LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Label: BFD Records

Pebbles, Volume 2 is the second instalment in the legendary compilation series devoted to obscure American garage rock, psychedelic music and regional teenage bands of the 1960s. Originally assembled in 1979, the collection brings together seventeen raw recordings rescued from scarce singles, local-label releases and promotional material.

The opening “Makin’ Deals” by The Satans immediately establishes the album’s rebellious character with snarling vocals and a dark, primitive garage-rock arrangement. The Moving Sidewalks’ organ-driven “99th Floor” features a young Billy Gibbons before the formation of ZZ Top, while The Sons of Adam deliver a powerful version of Arthur Lee’s “Feathered Fish.”

One of the compilation’s most unusual inclusions is The Electric Prunes’ brief Vox wah-wah pedal advertisement. The Road’s “You Rub Me the Wrong Way” and The Lyrics’ harmonica-charged “So What!” continue the aggressive mood, followed by the haunting “Lost Innocence” by The Buddhas.

Zakary Thaks’ “Bad Girl” is a fast and sharply performed Texas garage classic, while Randy Alvey and Green Fuz close the first side with the hypnotic two-chord attack of “Green Fuz.” The second side begins with The Squires’ rare “Go Ahead,” followed by The Little Boy Blues’ intense interpretation of “I Can Only Give You Everything.”

The Dovers contribute two melodic but melancholy recordings, “She’s Gone” and “What Am I Going to Do,” separated by Phil and the Frantics’ urgent “I Must Run.” The Choir’s “It’s Cold Outside” adds harmony-rich garage pop before Bobby Fuller’s “Wine Wine Wine” and The Litter’s extended, Yardbirds-inspired treatment of “I’m a Man” bring the collection to a forceful conclusion.

Raw, eccentric and packed with fuzz guitar, organ, harmonica and adolescent attitude, Pebbles, Volume 2 remains one of the essential documents of America’s original 1960s garage-punk underground.

Track listing:

Side A
A1. The Satans – Makin’ Deals – 2:08
A2. The Moving Sidewalks – 99th Floor – 2:13
A3. The Sons of Adam – Feathered Fish – 2:28
A4. The Electric Prunes – Vox Wah-Wah Pedal Commercial – 1:03
A5. The Road – You Rub Me the Wrong Way – 2:22
A6. The Lyrics – So What! – 2:42
A7. The Buddhas – Lost Innocence – 2:10
A8. Zakary Thaks – Bad Girl – 2:04
A9. Randy Alvey & Green Fuz – Green Fuz – 2:06

Side B
B1. The Squires – Go Ahead – 2:15
B2. The Little Boy Blues – I Can Only Give You Everything – 2:27
B3. The Dovers – She’s Gone – 2:18
B4. Phil & The Frantics – I Must Run – 2:40
B5. The Dovers – What Am I Going to Do – 2:28
B6. The Choir – It’s Cold Outside – 2:46
B7. Bobby Fuller – Wine Wine Wine – 2:43
B8. The Litter – I’m a Man – 3:48