Cleverly packaged as a soundtrack to a fictitious late-'60s rock exploitation flick, Cindy gives the Nightmares the opportunity to showcase their love of the trashy punk of the era. Armed with appropriate pseudonyms -- Dave Vanian becomes Mr. Nomad, Roman Jugg turns into Sphinx Svenson, and Rat Scabies is Nick Detroit -- the combo merrily run through a well-chosen set of psychedelic nuggets, some well-known and others utterly obscure. Leading off with the Isley Brothers' "Nobody but Me" (as reimagined by the Human Beinz), the Nightmares sound like they were indeed recorded at the time and place. Vanian gets to apply his dark croon and joyful shouting in spades, while the rest of the band fire on all cylinders. Standout covers include the Seeds' underrated love song "The Wind Blows Your Hair," given a great Vanian vocal, and fun run-throughs of Paul Revere & the Raiders' "Kicks" and the Electric Prunes' "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)." Kim Fowley's notorious pseudo psych "The Trip" gets a brief revisit as well, while whoever wrote "She Lied" and "I Can't Stand This Love, Goodbye" are equally well served. Not wanting to stay completely out of the fun, the Nightmares wrap things up with two originals: the period piece "Do You Know (I Know)" and "Just Call Me Sky," a hilarious fake live track in which Nomad introduces each of his bandmates to wild applause and cheering as they each do a quick solo turn. Sure, the originals are what need to be heard, but Cindy is a great romp that stands on its own.
© Ned Raggett /TiVo