96 Tears – QUESTION MARK & THE MYSTERIANS**

I Need Somebody/Stormy Monday/You’re Telling Me Lies/Ten O’clock/Set Aside/Up Side/8 Teen/Don’t Tease Me/Don’t Break This Heart Of Mine/Why Me/Midnight Hour/96 Tears

Question Mark & The Mysterians were a routine garage band who hit the big time with their US chart topping single 96 Tears. The accompanying album fared less well and they quickly disappeared from sight. (US:66)

“Fairly derivative 60s rock with a lighter garage sound and some funky organ moments. 96 Tears and I Need Somebody are the standouts, and they do stand out quite a bit as very good nuggets of teenage angst.”

“Like most other garage rock bands, it consists of a few guitar chords, a bit of piano, a tambourine, and most importantly, the organs. More than half of the album did virtually nothing for me. Just run of the mill garage rock that does nothing to excite.”

“A disappointing offering. Having searched for ages to find a copy of the single 96 Tears I was really happy to find the whole album, only to discover that all twelve tracks sound like 96 Tears, but the other eleven are not as good as the original. If you've got the single don't bother with this, you probably won't play anything else.”

“They may have been a one-hit-wonder, but what a hit. 96 Tears is still a unique rock song, full of hypnotic atmosphere and clever musicianship. The other material on the album is interesting and for the most part, equally well-played and quite enjoyable though less remarkable and commercial than the band's one big hit. Some songs are ballads, a few are quite bluesy, and others bristle with the unique sound that made 96 Tears a song worth listening to.”

“Question Mark & The Mysterians had one of the hottest garage band hits of the 1960's. The hit song 96 Tears inspired countless young musicians of the era. Simple, quirky, raw and pure, these are American sixties rock 'n' roll garage band songs that jumped out of the AM radio right at you.”

“Question Mark & The Mysterians, were a sixties garage rock band that failed to gain any popularity beyond the garage fury of 96 Tears. All tracks feature the classic sound of the Vox Continental organ, solid bass playing, and bluesy guitar riffs straight from the garage.”

Wild Is The Wind – NINA SIMONE****

I Love Your Lovin’ Ways/Four Women/What More Can I Say/Lilac Wine/That’s All I Ask/Break Down & Let It All Out/Why Keep Breakin’ My Heart/Wild Is The Wind/Black Is The Colour Of My True Love’s Hair/If I Should Lose You/Either Way I Lose

Nina Simone’s romantic and soulful Wild Is The Wind comprises mostly blues tracks taken from a number of separate recording sessions during 1964 and 1965. (US:110)

"Its hard to describe how good this album is. Its romantic, soothing, soulful, dramatic, with a beautiful vocal that at times is silky soft and at other times is remarkably aggressive."

"An album made to be played in a smoky dimly lit bar in the early hours of the morning, once the buzz of the alcohol has worn off and the hazy fog of depression has kicked in. Half finished drink on the bar becoming acquainted with your elbow, hand propping your head up, cigarette ash falling to the floor. You sit there, thinking about past romances, missed opportunities and unrequited love."

"The majority of the songs on here are just astounding, with Simone's voice and piano being the most obvious basis for most of the songs." "Wild Is The Wind might have been cobbled together from leftovers of old recording sessions, but it hangs together as an album almost as well as Sinatra's carefully designed In The Wee Small Hours."

"1966's Wild Is The Wind comprises leftovers from sessions in 1964 and 1965 but retains a thematic sense of intimacy and urgency throughout. The sequencing keeps it all sounding like an album rather than a random collection of disparate songs, with the arrangements varying from full-band numbers to lushly orchestrated ballads and smoky solo standards. Ultimately Wild Is The Wind is, against the odds, one of Nina Simone's most cohesive and intriguing albums."

"This album has some of the finest songs you will ever hear sung by a woman. Take Lilac Wine, the original has so much more essence than the covers. I like the low tempo songs with only her and some strings the most, instead of the more swinging songs like the first. Nonetheless, this is a great album."

The Wild Angels – SOUNDTRACK***

Theme From The Wild Angels(Vocal)/Lonely In The Chapel/Blues’ Theme/Theme From The Wild Angels (Instrumental)/Midnight Rider/Rockin’ Angel/The Lonely Rider/The Unknown Rider/The Wild Angels Ballad/The Losers Burial/Losers Lament/The Dark Alley/Wild Angels Chase/The Last Ride

The soundtrack to The Wild Angels features music by Davie Allan & The Arrows except for two tracks by The Hands Of Time. This biker film, starring Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra, apparently contains scenes of wild degeneracy and mayhem, if some reviews are to be believed. (US:17)

"Right after I saw this B-movie in the 60s I bought the soundtrack. The movie was pretty awful, but the music was sensational. I still listen to it today with just as much enjoyment as I did many years ago. This has got to be the best biker soundtrack ever. You simply can't not love it. If you can find it, buy it."

"This is a great album. Lots of diverse music, and lots of that 60s guitar twang that Davie Allen & The Arrows mastered. Midnight Rider is a great tune, along with the hog being revved up at the beginning of Blue's Theme."

"The Elvis-like sounds of The Hands of Time's Lonely In The Chapel is here, and the fuzzed out Blue's Theme along with Midnight Rider(also from The Hands of Time). Great stuff from the past."

"The thing I loved the most about the film is the score, which was one of the first examples of what would become heavy metal."

"Well, the cover is cool and I like the aura surrounding it. Plus of course the movie has Nancy Sinatra in it. How cool is that? But the music is all rather 'Dullsville'."

"Everything about kitschy, youth-oriented drive-in 60s film fare is here: acting as wooden as teak; insane California biker culture; Nancy Sinatra in a mini; music that tried hard to be hip but was plainly being performed by 42 year old session men."

"There is a fantastic fuzz guitar theme performed by the ultra-cool Davie Allan. The Wild Angels is trash, but well made and very entertaining trash. The weakest points are the vocal tracks on side one. Side two is quite good, Davie Allen & The Arrows are excellent at subtle guitar theatrics."

A Web Of Sound – THE SEEDS**

Mr Farmer/Pictures & Designs/Tripmaker/I Tell Myself/A Faded Picture/Rollin’ Machine/Just Let Go/Up In Her Room

A Web Of Sound is the quick follow up album from garage rock band The Seeds. Includes the track Up In Her Room which, at over 14 minutes long, was the longest extended jam track at the time.

“Though slightly off pace from their debut, this one is much more consistent, and shows the band much more confident in the studio, and more comfortable with their new punk sound. It's primarily organ driven, with some good fuzz guitar. Depending on your frame of mind, the long track can get rather tedious toward the end.”

“For me, a bit stronger than their debut. While it is still firmly in the garage, there are hints that the lysergically influenced times were making an impact on The Seeds. The music is still pretty simple but there is more added to the garage sound to give it just a whiff of psychedelia. Mr. Farmer is excellent as is the creepy Faded Picture and the 14 minute Up In Her Room is a trance like groove that just goes around and around quiet pleasurably. A definite step up from the debut.”

“Dirty, noisy garage rock with thin, kitschy sonic things floating around. Delightfully amateurish riffs and much proto-punkish repetition.” “The weakest link here is an extra long track, Up In Her Room, repetitive for nothing. A Web Of Sound is a good psychedelic garage/proto-punk album, a bit ahead of its time.”

“Apart from the inclusion of the instant garage rock classic Mr. Farmer, one of the most important, yet least impressive tracks on A Web Of Sound is Up In Her Room."

“Second LP from 1966 and much better than their debut. Great garage/psych with organ and fuzz guitar. The whole of side one of the LP is great. Second side begins good with Just Let Go, but the studio version of Up In Her Room is too slow and goes on too long.”

“For fans of The Seeds this is worth checking out. The band wasn't a top tier group but with the passage of time, their music stands as an example of that whole exciting, weird era.”

Tim Buckley – TIM BUCKLEY***

Can’t See You/Wings/Songs Of The Magician/Strange Street Affair Under Blue/Valentine Melody/Aren’t You The Girl/Song Slowly Song/It Happens Every Time/Song For Janie/Grief In My Soul/She Is/Understand Your Man

Self titled debut album from folk singer-songwriter Tim Buckley. At only 19 he was still feeling his way towards the more individualistic style he would develop on subsequent albums.

“A promising debut which offers some clues about the future greatness of a unique songwriter. These are sometimes misleading hints because they scarcely let you guess his landmark vocal and musical experiments. This may be easily his most conventional record, the lightest and least memorable.”

“The main part of this album is the typical hybrid of folk-rock married with slight blues influences here and there, which also means that there isn't so much variety or original song ideas presented. String arrangements add a nice touch to the sound and Buckley's voice is awesome, if a bit operatic at times. Here Tim Buckley is still very much attached to the whole Elektra folk rock brand, but this is justifiable, seeing that this is his first album. A nice debut, many songs bordering on good or great, but too generic.”

“The music is not nearly as adventurous as it would be on his second album, but the voice is unmistakable.”

“This is a collection of early recordings in no way representative of either his voice, his potential or the maturity of later recordings.”

“It's incredible that he was only 19 years old when he made this - the voice, the intelligence and emotion, the songwriting, are all what you would expect from a much older, more seasoned artist. His voice is the one thing that sets Tim apart from so many of his contemporaries. He had amazing control and an unbelievable range. He could soar upward and upward, seemingly without limits, without slipping into an obvious falsetto.”

"This kid sings like a very mature man. Judging by his voice you think he was in his mid-30s. He sings so wonderfully and was truly underrated. I wonder why he didn't become a big star. He was certainly born in the right era. This LP is a elegant gem.”

The Monkees – THE MONKEES****

Theme From The Monkees/Saturday’s Child/I Wanna Be Free/Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Another Day/Papa Gene’s Blues/Take A Giant Step/Last Train To Clarksville/This Just Doesn’t Seem To Be My Day/Let’s Dance On/I’ll Be True To You/Sweet Young Thing/Gonna Buy Me A Dog

The Monkees were the best boy band ever and the hottest teen idols during 1966-68 thanks to their zany TV series. Dismissed as manufactured by the music pundits, they nevertheless had access to some of the best songwriters of the period. Their debut album includes the US No. 1 hit single Last Train To Clarksville. (US:1 UK:1)

"The Monkees were ‘manufactured’ in order to capitalize on the void The Beatles were creating. I’m sure in 1966 if you were 16 years old and listening to Cream’s Fresh Cream, The Monkees seemed really lame. After all, these guys didn’t even play their own instruments; much less write their own songs. These were musically progressive times. What would your friends say? Fast forward to today and the legend seems near irrelevant. If anything, it makes The Monkees legacy that much more intriguing."

"What I find truly uncanny is not only that they were 'fabricated' but that they got away with a whopping amount of what you might call 'further and more sophisticated fabrication'. Many songs, outside of their hits, cleverly but blatantly imitated important artists of the day - not a complete song, not a specific riff, but more intelligently, the overall sound or atmospheric idea. Credit must be given to their various songwriters for copying so masterfully but also, and very eerily, for 'predicting' music that was right around the corner but hadn't arrived yet."

"Whoever wrote this album, and whoever played on it, The Monkees is a 60s pop classic. It’s jammed packed with fun, catchy tunes led by The Monkees unique sense of humour and personality. Surprising, unlike other ‘boy-bands’ of the day, The Monkees experimented with psychedelia."

"People can talk all they want about how these guys were manufactured, talentless, Beatles rip-offs. I'll just enjoy the catchy lyrics, nice vocals and fun groove."

"Overall, The Monkees' debut holds up as one of the better pop rock albums of its era, mainly due to the strength of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart as writers and producers, and to the individual talents of the four Monkees themselves."

Spinout – ELVIS PRESLEY***

Stop Look & Listen/Adam & Evil/All That I Am/Never Say Yes/Am I Ready/Beach Shack/Spinout/Smorgasbord/ I’ll Be Back/Tomorrow Is A Long Time/Down In The Alley/I’ll Remember You

Final Elvis soundtrack LP to make the top twenty album charts was Spinout which contains the UK No. 18 hit All That I Am. Released as California Holiday in Britain. However, there would be nine more Elvis movies until 1969 when this sub-genre finally faded away. (US:18 UK:17)

"In 1966, Presley's career was heading towards its nadir. But, a full blown artistic and commercial resurrection was only two years away and you can hear a hint of it's beginnings on the best tracks here."

"Despite what the critics say, there were groovy tunes even on Presley's most dismissible '60s fluff pieces, and this package has plenty of them. Along with some things I wish I'd never heard."

"On Spinout the title track is a mild rocker, along with Adam & Evil and Stop Look & Listen. The ballads Am I Ready and All That I Am are both very good, but after that you have trouble finding a decent song."

"What Spinout does have is more fun, spirit, vibe and yes, rock and roll, to be found on any Elvis soundtrack record since the 1950s. Elvis sounds like he's having fun, and the band does too."

"This is a great album, a wonderful listening experience from the Spinout soundtrack with fresh and memorable tunes. The title song itself stands as a solid rocker."

"The single from the album was Spinout with All That I Am on the b-side. Both of these songs are good, but it was one of Presley's least successful singles. Nine songs aren't enough for an LP, so the original album included the non-soundtrack 'bonus songs' Tomorrow Is A Long Time, Down In The Alley and I'll Remember You. These are great songs which are far superior to anything from the movie."