This 21-song collection should be a killer disc, highlighted not only by six classic sides from the original Unrelated Segments,
which existed through 1967, but six songs from their Detroit
compatriots, the Tidal Waves. Unfortunately, it also includes further
tracks by the reconfigured group circa 1969, and five additional songs
by Ron Stults
from his early post-1969 solo career, and the latter, alas, along with
the later Segments songs, detract from the overall value.
The core of
this CD is lean, mean garage punk with a mournful, late-teens angst and a
huge amount of talent involved: hooks that guitarist Rory Mack pulls
out of thin air and spins into a bluesy folk-rock proto-psychedelic web;
Ron Stults' powerful singing; and Barry Von Engelen's melodic bass work, reminiscent of Chris Hillman in his days with the Byrds. This is prime garage punk, which could easily have rivaled the 13th Floor Elevators or the Beau Brummels' best work.
The 15 Unrelated Segments
tracks are augmented by the inclusion of six songs by the Tidal Waves,
another Detroit-based band, even younger (three junior high schoolers in
the lineup) than the Segments, who also recorded for S.V.R. Records.
Their stuff is rawer and more sneering, less melodic but not a trace
less impressive -- these boys incorporated the strongest elements of Paul Revere & the Raiders'
early work ("Kicks" etc.) with the kind of hard-playing edge
(especially on the guitars) that the British bands were bringing to
music in 1964 -- a true, raucous, screaming punk sound with a crude,
unpretentious energy, sort of the Kingsmen
meet the British invasion.
Their version of "Farmer John" hit number
one on the charts in Detroit, and would have put them on the map
nationally if S.V.R. Records had only had better distribution; it's a
highlight here, but most of the rest lives up to its promise. The sound
is excellent, and the notes, although crudely assembled, give a good
picture of the two bands' histories. The later tracks by the Segment and
Ron Stults,
however, are simply loud psychedelia with a raucous metal edge and no
style.
They're a chore to listen to for anyone who likes the classic
garage punk represented elsewhere on the CD, and that part of the disc
is only rescued by some rehearsal tapes of the early band which finish
off the album.(allmusic.com)
Despite the weaker part of the disc as mentioned in the review this is nevertheless a really good
collection of fine garage sound of the sixties.
Have fun
SB1
Flac p1 &
Flac p2 mp3@320
