Don and the Goodtimes
Listen -Don & the Goodtimes – I Could Be So Good To You – MP3
Greetings all.
I hope all is groovy in your corner of the universe.
Things are cool hereabouts, with some very cool new vinyl either safely cached in the vault or jetting its way to me as we speak. The new acquisitions include some unusual pop stuff, killer garage punk and a couple of additions to the ongoing Curt Boettcher-related project (which seem to be in a constant state of flux).
The tune I bring you today represents the commercial apex of one of the truly great Pacific Northwest bands of the 60s, Don and the Goodtimes.
Coming together in Portland Oregon, Don and the Goodtimes included in its ranks both Jim ‘Harpo’ Valley (later of Paul Revere & the Raiders) and Jack Ely (the cat who sang ‘Louie Louie’ for the Kingsmen).
Garage heads will be familiar with Don and the Gootimes’ OG version of the PNW garage standard ‘Little Sally Tease’ (written by Valley) on Dunhill*. The group recorded for that label (charting regionally), as well as for Wand and the ‘local’ imprint Jerden.
They were spotted by Dick Clark in 1966 who made them the house band on the TV show Where the Action Is. They were signed to Epic records and recorded the LP ‘So Good’. Today’s selection ‘I Could Be So Good To You’ hit the Top 40 in 1967.
A long way from the PNW/punk roots, ‘I Could Be So Good To You’ is a bright, sunny slice of good time pop with a singalong chorus. The tune was co-written and produced by no less than the mighty Jack Nitzsche.
Don and the Goodtimes would graze the charts one more time in 1967 with ‘Happy and Me’ before breaking up. Some of the members reformed as Touch in 1969. Don Gallucci went on to produce the Stooges ‘Fun House’ LP.
Sundazed has put out an outstanding CD comp of all the early Don and the Goodtimes material, including ‘Little Sally Tease’. Pick it up at Amazon.com.
I hope you dig the tune and I’ll be back on Monday.
Peace
Larry
**Keep your eyes and ears peeled for a great version of that particular song in the coming weeks.
PS Head over to Funky16Corners for a West Coast funk 45
4 Comments
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They do a scorching version of Louie Louie too
I remember in the Bomp issue with the Jack Nitzsche interview Greg Shaw described Don and the Good Times as a farm team for the Raiders. I think that’s Raider Charlie Coe in your picture on the upper right (he’s not in the group pic on the Epic LP that features this tune).
Porky
I wonder if he was in the group when they recorded the song, since that pic is the cover of the ‘I Could Be So Good To You’ picture sleeve. Someone should do a flow chart of the PNW bands, since they shared so many members.
L
Yep, that’s Charlie. That’s the exact group formation that recorded “I Could Be So Good To You” with Jack Nitzsche.