ABOUT
The Seeds were a highly acclaimed and influential garage and acid rock band that became famous during the 1960s. Considered by many to be an important forerunner of punk rock, the band is best known for such raw, hard-driving cult classics as "Pushin' Too Hard" and "Can't Seem To Make You Mine."
The Seeds were formed in 1965 in Los Angeles by lead singer Sky "Sunlight" Saxon (August 20, 1937 - June 25, 2009, b. Richard Elvern Marsh) who also served as the band's main songwriter. The band began as a quintet, with the original members also consisting of Rick Andridge (drums), Daryl Hooper (keyboards), Jeremy Levine (guitar), and Jan Savage (guitar). Levine left shortly thereafter and The Seeds continued on as a quartet onstage, employing additional studio musicians during recordings. The band began with regular gigs at a local club known as Bido Lito's and soon after developed a strong local following in Southern California. The Seeds received extensive airplay on a number of AM rock stations throughout California and their first single, "Can't Seem To Make You Mine," became a regional hit in 1965, two years before the song charted nationally. In 1968, Andridge and Savage left the band and were replaced by drummer Don Boomer and guitarist Bob Norsoph, respectively.
The Seeds made their national debut on the Pop/Rock charts in late 1966 with "Pushin' Too Hard," which became a Top 40 hit and one of their signature songs. The band had three more hits the following year with "Mr. Farmer," "Can't Seem To Make You Mine," and "A Thousand Shadows." The Seeds continued recording throughout the remainder of the 1960s before disbanding in 1972. By the time they released their third album, "Future" (1967), they had moved away from garage rock and more into psychedelic and art rock. A number of compilations albums were later released, including "Fallin' Off The Edge" (1977) and "Evil Hoodoo" (1988), which helped lead to a rediscovery of the band's music by younger musicians as well as collectors of lesser-known 1960s garage and psychedelic rock.
Saxon reformed The Seeds in 2002 with original guitarist Jan Savage and newcomers Rik Collins (bass), Mark Bellgraph (guitar), and Dave Klein (keyboards). Since then, the band had a number of personnel changes and now consists of Savage, original member Daryl Hooper, early member Don Boomer, session guitarist Jeff Prentice, and lead vocalist Paul Kopf. A documentary about the band was released in 2014 titled "The Seeds: Pushin' Too Hard" that features interviews and rare concert footage.
LINKS
- For more info about the history of The Seeds, visit theseedsband.com.
- For more info about frontman Sky Saxon's time with The Seeds and his later projects, visit skysaxon.com.
- The Guardian remembers Sky Saxon.
- Band founder and frontman Sky Saxon discusses how The Seeds got their band name and other topics in an interview by Anthony Strutt on pennyblackmusic.co.uk (March 19, 2009).
- Original member Daryl Hooper discusses Sky Saxon's possible influence on Jim Morrison's performance style and other topics in an interview with Goldmine Magazine (September 9, 2017).
- Early member Don Boomer discusses how various cultural influences shaped The Seeds' music in an interview with Billboard Magazine (June 2, 2017).
MERCHANDISE
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- The Seeds - CDs, vinyl, & more - Amazon.com
- The Seeds - Digital music - Amazon.com
- The Seeds - Rare vinyl, CDs, & more - MusicStack.com
SONGS
To listen to a song clip, click any song title that has a speaker icon. This will take you to a list of links to CD and/or MP3 product pages from one or more online merchants that have sound samples.
The Seeds
- Can't Seem To Make You Mine 1967
- Mr. Farmer 1967
- Pushin' Too Hard 1966
- A Thousand Shadows 1967
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