The Droogs were an
American rock group
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
from
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, United States, initially active between 1972 and 1992, with the majority of releases from the mid-1980s onwards.
History
The Droogs were formed in 1972, by Ric Albin (vocals), Roger Clay (guitar), Paul Motter (bass), and Kyle Raven (drums).
[Strong, Martin C. (1999) "The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", Canongate, ] Inspired by 1960s
garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
and with their early sound later categorized by
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
as "protopunk",
they released six singles during the 1970s (later collected on the ''Anthology'' album), with several changes of personnel in the rhythm section.
[Larkin, Colin (1992), ''The Guinness Who's Who of Indie & New Wave Music'', Guinness Publishing, ]
The line-up stabilized in the early 1980s with David Provost (formerly of
Dream Syndicate) on bass/keyboards and Jon Gerlach on drums.
In the mid-1980s, the band was considered part of the ''
Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owi ...
'' scene,
but found greatest success in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, and in 1987 signed to the
German label, Music Maniac.
1996's release of ''Atomic Garage'' led to the band's dual performances at the 1997
Roskilde Festival
The Roskilde Festival is a Danish music festival held annually south of Roskilde. It is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. It was created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter. In 1 ...
, one of which was broadcast on Danish National Radio. The group was included on
Rhino Record's boxed set, ''Children Of Nuggets'' in 2005. The following year saw the CD release of ''Collection'', select album tracks to reach digital platforms. In 2013, the Droogs contributed to ''Conspiracy A-Go-Go'', a themed compilation on JFK's post mortem. 2017 marks the release of ''Young Gun'', featuring ten new songs and a cover of
the Seeds, "Out of the Question". The line-up on the album is Ric Albin (vocals), Roger Clay (guitar), Dave Provost (bass), Dave Klein (drums) and as co-producer/engineer.
Discography
Singles, EPs
* "He's Waiting"/"Light Bulb Blues" (former credited to
Gerry Roslie) (1973)
* "Set My Love on You" (1974)
* "Ahead of my Time" (1974)
* "Overnite Success/Last Laugh" (1975)
* "As Much As I Want" (1979)
* ''Heads Examined'' (1983)
P/mini-album* "Change Is Gonna Come" (1984)
* "Only Game In Town/Garden Of My Mind" (1984)
* "Collector's Item" (1986)
* "TV Man" (1993)
* "Come Heaven or Hell" (1993)
Albums
* ''Stone Cold World'' (1984) Passport
* ''Kingdom Day'' (1987) PVC
* ''Mad Dog Dreams'' (1990) Music Maniac
* ''Live in Europe'' (1990) Music Maniac
* ''Want Something'' (1991)
* ''Guerrilla Love-In'' (1991) Music Maniac
* ''Atomic Garage'' (1997) Impossible Records
* ''Young Gun'' (2017) Plug N Socket
Compilations
* ''Anthology'' (1987) Music Maniac
* ''Collection'' (2006) Plug N Socket
References
External links
*
Alternative rock groups from California
Musical groups established in 1972
Musical groups disestablished in 1992
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Garage rock groups from California
American protopunk groups
{{US-rock-band-stub