THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
936) The Invaders — “Cryin All Night Long”
If you want to know what is so damn endearing about 60’s garage rock bands, you could do worse than learn about Omaha, Nebraska’s Invaders. They released only one single, financed by the lead singer’s dad — a wonderful “moody ballad[] with a healthy dose of pop . . . . The melody is gorgeous. The lyrics may be simple, but they fit perfectly and go straight to the heart.” (Captain Salty, https://headdiprecords.wixsite.com/talkingteenbeat/invaders)
Leander Gasse interviews Tyler Smith (songwriter, vocalist, guitarist):
Tyler: “We were all riding the wave of the Beatles and the British bands of the 60’s. My home town of Omaha was filled with garage bands, some of which became successful later.” The Invaders played songs by the Byrds, the Doors or the Animals. Also “some pop 40 tunes that we did not always care for but were popular” . . . . Likewise, main influences were Bob Dylan, the Byrds, the Doors, the Animals, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Rehearsing was done “alternating between each others house basements. We all still lived with our folks back then. . . . I originally tried to write a song similar to ‘Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Cryin’. I also sent a copy of ‘I Was A Fool’ [the other side of the single] to Jerry and the Pacemakers… They told me that ‘this is very good for a start – Keep on writing – You might be good someday!’ I did.” Tyler’s parents decided since their son couldn’t sell the song to a band, they’d finance The Invaders to do it themselves. Tyler’s dad came along to the recording session for support. . . . According to Tyler, the instrumentals were done all at once, first take. The vocals were doubled and done on different tracks. The band had 500 copies pressed and had a local music store, Musicland, taking it on consignment. . . . “We distributed it personally. It was very difficult for local musicians to get well-known distributors behind independent records. We promoted it wherever we played.” The band usually played gigs at private parties, proms, school dances, and Sandy’s Escape, a local teenage nightclub. . . . “Our record was premature and we regretted it. Two years later when we got much tighter I was also writing better songs. To this day I wish we had waited longer to go into the studio.” The band did write and perform more original material, but it was never recorded. . . . “All together we lasted 4 years. We broke up in late 1969. By then we were playing a much wider scope of music and got a lot of influence by the Byrds and Hendrix.”
“The time with the Invaders was the most carefree and fun period of my life. When we were all young it was so wonderful to have dreams. Nothing was complicated. We played our guitars, shared and swapped LP’s, learned new songs, dreamed of being like the Beatles and didn’t really know any different. America was a good place to live back then. ‘Gloria’ only had three chords and everybody got a shot at it. The experience was golden and life-changing in many ways. I will never forget the Invaders.”
https://headdiprecords.wixsite.com/talkingteenbeat/invaders
OMG, I almost cried when I read that last quote. And then, for the kicker, read this note that Tyler’s wife — Sandy Smith — added to the the flip-side’s YouTube video:
“Oh, my gosh, this is the strangest thing–this is my husband–Tyler Smith, in Omaha, Nebraska…didn’t even know this was up here…wow!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7melmNZ2QdU
For those who want their faith in American restored, look no further!
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