96 Tears (album)
96 Tears is the debut studio album by the American garage rock band ? and the Mysterians, released in 1966. It peaked at number 66 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.[4][5] The single "96 Tears" reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 29, prior to release of the album. The album and the single "96 Tears" were both on the charts for fifteen weeks, while the single "I Need Somebody" was on the charts for ten weeks.
96 Tears | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November, 1966 | |||
Recorded | March–September 1966[1] | |||
Studio | Cameo-Parkway Recording Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |||
Genre | Garage rock[2] | |||
Length | 29:00 | |||
Label | Cameo-Parkway | |||
Producer |
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? and the Mysterians chronology | ||||
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Singles from 96 Tears | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
First pressings had a misprinted Side 2 label listing the last track as "Tears" instead of "96 Tears".[6] The album also incorrectly shows David Graham as composer for "Stormy Monday".
Background
The band recorded the songs "96 Tears" and "Midnight Hour" on April 15, 1966 at Art Schiell's Recording Studio in Bay City, Michigan,[7] for the small Pa-Go-Go label, which released the single in April, 1966.[8] After getting extensive regional airplay in Michigan and Ontario, Neil Bogart, president of Cameo-Parkway Records purchased the rights to the record for national distribution. After replacing bassist Fernando Aguilar with Frank Lugo, the band went into the studio to record the remainder of the songs for their debut album released in November, 1966. The album was an immediate success and quickly shot up the charts before the end of the year. A second single, "I Need Somebody" was released in conjunction with the album.
Allen Klein and ABKCO Records acquired the Cameo-Parkway catalog in 1967, and refused to license the ? and the Mysterians records for release on CD. In July, 1997, the band reunited and rerecorded the album for the Collectables Records label. In 2011, ABKCO released the original recordings.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Rudy Martinez, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "I Need Somebody" | 2:13 | |
2. | "Stormy Monday" | T-Bone Walker | 2:20 |
3. | "You're Telling Me Lies" | 2:31 | |
4. | "Ten O'Clock" | 2:03 | |
5. | "Set Aside" | 3:03 | |
6. | "Up Side" | 2:50 | |
7. | "8 Teen" | 2:45 | |
8. | "Don't Tease Me" | 1:37 | |
9. | "Don't Break This Heart of Mine" | 1:57 | |
10. | "Why Me" | 1:26 | |
11. | "Midnight Hour" | 2:36 | |
12. | "96 Tears" | 2:56 |
Personnel
? and the Mysterians
- Rudy Martinez – vocals
- Bobby Balderrama – lead guitar
- Frank Lugo – bass guitar
- Frank Rodriguez – organ
- Eddie Serrato – drums[9]
- Fernando Aguilar – bass guitar (tracks 11–12)
Technical
- Neil Bogart, Rudy Martinez – producers
- Joel Fein – engineer
- Douglas Fiske – art direction
- Bob Dell – liner notes
Charts
Chart (1966) | Peak |
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Billboard | 66[5] |
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
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1966 | "96 Tears" | Billboard Hot 100 | 1[10] |
"I Need Somebody" | Billboard Hot 100 | 22[11] | |
See also
References
- The Best of ? and The Mysterians (2005) sleevenotes
- Fleming, Colin (June 3, 2016). "10 Wild LPs From Garage Rock's Greatest Year". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
- 96 Tears at AllMusic
- "96 Tears Album". allmusic.com.
- "Billboard 200 – 12-31-1066". Retrieved September 10, 2017.
- "96 Tears Album". discogs.com. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- "Michigan Rock and Roll Legends – Art Schiell". Retrieved September 12, 2017.
- "Pa-Go-Go Discography". Retrieved September 10, 2017.
- Question Mark & the Mysterians, 96 Tears credits Retrieved July 2, 2015
- "Billboard Hot 100 – 10-29-1966". Retrieved September 10, 2017.
- "Billboard Hot 100 – 12-24-1966". Retrieved September 10, 2017.