THE UNKNOWNS - “DREAM SEQUENCE” EP + s/t LP (1981-82)

The Unknowns were one of the many bands that quickly became important to me after I discovered them through New Wave Theater, the short-live L.A.-based early-’80s punk and new wave free-for-all that aired on Night Flight, and was hosted by Peter Ivers. Trouser Press sez:

The Unknowns play pure ’60s garage rock with Mosrite guitars (displayed and mentioned on the cover for added authenticity), heaps of echo and tremolo, and incorporate various period genres (surf music, Creedence swamp choogle, psychedelia, punk) into their songs. The [self-titled album] shows them in greater command of their musical vocabulary and adds traces of the Animals, Yardbirds, Blues Project and the Doors to spice things up considerably. A rendition of Buddy Holly’s “Rave On” ties up a neat package of heavily stylized nostalgia.

The track that got me into all this was “The Streets”, which, on record, may not stand out as much, but the live version I saw on “New Wave Theater” was so powerful that I gave the band a little more leeway than usual, when diving into their stuff.

The Unknowns - “Dream Sequence” EP, 1981 (ZIP file)
The Unknowns - s/t LP, 1982 (ZIP file)