The Castaways — Liar, Liar (The Best Of The Castaways) 1999 (USA, Rock & Roll/Garage Rock)

Formed at the University of Minnesota in Minnesota in 1962 where they started the group largely for self-amusement and to entertain fellow students. In 1963 Lonnie Knight left to form The Rave-Ons and was replaced by Bob Folschow. Liar, Liar (composed by Jim Donna and Denny Craswell) was a spectacular debut that climbed to No. 12 in the Summer of 1965. Despite several fine 45s they’d never reach those heights again. Before their follow-up Dick Roby left to go solo. In late 1966 Bob Folschow was called up for service and Jim Donna went back to college. Replacements were found in Tom Husting and Dennis Libby (from Dudley and The Doo-Rytes) and Gregory Maland (better known as Gregory Dee of Avanties fame). This line-up lasted until the band folded in 1969, after which Craswell, Libby and Maland moved onto Blackwood Apology. Craswell was later in South 40 and Crow. Other members are thought to have been in Hope. Twas far from the end for The Castaways… Liar Liar was/is a blissfully simple pop song of under two minutes long. From the opening drum beat, keyboard strains and falsetto lead, it is instantly recognisable. The pining guitar motif, girl put-down lyrics and a break preceded by one chilling scream, add up to a great slice of sixties garage-pop. It first appeared on LP in 1966 on the Bud-Jet label The Big Hits Of Mid-America, Vol. 2 (LP), accompanied by Sam. It would probably have been forgotten after the sixties but for its inclusion on Lenny Kaye’s Nuggets — Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era 1965-1968 (Dble LP) compilation in 1972. Since then it has appeared on Wild Thing, We Have Come For Your Children, More Nuggets (CD), Nuggets From Nuggets (CD), Psychotic Reactions (Topline label), Soma Records Story, Vol. 2 (LP) and the Nuggets Box 4-CD boxset. Outside of the collector set, appreciation of it has been kept alive in films (notably ‘Good Morning Vietnam’), soundtracks and on TV. Quite rightly it has come to be regarded by many as a sixties classic. After Bob Folschow was called up for service, he played with Ed Truman (drums, ex-Marke V) and Lee Caplin (keyb’ds) as The Castaways. At the time, Bob was using the surname Bob Leroy and stationed in Fayetteville, North Carolina. This outfit played for two years, in and around Durham, Chapel Hill and points North and South, including schools, bars, public venues and a gig at Duke University. In the late seventies Jim Donna revived his own version of The Castaways, which was still going strong in 2000. In 1987 Hensley, Craswell, Roby and Folschow formed The Original Castaways with Al Olivera, on the heels of the interest generated by ‘Good Morning Vietnam’. The 22-track retrospective CD collects all their 45 tracks and adds: three unreleased ’66 tracks — Lead Me On, Everytime, Watching The Time Go By; Work Song — a solo release by Dick Roby; and six tracks from the two revived Castaways.