2. �Too Many People�- Leaves (4/5). Oh, it ain�t as good as �Hey Joe�. But it�s earlier, a little more controlled. This is a basic, harmonica-wailing stomper where the dude breathlessly lists all the things he�ll never do. Cuz he doesn�t wanna be like his old man. So leave him alone.
3. �(Would I Still be) Her Big Man�- Brigands (4/5). What a cute riff. Everyone has the mock-British accent, trying to sound Beatlesque. It sounds like bubblegum, but the words don�t sound like it. It�s pretty involving: this guy is working hard to get money to spend on his girl, but doesn�t want her to know what he�s really like. At least he�s not misogynistic.
4. �Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl�- Barbarians (4/5). Much better than �Moulty�. Like the last song, the words are more interesting than the OK musical backing. They�re mocking every crew-cut dude who would poke fun at their long hair, among others. �You�re always wearing skintight pants/And boys wear pants.� Well, I think it�s funny.
5. �Wooly Bully�- Sam, Sham, and the Pharoahs (5/5). Cool! Didn�t expect this classic to make it on here. Probably due to its awesome sloppiness. The organ, the sax solo, it�s all fun. Aside from the Spanglish intro, you can�t tell a word this guy�s saying. Actually it's about some dance craze that never took off. This made #2?? The nerve of whatever was #1 at the time...oh wait, it was �Help Me Rhonda.� I take it back.
6. �I Want Candy�- Strangeloves (4/5). Another song everyone knows. Bow Wow Wow had a popular New Wave cover, and Backstreet brother Aaron Carter later crapped it up. The lyrics sound ready for dorky pop, I admit. At least the Strangebrews made it interesting, with the Bo Diddley riff and Latin guitar. Better than �Night Time.�
7. �Louie Louie�- Kingsmen (5/5). Well of course this would be on here. Without this song, we wouldn�t have, well, this album. Garage rock�s first national hit in 1963. One of music�s biggest crimes was how this classic was #2 to some Bobby Vinton tune nobody remembers. Arrgh! For the record, my favorite version has to be Paul Revere & the Raiders� more R&B-influenced version. It just had to come out the same time as the Kingsmen�s, so it flopped.
8. �One Track Mind�- Knickerbockers (4/5). It would be hard for lightning to strike twice for these guys. �Lies� was big, so they tried the Beatles imitation thing again. Not as perfect as the others, as it doesn�t jump out you as much as �Lies.� Among other things, the chord change in the chorus was lifted from their hit. It�s still catchy enough for my liking. Just not so.
9. �Out of Our Tree�- Wailers (3/5). Another Northwest band of legendary status. These guys were around long before the Sonics, and went through a few changes throughout their career. It�s said they took a cue from the Sonics here. It�s not as good as what the Sonics did, it�s the same R&B-rock as them, but a bit tamer. I guess I don�t remember much of it.
10. �I Think I�m Down�- Harbinger Complex (3/5). Some more Rolling Stone ripoffs. It reminds me of �Gotta Get Away,� both are clumsy and plod along at a snail�s pace. Some minor things save this from oblivion, the second �I think I�m down!!� in each chorus is cute, and the words about a horse being more loyal than his girl. How mean. Other than that, I�m nodding off.
11. �What am I Gonna Do�- Dovers (4/5). You know, they have a lot of stuff on here from guys not even they know about. Like the Dovers, the liner notes don�t know too much about them, but their one song is quite a good�un. This song is very akin to the British Invasion sound, esp. the Searchers. I don�t know why, the vocals and moody keyboards are definitely not Searcher-esque, but the opening guitar riff and the song itself isn�t too far off. Nice tune.
12. �Codine�- Charlatans (3/5). This came out in 1966?? It sounds much later than that, like late sixties or early seventies. It�s said these guys took on more Old West-type influences, with straight up acoustic guitars and such. Sounds like it here. Written by semi-famous cult icon Buffy Ste. Marie, this track is an ode to codine...is that like codeine? Must be. Not too exciting, but different.
13. �Johnny Was a Good Boy�- Mystery Trend (3/5). Pretty cool lyrics. Basically about someone who�s �lost his head,� but was so good once upon a time. They don�t hint at what Johnny did, but that�s better left to one�s imagination. Big problem is with the music. It�s a typical fuzz-guitar affair, but it took me several listens to remember how it goes. It�s not catchy and the melody changes a lot. I still recommend it, just don�t count on getting in stuck in your head.
14. �Stop- Get a Ticket�- Clefs of Lavender Hill (4/5). Ohhhhkay. This ain�t rock. This is folk-pop-bubblegum, kind of like a cross between the Seekers and the Cowsills. The lyrics are laughable, the harmonies are standard, and the production is messy (what�s up with the pounding drum in the chorus?). But it sure is catchy. File this under �Guilty Pleasures.�
15. �Complication�- Monks (5/5). Didn�t like the blatant pop of that last one? This�ll knock yer socks off. A few American boys were stationed in Germany, called themselves the Monks, and shaved their heads and took the name seriously. Their sound? Brutal everything. From the insane marching drums and the poisonous guitar tone to the guy croaking �Complication!� and the backups sneering stuff like �People cry/People die for you!� It sounds like nothing else you�ve ever heard, and was big in Germany. Their sole album has achieved cult status. You want to look for it, it�s called Hey Hey We�re The Monks. Kidding! It�s called Black Monk Time. Go out and buy it. Cuz I haven�t.
16. �The Witch�- Sonics (3/5). The 3rd act thus far to have 3 songs on this compilation. It�s a bit weaker than the other two: it�s not as catchy as �Strychnine� or as manic as �Psycho�. It�s still pure Sonics, with Roslie�s usual histrionics and a wailing sax. Plus an attempt to censor �bitch� in the first verse! It ends up sounding like something even worse, if you ask me. Oopsie.
17. �Get me to the World on Time�- Electric Prunes (3/5). Their follow-up to �Too Much to Dream� isn�t quite as intriguing. It has a nice beat that occasionally borders on Bo Diddley, passioned vocals, and some psychedelic touches here and there. But you know, it�s hard to beat �Too Much to Dream,� and they don�t here.
18. �Mr. Pharmacist�- Other Half (2/5). Ehhhhh. This does absolutely nothing for me. The Rolling Stones took on a similar subject of drug dealers in �Mother�s Little Helper.� But while that had energy and substance, this one is slow and hookless. Looks like we�re hitting another lull.
19. �Open up Your Door�- Richard and the Young Lions (4/5). Nap time�s over! This song kicks butt; the fuzz guitar and the drumming resembling knocking are the best parts. Don�t forget their Beatles homage either! It�s pure, unadulterated fun...until you learn the story. Only Richard�s on here, his Young Lions were considered too young, and were replaced by N.Y. studio musicians. Poop. I�ll let that go, as this song is a great one.
20. �Just Like Me�- Paul Revere & the Raiders (4/5). �Steppin� Out� was their first national hit, this was their first big hit, just missing the Top 10. A lot of Animals influences this time. We got the ever-present organ, the restrained verses, and the wild chorus where Mark Lindsay reminds me of Eric Burdon. Nice guitar solo too. Well done, Idaho boys! Sorry for the fawning, Idaho�s not a music hub. The only other music act from Idaho to ever make the Top 10 was Curtis Stigers back in '91. And who remembers him?
21. �You Burn me Up And Down�- We The People (4/5). The wacky intro is misleading; sounds like a remake of �It�s a-Happening.� What follows is another awesome performance that justifies their cult status. More �normal� than �Mirror of Your Mind,� but wilder in other ways. Sounds like this guy can get satisfaction, from the lustful lyrics and two-chord sequence. Wish we could hear more from this group.
22. �I Live in the Springtime�- Lemon Drops (2/5). Right from the start, it�s bad news. The guitars are horrendously out of tune, and never really recover from then on. I�m not sure if this was meant to be a Summer of Love anthem, but it sounds all happy and shiny enough. Repetitive too. Sorry, I'm no fan.
23. �Mindrocker�- Fenwyck (5/5). Personal story alert: around the time this CD was in rotation in my player, I asked someone to prom. After a week of waiting and worrying, she finally said yes! Then this tune became the anthem of my good mood. Everything I�d dismissed before (wimpy vocals, cliche lyrics) I welcomed; everything that stood out before (drone-y feel, guitar freakouts) stood out even more. You might not like it as much as I do. But I�ll always have connections with this track.
24. �Hold Me Now�- Rumors (4/5). Like �Open up Your Door,� this is just all-out fun. It�s the perfect mid �60s pop-rock song. An awesome melody, cool organ, hopeful lyrics, scatting breakdowns, and an �around and around and up and down� section. Geez, this song just puts a smile on my face no matter what. No surprise McDonalds included a snippet for a commercial when it came out. Cuz we deserve a break today.
25. �Love�s Gone Bad�- Underdogs (3/5). Another garage Motown cover. Since it�s an obscure cover, I�ll be kinder to this than I was to �Respect.� It�s a little bit more faithful to the Motown sound, for one thing. The bassline�s pretty cool and the vocals sound sincerely sad. But I�m sure the pro�s in the Motor City did a better job with it, whoever did it first.
26. �Why Pick on Me�- Standells (4/5). Third time�s a charm! They mix things up here, with Eastern-flavored verses and a totally cool thrashing chorus. And Dick Dodd doesn�t sound too snotty here, like the normal guy freaked out about a temptress. I believe it was their 3rd and final charter, what a way to go out.
27. �Bad Girl�- Zakary Thaks (3/5). A lot of the groups on Nuggets were still in high school when they recorded their song(s). Not these guys. They weren�t even in high school yet. That�s right, this track is junior high rawk. Aside from the guitar-picking, it sounds rudimentary enough in the banging drums and vocal tone. But it�s pretty good, considering their age. Just like a junior high talent show.
28. �Blackout of Gretely�- Gonn (2/5). STRUM! �The universe is permeated with the stench of kerosene!� WAHAHA! Great intro! It�s all downhill from there, though. It�s standard garage rock that goes on way too long. 4 and a half minutes??!! Two minutes too long, boys! Too long for me to keep interest in their tale of a power outage in town. Darn.
29. �Voices Green and Purple�- Bees (5/5). No track here is more underground and daring than this one. In only a minute and a half, the Bees recreate an LSD (or acid) trip that has gone wrong, nightmarishly wrong. I can think of no other song out there with such matter. Maybe the Beatles� �She Said She Said�, but it was more about laziness. This dude is haunted by these voices, and his frightening screams are unnerving and very real-sounding. You can�t fake that.
30. �Blues Theme�- Davie Allan and the Arrows (3/5). And so we end with an instrumental. It only makes sense, I can see this being played over the end credits of some biker movie (I think it was, not sure about the title though). Not a personal favorite of mine, but there�s nice fuzz guitar and all. Off into the sunset we ride.