Jack and
Bill Wenzel were brothers who owned a music shop in Downey, CA, and between selling gear to up-and-coming bands and records to teenagers digging the latest sounds, they were in a position to know what the kids wanted to hear, and in 1962 they founded the Downey Records label to put promising acts on wax.
It Came from the Garage! Nuggets from Southern California is Big Beat's third collection of goodies from the Downey archives, featuring 24 tunes from West Coast rock bands, and while the title might lead some to expect a nonstop blast of paisley and fuzz, this set is more diverse than that. The horn-fueled blast of the Barracudas suggests the influence of R&B-leaning instrumental rockers,
Pat & the Californians were a surf act that took a left turn into the same place where
the Surfaris ended up on "Be Billy,"
Johnny MacRae's "Penicillin" could have come from pen of
Nervous Norvus' VD-infected brother, and "The Frog" from
Sir Frog & the Toads is one of the more memorable dance crazes to fail to grab the fancy of America's youth. But if you're looking for guitar-fueled pre-psych eccentricity, there's plenty of that here from the likes of
the Sunday Group ("Edge of Nowhere"),
The Last Word ("Sleepy Hollow"),
Craig & Michael ("Drifty")
ESP Limited ("Tell Me"), and
the New Breed ("The Words Ring Back"), while "These Ironic Days" finds the Barracudas making a game stab at folk-rock and
Bud & Kathy's "Hang It Out to Dry" is a rare example of sexually integrated high-voltage garage punk.
It Came from the Garage! boasts some solid lesser-known sides from genuine teenage rockers, and if a few garage purists may quibble at the results, it's 57 minutes of solid listening for fans of second-era rock.
![Title: Fickle Heart [Bonus Tracks]](https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0029667425322_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg)
