These guys may not exactly be the 8th Wonder Of The World – but they're a pretty darn great 60s group nonetheless, and one who are finally getting their due with this well-done full length collection! The quartet emerged on the New York scene at a time when new musical modes were really opening up – echoes of The Beatles coming into play with some of the rawer garage elements cooked up on the west coast – touched maybe with a bit of nascent psych, all at a level that never saw full fruition at the time, given that the Vietnam war got in the way of the group's ability to work together! The set only features two records that were issued at the time – one on the Uptite label, the other on Coed – alongside some even more wonderful unissued material that really shows the group moving into very trippy territory of their own. Titles include "Summer Dreamin", "Must Have Your Love", "Give Me A Try", "Say Whaddaya Say", "Who Cares", "Must Have Your Love", "You You Yeah", "Susie Got The Word", and "Every Time I See You Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

The Little Bits are little kids, but don't hold that against them – as there's an intensity to this record that feels much more like some Texas psych of the time, and which hardly fits the sweeter image of the group on the cover! The quartet only issued one single back in the 60s – but now, they finally get their full due in this amazing batch of lost material – heavy on fuzzy bass, sinister keyboards, and some surprisingly gritty vocals – way different than anything we might have expected from the cover! Trust us, this set is great – as gritty and garagey as any of the older, long-haired cats from the time – with titles that include "Girl Give Me Love", "Corner Store", "Turn Around", "Evil On My Mind", "Houston To LA", "Do Wrong Lucy", "Spoofin", and "Clearwater Georgia". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool group from mid 60s Florida – one who are every bit as garagey as the best groups in the Pacific Northwest, but also seem to have a great Southern California way of harmonizing their vocals! Most of the work here was never issued at the time – but the tracks work fantastically together as a full album – showing not just the group's great ear for their own sort of catchy, colorful tunes – but also a real love of The Beatles, who they cover here on a number of tracks – clearly a strong inspiration for their sound, although The Vandals really make things sound very different than the fab four! Titles include "We're The Vandals", "I Saw Her In A Mustang", "Alright", "The Night Before", "Charlie Brown", "Another Girl", "The Joker", "Lies", "Stop Get A Ticket", "I Need You", "Mystery", and "Do You Love Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work from a Long Island group who are really known for just one famous single, but who also managed to cut a few other tracks at the time – all brought together here to make a long-overdue album for the group! "Valley Of Death" is the group's sole single – a great garage reworking of the poem "The Charge Of The Light Brigade", taken into really sinister territory – issued under the name of The Whatever, although the group also existed as The Raincoats and The Lookouts, both of who are featured here – alongside two very cool car dealership songs the group cut for Wolfinger Dodge! Titles include "The Valley Of Death", "More Than Fair", "Conscience", "Stranger", "No More Do I Dream", "You're Mine", "Away From You", and "Talking Out Of Turn" – plus two cool "Wolfinger Dodge" jingles, with surprisingly profane announcements! LP, Vinyl record album

A really great little collection, and one that definitely delivers the grit promised in the title – served up here on an assortment of super-rare garage rock tracks from the glory days of the mid 60s – that moment when it seemed as if every spare space in America was filled with a local band rehearsing their guitar-driven dreams with a new sort of intensity! If you dig work by The Seeds, Standells, and other big names of the generation, you'll find plenty to love here – but served up by a host of great acts that we never would have discovered otherwise – brought to light by the efforts of the folks at Beat Rocket. The set even includes a young Jerry Mathers (of Leave It To Beaver fame) making a rare rock track – on "Happiness Is Havin" by Beaver & The Trappers – served up next to cuts that include "Makin Love" by The Sloths, "Crystalize Your Mind" by Living Children, "You're Bringing Me Down" by Trans Atlantic Train, "I'll Cry" by the Soul Owners, "Don't Be Surprised" by The Satyrs, and "I'll Get My Way" by The Chimney Sweeps. LP, Vinyl record album

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The Preachers may be wearing priest-style collars on the cover, but the group have a sinister sound that's quite far from anything you'll hear in church – a sinister South Cali blend of guitar, organ, and just a bit of fuzz – very much like some of the best styles coming out of the Sunset Strip scene at the time! In truth, these guys hail from a bit farther north, up in the San Fernando Valley – but they've got a rock-solid quality here to match some of the best indie legends of the LA scene of the time – territory that the group almost hit with a handful of releases on the Moonglow and Pep Records labels. Those rare singles are combined here with five unissued tracks – all to make a much-needed full length look at a group who fell apart just as they were coming together – on titles that include "The Zeke", "Stay Out Of My World", "Just Don't Complain", "Chicken Papa", "Pain & Sorrow", "Hey Joe", "Who Do You Love", "Moanin", and "Quit Talkin Bout Him". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool little record from a very obscure girl group of the 60s – a trio who recorded this sweet little set in a Nashville studio, then unfortunately had it packaged in one of those cheap "stock" covers that labels would sometimes use – which may be the reason why it barely saw the light of day at the time! The approach is a mix of vocal and rock modes – no guitar at all, and instead plenty of Cordovox organ, which is used with a variety of instrumental effects – making for a cool sound that's nice and lean, but which provides a great accompaniment to the drums and the vocals of the girls! There's also some trumpet on the record too – and like the organ, the instrument gets some space to stretch out in some of the more instrumental titles. The set includes some very cool remakes of classics – including "Walkin The Dog", "Oye Como Va", "Son Of A Preacher Man", "Keep The Customer Satisfied", and "Mack The Knife" – plus the original tune "Bubble Gum World". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool collection of work from the surprisingly deep musical well of Garland Records – a Pacific Northwest imprint that's maybe best known for some garagey gems, but who here display a great ability to cut country-tinged records too! The vibe here is a bit Bakersfield, but filtered through some of the country rock modes that were bubbling up on the LA scene too – far from Nashville, with leaner arrangements and strong use of guitar in the lead – served up by a host of obscure Oregon acts who also echo that shifting wave north of country music audiences as Cali was changing in the 60s! The package is as well done as other entries in this series – and titles include "Hard Workin Woman" and "Tippy Toeing" by Cascade Sweethearts, "Since Daddy's Not Around" by Jim Thompson & The Colts, "China Doll" by Geronia Coyle & The G Tones, "Friends Of Mine" by The Heard, "You Aint' Goin Nowhere" by Tyme, "Laura" by Chuck Wray, and "There's A Time & A Place For Everything" by Hubert Averette & The G Tones. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible collection of work from one of the coolest musicians on the Jamaican scene in the 60s – the legendary Don Drummond – an artist who was schooled in jazz trombone, then went on to use the instrument as a surprisingly powerful force in ska, rocksteady, and reggae! This collection focuses on Don's performances for Studio One – and includes a number of tracks that were only ever issued as 45s, and which make their first-ever appearance here on album – along with a few classics, and some other unreleased takes too! Don's musicianship is superb – and he uses the trombone in a way that has the powerful punch of a trumpet, but is also tied quite strongly to the basslines in the rhythms too – an approach that was the epitome of cool back in the day. Titles include "Reload", "The Shock", "Surplus", "Coolie Boy", "Roll On Sweet Don", "The Rocket", "Rain Or Shine", "Scrap Iron", "Grooving With The Beat", "Serenade In Sound", "Green Island", "Far East", "Last Call", and "Jet Stream". LP, Vinyl record album