Song Roulette: Random Tracks From Garage Punker Peter Greenberg

Peter Greenberg’s Random Tracks

Jessica Cassyle Carr
\
3 min read
Share ::
Peter Greenberg is the guitar player for Taos rock and roll band Manby’s Head. In the ’70s and ’80s, he played and made records with Boston garage punk bands DMZ and Lyres, Cincinnati’s The Customs and funky rockabilly screamer Barrence Whitfield and the Savages (another Boston outfit). However, at age 30, he finished grad school, quit music and got into the energy business. Three years ago he downsized his career and moved from Texas to New Mexico, where he met Manby’s Head bandmates Michael Mooney and Paul Reid. Greenberg recently toured with Lyres and just finished a record with Barrence Whitfield, with whom he’s touring Europe this fall. In the meantime, he’ll play Saturday night with Manby’s Head, fellow Taos band The Blood Drained Cows and Albuquerque’s The Seeing Things in a rock and roll extravaganza at the Blackbird Buvette (509 Central NW). The free, 21-and-over show begins at 10 p.m. Below, Greenberg takes a break from his record collection and puts an iPod on shuffle. The random tracks that surfaced are as follows:

Song Roulette

1) “Go On Livin” • Thee Shams • “Gotta Be Something” / “Go On Livin” 7-inch

“Great garage band from Cincinnati. This 45 has all the desperation you’ll need as well as a fantastic one-note guitar solo to take it home.”

Song Roulette

2) “Hey Little Girl” • Frankie Lee Sims • "Hey Little Girl" / "Walkin’ With Frankie" 7-inch

“Rockin’ ’50s recording on the Ace label from Jackson, Miss.”

Song Roulette

3) “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” • T. Rex • Electric Warrior

“You could listen to this song on a tape loop and never get sick of it! Includes Flo & Eddie on backing vocals, who also did the same on DMZ’s 1978 Sire LP.”

Song Roulette

4) “No Way Out” • The Chocolate Watchband • “Are You Gonna Be There (At the Love-In)” / “No Way Out” 7-inch

“Kick-ass ’60s psych garage punk band on the Tower label. These guys had the sound and the anger.”

Song Roulette

5) “You Are My Sunshine” • Dyke and the Blazers •  So Sharp!

“The best and most intense recording of this standard ever done—in my book. I believe I read it was written by Jimmie Davis and used as his campaign song for his successful run for Governor of Louisiana in the ’40s. This, however, is a surprising soul version that Wilson Pickett probably wished he did! Dyke closes out by letting you know he is gonna keep walking the earth until he finds his Sunshine …”

Manby’s Head—Peter Greenberg is at right

1 2 3 316

Search