Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 06/08/2004
Hey, the title doesn't lie. Well over a dozen of these tracks
are '60s
garage rock classics --
Paul Revere & the Raiders'
"Just Like Me," the Sonics'
"Psycho," the 13th Floor Elevators'
"You're Gonna Miss Me," the Kingsmen's
"Louie, Louie," the Electric Prunes'
"I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)," the Nazz's
"Open My Eyes," the Music Machine's
"Talk Talk," the Leaves'
"Hey Joe," the Amboy Dukes'
"Journey to the Center of Your Mind," and
Count Five's
"Psychotic Reaction" all qualify with flying colors. In fact, no less than 17 of these tracks also appear on the
Nuggets box set, the widely acknowledged
crème de la crème of the genre (and
Nuggets did
not include
the Shadows of Knight's biggest hit,
"Gloria," which does make the lineup here). However, that also means it's a little puzzling who the audience for this single-disc anthology is, other than those who might want a less expensive compilation and aren't too particular about assembling a big library of the best
garage cuts. That's particularly the case since the menu's filled out by half a dozen or so far rarer, less familiar cuts that aren't in nearly the same league as their neighbors, though some of these are pretty nifty, like the bizarre early
psychedelia of
the Giant Crab's
"Listen Girl" and
Strawberry SAC's
"In Relation" (which unsurprisingly sounds much like
the Strawberry Alarm Clock, considering that it featured several former members). If you're a casual fan who's just looking for the odd good
garage comp, though, there's no reason to be disappointed with this disc -- there are lots of classic
garage cuts here (including a couple of great regional-only hits that also appear on
Nuggets,
the Litter's
"Action Woman" and
the Del-Vetts'
"Last Time Around"), with a range that encompasses influences from
pop,
psychedelia, and
folk-rock. The CD ends with three bonus tracks of live 1999-2000 performances by
the Standells,
the Blues Magoos, and
the Syndicate of Sound reprising their big hits, and while it would have been far better to feature the original 1960s versions, at least all of the 25 preceding cuts are the original 1960s recordings.
~Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
;)
Listen
