Customer Reviews

Pebbles, Vol. 1: Original 60s Punk & Psych Classics

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

 

 

The PEBBLES series is well-documented as the underdog follow-up to the infamous NUGGETS set, but real music lovers in the know have learned it is the far superior collection, compiling more obscure tunes by more obscure bands. Now, to be fair, not all the volumes in the series are really worth getting. VOL. 1 is a superb introduction to the series. Word of warning: The Litter's "Action Woman", The Haunted's "1-2-5", Kim Fowley's "The Trip", The Elastic Band's "Spazz", The Sparkles' "No Friend of Mine", and Gonn's "Blackout of Gretely" all have appeared on either NUGGETS or NUGGETS II, but they're presented here sounding like they're blaring out of your turntable, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Plus "Blackout of Gretely" is much longer here than it appears on NUGGETS!

Not all the songs on this set are worth a relisten, but some of the real gems are The Preachers' "Who Do You Love" (quite a departure from the familiar Woolies version), The Grains of Sand's "Going Away Baby", The Split Ends' "Rich With Nothin'" (great song about a rich girl who turns her back on her roots), and The Wild Knights' "Beaver Patrol", which must be one of the raunchiest rock records ever recorded. A bonus track, "It's Your Time" by The Weeds, is really cool, too!

Another word of warning: Wig's "Crackin' Up" and The Third Booth's "I Need Love" are not included on this CD, despite being on the track listing. Most of the best songs on this CD would be included on the later ESSENTIAL PEBBLES compilations, but this is still one disc you shouldn't be without in your 60s garage band collection.

This whole damn series is great! This is what rock is about! The pebbles series is the best in psychedelic freak outs and punk that makes Jhonny Rotten hide under his bed. This is a good primer for what lies ahead. The politcally incorrect song "Spazz" by the Elastik band is a great funny song about, how do I say it nicely, the mentally challenged, then you got "Beaver Patrol" by a bunch of horny teenagers looking for some action and then the song "Black Out of Greteley" the best line of the song being " the universe is permeated with Kerosene" then a insane scream and they just rip in to the song. Picks up where Rockabilly stopped in 1959.

This is like the classic series of records that put out tons of lost music from the sixties. Mainly garage rock and psych rock , alot of it premetal and prepunk in style. It's great stuff. Songs like 'it's your time' are what it's all about. The best stuff is usually from the midsixties. Simple and fun and this comp series brings that to you. If you love punk rock then this is a must have to see what some guys or gals in garages came up in the 60's. Which still has some of the best pop rock ever ,but this is the heavier sounds. There was no metal so these folks got loud and hard in their own way. The sound quality is basic , they took rare singles and put on here. many of these songs were only on some regional singles, so when they created the pebbles series in the 70's-80's they just did what they could. They did not clean the sound up for this series on cd. SO if you hear crackling that's what it is. Nuggets does a better job than this series but this one found alot of really rare songs and there's no other way to get them.

Twenty track collection - just as good as the 'Pebbles, Volume 2' (see my review). Bands here that I dug the most include The Litter (from Minneapolis) - has several lp's out - WHY haven't I heard of these guys before? Plus there are stellar cuts by the one-song wonder Psychotic Reaction (band, now - not the song) with "Positively 13 O'Clock", Shadows Of Knight, the Texas garage band the Sparkles, The Haunted, Third Booth and and then on the very last track, it's an 'unidentified' surprize tune. Worthy of many repeated spin(s) in your home entertainment center. A+