Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 09/18/2007
In the mid-'60s, Los Angeles was home to tough
garage rock that rattled the city's teen clubs, while San Francisco acts tended to lean more towards the
folk-rock and
blues that would evolve into
psychedelia. The bands that called Northern California's East Bay home seemed to be stuck somewhere in the middle -- tougher than the acts in the city
Tony Bennett made famous, but no match for the L.A. bands. The East Bay had a thriving
garage rock scene in the days before acid changed the game, and
You Got Yours! East Bay Garage 1965-1967 features 24 songs from some of the scene's best acts. Most of these tunes hardly represent teen angst at its most thunderous, but there's a surprising degree of professionalism on display, and the best acts here --
the Baytovens,
the Harbinger Complex,
Peter Wheat & the Breadmen, and
the Spyders -- display chops far beyond what one would expect from teen bands. There are a few doses of full-bore fuzztone on this set (most notably from
the Just Six and
Blue Lite Conspiracy), and
the Soul Vendors and
the Epics aren't afraid to show off the right teenage attitude. Fans of goofiness in
rock will want to cue up
"Dynosuar" by
the Flintrocks and
"Who Stole the Batmobile" by
the Gotham City Crime Fighters (the latter group used to perform in bootleg Caped Crusader outfits, and featured future
Tower of Power horn man
Emilio Castillo on sax and keyboards), and
the Shillings certainly get a prize for Best
British Invasion Influenced Name, even if their music isn't quite so remarkable. If none of the bands on
You Got Yours! rival the thunder of
the Remains or
the Sonics, this disc documents a lively
garage scene that produced some top-caliber bands, and it's well worth a spin; points added for
Alec Palao's excellent and informative liner notes.
~Mark Deming, All Music Guide
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