NEAL FORD & THE FANATICS - GOOD MEN
(Ace / Big Beat)
(information provided by Alec Palao, producer of the CD release)

• The top band in Houston, Texas during the mid-1960s was Neal Ford & The Fanatics, a tight and professional outfit who on disc were also responsible for some of the best garage rock sounds from the region.

• Led by Ford and featuring talented writer-members Lanier Greig, Jon Pereles and Johnny Stringfellow, the Fanatics ruled the roost in the city at clubs like the Catacombs and once they signed to Nashville indie Hickory in late 1966, seem destined for national stardom. Despite some regional hits, the group never achieved the visibility they seemed to deserve; but in the years since, many of their records have become coveted by 60s rock collectors - such is their quality.

• "Good Men" is a long-overdue survey of Neal Ford & The Fanatics’ best moments in the studio, and runs the gamut from expertly-produced and performed commercial pop and folk-rock to freaky psychedelic experiment and the gnarliest of 60s punk. It features several of the Fanatics’ popular singles for Hickory and cuts from their lone album for the label, as well as fantastic earlier sides released on the Houston indies Gina and Tantara.  Well over half of this anthology has never appeared on compact disc before, and there are several unissued titles that add immeasurably to the group’s reputation.

• All tracks on "Good Men" come from master tape and are presented in mono. The package is rounded out by a well-illustrated, in-depth booklet based on interviews with Ford, Pereles and manager Richard Ames that tells the tale of these cornerstone Houston 60s rockers.

(** - previously unreleased)

1       Good Men (Greig)
2       I Will Not Be Lonely (with hard ending) (Ford-Pereles-Stringfellow)
3       Don’t Tie Me Down (Tantara 45 version) (Ford-Johnson-Stringfellow)
4       Gonna Be My Girl (orig. mix with hard ending) (Pereles)
5       Better Slow Down** (Ford-Stringfellow)
6       I Can’t Go On (Ford-Greig)
7       I Will If You Want To (Ford-Greig)
8       Woman (Rod Argent)
9       Movin’ Along (Pereles)
10      The Seasons** (Greig?)
11      Bitter Bells (Tantara 45 version) (Ford-Johnson-Stringfellow)
12      Save Your Affection** (Greig?)
13      Baby, You’re Gonna Cry** (Ford-Pereles)
14      For You (Ford-Greig)
15      Nothing Left To Do (Pereles)
16      Pain (Cravey-Ford)
17      I Have Thoughts Of You (Pereles)
18      One Times One Ain’t Two (Mickey Newbury)
19      Shame On You (Ford-Johnson-Stringfellow)
20      That Girl Of Mine (Pereles)
21      Night Time** (Feldman-Goldstein-Gottehrer)
22      (I’ve Got A) Brand New Girl (Ford-Greig-Pereles)
23      Little World Girl (Loudermilk)
24      Medley: Lucille / I’m Down** (Collins-Penniman, Lennon-McCartney)
25      The Jones (Loudermilk)
26      KTRK jingle (Greig)/ Every Night A New Surprise (backing track)** (Steve Ames)


Uncropped cover photo (taken outside The Catacombs Club in Houston)

"GOOD MEN" page on the Ace/Big Beat Records website

Amazon.com page for ordering the CD

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