Customer Reviews

Back From the Grave 1

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like many garage-philes have stated, this is the next logical step in the history of garage rock, right after the enormously influential "Nuggets" and "Pebbles" compilations. Unlike some other comps of the sort, Crypt is only interested in bringing out the best of 60s garage rock 'n' roll. This is a perfect testament to why some people considor this to be the original punk rock. I wouldn't go that far, but it certainly influenced it a good deal. While some songs on this album are better than others, there are no really unbearable tracks. "Surfside Date", the cover of "Psycho", and espescially "Sticks and Stones" show why this music was so appealing to the teens of the day.

I have personally known "Tim Warren" and his excellent "Crypt" label since the mid 1980's and by far he has put out the very best in 60's Punk compilations! The "Back From The Grave" series is excellent! I highly recommend getting all eight volumes if you decide to purchase the series on vinyl. The songs are all great! Tim does a lot of research on each and every song and actually does his best to track down the original band members so he can get the scoop on the song! He also has put out another great compilation series called "Teenage Shutdown". I also highly recommend this series as well! For all of you who still live in 1966 like me, and refuse to put up with the so called "Rock 'n Roll songs of today, then both of these series are for you! 1966 forever!

Here it is, the GENUINE ARTICLE!!! Good ol' fashioned GARAGE PUNKERS from the 60s, when the losers in school formed bands and sang about the girls they couldn't get. PLAY THIS WHEN THE FULLER BRUSH MAN COMES TO THE DOOR!!!

Includes the most sentimental song of all time - "The Crusher" by The Novas.

I bought this record in 1988-it totally blew my mind.(Remember,that was the year of "Don't Worry,be Happy")I could not believe such great music actually existed.And it was 20 years old!(Now 30 years old)But really,real rock'n roll never gets old!The dreck that is popular this year will be forgotten next year,but the music on this album will stand tall and proud forever!And believe it or not,"The Crusher" actually made the charts in 1964!!

I hate most music, it's all boring, who wants to hear millionaires playing technical bullsheit? I sure don't, I wanna here people playing guitar their own crazy way, not the boring technical "right" way, screw that. If you don't think "Rats Revenge Pts.1+2" are pure raw unaffected genius there's really something wrong with you and you need to just go put on one of your lame ass Kiss or Blink 182 records and kill yourself.
Oh yeah, and buy this record, you life will be better because of it.

This first volume of "Back From The Grave" is superb. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, this is a compilation of mid-60's rock bands that it could be argued could be the first generation of punk rock kids. Kids, who were into the Kinks, The Stones, The Pretty Things, Them, The early Who, didn't like the current state of affairs in pop music, and decided to make their own ungodly racket in their parents garages.

The songs on this album are mastered directly from the original 45's, and while the sound quality isn't as good as the "Nuggets," series, it's still very listenable, much more so than the majority of the "Pebbles" compilations.

Highlights include The Elite's "My Confusion," The Fabs' "That's The Bag I'm In," Both Rats tracks, Larry And The Blue Notes' "Night Of The Phantom," The Unrelated Segments' "Cry, Cry, Cry," and the Novas' awe-insiring "The Crusher."

Sometimes we seem to forget that the heart of rock n' roll is horny teenagers making loud, obnoxious noises in the garage just because, dammit, it FEELS GOOD. It's definitely an aquired taste, but this series is a great reminder of what rock n' roll was originally meant to be. Out of time, out of tune, but a hell of a lot of fun. It's worth it for the One Way Streets insane mutilation of Jack the Ripper alone. And anybody who can't listen to Rats Revenge parts I and II and not grin like an idiot is dead. This might not be the beginnings of punk rock, but punk wouldn't have happened without stuff like this. Definitely recommended if you want to know where it all really started.

I honestly feel sorry for anyone who doesn't "get" this music. It's about creating instead of consuming, it's about taking a shot against the odds, but mostly it's about having fun.

A couple tracks stand out for me. The JuJu's - definitely a one take wonder. You have a motorcycle revving, a bottle breaking, and a totally trip atonal guitar riff. This makes the Sex Pistols sound like over produced dinosaur rock.

But my favorite is Rat's Revenge pts. 1 & 2. I can't think of any song I ever heard that sounds like the were having so much fun making it. The world would be a better place if we still had the Rats instead of the Rolling Stones...

grave 1 is a blast to listen to. many people in the world today would probably not give this garge punk a listen. why because the world is full of people if you cant see it on mtv then its not worth listening to.I watch mtv and laugh, millions of dollars people spend on these crap video and alblums. well the grave 1 is full off pictures well over twenty pictures. and music is great. the hatfeilds rule , get cd 3 for the kid from cincy, and grave 1 their song yes i do. Alot of the bands probably dont even known that people listen to their music, these are some really rare songs to begin with.

Phew, Tim Warren (the cat who compiled BFTG) is so hardline 'n purist he will not sanction any departure from the garage punk template (well, he did on his Garage Punk Unknowns series with some nice folk-punk entries but that's another story).
Anyhoo... there's no psych, folk-punk, acid rock or proto-prog /metal on BFTG - it's all gnarly-as-hell teen rockin from all over the US garage punk style. The best of the best. For my money the style can get a wee bit generic after a while - after all the first and most well known comp of all time - Nuggets - mixed it up with quite a few different styles including frat rockers, psychy mindbenders, pre-heavy metal dirges as well as yer actual garage punk.... but really Tim Warren did the best possible job on the BFTG series. The sound quality is always top notch and there's plenty of info on the bands, including rare photos. I believe he also paid the bands royalties. 10/10.