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Garland Records

With Sundazed Music’s acquisition of the Garland Records catalog, you’re in for a coastal flood of great garage rock, pysch, soul, and even some country.

In the rabid world of record collecting, it seemed like something was definitely starting to happen in the mid-seventies. Two phenomenal reissue albums were released nationally: The Sonics Explosives in 1974 on writer/scenester Mark Shipper's Buckshot label and 1978's The History Of Northwest Rock on Jerry Dennon's new Great Northwest Music Company imprint, with cracker-jack liner notes by New York's Billy Miller. But we first-generation fans didn't need to be persuaded about the power, crunch, and sheer joy of the Northwest sixties scene.

Obviously, rock 'n' roll hit hard nationally in the mid-fifties, and Gary Nieland

(born in 1942 in Canby, Oregon) found himself in the thick of things by his mid-teens. He was enamored with drums at age six and enjoyed Tommy Dorsey, and especially Gene Krupa. Harry James was an early influence, and Nieland took trombone lessons when he was ten. He played drums in several school bands and was in the higher profile Portland act Edell and the Thunderbirds by his late teens. Nieland saw The Champs play the Longhorn Steakhouse in Portland in 1960–they were now his favorite musical act. The Champs were losing their drummer and Nieland auditioned and got the gig.

1961 to 1963 was a whirlwind for him. The Champs toured North America regularly, and Nieland had a featured drum solo with his double Slingerland bass drums and an early stroboscopic percussion light show. Being in The Champs was an invaluable experience for Nieland and laid the practical groundwork for his many future musical endeavors. He became the business manager for the road band and learned the reality of handling money in the world of rock 'n' roll. Nieland was on many of The Champs’ recording sessions playing with Wrecking Crew pros like Glen Campbell, and got experience in top Los Angeles studios. Above all, he learned the ins and outs of touring and made lots of valuable connections in the music world.

In 1963 Nieland wanted to spend more quality time with his wife and children, so he returned to the Northwest and formed The Ultimates with ex-Champs guitarist Leon Sanders. They hooked up with Seaside, Oregon's Pat Mason, who had the Wagon Wheel in Camas, Washington, the Pypo Club in Seaside, Oregon and the Cascade Club in Springfield, Oregon. Mason had a record label called Lavender and The Ultimates released a 45 ("My Babe"/"Little Girl"). Mason was also a booking agent/promoter. He was instrumental in Paul Revere and the Raiders' early success, and would manage Gene Vincent during the late sixties.

Nieland moved to Salem and outfitted his basement with professional recording gear, eventually getting a nice Ampex four track and top end Neumann microphones. The Ultimates evolved into the high stepping Prince Charles and the Crusaders and were very active on the Northwest circuit, booked by Pat Mason, Ed Dougherty and others. But Nieland, with his grass roots entrepreneurial skills, started developing his own circuit of western states' clubs. Soon there was more work than Prince Charles could handle and Nieland, to fill the need, began to book local bands into a six or seven state region. He also formed Garland Records to help promote the acts with whom he was working.

Nieland was an early example of the D.I.Y. ("Do It Yourself') work ethic–very few in the music industry were doing it all, the way he did. He achieved remarkable authentic sounds in his basement studio–of course, there were some audio limitations–and at one point Fantasy Records wanted to know why his Garland releases sounded so good.

After the string of Garland 45s (compiled on Fuzz Box and Stash Box) during the early seventies, Nieland released a couple more albums (a solo LP and a live one with his wife) on his Licorice label. In the late seventies, he bought a rough and tumble rundown bar in Albany, Oregon called The Westerner. He cleaned it up, renaming it Gary and Carol's, and had a successful run with it. He played there, along with popular regional acts and the occasional national performer like Buddy Knox or The Coasters.

Today, Gary Nieland is happily retired. He gets sporadic offers to play as The Champs and he still enjoys listening to The Sonics. Nieland is truly a renaissance man–he has multiple talents in music: lead vocals, drums, percussion, and engineering skills along with promotion, management, and business abilities. Gary Nieland has an incredible history in the music world and his achievements in the Northwest will live forever.

Garland Records

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Garland Records - Pacific Northwest Fuzz Box - CD
Retail: $14.98
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Item #: BRCD 152 -

    A FUZZ-GUITAR CASCADIAN CACHE! • UNEARTHED REELS FROM SALEM OREGON’S GARLAND RECORDS! • A RAUCOUS MIX OF ORIGINALS, COVERS, COVETED RARITIES AND UNISSUED MONSTERS! The drive’s cranked all the way up and the needle’s fully in the red for this set of uptempo garage-punk stompers from Salem’s enigmatic Garland Records. Packed with killer, crunchy bass, pummeling drums, in-your-face vocals, and (of course) mountains of fuzz-guitar! Loaded primarily with originals, plus distorted deviations of...

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    LTD Color!
    Price: $24.98
    Garland Records - Pacific Northwest Fuzz Box - Transition Color LP
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    Item #: MLP-BEAT-152 -

      Limited edition transition color record – only 23 copies in the universe, and every copy is unique! Transition records are the records made while the press is transitioning from one color to another. Comes fully packaged in custom jacket! A FUZZ-GUITAR CASCADIAN CACHE! • UNEARTHED REELS FROM SALEM OREGON’S GARLAND RECORDS! • CUT BY KEVIN GRAY, AND PRESSED ON TRANSITION COLOR VINYL AT THIRD MAN PRESSING IN DETROIT! • A RAUCOUS MIX OF ORIGINALS, COVERS, COVETED RARITIES AND UNISSUED...

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      Garland Records - Pacific Northwest Juke Box - CD + Bonus Tracks
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      Item #: BRCD 156 -

        RARE AND UNISSUED PACIFIC NORTHWEST FLOOR FILLERS • UNEARTHED REELS FROM SALEM OREGON’S GARLAND RECORDS! • BLUE EYED SOUL FROM THE BEAVER STATE! While soul music might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the music of the Pacific Northwest, Salem Oregon’s Garland Records was churning out high quality hip shakers along with their reels of garage & psych. Contained here is some super deep “Northwestern Soul,” including three cuts making their inaugural spins 50 years after...

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        Price: $12.49
        Garland Records - Pacific Northwest Juke Box - LP White Vinyl
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        Item #: LP-BEAT-156 -

          RARE AND UNISSUED PACIFIC NORTHWEST FLOOR FILLERS • UNEARTHED REELS FROM SALEM OREGON’S GARLAND RECORDS! • CUT BY KEVIN GRAY, AND PRESSED ON COLORED VINYL AT THIRD MAN PRESSING IN DETROIT! • BLUE EYED SOUL FROM THE BEAVER STATE! While soul music might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the music of the Pacific Northwest, Salem Oregon’s Garland Records was churning out high quality hip shakers along with their reels of garage & psych. Contained here is some super deep...

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          Price: $16.98
          Garland Records - Pacific Northwest Pandora's Box - CD
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          Item #: CD-BEAT-160 -

            AN ACE FREE-FOR-ALL OF SPARKLING PNW POWER CHORDS! • MORE UNEARTHED REELS FROM SALEM OREGON’S GARLAND RECORDS! • A COMBUSTIBLE CACHE OF UNHEARD AND RARELY HEARD 60s & 70s ROCKERS FROM THE GARLAND STUDIOS IN SALEM, OREGON! Records are magic. Drop the needle in the groove, and the sound waves can transport you instantly to another place and time. In this age of instant access to limitless song libraries we don’t often think of what a gift that is. From songwriters to producers and...

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            Garland Records - Pacific Northwest Pandora's Box - Opaque Blue LP
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            Item #: LP-BEAT-160LE -

              AN ACE FREE-FOR-ALL OF SPARKLING PNW POWER CHORDS! • MORE UNEARTHED REELS FROM SALEM OREGON’S GARLAND RECORDS! • CUT AND PRESSED ON OPAQUE BLUE VINYL AT THIRD MAN PRESSING IN DETROIT! • A COMBUSTIBLE CACHE OF UNHEARD AND RARELY HEARD 60s & 70s ROCKERS FROM THE GARLAND STUDIOS IN SALEM, OREGON! Records are magic. Drop the needle in the groove, and the sound waves can transport you instantly to another place and time. In this age of instant access to limitless song libraries we don’t often...

              Product Shot
              Price: $14.98
              Garland Records - Pacific Northwest Snuff Box - CD + Bonus Tracks
              Retail: $14.98
              Availability: In Stock
              Item #: BRCD 157 -

                Rare and unissued Pacific Northwest rootsy Americana! • A barnful of unearthed reels from Salem Oregon’s Garland Records! • Rare and unissued Pacific Northwest rootsy Americana! Though more known for their contributions to the psych and garage side of the spectrum, Salem Oregon’s Garland Records also picked & plucked out some unique takes on country charters and unmatched originals in the late 60s and early 70s. Archived here is a barn load of true Americana, from unheard originals like...

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                Price: $12.49
                Garland Records - Pacific Northwest Snuff Box - LP Gold Vinyl
                Retail: $24.98
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                Item #: LP-BEAT-157 -

                  Rare and unissued Pacific Northwest rootsy Americana! • A barnful of unearthed reels from Salem Oregon’s Garland Records! • Cut by Kevin Gray and pressed on colored vinyl at Third Man In Detroit • Rare and unissued Pacific Northwest rootsy Americana! Though more known for their contributions to the psych and garage side of the spectrum, Salem Oregon’s Garland Records also picked & plucked out some unique takes on country charters and unmatched originals in the late 60s and early 70s. Archived...

                  Product Shot
                  Price: $14.98
                  Garland Records - Pacific Northwest Stash Box - CD
                  Retail: $14.98
                  Availability: In Stock
                  Item #: BRCD 153 -

                    UNRELEASED DANK GARAGE PNW NUGS! • UNEARTHED REELS FROM SALEM OREGON’S GARLAND RECORDS! • A PECULIAR MIX OF COVETED RARITIES AND UNISSUED HALLUCINATIONS From the thriving hotbed of sixties garage and psychedelia of the PNW and Salem’s orphic Garland Records comes this potent cache of rare and previously unreleased recordings. Chiefly composed of moody and mellow folk rockers and ethereal groovers, there are also a few far-out, heady reconstructions of familiar faves. CD includes two bonus cuts...

                    Garland Records - Pacific Northwest Snuff Box - LP
                    Price: $24.98
                    Garland Records - Pacific Northwest Stash Box - LP
                    Retail: $24.98
                    Availability: In Stock
                    Item #: BR 153 -

                      UNRELEASED DANK GARAGE PNW NUGS! • UNEARTHED REELS FROM SALEM OREGON’S GARLAND RECORDS! • CUT BY KEVIN GRAY, AND PRESSED ON DANK GREEN VINYL AT THIRD MAN PRESSING IN DETROIT! • A PECULIAR MIX OF COVETED RARITIES AND UNISSUED HALLUCINATIONS From the thriving hotbed of sixties garage and psychedelia of the PNW and Salem’s orphic Garland Records comes this potent cache of rare and previously unreleased recordings. Chiefly composed of moody and mellow folk rockers and ethereal groovers, there are...