Best of 1966-1967

Question Mark & The Mysterians | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 18, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Abkco
• ASIN: B000B8I8XC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,643 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Collectors will be shedding tears of joy when they check out this *27-track* collection from these legendary garage punkers! Includes the hit and an unreleased version of 96 Tears; I Need Somebody; Can't Get Enough of You, Baby; Girl (You Captivate Me); Stormy Monday; You're Telling Me Lies; Ten O'Clock; Set Aside; Up Side; Midnight Hour (with a bonus unreleased version), and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Landmark Upper Midwest Garage Rock Soul, December 4, 2005

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Best of 1966-1967 (Audio CD)

The Cameo Parkway box set ("Cameo Parkway 1957-1967") released earlier this year included the Mysterians' garage rock standard, "96 Tears," along with their debut album's leadoff, "I Need Somebody." Having been sequestered in Allen Klein's vaults (along with the rest of the Cameo Parkway catalog) for nearly forty years, the freshness of the master tapes blew away the cobwebs grown over countless gray-market remastered-from-vinyl reissues. This follow-up volume, one in a set of eight to drill down on specific Cameo Parkway artists, fleshes out the rest of the Mysterians' seminal mid-60s recordings.

Though the band couldn't be expected to wax another side as fully realized and potent as "96 Tears," the rest of their catalog is no slouch. There's a Stax-like funkiness underpinning the band's garage rock, making these tunes danceable in a more seductive manner than their coastal contemporaries. The band wrote most of their own material, and picked up a few purpose-built tunes (like the super-fine "96 Tears" knock-off -- and Smash Mouth cover hit -- "Can't Get Enough of You Baby") and covers that include bluesy readings of "Stormy Monday" and The Isley Brothers' "Shout." The slower (and stereo) unreleased take of "96 Tears" is a nice addition, if only for how well it shows the supercharged power of mono mixing on the original.

This CD includes the whole of the Mysterians' two Cameo albums ("96 Tears" and "Action"), both sides of their last Cameo single ("Do Something to Me" b/w "Love Me Baby (Cherry July)"), and a pair of unreleased stereo alternates from 1966 ("Midnight Hour" and "96 Tears"). The only side that seems to be missing is the A-side of their single as The Semi-Colons, "Beachcomber." Ironically, the B-side ("Set Aside") is present, as it was on the debut album. All tracks are true stereo, except for mono on #1, 6, 7, 11, 12, 21, 22, 24, and 25. Jeff Tamarkin's liner notes are heavy on the hipster-ese, and the art direction is light on photos; both minor quibbles given the riches in the grooves. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fine garage rock., March 25, 2007

By 

fluffy, the human being. (forest lake, mn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best of 1966-1967 (Audio CD)

this cd contains the original stuff: the 1966-1967 cameo parkway recordings. make sure you get this and not the later/older stuff by this band. for a long time these recordings were not available, so i was quite the happy camper when i saw that they were being re-released a couple of years ago. ? and the mysterians are more than just "96 tears," the song that they are known for. there are 25 garage rock songs here that all deserve a listen. this band was something of a flint, michigan version of van morrison's great mid-sixties band "them." ? and the mysterians were a bit less biting, a little less menace about their sound, than "them," but otherwise i think the comparison is fair. i much recommend this cd to all seeking some audio travel into the past world of 60's gargage rock.

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally the Real Deal, February 27, 2006

By 

Paul E. Shelley "Brit Iron Rebel" (Goshen, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Best of 1966-1967 (Audio CD)

After decades of having to listen to remakes Cameo has finally released the origional recordings on CD. One of Americas true great garage bands.