The Guilloteens, "I Don't Believe" c/w "Hey You!," HBR 446 (rel. 7/1965)

The Guilloteens came from Memphis. In an ideal world, they’d have gone calling on Sam Phillips, and the later run of Sun Records would have a few singles by them. They had a harder and rootsier sound than many of their contemporaries, and the results might have done better sales-wise.

Instead, this band traveled to Los Angeles and hooked up with Hanna-Barbera Records. They got their start as working musicians in Memphis; both were members of the touring version of The Mar-Keys, who had Stax Records’ first chart hit with “Last Night” in 1961. The new group started when the other members of the road group failed to show at a performance. Musicians Joe Davis, Laddie Hutcherson and Louis Pall performed as a trio. They went over so well the three decided to form a group.

With Beatlemania in full swing, they chose a quirky name—one that sounds like a modern-day goth band—and became the house band for a popular Memphis night club. There, they caught the eye of manager Jerry Williams, who had popular Northwest group Paul Revere and The Raiders under his aegis. He became The Guilloteens’ manager and moved them to Los Angeles.

Williams got the group onto all the pop music-themed TV shows, from Shindig to American Bandstand—a clever way to break a group who had yet to make records. They got the interest of fellow Memphian Elvis Presley, who used his clout to get them an LA nightclub residency. Opening spots for major acts brought them in close contact with successful performers, and the three learned much via observation and advice.

They got the attention of producer Phil Spector, who considered recording them; their honest, hearty sound appealed to him. But while Spector was away from LA on business, manager Williams got them a deal with Hanna-Barbera Records. Yes, the makers of The Flintstones and Jonny Quest had a record label. It was mostly a house outlet for kiddie records featuring their TV animation characters. Some superb garage, rock, r&b and soul is found in the HBR discography, which spanned 125 singles and several LPs. The last third of the singles catalog is loaded with top-dollar garage and psych material.

HBR had some great talent, but their promo person was a failure. Many of their releases, today’s included, got zero publicity or reviews and sank like a stone. Though this single went Top 10 on their home turf, and made other radio stations’ playlists, a national breakthrough didn’t happen. With the group in the public eye via those recent TV appearances, a little elbow grease (or palm crossing) might have gotten this single on the Hot 100.

It had the hard-hitting sound that The Animals, Rolling Stones and Beatles got on the charts; being home-grown might have furthered the group’s cause. “I Don’t Believe” is a fascinating amalgam of rock, soul, folk and country. Sung by Laddie Hutcherson, whose deep voice has an impressive burr and growl, to a jangly, twangy bed of sparkling rhythm and sound, the song has some gospel influence, too: a perfect stew of all-American vernacular music.

The song reminds of some of Mike Nesmith’s excellent material for The Monkees—a group once derided but now admired, as it’s been revealed how many other bands didn’t play on their own records, thanks to the iron-fist rule of LA’s elite session musicians (known as The Wrecking Crew). These three did everything on their recordings, and their tightness impresses alongside the heartfelt, deep strains of this song.

On the flip, “Hey You!” is a pastiche of the early Kinks sound. Composer Larry Paul sounds a bit like Dave Davies of that more famous group in his lead vocal. Hutcherson’s excellent guitarwork decorates this gritty mover; the band didn’t have a rhythm guitarist, so he had to do it all, and he knew how to fill the spaces with hard-edged stabs of weaponized power chords.

Paul’s meeker vocal performance is under-mixed and lacks the red-blooded stance of the A-side. The recording succeeds in its aggressive and assertive sound and is an excellent specimen of the regional American garage band, albeit far from their home turf.

None of The Guilloteens’ three HBR singles charted. With the help of Paul Revere, they moved to Columbia—another label loath to publicize new artists—and their sound improved via that company’s superior studios; their two singles suffered the same fate as the HBR releases.

The group left California for Florida, where they performed in clubs. Laddie Hutcherson eventually returned to Memphis and The Guilloteens were no more. Now revered as among the best American bands of the mid-1960s, they were also-rans in the fierce competition of the pop music market.

The band’s 10 tracks are collected alongside 10 items by The Le Sabers in the 2006 CD Action! Action! Action! (Breakaway Records 015/16), which is out of print but still available.

Tomorrow: garage goes to Motown; white group The Underdogs perform two Detroit classics on a 1967 single from the company’s VIP imprint.