Biography
In 1965 the Clendenen twins Andy and Randy launched the Longview, Texas garage outfit the Heard, sharing guitar chores with organist Billy Hazard, bassist Bill Lewis, and drummer Jack Batman—whose surname was genuine. A profile in the debut issue of Brown Paper Sack Magazine described how the raucous group quickly became regulars on the rural East Texas high-school and community-center circuit. Their schedule soon expanded to club dates in Dallas, Houston, and Austin, highlighted by multiple appearances at Houston’s Catacomb Club.
At Robin Hood Brian’s Studio in Tyler, Texas, the band tracked its only single, employing a tape-delay echo unit known as the Cooper Time Cube that rendered Andy Clendenen’s vocals nearly indecipherable. The resulting “Exit 9” endures as a defining Texas-psych artifact even though its lyrics remain firmly anti-counterculture. The A-side was paired with a fierce reading of the 13th Floor Elevators perennial “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” and the One Way label released the single in 1967. Although garage and psych collectors now regard the record as a classic, college and military obligations soon scattered the members, ending the group’s run. Both sides reappeared in 2003 when Break-A-Way included them on the ten-inch The Heard Meet the Only Ones: Lone Star State 60s Punk.
At Robin Hood Brian’s Studio in Tyler, Texas, the band tracked its only single, employing a tape-delay echo unit known as the Cooper Time Cube that rendered Andy Clendenen’s vocals nearly indecipherable. The resulting “Exit 9” endures as a defining Texas-psych artifact even though its lyrics remain firmly anti-counterculture. The A-side was paired with a fierce reading of the 13th Floor Elevators perennial “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” and the One Way label released the single in 1967. Although garage and psych collectors now regard the record as a classic, college and military obligations soon scattered the members, ending the group’s run. Both sides reappeared in 2003 when Break-A-Way included them on the ten-inch The Heard Meet the Only Ones: Lone Star State 60s Punk.
Albums
Singles
