Description
In 1965, the Outcasts entered Texas Sound Studios to cut their debut single, the self-released ballad "Nothing Comes Easy" -- the record is perhaps most notable because it was written and produced by Mike Post, the future composer of hit TV themes including Hill Street Blues, Magnum P.I., and The A-Team. Post, then in basic training at nearby Lackland Air Force Base, also hired the Outcasts to serve as the backing band in a military musical production he was producing. The group signed to the Askel label to issue its followup single, 1966's Carsten-penned 'I'm in Pittsburgh (And It's Raining)' -- the Outcasts' biggest local hit, it remains a garage classic thanks in no small part to Carsten's galvanizing harmonica and Wright's propulsive drumming. The band released two more singles for Askel, 'I'll Set You Free' and 'Route 66,' but neither charted locally. Guitarist Galen Niles replaced Turner in time for the Outcasts' swan song, the 1967 Gallant label single '1523 Blair.' So titled after the street address of the studio owned by producer Leland Rogers (the brother of country superstar Kenny Rogers), '1523 Blair' is Texas psychedelia at its finest, but like its predecessors, it failed to make a commercial impact on its initial release. Drug and alcohol problems also contributed to the Outcasts calling it quits in 1968.
'I'm in Pittsburgh (And It's Raining)' is just one of the twelve great Outcasts recordings on Route 1966, all re-mixed from the original four track masters for the first time. Also included on this album is S.J & The Crossroads (of Beaumont) with six of their best and rarest tracks from 1966, issued together for the first time on CD. These recordings reflect the short-lived era, when the Farfisa or Vox Continental was a mainstay for a rock and roll band from Texas, just before the psychedelic music craze got underway, led by The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators.
