
This compilation spotlights over a dozen underknown garage rock groups, several of them with just one or two singles to their name, but highly cool across the board. Blendings of surf, funk, pop, traditional rock & roll, and psychedelic are on display, with high enthusiasm helping sand over the general roughness of the production. The songs go by quickly enough that their similarities blend together a bit, but the sharpness of the riffs and choruses, along with the good humor, pop up some distinction to balance out the bleed-over of the electric guitar tones. Some Beatles-like experimentation with Eastern flavors crops up occasionally, but rarely as more than just a glazing over the regular rock foundations. All in all, a nice tour through some obscure tunes, and a neat touchstone for historical context.