Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 07/01/2008
Little Steven Van Zandt leads a charmed life -- plenty of record collector geeks who like
garage rock make mix CDs to tip off their friends about their recent finds and enthusiasms, but
Van Zandt has figured out a way to actually make money off such things, and he doesn't seem to be running out of enthusiasm as he released the sixth volume so far in his
Coolest Songs in the World series.
Van Zandt isn't afraid to get a bit idiosyncratic on these collections, which (of course) is a big part of their charm --
Vol. 6 leads off with
Andrew Loog Oldham's theme tune for the British music show
Ready Steady Go, around the midway point we're treated to a prime bit of vintage almost-psychedelic
girl group vocalizing from
the Cake, and the disc closes with something new from
the Pretty Things (which sounds remarkably like something old from
the Pretty Things). While the presence of
the Stooges and
the Go-Go's on this set is more than welcome,
Van Zandt could have chosen better tunes than
"Free and Freaky" and
"La La Land," pulled from their respective comeback albums. The rest of the set thankfully ranges from good to excellent, with powerhouse tracks from
the Paybacks (
"Stranger in the House,")
the Nomads (
"Ain't No King of Rock 'N' Roll"),
the Wolfmen (
"Needle in the Camel's Eye") and
the Stabilisers (
"Belinda") rounding out the latter category.
Van Zandt has a good ear for a great single (or would-be single), and while
garage rock fans will dig just about everything here, he isn't afraid to mix up the formula and add some extra flavors to keep things interesting, which is why the
Coolest Songs in the World series remains a great value for folks who dig their rock aged just a touch and with an extra serving of fuzz.
~Mark Deming, All Music Guide
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