Baby Under My Skin / I Can't Explain (Blue)

Unissued tracks by unsung garage rock heroes! 7" single. Now on Translucent Blue Vinyl! Sundazed wants to let you in on one of the best kept secrets of '60s garage bandom, Oscar & the Majestics. Oscar Hamod is one of those unsung heroes of the genre; a first-rate songwriter, arranger, singer and above all else, monster guitar player. In his formative years, Oscar's parents did their best to steer him towards a respectable instrument, the trumpet. But he rebelled, soon switching to guitar. By the time he launched the Majestics (in '60, with older brother Bud), he had already entered into a long-term relationship with his number one axe, a '58 Gibson Explorer. By the time of these impossibly rare, unreleased sides (cut prior to three singles on Chicago's USA Records), Oscar's guitar playing had taken on a frankly wicked personality. For evidence, check out the savagely tough riffs and soloing on "Baby Under My Skin," especially where he shouts before the break, "burn"; that personal challenge met with a half-minute flurry of scalding notes. One of the highlights of Oscar & the Majestics' vintage output is their version of the Who's "I Can't Explain" on USA Records (1966). Instead of playing it note for note, Oscar introduced a screaming, fuzzed-out intro to his version, also adding a unique guitar lick elsewhere. But here we are treated to an earlier, unreleased (and undeniably more "garage") version that sticks much closer to the Who original. Another brother, Sam Hamod handles lead vocals for a change. However, it's his bass lines which are the real treat on both sides of this record. The liberty he takes during Oscar's solos raises the excitement level that much more. 01. Baby Under My Skin02. I Can't Explain