On the Shelf 141- Back from the Grave
Apr. 25th, 2015 10:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedsitter23I assume everyone is familiar with Crypt Records' Back from the Grave series.
If not, they are a series of records put out Crypt starting in the 80s, though probably caught most people's attention as they were reissued in the 90s on CD.
No review of the series is complete without mentioning the seminal Nuggets- a compilation of some of the greatest garage rock of all time, featuring the Count Five, the Seeds, Electric Prunes, the Standells, the Knickerbockers, the 13th Floor Elevators, the Blues Magoos and more. Others might be familiar with the Pebbles series released by Bomp Records among other labels- a series that uncovered great garage rock relics from across the world.
Crypt followed in this tradition and the music they found was top notch.
Garage Rock is hard. You wouldn't think so, but the new Sonics record as one of the exceptions, trying to go in and record a Sonics-type record is a difficult thing. Believe me, I was in college radio (and this was in that era where garage rock was coming back into the vogue in the mid-90s) and there was a lot of bands who try and fail.
However, Crypt did it, they succeeded exceptionally well (I'm not sure who the Rats are, but "Rats' Revenge Part 1" may be the best song ever put to vinyl, only bettered by Part 2). For eight volumes, Crypt chronicled the best of 1964-67 of America's long forgotten (really, never known)best garage rock singles. That series ended after a pretty consistent run about 20 years ago. Here was the best of the wannabe Stones, those who made Kinks-like fury, those cousins of the Count Five and the Seeds
So, I was pretty excited to see Volumes 9 and 10 get released.
What's not surprising is that the music is there. Every small town in America then as now, probably has a garage band or three. What is surprising is the quality of these songs.
Sure, maybe these bands could only achieve three minutes of perfection, but in these cases, they came close to that. While it is surprising that these bands out of nowhere across America, went into studios in Memphis and Las Vegas and put out songs that would fit on Nuggets; it is also worth pondering whether with the right management and a stroke of luck, if some of these singers could have been the next Mick Jagger or Eric Burdon.
Anyway, for garage rock fans, I can't recommend this series enough, and really think they captured some good stuff here. It is probably telling (though obvious) that probably around 95% of the songs are about unrequited love (that still remains the number one reason males pick up guitars) and the ones that don't are charming love songs like the Four's "69".
If not, they are a series of records put out Crypt starting in the 80s, though probably caught most people's attention as they were reissued in the 90s on CD.
No review of the series is complete without mentioning the seminal Nuggets- a compilation of some of the greatest garage rock of all time, featuring the Count Five, the Seeds, Electric Prunes, the Standells, the Knickerbockers, the 13th Floor Elevators, the Blues Magoos and more. Others might be familiar with the Pebbles series released by Bomp Records among other labels- a series that uncovered great garage rock relics from across the world.
Crypt followed in this tradition and the music they found was top notch.
Garage Rock is hard. You wouldn't think so, but the new Sonics record as one of the exceptions, trying to go in and record a Sonics-type record is a difficult thing. Believe me, I was in college radio (and this was in that era where garage rock was coming back into the vogue in the mid-90s) and there was a lot of bands who try and fail.
However, Crypt did it, they succeeded exceptionally well (I'm not sure who the Rats are, but "Rats' Revenge Part 1" may be the best song ever put to vinyl, only bettered by Part 2). For eight volumes, Crypt chronicled the best of 1964-67 of America's long forgotten (really, never known)best garage rock singles. That series ended after a pretty consistent run about 20 years ago. Here was the best of the wannabe Stones, those who made Kinks-like fury, those cousins of the Count Five and the Seeds
So, I was pretty excited to see Volumes 9 and 10 get released.
What's not surprising is that the music is there. Every small town in America then as now, probably has a garage band or three. What is surprising is the quality of these songs.
Sure, maybe these bands could only achieve three minutes of perfection, but in these cases, they came close to that. While it is surprising that these bands out of nowhere across America, went into studios in Memphis and Las Vegas and put out songs that would fit on Nuggets; it is also worth pondering whether with the right management and a stroke of luck, if some of these singers could have been the next Mick Jagger or Eric Burdon.
Anyway, for garage rock fans, I can't recommend this series enough, and really think they captured some good stuff here. It is probably telling (though obvious) that probably around 95% of the songs are about unrequited love (that still remains the number one reason males pick up guitars) and the ones that don't are charming love songs like the Four's "69".
