Tube City!: The Best of The Trashmen adds their Garrett singles to their lone 1964 album Surfin' Bird. That classic single is here in all of its raw, unfettered glory, and while it does tend to overshadow the rest of the Trashmen's output, the collection shows that their other work was also strong. Their covers of "Miserlou," "It's So Easy," and "Money (That's What I Want)" reflect the band's roots, and aren't overly respectful of the original versions, while "My Woodie" and "Kuk" are respectable surf-pop songs. The Trashmen's instrumentals also fare well, particularly "Tube City" itself , the flamenco-surf of "Malaguena," and "Bird Dance," a silly, tiki-bird infested bid to follow up the success of "Surfin' Bird." "Bird Dance Beat" follows suit, but songs like "Bad News," "Whoa! Dad," and "Real Live Doll" have as much energy, but a little more originality. While it's not as complete as the four-disc box Bird Call!: The Twin City Stomp of the Trashmen, Tube City!: The Best of The Trashmen is still the definitive look at the first part of their career.
© Heather Phares /TiVo