from the Kay Bank Studio tape vault. 

 

Here's the scoop...

Surfin' The Great Lakes is a compilation of unreleased & rare tracks from the Twin Cities’ Kay Bank Studios featuring 22 rip snortin’ cuts – only 16 tracks on the out-of-print vinyl version – of the best surf and garage rock Kay Bank had to offer. Features The Trashmen, The Vaqueros, and more! Includes liner notes by John Blair who put together the Illustrated Discography Of Surf Music. 

Kay Bank Recordings in Minneapolis was certainly one of these historic studios. It was named after the wife of owner Vernon Bank. Although he had been involved in the recording business since the late 1940s, Bank’s recording studio operation got underway in 1957 when he moved into a building that was large enough to also establish a pressing plant. The studio provided a 3-track Ampex recorder, a 12-input recording console, and a live echo chamber.

According to a 1958 article in the Minneapolis Star newspaper, Kay Bank was pressing 60,000 records each week, and Vernon Bank claimed that his studio provided the most complete facility of any other studio “between Pennsylvania and California.” The sign above the building’s entrance stated, “A Complete Recording Service From Master Tape to Pressed Record.”

Sundazed Music recently acquired a large archive of the existing Kay Bank master tapes. Some of the surf, and related, recordings in that archive are included in this compilation, all recorded between June 1964 and August 1966- at a time when the British Invasion was ravaging the sales charts.

Get a CD copy of Surfin' The Great Lakes directly from Sundazed Records right here. 

Various Artists – Surfin' The Great Lakes

Jonah - The Vaqueros • Heaven’s Devil - The Boss Tweads • Caliente - The Marauders • Island In The Sun - The Vaqueros • Shot In The Dark - The Mustangs • Disintegration - The Readymen • Comin’ Home Baby - The Vaqueros • Girl Don’t Tell Me - The Satisfactions • 80 Foot Wave - The Vaqueros • Za Boo - The Valients • Bird Gasp ‘65 - The Trashmen • Surfin’ Blues - The Readymen • The Furys - Little Queenie (instrumental version) • Space Journey Ranger 7 - The Vaqueros • Surf Beat - The Chancellors • Greensleeves - The Trashmen • Wine Wine Wine (instrumental version) - The Bleach Boys* • Baba Yaga (instrumental version) - The Pagans* • Beach Girl - The Valients* • Hey Little One (instrumental version) - The Shandells* • Shortnin’ Bread (instrumental version) - The Readymen* • Lizzy Lost Her Beach Ball - T Lawrence Sherwood Greens*

*CD ONLY

Vaqueros' Twin-City surf rock rippers compiled on 80 Foot Wave

Led by guitarist Terry Schmidt, The Vaqueros recorded a few surf gems at the legendary Kay Bank Studios in Minneapolis.   

Here's the scoop from Sundazed HQ:

A tidal wave of Minny-beat garage from all incarnations of the carnivorous Vaqueros! Like Twin City neapolitan ice cream, surf instros, Linda Anderson vocal surf-rock cuts, and John Grizzard's grizzly garage cuts add three splendid flavors all in one sonic carton! On turquoise vinyl!

Whether it was the blistering surf guitar licks of Terry Schmidt on “80 Foot Wave” & “Jonah,” Linda Anderson doing her over-caffeinated Wanda Jackson on “Baby Baby,” or John Grizzard’s gritty, Sonics-esque sound, this band was something special! We’re just glad they never changed their name so we could group the vast variety of gems the Vaqueros cranked out all onto one fantastic, largely unissued album!

Along with Minneapolis greats Gypsy, the Litter, Jokers Wild and many more, the Vaqueros recorded at Kay Bank Studios, a relatively short-lived studio that produced some of the best hits of the 60s. “Liar, Liar” by the Castaways was recorded there, along with the Trashmen’s famed “Surfin’ Bird.” The Vaqueros, though landlocked, produced some of the best surf music during that era, and along with a smattering of upbeat garage rock, it’s surely a record you won’t want to miss. 

INCLUDES: 80 Foot Wave • Birds and The Bees • Space Journey Ranger 7 • Baby, Baby • Moonlight • Island In Paradise • Soft Summer Rain • Jonah • Comin’ Home, Baby • Growing Pains • 69 • Don’t You Dare • Mustang Sally

Check out clips for "Space Journey Ranger 7," "Baby, Baby" and "80 Foot Wave" below. Get a copy of The Vaqueros collection right here.