Search - Music Machine :: Turn On: Best of

Not a collection at all, but a great album with bonus tracks

Alec Dinwoodie | SF, CA | 11/15/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Collectables label has given this CD a new and misleading subtitle, and (to judge from the reviews below) that's obviously created a lot of confusion about its content. To set things straight: tracks 1-12 are the complete contents, in order, of the Music Machine's first album, "(Turn On) The Music Machine," which was released in 1966 to back up their hit single "Talk Talk." Tracks 13-16 are different (earlier?) recordings of songs from the second album, "The Bonniwell Music Machine," which sank without a trace in 1967. So this disk is essentially a reissue of the first album, with four bonus tracks added. Even the cover of the CD booklet is identical to that of the first LP (other than the altered title).In recent years, Sean Bonniwell, the leader and only persistent member of the group, has explained the multiple cover versions on this album as something Warner Brothers forced on him. His original concept was to have little instrumental segues between the tracks, so that each album side was a continuous experience --- the output of a "music machine" --- but the label shot that down too. Bonniwell was a few years ahead of his time, unfortunately, and these recordings don't represent the full range of his talent.Nonetheless, this album absolutely shouldn't be put down. For many years after the 60s garage revival really kicked in it was the only Music Machine product available, and many people (including me) loved it for the combination of sinister organ sounds and deep vocal melodies, as well as for the unprecedented-in-1966 percussive guitar violence of "Talk Talk." Bizarre, dark Bonniwell originals like "Come On In" blow away the sappy-60s pop that gets in elsewhere. (If you ever took the Doors' songwriting seriously, you won't after hearing this band.)I'm sure the disappointed reviewers below are coming to this disc after having heard "Beyond the Garage," the Sundazed reissue of the second album and all the single A- and B-sides from 1967-68, and "Ignition," the Sundazed collection of unreleased and miscellaneous material. Both of those discs are amazing, and show Bonniwell unfettered by mid-60s mainstream ideas of what a rock song should sound like --- buy them, buy them, buy them. But buy this too, and don't react against the marketers' claim that it's "The Very Best of the Music Machine." It's a very good album, and important output by one of the only "forgotten genius" bands that actually lives up to the hype."

A Nice Piece Of R nR History

Rick Holly | Lafayette, NJ. USA | 09/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In 1966 I was blown away by "Talk Talk". I saw The Music Machine on Dick Clark's WHERE THE ACTION IS TV show and was hooked.After the next single "Masculine Intuition" b/w "People In Me", I knew I had to have this album.I remember how hard it was to find.I had to order it special at a record store because none of our local department stores carried it.The album was a bit of disappointment with all of the functional but ultimately useless cover songs (a standard practice at the time). On the other hand the original tunes that were on it made it very worthwhile and one my favorite 60's albums. Looking at my Billboard Book of Top 40 hits I am reminded that the big songs of 1966 were from groups like The Beatles (of course), The Supremes and The Monkees. It was a year of big Top 10 hits from the likes of Frank Sinatra (and his daughter Nancy) as well as Herb Alpert and the Tiajuana Brass (who had seven Top 40 hits in 1966). Hearing a song like "Trouble" from this album took me to a musical place I had not been to before because it just didn't exist at the time.The Music Machine didn't sound like any other band nor did they even attempt to.They were as fresh and different in 1966 as people like Hendrix, The MC5 and Led Zepplin would be shortly after.It is so easy to dismiss The Music Machine as one hit wonders and judge this album by todays standards,but I know that in it's time it stood alone in it's musical adventure.I gave this album only four stars because of the cover tunes.The originals are all great and highly inventive.



Just a note: Let me take a moment to put in my two cents about the term "Garage Band".I have been playing in bands since the mid 1960's and was in a number of "garage bands" in those years.To me the term "garage band" came from a type of music that was played by young raw musicians who would get together on a Saturday afternoon in someones garage or basement and bang away on those (now) classic raw, edgy, easy-to-play anybody-can-sing-`em songs that were common knowledge to most young musicians of the 60's.Songs like Wild Thing by The Troggs, Hang On Sloopy by the McCoys, Gimme Some Lovin' by the Spencer Davis Group.These songs and the bands that created them, were the true "garage bands".With that in mind, I never considered The Music Machine a garage band (although their founder Sean Bonniwell seems to accept it).Their music was never easy to play and I don't remember any band in my neck of the woods attempting their songs.They were filled with complicated changes and not something you would suggest to your fellow guitar bangers during an afternoon bash.These were well crafted songs and arrangements played by very good musicians."

The best garage rock band ever!

Rick Holly | 05/16/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I first heard the Music Machine, I was blown away. These guys are one of the greatest garage bands ever. Talk, Talk was their big hit, but they were soon forgotten after that. On their rockin' tracks like Talk,Talk, Trouble,Masculine Intuition, and the People in Me,they feature intense fuzz, rocked out guitars,dance inspiring drums,low pounding bass, an organ that has a touch of cartoon horror to it, with Sean Bonniwell's deep, enchanting voice bringing you to another world. They also do the best cover of Hey Joe I have ever heard(even better than the Hendrix version), it starts off slow and psycedelic, with Bonniwell's voice crying out the words and then progresses into a frantic mind blowing fuzzed out psycedelic explosion, with Bonniwell's vocals at the wheel. There are also quite a few other cover songs on the album, mostly mediocre, but interesting interpretations.If you like 60's psycedelia and garage rock, you will love the Music Machine."