The Godz (60s band)

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There were two rock bands known as the Godz that were completely unrelated. For the band that emerged in the mid-70s, see The Godz.

The Godz were a New York City-based garage rock band that reigned from 1966 to 1973 in the underground music scene. Their music varied from early noise rock to avant-garde and psychedelic rock.

The Godz were an influential (albeit not well-known) forerunner to punk rock (see protopunk). It has been argued that they were a more important precursor to later punk than bands such as the Ramones or the Sex Pistols. It has also been argued that the mystique and shroud surrounding the Godz prevented them from really making any major influence.

Comparable bands include the Fugs, Captain Beefheart, The Holy Modal Rounders, The Monks and the No Neck Blues Band. According to John Dougan of All Music Guide, they “coughed up some of the strangest, most dissonant, purposely incompetent rock noise ever produced.” Some postulate that their unique sound was a result of their lack of technical instrument talent. The nature of the times and style of the Godz suggest that their music was just a free flowing creation without the need to be technical (regardless of whether or not they could be). They were raw, they were extreme, and they captured the zeitgeist of the late 1960s underground New York.