Pretty stoked to come across this at a thrift store. The Morning Dew were a Topeka group of teenagers caught up in the garage rock scene. Like other Kansas bands of their time, they weren't reliant on the snappy tunes of the Beatles to fill out their sound, they wanted to be sure to keep their Midwest roots. This band, at least on this record, focused their sound around Dylan's Highway 61 and fuzzed out guitars. Similar to what Texas band, Mouse and the Traps, were doing down South.
The result on this 45 is decent. Both songs were penned by band leader, Mal Robinson. The record was pressed by a regional label in Columbia, Missouri, called Fairyland. Apparently, despite an actual deal with Fairyland, the band footed their own bills to put it out. The band paid for recording and 2000 of these records to pressed. Fairyland took it to radio and attempted to distribute copies regionally, only 500 were reported to stay in the Topeka area for purchase.
The A-Side, "No More", must have caught onto some extent. The band was able to tour the Midwest on it's airplay and open some pretty big shows locally. It's got a crunchy rhythm, but twee in comparison to the Dylan sound they were after, it does have a stellar guitar solo drenched in fuzz and psychedelia thrown in. The B-Side, "Look At Me Now" is decent, in fact, compared to the crap that ends up on most obscure garage rock singles, it's fantastic. It's definitely the band's panty-dropper as it's over the top with teenage heartbreak. It's got a nifty fuzz guitar break and draws heavily a R&B/doo-wop influence that was filtered down to the Topeka natives by the British Invasion.
The 45 is sought after by garage collectors, but not to the extent psych collectors hunt the band's obscure 1970 Roulette full length. The LP will bring in excess of $500 if you can find a copy. There's a bootleg out there, though, if it's something you got to have.
No More
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