V.A. - Highs In The Mid-Sixties Vol. 14-16

This time we have the pleasure to explore the Northwest on two compilations as well as the Wisconsin state for the second time.

Highs In The Mid-Sixties Vol. 14
[The Northwest] (AIP 10020 / 1986)
1. Lord Dent & His Invaders - Wolf Call; 2. Night People - Istanbul; 3. Volk Brothers - Wash Don't Soak; 4. Raymarks - Louise; 5. J. Michael & The Bushmen - I Need Love; 6. Statics - Tell Me The Truth; 7. Talismen - She Was Good; 8. Sir Raleigh & The Coupons - Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day; 9. Jack Bedient & The Chessmen - Rapunzel; 10. Tom Thumb & The Casuals - I Should Know; 11. Scotsmen - Tuff Enough; 12. Scotsmen - Sorry, Charlie; 13. Rooks - Bound To Lose; 14. Rooks - Gimme A Break.

Sad to say that Vol. 14 is the weakest of this series so far. The second part of the Northwest starts with a really early effort by Lord Dent & His Invaders from 1959, following with "Istanbul" by the Night People from 1961. Both tracks could be of more interest to Rocka-/Psychobilly lovers than to the usual garage head. There are lots of mediocre tracks here, especially on side one, that closes ironically with the superb "She Was Good" by The Talismen. Side two offers at least two songs that are must-haves. Tom Thumb & The Casuals' "I Should Have Know" with great vocals and cool organ and "Bound To Lose" by The Rooks, a great Mersey-influenced rocker. Also notable is the Jack Bedient & The Chessmen track, The Scotsmen's "Sorry, Charlie" and The Rooks' flip-side "Gimme A Break". Too little to call this a satisfying garage compilation.

Get Vol. 14 here (Artwork included / vinyl rip)
http://sharebee.com/a606a057

Highs In The Mid-Sixties Vol. 15
[Wisconsin, Part 2] (AIP 10025 / 1985)
1. Baroques - There's Nothing Left To Do But Cry; 2. Shaprels - A Fool For Your Lies; 3. Gord's Horde - I Don't Care; 4. Cannons - Days Go By; 5. Family - I Wanna Do It; 6. Wanderer's Rest - You'll Forget; 7. Challengers - The Challengers Take A Ride On The Jefferson Airplane; 8. Mustard Men - I Lost My Baby; 9. Spacemen - Same Old Grind; 10. Impalas - Spoonful; 11. Mid-Knighters - Charlena; 12. Joey Gee & The Come-Ons - You Know 'Til The End Of Time; 13. Fugitives - Come On And Clap; 14. Medallions - Leave Me Alone; 15. Rehabilitation Cruise - Mini Skirts.

Volume 15?!!? Ain't this stuff ever gonna end? It's getting hard to keep up, and I get `em for free! Anyway, I guess this one's pretty good, some decent pop stuff like the Baroques, who tell us there's "Nothing Left To Do But Cry." Good stuff. Another good one is the Shaprels' "A Fool For Your Love," with noticeable British influence. Other standout tracks include "I Lost My Baby" by the Mustardmen, "I Don't Care" by Gord's Horde, the Impalas' treatment of "Spoonful," and the grease laden "Charlena" by the Mid-Knighters. Skip over the Challengers' "Take A Ride On the Jefferson Airplane." Like the ad goes - isn't the name enough? The absolute god track on the album, the one that makes it all worth it, has to be "Mini-Skirts" by the Rehabilitation Cruise. Everyone knows the A-side, "I Don't Care What They Say," from Vol. 10, well, this is the B-side and just as great! Some have said it's a put down of mini-skirts, but I think it's more a put down of neurotic girls who follow trends, done in the classic Jagger/Richard tradition. These guys had it together. Respect them and buy this record. Or steal it.
(review by John Hanrattie, "Ugly Things" magazine)

Get Vol. 15 here (Artwork included / vinyl rip)
http://sharebee.com/eaaf2b78

V.A. - Highs In The Mid-Sixties Vol. 16
[The Northwest Part 3] (AIP 10024 / 1987)
1. Raymarks - Work Song; 2. Commercial (Liverpool Five - Dynamics - Viceroys); 3. Thee Unusuals - I'm Walkin' Babe; 4. Rocky & His Friends - Riot City; 5. Dominions - I Need Her; 6. Bumps - Hey Girl; 7. Live Five - Move Over And Let Me Fly; 8. Express - You Gotta Understand; 9. Navarros - Tomorrow Is Another Day; 10. Gentlemen Wild - You Gotta Leave; 11. Wheel Of Fortune - Before You Leave; 12. Pembrook LTD - Sleepy John; 13. City Zu - Too Much, Too Soon, Too Fast; 14. United Travel Service - Wind And Stone; 15. International Brick - You Should Be So High.

Did I say Volume 14 was the weakest of this set? Well, they must have kept all the good Northwest stuff for Volume 16. There's hardly a bad song on this superb compilation and it would be unfair to pick out a special track of this great platter.

Get Vol. 16 here (Artwork included / vinyl rip)
http://sharebee.com/5c9485ec