The Boots

The Boots originated as a German ensemble modeled directly on blues-driven British Invasion groups including the Yardbirds, the Pretty Things, and Them. Frontman Werner Krabbe absorbed the phrasing of multiple early Van Morrison recordings, while lead guitarist Jurg "Jockel" Schulte-Eckel deployed fuzz-tone devices to maximum effect and, ahead of any public demonstrations by Jimi Hendrix, manipulated his guitar using screwdrivers, assorted metal implements, and even a beer bottle—an approach that implied at least passing acquaintance with the Who. Behind these two principals, Uli Grun on rhythm guitar, organ, and harmonica, Bob Bresser on bass, and Heinz Hoff on drums supplied dense, propulsive rhythms and forceful accents that underpinned a series of energetic, blues-inflected tracks distinguished by agile vocal interplay. Stylistically situated between the Yardbirds and Them while foreshadowing the instrumental theatrics later developed separately by the Who and the Creation, the Boots attracted a substantial following inside Germany and obtained a contract with Telefunken Records, which issued two LPs and multiple singles. Krabbe departed at the start of 1966 after the appearance of the band’s garage-punk single “Gaby,” yet the remaining members continued performing for another twelve months. That same single later appeared on Rhino’s Nuggets II anthology, released in summer 2001.