The Outcasts – I’m In Pittsburgh (And It’s Raining) (7″ Vinyl)

Description

7″ Vinyl / 45 rpm Single

Reissue

1966-US

Format: 7″ Vinyl

#Ref: AK-102

Release date: N/A

Release notes

Monster TX ’66 beast with pre-Stoogian touch!

Formed in 1963, The Outcasts were a San Antonio garage psych band whose claim to fame was that they were invited to appear in Houston, Texas with The Beatles, but decided that it would be in their best ‘minterest to turned down the opportunity … though they did decide to open for Herman’s Hermits. Along with a fan club, newsletters, and adoring girls, the band racked up all of 6 middle of the road hits, along with a 1995 compilation album of those singles. Their two brilliant hits that they were best known for came smack dab in the middle of the 60’s, “I’m In Pittsburgh (And It’s Raining), which turned out to be sort of all made up, though why they chose Pittsburgh of all places is anyone’s guess, especially since Pittsburgh didn’t have a subway system, which was a central part of the song’s narrative. The title lyric was actually taken from Mountain’s first lines of dialogue in the Rod Serling teleplay “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” the theatrical film version of which had been released three years before the song was composed.

Their productions weren’t slick, their songs had more than an edge to them, and their legions of followers have filtered down though the years, with bands such as Blair 1523 not only drawing their name from their song, but credit them as being inspirational. All in all they are worth investigating, especially if one is into harder edged garage psych, drone, noise, and feedback.

Allow me to take a moment to discuss their other, and last hit here, “1523 Blair,” with the song’s title being the address of the Doyle Jones Recording Studio in Houston, and the theme, oddly reminiscent of The Rolling Stone song “2120 South Michigan Avenue,” about an even more famous recording studio, laid down on the album 12 X 5. “1523 Blair” was all of one minute and forty seven seconds long, with the band claiming that with its experimental flavor and blistering delivery that physically held people against the wall with the force of its volume, that the number couldn’t possibly be any longer without tearing the fabric of the universe to shreds, and envisioned both the coming of punk, and the intoxication of psychedelic noise.

*** The Fun Facts: Denny Turner designed a logo and slogan for the band, “Music from the OUTER LIMITS,” which was taken from the super popular science-fiction television series during that time, The Outer Limits. The band had the logo emblazoned on the backs of their uniforms and also issued business cards with a similar design. Finding one today is a treasure to be sure.

“I’m In Pittsburgh (And It’s Raining) didn’t break into Billboard’s year end top 100 singles of 1966, nor did “1523 Blair” in 1967. (Review by Jenell Kesler)

Tracklisting