The Sonics "Boom" (1966/1999 Expanded re-issue)

While it might not be the mainline shot of rock & roll that was their debut, the Sonic's second studio full-length, released in 1966, is a stellar album in its own right. BOOM, which alludes to both the band's regional origins and the inspiration for their name (the Pacific Northwest being a fabled testing ground for Boeing jets), contains raw garage-rock originals such as "Cinderella" and "The Hustler"; punked up versions of "Jenny Jenny Jenny" and "Don't You Just Know It"; and a howling, scorched-earth take on the definitive anthem for rock-&-roll delinquency "Louie Louie." The Sonics embodied everything rock & roll was and is still about: taking the most primal and carefree aspects of being alive and providing them with a musical avatar. Three chords never sounded so truthful.
The Sonics' second album is every bit as explosive and influential as their debut outing, loaded with gritty Northwest rock & roll. Sandwiched in between the abrasive classics of "Cinderella" and "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" (with the Wailers on backing vocals), the funk sass of "The Hustler" and "Shot Down," the demonic "He's Waitin'," and the sledgehammer, inside-out version of "Louie, Louie" (only three chords to play and they don't even play 'em) are the band's straight-ahead takes on old R&B chestnuts like "Skinny Minnie," "Let the Good Times Roll," "Don't You Just Know It," "Since I Fell for You," "Hitch Hike," and a nice barn-burning version of "Jenny Jenny." Where the Wailers cut down the trees and paved the highway, the Sonics were the first group from their neck of the woods to take that music somewhere wilder than their original inspirations. The second chapter of Northwest rock & roll after you absorb the Wailers' Golden Crest sides. --Cub Koda, AllMusic (4,5/5 stars)
trax:
01. Cinderella 02. Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark 03. Skinny Minnie 04. Let The Good Times Roll 05. Don't You Just Know It 06. Jenny Jenny 07. He's Waitin' 08. Louie Louie 09. Since I Fell For You 10. Hitch Hike 11. It's All Right 12. Shot Down 13. The Hustler 14. The Witch [Alternate take] 15. Psycho [Live] 16. The Witch
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