I’M NOT TALKIN’, THAT’S WHAT I SAY

There are some 60s punk tunes that are still hard to track down, even when all veins have been tapped, every compilation LP has been bought, and everything’s been electronically scattered to the great digital jukebox in the sky. One of my favorites of all time is “I’m Not Talkin’” by Chicago’s THINGS TO COME, which, as I understand it, is a song they learned from the YARDBIRDS. These guys absolutely revved it up into a primal, adrenaline-fueled, gut-it-out punk rock monster, and created one of the great sloppy, snotty masterpieces of the 1960s.

Tom Mirabille of the THINGS TO COME wrote into this web page to talk a little bit about the song, and had this to say:

“It seems like so long ago. We really were not keen on cutting a cover on "I'm Not Talking" as it was exceptionally well done by the Yardbirds on one of their albums. Dunwich's A&R, Bill Trout, had just had great success with The Shadows of Knight with a cover for "Gloria" by Van Morrison. Bill liked to search English albums for songs that didn't get A play and cover them. Thought that he could have a repeat of the success he had with "Gloria." Our group thought that the tempo of our rendition of "I'm Not Talking" was too fast and that it wasn't a single release. Oh well, "I'm Not Talking" was released to tepid airplay.”

Yes, but it’s an immortal, godlike slice of teenage garage punk abandon, too. What radio station in the world was gonna play this thing, even with “Psychotic Reaction” at #1? See if you would’ve done the Popeye or the Hully Gully to this one back in ’66 by clicking the links below.

Play The Things To Come, “I’m Not Talkin’”

Download THE THINGS TO COME – “I’m Not Talkin’” (A-side of 1966 45)