Teenbeat Mayhem launch date......

Back in the mid 80s when 60s garage was a world wide buzz and groups were forming every week, garage fanzines were being written on every continent and 60s comps were selling faster than light I'm convinced a book like 'Teenbeat Mayhem' would have been the icing on the preverbial 60s punk cake.

You would have sold many thousands of copies. Perhaps you would have made enough money to drive around in a 1967 Aston Martin or put down a deposit for a palatial pad in Bel Air.:lol:

Fast forward to August 2011 and at present there are only 147 members of G45 which when you think about it, is seriously low. Granted, not everyone with a love for this genre would have signed up or perhaps even have discovered G45 yet. Maybe there is less than a couple of thousand people worlwide interested in 60s garage enough to purchase a $100 book on the subject.

I just hope after all of your sterling efforts and the $15K spent already that you at the very least get your money back.
 
Fast forward to August 2011 and at present there are only 147 members of G45 which when you think about it, is seriously low. Granted, not everyone with a love for this genre would have signed up or perhaps even have discovered G45 yet. Maybe there is less than a couple of thousand people worlwide interested in 60s garage enough to purchase a $100 book on the subject.

believe it or not but some people just can't read english.
 
Well, I can't do anything about the English language part!

A book like TBM could not have been done in the mid '80s when there were a lot more fans. Personally I'd call a lot of these people from that time trendies, rather than true fans. Matter of fact, I recently bumped into a couple of girls who used to go to NYC to see groups like the Chesterfield Kings, Vipers, etc. After speaking with them for just two minutes, I could feel that they had "mom'd out" ,with their lifestyles and enjoyment of things which are vastly generic.
I told them my musical tastes have evolved (more diverse '50s '60s material and '70s stuff) but I still find the '60s teenaged rock & roll sounds to be my favorite genre of all. They couldn't understand why I would still be routinely listening to songs they first heard on Pebbles comps. To these girls, their memories of having been involved in a (then) active underground revival scene with friends is what keys this music - the music itself doesn't stand on it's own accord to them. It is the same example with everyday people who choose to listen to familiar "oldies but goodies", overplayed hit songs which invoke lost days of their youth - malt shop memories.

The other reason why a publishedTBM would have been a wasted effort in the '80s, (or even in 1996, when I was going to have it published by now defunct Popular Culture Ink - thank God that fell thru!) - the amount of time it took to research recordings, track groups, and all else required a self-sacrifice and high standard. I'm not saying that other people didn't possess such qualities, but most of the collectors I know did not want to even think about trying to start a project like this. Greg Shaw soon realized he'd never get a handle on the scope of the task at hand, something we discussed via e-mails when I was getting started. He quickly realized that doing a book which just recycled directly from other sources was not gonna be a worthy effort. Then you had people like Tom Tourville. I've never met the man, but his books, cranked out cheaply on a photocopy machine, were examples of how NOT to do a book on the subject. Right idea, but he didn't know how to do research and validate his information. Printing unsubstantiated "heresay" was, and still is the lazy man method of publishing information that will be referenced by the readership.

If we had the internet of today 20 years ago, well, then it would be different game entirely. It took 30 years or more after the '60s ended just to sort thru the tens of thousands of local and regional uncharted records that were made. It also took hundreds of comps to spread the word, alongside other folks' putting out their regional oriented music fanzines. It was the whirling wheel, trying to round up like minded individuals to help the cause, and initiate neophytes into the mix. The time WAS ripe for a detailed reference book in the early to mid 80s, purely from a sales potential perspective, but it also was impossible at the time to accomplish. I know that better than anyone!

$100 in today's 2011 year world is quite reasonable, I think, for a work of this caliber. Possibly too cheap, based on reference oriented books I've seen published elsewhere. But it isn't my intention to to price out the average fan or curious type who would find the subject of interest.
The book sets a very high standard which I truly believe will not ever be matched for this musical genre, or any other genre for that matter. The worldwide economy for the vast majority of the population is still swimming in the toilet, as I know from still trying to find a decent paying job, and people might not have the $$$ to spend at the time the book is ready to sell. On the other hand, I have firm confirmations from several individuals who will purchase 2 or 3 copies.
 
Mike, I'll definitely buy a book when it's done.

I have thought about the above scenario in grave depth.... I know deep inside myself that this music and all that surround it is going to be of great importance to me and my life, it has been thus far.

I have thought about a few of my own contemporaries and peers who say they are into this stuff and whether or not they will continue with this or if it is just about a "scene" for them rather than a genuine love of the music.... I've often pondered myself at times that I may have to take the reigns at a future time and spread the gospel of garage music myself somehow to future generations before it fades away into the obscurities of time.

I've even noticed price decreases in 45s I've seen a few years ago go for mega bucks to now being somewhat affordable.

What is going to happen in twenty years time when the major collectors of this music are pushing it??

I know The SEEDS, Elevators etc are gonna survive the test or time.... But what about the Bryds, The Elite, The Dark Horseman and The Sloths?

I do wonder what is going to happen in regards to this music in 20 years time?


Paul
 
I dunno, Paul, but I expect to be kickin' 20 years from now!
awareness of the genre has increased tenfold since the internet became commonplace, so nothing is ever going to disappear entirely.
There are a handful of big spending younger collectors out there so I do not think you will ever see the day of $100 for original pressings of Human Expression 45, for example.
 
If only Mike, if only!!!

The maximum I've gone personally is $200 for a 45.

I think the maximum I'll ever go is about $500.... a recent collector list I received had an original Intruders 'Now That You Know' pic sleeve at the price above, I was tempted highly, but common sense prevailed as I am pretty broke at the moment.

I would say I have some pretty cool 45s, but I guess that varies on personal tastes etc

I have owned The Elite - My Confusion twice... I sold my first copy as I was desperate for money and by luck found it again for a cheaper price than I originally purchased it at... I sold my first copy here in the UK to a friend for £250 cash.... which at the time was a real result for me... I then re-purchased the thing via Barry Wickham for $130

My dream 45 is 'The Paradox' - There's a Flower Shop.... but I am guessing that is big bucks what with there being 5 known copies or so.

Paul
 
The Paradox was a new / updated incarnation of the Midknights, from Chattanooga, Tennessee. They relocated to the Tampa, Florida area for a time. I think there are more than 5 copies of the Paradox 45 accounted for by this time. Rarer still is the 1st 45 by the Midknights on the Style label, I've only seen two copies besides my own.
 
That's the easy one to get, what, maybe $75 tops now if someone really wants it? It was a routine $40 in M- shape years ago,and was quite plentiful too. Copies of this title stiff surface in the "wilds".
 
Any work that took 20 yrs in the making and on a single subject should be highly celebrated, I am confident that this money spent will comeback. It reminds me of the Re/search series by V. Vale, great work, not cheap but vital for alternative culture, and in years to follow will only gain more importance, and professional documentation on past music scenes on depth.

I don't know how will it be in 20 yrs but if I ever come across a 1000 bux 45 that it is worth and to my liking be sure I will go get it. Hahha now 6000 (sloths) I don't think I will ever get that money.
 
I'm certainly in for a copy; should be well worth the wait. Especially looking forward to the section on "surprising" tracks from those artists you do not normally associate with Teenbeat Mayhem.
 
What is going to happen in twenty years time when the major collectors of this music are pushing it??

I know The SEEDS, Elevators etc are gonna survive the test or time.... But what about the Bryds, The Elite, The Dark Horseman and The Sloths?

I do wonder what is going to happen in regards to this music in 20 years time?
Paul

Lets just say 'death walks behind you'.....

Virtually every teenager who was part of a G45 record will be dead.

The majority of the old timers (collectors/dealers/label owners) who are signed up on this site will be dead.

Most of the people who have survived the grim reaper to make it to 2031 will be listening to country music or other shite like their teen favourites Green Day, Def Leppard or Bon Jovi.

Young twenty somethings like you Paul, will be even more of an outsider than you feel you are now. :(
 
$100 is quite reasonable.
I think I paid that (or more) for the latest edition of Fuzz Acid and Flowers - and that's what, 1,400 pages.
Your dedication to this project should be rewarded (compensated)!!
Hope there are lots of Colorado bands in there, of course!
Look forward to an autographed copy.
 
Lets just say 'death walks behind you'.....

Virtually every teenager who was part of a G45 record will be dead.

The majority of the old timers (collectors/dealers/label owners) who are signed up on this site will be dead. :(

In spite of the fact that EXPO67 thinks that I will be dead soon, put me down for a copy or two. I don't even know the size of the first printing, Mike, but I predict you will easily sell through it.
 
The book sets a very high standard which I truly believe will not ever be matched for this musical genre, or any other genre for that matter.

At this point in time, the apex of discographical reference works of any genre must be Mario Panciera's "45 Revolution" book on uk 45s punk/post-punk/etc 45s released between 1976 and '79. With 1200 pages, 4500 color cover reproductions, 100s of band interviews conducted, exact release dates, line-ups, quotes from period music papers, printed on high quality paper and housed in a hardcover, it's everything genre-fiends could ever hope to get. Admittedly it's harder to cover a genre thats two decades older and broader, but if TBM will be close to "45 revolution" standards, it will be a monument. Coincidentally, Panciera's book cost 85 euro which about equals $100.