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Oriphiel · 01-08-2015, 10:50 AM

Pebbles and Girls in the Garage aren't the only series' putting out vintage Garage Rock. Pressed by a dedicated army of small independent labels, there are hundreds of obscure compilations floating around out there. Before the internet took off, seemingly every region of the world had some die-hard fans of Garage Rock releasing semi-legitimate (or just flat out bootlegged) reissues, as they attempted to keep the music they loved alive. And they succeeded, managing to save recordings of these forgotten songs until they could eventually be converted to a digital format. A few years after Bomp Records/AIP started the Pebbles series in 1979, a small label headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, called Crypt Records became their competition by releasing a series of their own. It was called "Back from the Grave", and quickly became a regional cult series, developing a fanbase that would keep it alive with unwavering support (to this day, the series is still being pressed on vinyl). So, hop in your hot rod and slick back yur hair, because it's time for the wild rockers of the 1960's to come "Back from the Grave"!

Back from the Grave Part One

1. The Elite - "My Confusion" - Opening up the ceremonies are The Elite with some riff rock, 1960's style. With a nice gritty Blues undertone to it, this is a very strong Garage Rock track with a lot of heart! It also has a twang to it that calls back to the days of Rockabilly.

2. The Jujus - "Do You Understand Me?" - Could be the same "Jujus" that had their song "You Treated me Bad" featured in the first volume of the Pebbles series. If so, then I have to congratulate them; this song has way more depth to it, and it showcases a pretty compelling sound despite being fairly simple.

3. The Alarm Clocks - "Yeah" - This track has a heavy and kind of creepy sound to it. The lyrics and vocalist remind me a bit of The Haunted's Garage Rock classic "1-2-5" , which isn't surprising as it was a pretty influential song in it's time. I like the vocal harmonies during the chorus!

One of The Alarm Clocks' 45's!

4. The Alarm Clocks - "No Reason to Complain" - Starting off in the vein of The Animals' classic "It's My Life" with a naked bassline, the Alarm Clocks kick into a fantastically haunting track with similar lyrics to their last offering (although the two songs sound fairly different).

5. The Fabs - "That's the Bag I'm In" - This one has that twangy, creepy Rockabilly type of beat to it, which pops up in a lot of vintage songs (off the top of my head, it kind of reminds me of "Want You", back when we looked at Girls in the Garage Volume Two). The singer also tries to add to the old-school feeling with deep Rockabilly-style vocals. However, the fuzz-guitar and electric organ make it clear that this song is from the 1960's and not the 1950's.

6. The Malibus - "Cry" - A bit lighter than the last few tracks, this one is still pretty melancholy. It's pushed along mostly by the fuzz-guitars and sharp drumming, while the sloppy vocalist does his thing, and the backing vocalists assist with some decent harmonies.

The Malibus!

7. The Bel-Aires - "Ya Ha Be Be" - The weirdest track so far. It kind of shifts around into different tones and beats as it goes on, although it remains a pretty solid, if a bit sloppy, Garage number till the end. I find it funny that the label that released this in 1967 was called "Discotheque", which couldn't be a further description from the way this song sounds.

8. The Legends - "I'll Come Again" - Opening right up with groovy electric organs and vocal harmonies, this strange yet charming Garage song is an incredible amount of fun to listen to!

9. The Rats - "Rat's Revenge Part One" - Of course, a song set to the beat of "Louie Louie" was bound to pop up eventually. This one is really gritty and drips with sloppy Proto-Punk attitude. It also randomly starts and stops whenever the band feels like it, only adding to the jarring nature of the track. From what I can tell, this is about a "super giant rat" attacking mankind, although it sounds like the band is just making up lyrics as they go (especially from the halfway mark on, and when someone just starts laughing in the background near the end).

The Rat's 45! Black Cat Records is still going strong to this day. Also, Norton Records has reissued this 45.

10. The Rats - "Rat's Revenge Part Two" - Part Two? Are you serious? Ha, I suppose I should hate this weird and super sloppy nonsense, but... I actually kind of love it. I must be losing my mind... I didn't include this song in the videos at the end, but you should really check it out some time. You'll probably get a kick and a laugh out of it.

11. The One Way Streets - "We All Love Peanut Butter" - Garage Rockers and Psychedelic heroes had a thing about peanut butter. There was the band "The Peanut Butter Conspiracy", the song "Peanut Butter" covered by the likes of The Liverbirds, and now this. I don't get it. Anyway, this is Psychedelic/Folk number that follows the same style that The Beatles' had during their foray into Psychedelia. Solid Beat-style drumming and plenty of vocal harmonies.

12. Larry and the Blue Notes - "Night of the Phantom" - And the compilation delves right back into haunting Garage Rock. This one is pretty solid and catchy, with a kind of echo-y distance to it. The lyrics tell a story about a guy and his gal getting attacked by a masked killer on the street. Just like with "Rat's Revenge", I didn't put a video of it at the bottom of the entry but I still recommend it wholeheartedly.

Larry and the Blue Notes!

13. The One Way Streets - "Jack the Ripper" - Heh, I love it! This wild tune opens up with someone screaming, presumably a victim of the Ripper, and it just gets even more intense from there! I love the instrumentation on this one, especially during the super strange to the point of being experimental guitar break. Definitely check this one out some time!

14. The Swamp Rats - "Psycho" - Ah! A Sonics cover! This one drops all of the heaviness and style that the original had, choosing to simply blaze forward with as much speed and thrashiness as possible! This song is Proto-Punk gold, especially from the halfway mark on, where there is a fantastically noisy guitar solo!

15. The Cords - "Ghost Power" - The ultimate Halloween song! With a super heavy fuzz-guitar, as well as every single "spooky" sound effect these guys could get their hands on, this song is straight out of a drive-in flick about a group of go-go dancers that fight monsters (sounds ridiculous, but no movie premise was too odd for the likes of Roger Corman).

I absolutely loved this compilation! I seriously wouldn't change a single thing about it! Usually, an album will have only two or three stand-out tracks that i'm eager to recommend, with the rest of the songs being decent but not extraordinary. However, every single track on this album was perfect in every way! This is a fantastic album for anyone who likes vintage Garage Rock, and is without a doubt one of the best available samplers of the genre.

01-08-2015, 10:50 AM	#82 (permalink)
Oriphiel Ask me how! Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: The States Posts: 5,355	Garage Rock Pebbles and Girls in the Garage aren't the only series' putting out vintage Garage Rock. Pressed by a dedicated army of small independent labels, there are hundreds of obscure compilations floating around out there. Before the internet took off, seemingly every region of the world had some die-hard fans of Garage Rock releasing semi-legitimate (or just flat out bootlegged) reissues, as they attempted to keep the music they loved alive. And they succeeded, managing to save recordings of these forgotten songs until they could eventually be converted to a digital format. A few years after Bomp Records/AIP started the Pebbles series in 1979, a small label headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, called Crypt Records became their competition by releasing a series of their own. It was called "Back from the Grave", and quickly became a regional cult series, developing a fanbase that would keep it alive with unwavering support (to this day, the series is still being pressed on vinyl). So, hop in your hot rod and slick back yur hair, because it's time for the wild rockers of the 1960's to come "Back from the Grave"! Back from the Grave Part One 1. The Elite - "My Confusion" - Opening up the ceremonies are The Elite with some riff rock, 1960's style. With a nice gritty Blues undertone to it, this is a very strong Garage Rock track with a lot of heart! It also has a twang to it that calls back to the days of Rockabilly. 2. The Jujus - "Do You Understand Me?" - Could be the same "Jujus" that had their song "You Treated me Bad" featured in the first volume of the Pebbles series. If so, then I have to congratulate them; this song has way more depth to it, and it showcases a pretty compelling sound despite being fairly simple. 3. The Alarm Clocks - "Yeah" - This track has a heavy and kind of creepy sound to it. The lyrics and vocalist remind me a bit of The Haunted's Garage Rock classic "1-2-5" , which isn't surprising as it was a pretty influential song in it's time. I like the vocal harmonies during the chorus! One of The Alarm Clocks' 45's! 4. The Alarm Clocks - "No Reason to Complain" - Starting off in the vein of The Animals' classic "It's My Life" with a naked bassline, the Alarm Clocks kick into a fantastically haunting track with similar lyrics to their last offering (although the two songs sound fairly different). 5. The Fabs - "That's the Bag I'm In" - This one has that twangy, creepy Rockabilly type of beat to it, which pops up in a lot of vintage songs (off the top of my head, it kind of reminds me of "Want You", back when we looked at Girls in the Garage Volume Two). The singer also tries to add to the old-school feeling with deep Rockabilly-style vocals. However, the fuzz-guitar and electric organ make it clear that this song is from the 1960's and not the 1950's. 6. The Malibus - "Cry" - A bit lighter than the last few tracks, this one is still pretty melancholy. It's pushed along mostly by the fuzz-guitars and sharp drumming, while the sloppy vocalist does his thing, and the backing vocalists assist with some decent harmonies. The Malibus! 7. The Bel-Aires - "Ya Ha Be Be" - The weirdest track so far. It kind of shifts around into different tones and beats as it goes on, although it remains a pretty solid, if a bit sloppy, Garage number till the end. I find it funny that the label that released this in 1967 was called "Discotheque", which couldn't be a further description from the way this song sounds. 8. The Legends - "I'll Come Again" - Opening right up with groovy electric organs and vocal harmonies, this strange yet charming Garage song is an incredible amount of fun to listen to! 9. The Rats - "Rat's Revenge Part One" - Of course, a song set to the beat of "Louie Louie" was bound to pop up eventually. This one is really gritty and drips with sloppy Proto-Punk attitude. It also randomly starts and stops whenever the band feels like it, only adding to the jarring nature of the track. From what I can tell, this is about a "super giant rat" attacking mankind, although it sounds like the band is just making up lyrics as they go (especially from the halfway mark on, and when someone just starts laughing in the background near the end). The Rat's 45! Black Cat Records is still going strong to this day. Also, Norton Records has reissued this 45. 10. The Rats - "Rat's Revenge Part Two" - Part Two? Are you serious? Ha, I suppose I should hate this weird and super sloppy nonsense, but... I actually kind of love it. I must be losing my mind... I didn't include this song in the videos at the end, but you should really check it out some time. You'll probably get a kick and a laugh out of it. 11. The One Way Streets - "We All Love Peanut Butter" - Garage Rockers and Psychedelic heroes had a thing about peanut butter. There was the band "The Peanut Butter Conspiracy", the song "Peanut Butter" covered by the likes of The Liverbirds, and now this. I don't get it. Anyway, this is Psychedelic/Folk number that follows the same style that The Beatles' had during their foray into Psychedelia. Solid Beat-style drumming and plenty of vocal harmonies. 12. Larry and the Blue Notes - "Night of the Phantom" - And the compilation delves right back into haunting Garage Rock. This one is pretty solid and catchy, with a kind of echo-y distance to it. The lyrics tell a story about a guy and his gal getting attacked by a masked killer on the street. Just like with "Rat's Revenge", I didn't put a video of it at the bottom of the entry but I still recommend it wholeheartedly. Larry and the Blue Notes! 13. The One Way Streets - "Jack the Ripper" - Heh, I love it! This wild tune opens up with someone screaming, presumably a victim of the Ripper, and it just gets even more intense from there! I love the instrumentation on this one, especially during the super strange to the point of being experimental guitar break. Definitely check this one out some time! 14. The Swamp Rats - "Psycho" - Ah! A Sonics cover! This one drops all of the heaviness and style that the original had, choosing to simply blaze forward with as much speed and thrashiness as possible! This song is Proto-Punk gold, especially from the halfway mark on, where there is a fantastically noisy guitar solo! 15. The Cords - "Ghost Power" - The ultimate Halloween song! With a super heavy fuzz-guitar, as well as every single "spooky" sound effect these guys could get their hands on, this song is straight out of a drive-in flick about a group of go-go dancers that fight monsters (sounds ridiculous, but no movie premise was too odd for the likes of Roger Corman). I absolutely loved this compilation! I seriously wouldn't change a single thing about it! Usually, an album will have only two or three stand-out tracks that i'm eager to recommend, with the rest of the songs being decent but not extraordinary. However, every single track on this album was perfect in every way! This is a fantastic album for anyone who likes vintage Garage Rock, and is without a doubt one of the best available samplers of the genre.