Stellar hard-rocking 1965 mod
hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 08/17/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you ever wished that The Who had minted a few more seminal hard-rocking mod sides in 1965 then you're in luck. This little known (but desperately collected) UK mod band did it for them! The Eyes first four singles feature the same sort of hard-struck rhythm guitar, melodic riffing and full-kit drumming as did the Who's work of the same era. The pill-popping attitude and Stones-styled R&B are perhaps even truer to the mod ethic than the more musically ambitious works of Townshend et al.
Acme's compilation pulls together the band's seminal singles plus an album of Stones covers and alternate takes of key sides. The disc opens with the blistering kiss-off "When the Night Falls," full of hammering chords, brooding drums, harmonica and a spastic Ray Davies-styled guitar solo. The flip, "I'm Rowed Out" cops the Who's intro from "Can't Explain" before the singer spits out his fed-up lyrics garage-style, and the bluesy "My Degeneration" features great bass and drum playing in a Sunset Strip style.
A cover of The Everly Brothers' "Man With Money" adds some Merseybeat harmonies, and a buzzing cover of "Good Day Sunshine" suggests The Eyes weren't nearly as jocular as The Beatles, though they did have a kazoo. Their cover of "Shakin' All Over" is more lecherous than Johnny Kidd's, though not as bombastic as The Who's. Their Rolling Stones fixation begins with a Radio London commercial cut to the tune of "Route 66" and continues through eleven tracks written or associated with the Stones and recorded for The Eyes one and only LP.
The Stones covers are more of a curiosity than an improvement on the original versions or an expansion on the Eyes core talents. It's the singles, including the thick, stinging "You're Too Much" and beat pop "Please Don't Cry," that make this compilation a must-have any British Invasion and mod fan. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]"
Awesome Collection of Prime 60's British Rock
Dano | New Jersey USA | 11/06/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"All I know is i got mine.You get to hear the classic "When the Night Comes" in three different versions from any released previously. The "Demo 2" version is the awesomest with it's extended guitar freakout which is as classic in simplicity as Dave Davies's on "You really got me". WOW!The rest of the originals are also excellent British rock and their versions of classics Shakin all Over, Man with Money and even their interpretations of "The Rolling Stones" (as The Pupils)are definitive. Get this at any cost but i recommend you shop around."
Track Listings (27) - Disc #1
