Board Boogie: Surf'n Twang from Down Under

Australia had a very active music scene in the early to mid-'60s, though with the marginal exception of , none of that music has gotten even small international attention. This 30-song compilation of 1962-1965 cuts (with one track sneaking in from 1967) is wholly drawn from the vaults of Australia's biggest independent label of the time, . Perhaps because of that limitation, this might not be the ideal overview of the genre; , for instance, are not represented. But on the whole it's a good job as the first internationally available compilation reissue, though like many -only comps, those not enamored of the genre itself might find it too much of a good thing for more than an hour at a time. The differences between Australian and the California/American variety aren't easy to finger. But generally speaking, Australian groups were far more influenced by the twangy, -tinged reverb spook of , with a somewhat lighter and more precise approach, though it wasn't always lighter and never lacked energy. Thankfully, the compilation emphasizes original material rather than covers of foreign tunes. The results range from good to generic, with occasional harder mid-'60s influences from abroad making their way into the picture, as on ' (which has a definite flavor to some of the riffs) and It makes a nice change of pace for the collector looking for something a little different, though it isn't among the very best vintage reissues. The token future big name that can often be found in the small print on such anthologies is future guitarist , who played with both and . ~ Richie Unterberger