Various Artists

Uptight Tonight! The Ultimate '60s Garage Collection

Comments (0) By Bob Ruggiero Thursday, Oct 27 2005

Warning: This album contains "Psychotic Reaction" but no "Carburetor Dung."

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While the White Stripes, the Black Keys and the Hives have made some damn fine modern "garage rock," nothing beats the sounds from the genre's heyday in the mid-'60s. The Nuggetsand Pebblescompilations already have mined this mother lode of reckless, wailing vocals, fuzzed-out guitar and caveman drums, with the occasional flourish of Farfisa. But what makes this generous 26-track compilation a must-have is its reliance on material from none-hit wonder bands like the Outcasts, the Unrelated Segments, Flash & the Memphis Casuals, and the Electric Company -- unknown to all but hard-core collectors or listeners of Little Steven's Underground Garage. The album includes a few harder-edged holy grails, like the Castaways' "Liar Liar," the Seeds' "Pushin' Too Hard" and Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction." Texas garage is well represented with the Sparkles (Lubbock), Mouse & the Traps (Tyler), the Outcasts (San Antonio) and a little, little ol' band from Houston called the Moving Sidewalks. They scorch with a pre-beard, pre-ZZ, 16-year-old Billy Gibbons-led "99th Floor." Un-PC raging hormones are spread in tracks like the-baby's-not-mine "Scarey Business" and the cunt hunt of, yes, "Beaver Patrol." But at least one lady gets her say. On Denise & Company's "Boy, What'll You Do Then?" the lusty lass ensures her new beau right up front that she'll cheat on him often and without remorse. Though Uptight Tonight! is a few tracks short of Ultimate (where are "Dirty Water" and "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night"?), all around, the album is a wonderfully greasy compilation.