The Hustlers

Undoubtedly were a talented quartet, and occasionally on this eponymous retrospective from that skill comes through reasonably clearly. Unfortunately, the fidelity of the first two-thirds of the recordings on the CD is so poor that the patience of even the most hardy '60s aficionados is likely to be tested. The problem materialized with the source tapes rather than with the consistently excellent specialty reissue label's attempts at mastering them for public consumption (though is guilty of trying to stretch the available material too thinly). In a sense, it is a case of art imitating life -- an irrevocably marred legacy for a band whose recording efforts were consistently hindered by management in its day. Of the early rough cuts, passing marks go only to pre-band a sort of sub- slice of extraterrestrial , on which the muddy sound actually suits the song's otherworldly aim. The rest -- gutsy approximations of beat music and (including an interesting acoustic take on ) with hints of emergent -- certainly shows ample promise, but it feels as if you're forced to listen to the music as it bleeds through the walls of a neighboring room. Luckily, things pick up considerably with the loping fuzz- (there are two earlier alternate versions presented as well), a sizable regional hit, and the latter strong enough to find its way onto the second Florida volume of 's compilation series. They comprised both sides of the combo's sole 1966 single. These songs show to have been a tough, outstanding outfit, wearing its -era influences on its sleeve, but -- as the stunning, a lost classic, proves -- wearing it exceptionally well. If you're willing to wade through the hiss, terribly uneven levels, and ham-fisted edits of the early demos, those three songs alone should be worth the cost of the CD for most heads. ~ Stanton Swihart