‘If You Want Some True Lovin’, Make Sure Her Eyes Are Brown’

Even if you’ve never heard it, there’s something instantly familiar about the Swingin’ Neckbreakers’ “Brown-Eyed Girl.” Maybe it’s the sludgy riffing, maybe it’s the heavy garage sound, maybe it’s just that it kicks so much ass it sounds like something you must have heard before.

Actually, if you’re tuned in to your rock history, you’ll know the Neckbreakers’ “Brown-Eyed Girl” is a cover of the closest thing to a hit John Fogerty’s pre-CCR band, the Golliwogs, ever had. (On a side note, and aptly enough, the Golliwogs’ song charted highest here in Miami.)

As far as the Swingin’ Neckbreakers’ version, I had no idea until recently it had been around since their second album, 1995’s Shake Break. When the Neckbreakers originally released that disk, they were just coming off a tour behind their debut, Live for Buzz. Returning home after the European leg, they went straight into the studio. Still riding the momentum from the successful tour, they blasted out an album showing how far the band had come in two years. All Music Guide described Shake Break as “a straightforward brand of rock ‘n’ raunch that critics hate but nonetheless resonates perfectly with the average Joe who just wants to shake it down.”

This version of “Brown-Eyed Girl” is a perfect example of the Swingin’ Neckbreakers taking in their classic heritage, cranking the volume until the speakers crack, then spitting it back at you.

Brown-Eyed Girl.mp3

Labels: covers, garage rock

posted by aikin @ 7:00 AM