The Smiley Smile Message Board

Tomorrow (November 13, 2015) Sundazed Records will release their new 80-track (on 4-CD) box The Knickerbockers "The Challenge Recordings". Liner notes (40-page book) are written by no one less than Dominic Priore and a few previously unissued tracks made it on the box. More details here: http://theseconddisc.com/2015/11/11/more-than-lies-sundazed-collects-the-knickerbockers-challenge-recordings-on-new-box-set/ (http://theseconddisc.com/2015/11/11/more-than-lies-sundazed-collects-the-knickerbockers-challenge-recordings-on-new-box-set/)
Tragically Sundazed (again) missed to include The Knickerbockers 1965/66 version of "Fun, Fun, Fun", so people still has to go over to Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1dJjka0Ewg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1dJjka0Ewg) and listen to the lip-synced Dick Clark's ABC-TV clip.

I don't think the quick recordings The Knickerbockers (or any "cast" bands on WTAI) survive anywhere but the original kinescopes - and that would be quite the hassle for Sundazed to clear/obtain - not mentioning the fact that the quality wouldn't be as good as the Challenge masters they are using (all mono for this one, btw).

Fans of Paul Revere and the Raiders have been clamoring for a dvd or cd of WTAI performances for ages, but yes, they only exist today on grainy old kinescopes. Paul Revere was asked about this a couple years ago, and he said that the original tapes were mostly erased. The feeling at the networks back then was "hey, this is just kids with their crazy music, record over it!"

Call me dopey...but I only remember  O N E  Knickerbockers' song...'Lies'.  Seems like a whole lotta hoopla for a true 'one hit wonder'.  I do remember thinking that they sounded a LOT like the Beatles...in a good way.  But still.  1 lonely successful moment.  What am I missing? ???  Why the fanfare? ???  They didn't name the basketball team after them. ;)

The Knickerbockers were pretty good, although they were very much influenced by the British invasion. Some people at the time even thought Lies was a Beatles song. They did some early surf/hot rod-type songs early in their career, with Bite, Bite Barracuda a particular example from 1964.