Various Artists “Revolution!”

by Beverly Paterson in Album Reviews

Various Artists “Revolution! Teen Time In Corpus Christi 1965-1970” (Cicadelic Records)

During the sixties, Corpus Christi, Texas was one heck of a hotbed of music, and here’s a collection presenting some of the acts responsible for making the scene so fertile and fantastic. Joining the cool sounds permeating “Revolution! Teen Time In Corpus Christi 1965-1970,” is a sixteen page booklet featuring interviews with band members, radio surveys, newspaper articles and rare photos. A host of previously unreleased material additionally completes the set.

Exploding with vim, vigor and vinegar, the Liberty Bell spits, snarls and pummels their way through pulsating garage punk nuggets like “I Can See” and “That’s How it Will Be,” while a smoking cover of “The Nazz Are Blue” is practically on par with the original version by the Yardbirds. Equipped with a nagging melody and a curtain of breezy choruses, “For What You Lack” stands as a paralyzing pop rocker, and then there’s “Reality Is The Only Answer,” which trembles and shakes with brain-bending momentum.

Generated by columns of snaky rhythms and haunting atmospherics, “Passage To India” from Zakary Thaks is a full-fledged psychedelic masterpiece. It’s a crying shame this amazing number sat and gathered dust in the vaults for forty-plus years, for had it been issued at the hour it was cut there was little doubt it would have volleyed the band to greater heights. Loaded with blistering fuzz riffs, snappy breaks galore and an insanely groovy beat spinning with manic energy, “Face To Face” checks in as another first rate offering by the legendary Zakary Thaks. Michael Taylor was a local songwriter who recorded a few tunes with the Zakary Thaks that never saw the light of day on vinyl. These efforts duly appear on “Revolution! Teen Time In Corpus Christi 1965-1970,” proving to be quite a different animal than the wicked garage rock stuff the Zakary Thaks was known for. Resembling a curious cross between Bob Dylan and Gary Lewis and the Playboys, “People Sec. 1V” nails abstract lyrics to a glowing pop fragrance, where “My Last Day” and “Gotta Make My Heart Turn Away” bristle with moody folk flavored frequencies.

Raspy vocals and roots rock reflexes anchor the ship on the title track of the album and a treatment of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “Bad Side Of The Moon” from Kubla Khan, and on the opposite end of the river there’s the Buckle’s take of the Left Banke’s “I’ve Got Something On My Mind,” which sparkles tirelessly to the tone of soft textures and picture pretty harmonies. The Bad Seeds inject a healthy shot of crusty blues into the slinky “Taste Of The Same” and “Sick And Tired,” and “Zilch Part 1” is a giddy instrumental. Bearing visible relations to the Searchers and the Byrds, “It’s So Hard” and “Don’t Give Up Hope” by Four More shine brightly with reams of ringing guitar dynamics.

The music of the sixties was certainly chameleonesque, and “Revolution! Teen Time In Corpus Christi 1965-1970” captures the tenor of the volatile era with absolute accuracy. An ear pleasing potpourri of shapes and styles, ranging anywhere from folk pop to fiery garage rock to psychedelic exploration charge the record, brought to you by bands possessing the attitude, chops and enthusiasm to create the kind of music that still sends listeners into orbit.