Question Mark & The Mysterians – Cavestomp Presents: Are You For Real?
LP Release
Side A – 8 Tracks/22:21
Side B – 7 Tracks/20:48
Anyone fortunate enough to have seen the quintessential garage band, Question Mark & the Mysterians, especially with the original members, undoubtedly walked away proclaiming the band was part of rock ‘n’ roll royalty. Their shows inevitably turned into wild dance parties, lead by the lead singer, the man of intrigue behind the ever-present sunglasses, the wild man himself, Question Mark.
For many, the band faded into the mists of time in the aftermath of their classic hit, “96 Tears,” a staple of oldies radio. But the band continued on, with several career revivals that in one case occurred around appearances in consecutive years at the then annual Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans. The first year the crowd refused to let them leave the stage, at 4 am.! They did ’96 Tears” three times, twice as encores.
Another memorable show took place in October, 1997 at the first annual Cavestomp, billed as a “Garage Rock Festacular”. As detailed in the extensive liner notes by Miriam Lianna, it was the first show with the original band in more than a decade. They made such a strong impression that plans were quickly formulated to get the band into the studio to cut new versions of some of their classic material, giving new generations of listeners the opportunity to bask in the magic created by Question Mark, Robert Lee Balderrama on guitar and backing vocals, Big Frank Lugo on bass, Little Frankie Rodriguez Jr. on keyboards and backing vocals, and Robert Martinez, the younger brother of Question Mark, on drums.
The album rocks from the start, with the familiar organ sound over a super-charged beat on “Feel It,” featuring some high octane guitar licks from Balderrama. Question Mark sounds right home delivering a dynamic performance. On “Hanging On A String,” he shows off his tender side to great effect. The remake of “96 Tears” lacks some of the grit of the original, but who can resist the sound of Rodriquez pumping out the chords on the organ. The band goes for a psychedelic rave-up on ‘Girl (You Captivate Me)” before rocking their way through a love song, a new take on their single :Can’t Get Enough Of You Baby”. ‘Ain’t It A Shame” has a more modern sound, with fine harmony vocals and strong guitar parts.
Another surprising performance is the band’s reworking of “Cheeree,” from the punk rock band Suicide. Question Mark’s vocal mixes love and lust in equal measure over restrained backing from the band. The instrumental “Beachcomber” was an early career release featuring the band, sans their lead singer, billed as The Semi-Colons. It is two minutes of musical fun in the sun. Question Mark gives it his all on the soul classic, “That’s How Strong My Love Is,” while “Love Me Baby (Cherry July)” veers into 1960s pop music territory with an arrangement featured on the organ and chopped guitar chords.
“Don’t Hold It Against Me” fails to impress but the band rebounds for a revved-up take of “Do You Feel It,” with Question Mark making a late entry and immediately taking over, exhorting listeners to connect with the sounds the band is laying down. “Don’t Give It Up Now” is another rousing groovathon with all of the hallmarks of the bands classic sound. To finish the album, listeners are treated a blast from the past, a 1966 demo recording of the band doing ”Are You For Real,” used to audition for an independent record label. It features Question Mark’s energetic vocal along with a guitar-driven sound that the fell by the wayside with the success of “96 Tears.”
While there is not much in the way of blues content on this release, there are probably plenty of Blues Blast readers like this reviewer who revere ’96 Tears” as one of the anthems of their younger days. For those listeners, and for anyone looking for an album that provides a strong dose of music for fun, music that favors grooves over instrumental prowess, this record may be exactly what you need!
