This is one of those albums that really should come with a TV infomercial voiced by Rodney Bigenheimer or a similar vintage DJ in full on Ronco or K-tel overhype mode: extolling the virtues of this collection of 15 garage rock classics from the American Northwest in the late 1950's and 1960's.
"Before Nirvana and Pearl Jam became the sound of the North West in small garages all over the North West bands made some of the most epochal garage rock of all time and now Green Monkey Records present 15 of the most legendary of those songs played by some of the North West's finest musicians. Yes, Tom Dyer's New Pagan Gods release Volume 1 of the History Of North West Rock and no good home should be without one. Let's face it: who needs the original artists when our studio whizzes can make them sound this good."
Well indeed. They open with a great version of The Sonics' The Witch which is just as intense as the original and should have you reaching for the volume knob to turn it up! The Ventures' Walk Don't Run is next for a good rocking blast of garage surf to get everyone going.
I Wanna Hold Your Hand, originally by Tiny Tony and The Statics, is one of the songs I wasn't familiar with but it's a good garage stomper that should get you moving. Then it's back to the Sonics for a fine version of You've Got Your Head On Backwards with some killer harmonica to really drive the point home. It's almost as good as the original.
Hungry by Paul Revere & The Raiders sounds like Stupidity playing the Standells. The bassline is slow and careful as the song builds nicely as the singer pleads for her love. We then get a great version of Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts' Angel Of The Morning: a song I know from several sappy and sometimes sickly 1970's covers by the likes of PP Arnold and Bonnie Tyler. This vastly superior version, however, dials in the dramatics and takes it back to the original's more simple style. Damn, there are some fine guitars going on under the vocals and backing vocals.
Next is the obligatory cover of Louie Louie, which they sensibly don't keep close to the Kingmen's version, but instead having a rather flang-y guitar with a funky edge making it more of a dancefloor northern soul stomper. They claim in the extensive and informative liner notes that it's a fusing together of 2 or 3 other version of this standard. Then it's time for a mighty version of The Wailers' Dirty Robber, which has a dirty bassline underpinning it and some good grizzled, yelping vocals. A very cool version of this classic tune.
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Things then get all smoochy on Come Softly to Me, originally by the Fleetwoods. I remember The New Seekers version being played to death over here, but this version is way better than that. Then we are back with Paul Revere & the Raiders for a Just Like Me which is played nice and slow and with plenty of pop sensibility.
Out Of Our Tree, the old Wailers classic, has almost grungy, downtuned guitars. It's an excellent stomp along which steals a riff that the Rolling Stones had also stolen around the same time making this song sound really familiar and yet not quite. Still a good song to get out your tree too.
Next up is Little Sally Tease originally by Don & The Goodtimes and that's Don Gallucci (from The Kingmen) who legendarily produced Funhouse for The Stooges!! Yes the lyrics are as off as the title suggests but hey, the guitars on this kill and mangle in a sort of Raw Power kind of way. A great garage rocker that I now need to find the original of as I don't think I have it here.
Werewolf, originally by The Frantics, sounds like a lost Link Wray classic, nice and atmospheric. Busy Body which is an old Dynamics with Jimmy Hanna tune is a pretty good throw down which chugs along on a similar riff to The Witch. It's ready for a good rumble.
The album closes with a spirited go at She's Boss originally by The Dimensions that has an almost Question Mark & The Mysterions type sound to it. A good groovy song to finish with.
This is a real cool covers album of some great garage rock tunes. If you like the Nuggets or Pebbles albums then you really will at the very least like this album and the non-album single that came with my copy and that will get a separate review.
Find out more at Green Monkey Records online
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