Thirty-track compilation of early San Francisco rock from the Autumn label, some previously unissued. This disc gets docked a star because it's not the best or most economic way to collect this mid-'60s material, though much of it's of historic interest. The 13
Great Society cuts are all available on Sundazed's domestic
Born to Be Burned CD; Sundazed has also devoted separate collections to
the Mojo Men and
the Vejtables, both of whom have songs here. The disc is filled out by unexceptional pop/garage rock by
the Tikis and
Butch Engle (most previously unissued). The tracks to watch out for, if you're a serious collector of San Francisco rock, are an acoustic, previously unreleased version of "Let's Get Together" by its composer,
Dino Valenti, and a previously unissued cut by
Mojo Men/
Vejtables singer
Jan Ashton, "About My Tears." If you're not a completist, you're better off searching for the separate-artist Sundazed comps. In any case, none of this is particularly great by either San Francisco rock or garage rock standards.
The Great Society were an excellent and important group (the original version of "Somebody to Love" is here), but the live tapes from a later vintage that were issued on Columbia are far better than the relatively primitive cuts offered here.