The Palace Guard

Best remembered as the band that introduced pop prodigy Emitt Rhodes to the world, the Palace Guard were one of the many garage rock bands that emerged in California in the mid-'60s. While they could deliver the expected teenage attitude, the group also had a talent for writing and performing strong pop melodies with lots of guitar jangle, as well as vocal harmonies that set them apart from their peers. The Palace Guard scored a minor but well-regarded hit during their lifespan with the 1966 song "Falling Sugar," which has appeared on a number of '60s garage collections (including the excellent four-disc Nuggets box set), while the band's entire catalog can be heard on the 2021 collection All Night Long: An Anthology 1965-1967.