The Tol-Puddle Martyrs

The oddly named Australian group the Tol-Puddle Martyrs (evolving from the mid-’60s band Peter & the Silhouettes, who had a track on the 1966 compilation LP) released several singles in 1967-1968 that are respectable by garage rock collectors, though few people heard them beyond Australia during their release. (In fact, not a good deal of people noticed them inside Australia either.) The 1967 one “Time SHOULD COME”/”Public Cell” is certainly taut, distressed garage area rock in the verge to getting somewhat psychedelicized, with reducing minor-keyed distorted electric guitar/body organ riffs and ominous, distrustful lyrics. In comparison, their 1968 one, “Love YOUR DAILY LIFE”/”Nellie Bligh,” is quite fey, extremely past due-’60s Kinks-influenced perkiness. All tracks had been reissued on the 2003 EP in Italy by Misty Street, with some traditional liner records. Their name, incidentally, wasn’t as contrived a little bit of ’60s weirdness as may be assumed, motivated by an 1834 occurrence where six farm employees in Tolpuddle, Britain, had been banished to Australia for unionizing, eventually becoming referred to as the Tolpuddle Martyrs.