Diggin' For Gold, Vol. 1 CD

The first volume in a series that collects rare 45s from mostly forgotten 1960s garage and punk bands from Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, Diggin' for Gold is a collector's delight. Most of these bands never had more than a regional hit, if that, and while there is a lot of energy, intent, and purpose on display here, it's pretty easy to see why few of these sides ever penetrated too far into the international pop world. Full of chaotic, messy arrangements and production, these were records of the moment, and collected like this, they carry a kind of retrospective weight of importance that would probably startle anyone in the original bands. Nothing here rewrites the history of rock, but tracks like "Diggin for Gold" from the U.K.'s David John & the Mood, "Daddy Rolling Stone" from Sweden's Horanges, "Summer Sun" from the Beathovens, also from Sweden, and a clever rewrite of the Mamas & the Papas' "California Dreamin'" called "One Third" from the U.K.'s the Majority are all interesting listens. ~ Steve Leggett