Fuzz, Flaykes, & Shakes Vol 1: 60 Miles High - Various Artists

Fuzz, Flaykes, & Shakes Vol 1: 60 Miles High
Various Artists
Bacchus Archives  BA1140
1999

I like 60s garage band comps.  I'm not obsessive about them but I pick them up when I see an interesting one or a bargain.  This series however I actually went after aggressively because of its reputation for quality.  After the Rhino "Nuggets" series it is my favorite series of comps.  It is amazing to me that despite there being so many of these types of comps out there, that people are still digging up so many quality tracks from obscure bands.  I guess it is a testament to the richness of the era that even unknown bands on obscure labels could still produce so much good music.  I had only heard of three of these bands, prior to buying this record - the Magic Mushrooms, the Palace Guard and the Stained Glass.  The Mushrooms' track, the folk-rockish "Let The Rain Be Me," does not sound anything like their cut on "Nuggets", the crazed "It's-A-Happening", I would have thought it was a different group entirely.  My favorite cut is the Band of Wynand's "Day-time, Nite-time" which takes a jangle pop base and adds psychedelic guitar and organ with impressive results.  The Gregorians' (what a great name) "Dialated Eyes" [sic] has the most extraordinary lyrics you are ever likely to hear from a garage band backed with a very compelling and sophisticated melody.  I really like the Search's "Climate" with its interesting tempo changes and its hypnotic organ work.  Soul Inc.'s "60 Miles High" is the most overtly psychedelic song on the record with lots of effects and trippy lyrics, a really nice cut.  The prize for trippy lyrics probably goes to the Society's "High & Mighty" which is full of psychedelic cliches and a nice driving beat.  This is really a worthwhile album, 18 uniformly good songs and excellent liner notes, these guys really know their stuff.  Also the sound quality is excellent, which anyone who listens to a lot of these garage band anthologies knows is pretty unusual.  Recommended for garageheads who are tired of the bad sound and mediocrities in the "Pebbles" comps.