The Sonics
' second album is every bit as explosive and influential as their debut outing, loaded with gritty Northwest
rock & roll
. Sandwiched in between the abrasive classics of
"Cinderella"
and
"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"
(with
the Wailers
on backing vocals), the
funk
sass of
"The Hustler"
"Shot Down,"
the demonic
"He's Waitin',"
and the sledgehammer, inside-out version of
"Louie, Louie"
(only three chords to play and they don't even play 'em) are the band's straight-ahead takes on old
R&B
chestnuts like
"Skinny Minnie,"
"Let the Good Times Roll,"
"Don't You Just Know It,"
"Since I Fell for You,"
"Hitch Hike,"
and a nice barn-burning version of
"Jenny Jenny."
Where
cut down the trees and paved the highway,
the Sonics
were the first group from their neck of the woods to take that music somewhere wilder than their original inspirations. The second chapter of Northwest
after you absorb
'
Golden Crest
sides. [
Ace
issued a 12-track "Pocket Version" in 2007.] ~ Cub Koda