The Whatever

Knowledge regarding the Whatever remains scarce; this East Coast garage rock outfit active during the mid-1960s issued just a single noteworthy 45 in 1967. That release paired two atmospheric yet driving tracks, "The Valley of Death" b/w "No More Do I Dream," whose style drew from tight vocal harmonies, crisp and minimal guitar work, along with understated organ parts that bolstered the tunes. Although the Whatever put out nothing else during their existence, the pair of numbers later appeared alongside several previously unheard recordings on a 2021 compilation called Valley of Death (Or Whatever). The lone single from the Long Island, New York-based act originated with Al Locke, a singer and composer specializing in easy listening fare. Locke had written two numbers and sought a rock group to lay them down, enlisting a local ensemble previously known as the Lookouts and the Raincoats. Guided by Locke, the musicians convened at Belltree Music Company studio in Franklin Square, New York, to record "The Valley of Death"—a melancholic piece drawing inspiration from Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade"—and the wistful "No More Do I Dream." Once the session concluded, the matter of a band name arose during conversation, prompting the suggestion "Just call it whatever." Locke followed this literally, resulting in the Whatever receiving credit when Eclipse Records, a regional label, issued the single in 1967. Though the record failed to attract notable radio exposure or commercial success, residents tuning into stations in Easton, Pennsylvania encountered the Whatever's music via a Dodge dealer's use of the instrumental backing from "The Valley of Death" in their advertisements. No copies of those actual spots seem to exist today, yet profane alternate versions created informally and never aired have come to light. Details about the Whatever cease after the single's brief run, yet in 2021 BeatRocket—a Sundazed Music imprint—put out the short 21-minute collection Valley of Death (Or Whatever), containing the two Whatever cuts, six tracks by the Lookouts and the Raincoats, and a pair of those irreverent spots built around "The Valley of Death."