1. The 13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sounds of The 13th Floor Elevators
Anybody who knows me IRL knows how obsessed with this band I am, and especially was in my 20's. Like a lot of people it started with the Nuggets compilation, and after listening to "You're Gonna Miss Me" a thousand times I finally tracked down their first LP and for me it was a revelation. It was like seeing the missing link of everything I liked about music, it bridged gaps between things I'd previously considered separate. Stacy's raw garage leads set a solid foundation but then all the weirdness poured over it is so unique that it transcends the genre. Roky's bizarre lyrics and manic vocal delivery, and Tommy's hypnotic jug playing are so memorable. I'd say this is one of the few LPs from this year that actually has the 'album experience.'
2. The Remains - The Remains
One of those records that sounds ahead of its time to me. Could be because they were the first garage band I heard that didn't just sound like a bunch of reheated covers. They seemed to have a fully developed personality that I could immediately identify. Like a mixture of Them's soulful grit, The Zombies' songwriting and The Rolling Stones' garagy charisma, except they were from Boston. Still remember the day I got the LP home and discovered they had a lot of songs just as great as "Don't Look Back."
3. The Seeds - The Seeds
Another from when all I did was listen to my Nuggets boxset. Sky Saxon probably has the most recognisable voice of the garage rock scene, which is odd when you consider that most of those groups were trying to imitate Jagger, Davies, Lennon, Marriott etc. He stands out to an almost jarring degree. So great at doing tortured-sounding rock tunes about fucked up relationships.
4. Love - Love
Always preferred this one over
Da Capo their more celebrated sophomore. One of those rare bands that can even make cover tunes sound like their own material. What they did with Burt Bacharach's "My Little Red Book" is just insane to me. This album is front-loaded like a motherfucker, the first 6 tracks smoke the rest of the (still great) album.
5. Small Faces - Small Faces
Might be a hot take but I've always found this to be the greatest mod album. It lacks a lot of the polish that plagued the sound in the mid-60's LPs, and instead has a lot of grit and gravel, particularly because Marriott's vocals are fucking amazing. Up there with early Rod Stewart for that style, except he got there just a bit earlier than Rod. Makes sense why the latter eventually sang in The Faces. Besides all the cool laddiness on display, some of the solos and leads are ridiculously raw and almost out of place but in a good way.
6. The Sonics - Boom
As much as I love
Here Are The Sonics!!! over the years I came to prefer
Boom just a bit more. They somehow got rawer yet wrote catchier songs all in the span of a year. One might say they're the quintessential garage rock band. This second album is probably still a bit underrated.
7. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
This album, of his electric rock trilogy, has always been more of a grower for me. I'm a
Highway 61 Revisited guy! Also this is a double album beast which is always a bit of a cockblock with me. Anyways over the years it grew on me and now it feels like one of Dylan's more cohesive records. You can really tell that they finished the album in Nashville, it has that sizzling twang all over it. Also that out of focus cover photo is iconic af.
8. The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out!
Good memories come with this album. I was introduced to the CD by an old Bunnings Hardware workmate after we bonded over Devo. The first Zappa song I
ever heard was "Help, I'm a Rock" lmao. Same guy also introduced me to The Orb, Shpongle and Can. Though I came to prefer Beefheart, I had good times with this album on repeat while doing night fill in a huge warehouse. I agree with Wainds though that "Trouble Every Day" is the best on it.
9. The Butterfield Blues Band - East-West
No idea why this album hits me so hard, when by rights it's not a particularly unique take on blues rock. Paul Butterfield's voice is just so fucking smooth and Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop's guitar work is incredible. Especially Bishop's solos man. But what should be in complete contradiction to the blues on display, the drumming is much jazzier than you'd expect. Then there's the 2 lengthy instrumental jams that are so gutsy to even put on a blues LP that you can't help but love it. Just a perfect mixture of things here.
10. Monks - Black Monk Time
An old favourite! At one point I owned it on every format available. Shitloads of nostalgia here. But I have to admit it kinda collapses in on itself after "Complication" which is why it's not a lot higher. Before I started rating individual tracks on RYM I would've definitely had it higher. This is the only sub-8/10 I have listed. Everything about this band and their story is just wild though. Totally unique take on garage rock.
I hate you baby, but call me.
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Honourable mention to
The Seeds' A Web of Sound which is almost as solid as their debut and contains probably my favourite song by them, the 14 minute scorcher "Up in Her Room," but a couple tunes hold it back a bit for me.
