The Litter

The Litter è stato un gruppo musicale garage rock psichedelico statunitense originario di Minneapolis guidato da Dan Rinaldi ed attivo tra il 1966 fino al 1972, riformatosi saltuariamente negli anni novanta.
Il loro stile era fortemente influenzato dai gruppi della british invasion come Yardbirds, The Who e Small Faces.
Formato nel 1966 da membri di due precedenti band locali, The Victors e The Tabs, esordirono nel 1967 con il singolo Action Woman scritto dal produttore Warren Kendrick. Snobbato all'epoca fu riscoperto alla fine degli anni settanta nella raccolta Pebbles sui gruppi garage rock statunitensi fu integrato nel cofanetto definitivo di Nuggets.
Il loro esordio fu Distortions del 1967. Dopo questo esordio il gruppo ha pubblicato altri tre album in studio, l'ultimo pubblicato nella reunion del 1998 composta da tracce registrate negli anni sessanta e mai pubblicate, oltre a numerose raccolte.

The Litter was an American psychedelic and garage rock band, formed in 1966 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are best remembered for their 1967 debut single, "Action Woman". The group recorded three albums in the late 1960s before disbanding, but would re-unite in 1990, 1992, and again in 1998, when they recorded a new studio album consisting of both old and new material. All of their Minneapolis recorded material was produced by Warren Kendrick, who owned the Scotty and Warick and Hexagon labels.

History

Four members of the original lineup, Jim Kane, Bill Strandlof, Denny Waite, and Dan Rinaldi formed from the remains of two popular Minneapolis band's, The Victors and The Tabs, in 1966. Tom Murray joined as a result from a successful band audition. Their group name was presented by Jim Kane and accepted over other suggestions like "The Mustys".
Heavily influenced by the bands of the British Invasion, the group recorded their debut single "Action Woman/"A Legal Matter"in late 1966. "Action Woman" proved to be their most impactful single and became a garage rock classic. Bill Strandlof, lead guitarist for the single, was replaced by Tom Caplan just before their debut album Distortions was released in the summer of 1967. Distortions leaned on cover songs, but became a classic that would be re-released when garage rock was revived.
By 1968, the band had shifted to the psychedelic rock scene. Their second album, $100 Fine, included original input from the band and British-influenced cover material. Although the album did not chart nationally, it did chart at number 10 on the Twin Cities chart. Their writer/producer, Warren Kendrick, had developed a method to precisely control the flanging effect (which would eventually become a staple of psychedelic recordings) and he applied it to a cover version of a Procol Harum song, "Kaleidoscope." A highlight for the band that year was their brief appearance in the movie, Medium Cool. Their scene in the movie however, was overdubbed by The Mothers of Invention's song, "Flower Punk". Further work on the soundtrack was also replaced by Frank Zappa tracks. The band, later in the year, turned down offers by Elektra Records and Columbia Records which slowed their progress to the national scene.
In 1969, the band finally signed to a major label. Their third album, Emerge would be released on the ABC Records label and became their most successful to date. It would chart at number 175 on the Billboard 200. However, recording for the album did not include Chaplin or Waite. There were heavier rock tracks on the album. The group would later disband by 1970.
The group would continue to tour with several different lineups sporadically thereafter and released an album of new material in 1998.

Personnel

Jim Kane - bass guitar and moog synthesizer, 1966-1970 & 1990
Tom Murray - drums, 1966-1972 & 1992 (born Cleveland, Ohio, 1948)
Dan Rinaldi - guitar and vocals - 1966-1972 & 1992 (born Minneapolis, May 1, 1945 – June 5, 2015)
Bill Strandlof - lead guitar, 1966-1967 (born St Paul, Minnesota, 1946 – March 4, 1995)
Denny Waite - organ, blues harmonica and lead vocals, 1966-1968, 1990-1992, 1995-2012 (born St Paul, April 14, 1948)
Tom 'Zippy' Caplan - lead guitar, 1967-1968 & 1990-1992 (born St Paul, August 18, 1946; left to form White Lightning with Woody Woodrich in 1968)
Lonnie Knight - lead guitar and vocals, 1968
Mark Gallagher - vocals 1968-1970 & 1992 (Mark Patrick Gallagher; March 17, 1948 – February 24, 2009)
Ray Melina - lead guitar, 1968-1970
Sean Jones - lead guitar, 1970 (Sean Jones aka Jack Stanley Jones born October 9, 1948 died February 13, 2011)
Jon Sutphen - bass, 1970
Casey Macpherson, vocals, 1971-1972
Mike Rowe - bass 1971-1972
John King - lead guitar 1971 - 1972
Woody Woodrich, bass, 1970
Mick Stanhope, vocals, 1992
Bob Hood - 1992
Rick Ottum - 1992
Joe Scanlan - drums, 1998-2005
Doug Hassman - rhythm and lead guitar, 2005-2007
Kenny Carson - rhythm guitar and bass, 2005 and 2012–present

Discography

Singles

"Action Woman" b/w "A Legal Matter" (Scotty 803G-6710) January 1967
"Somebody Help Me" b/w "I'm a Man" (Warick 9445-6711) 1967
"Action Woman" b/w "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" (Warick 6712) 1967
"Silly People" b/w "Feeling" (Probe 461) 1968
"Blue Ice" b/w "On Our Minds" (Probe 467) 1969

Albums

Distortions (Warick WM-671-A) 1967
$100 Fine (Hexagon 681-S) 1968
Emerge (Probe 4504-S) 1969
Re-Emerge (Arf! Arf! AA-080) 1998

Compilation appearances

Rare Tracks (Eva 12013) 1983
"Action Woman":
- Pebbles, Volume 1 (LP-1979; CD-1992)
- Songs We Taught the Fuzztones (1993)
- Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968 — Box Set (1998)
- Garage Rock Classics (2004)
- Trash Box (5-CD box set)
"I'm A Man":
- Pebbles, Volume 2 (LP)
- Pebbles, Volume 3 (CD – ESD Records)
"Hey Joe":
- The Scotty Story (CD)
"7 Up Commercial":
- The Scotty Story (CD)