96 Tears (album)

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96 Tears
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember, 1966 (November, 1966)
RecordedMarch–September 1966[1]
StudioCameo-Parkway Recording Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
GenreGarage rock[2]
Length29:00
LabelCameo-Parkway
Producer
? and the Mysterians chronology
96 Tears
(1966)
Action
(1967)
Singles from 96 Tears
  1. "96 Tears" / "Midnight Hour"
    Released: August 1966
  2. "I Need Somebody" / ""8" Teen"
    Released: November 1966
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]

96 Tears is the debut studio album by the American garage rock band ? and the Mysterians, released in 1966. It peaked at number 66 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.[4][5] The single "96 Tears" reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 29, prior to release of the album. The album and the single "96 Tears" were both on the charts for fifteen weeks, while the single "I Need Somebody" was on the charts for ten weeks.

First pressings had a misprinted Side 2 label listing the last track as "Tears" instead of "96 Tears".[6] The album also incorrectly shows David Graham as composer for "Stormy Monday".

Background[edit]

The band recorded the songs "96 Tears" and "Midnight Hour" on April 15, 1966 at Art Schiell's Recording Studio in Bay City, Michigan,[7] for the small Pa-Go-Go label, which released the single in April, 1966.[8] After getting extensive regional airplay in Michigan and Ontario, Neil Bogart, president of Cameo-Parkway Records purchased the rights to the record for national distribution. After replacing bassist Fernando Aguilar with Frank Lugo, the band went into the studio to record the remainder of the songs for their debut album released in November, 1966. The album was an immediate success and quickly shot up the charts before the end of the year. A second single, "I Need Somebody" was released in conjunction with the album.

Allen Klein and ABKCO Records acquired the Cameo-Parkway catalog in 1967, and refused to license the ? and the Mysterians records for release on CD. In July, 1997, the band reunited and rerecorded the album for the Collectables Records label. In 2011, ABKCO released the original recordings.

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Rudy Martinez, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Need Somebody" 2:13
2."Stormy Monday"T-Bone Walker2:20
3."You're Telling Me Lies" 2:31
4."Ten O'Clock" 2:03
5."Set Aside" 3:03
6."Up Side" 2:50
7."8 Teen" 2:45
8."Don't Tease Me" 1:37
9."Don't Break This Heart of Mine" 1:57
10."Why Me" 1:26
11."Midnight Hour" 2:36
12."96 Tears" 2:56

Personnel[edit]

? and the Mysterians[edit]

Technical[edit]

Charts[edit]

Sales chart performance for 96 Tears
Chart (1966) Peak
Billboard 66[5]
Sales chart performance for singles from 96 Tears
Year Single Chart Position
1966 "96 Tears" Billboard Hot 100 1[10]
"I Need Somebody" Billboard Hot 100 22[11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b The Best of ? and The Mysterians (2005) sleevenotes
  2. ^ Fleming, Colin (June 3, 2016). "10 Wild LPs From Garage Rock's Greatest Year". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  3. ^ 96 Tears at AllMusic
  4. ^ "96 Tears Album". allmusic.com.
  5. ^ a b "Billboard 200 – 12-31-1066". Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  6. ^ "96 Tears Album". discogs.com. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  7. ^ "Michigan Rock and Roll Legends – Art Schiell". Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  8. ^ "Pa-Go-Go Discography". Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  9. ^ Question Mark & the Mysterians, 96 Tears credits Retrieved July 2, 2015
  10. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 – 10-29-1966". Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  11. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 – 12-24-1966". Retrieved September 10, 2017.