The Fuzztones were formed in New York in 1980 and was one of the very first neo-garage bands. Now when the band was celebrating its 25th birthday, it was a good time to release a Fuzztones tribute. This band has gained real cult status and been very much admired by and an influence on numerous garage bands all over the world, so it’s no miracle that there was a lot of stuff to choose from for this tribute. This double album features 42 bands from Peru to Australia and even Finland is presented with as many as three bands. All the other tracks were originally written by The Fuzztones, but the amazing German psych band Vibravoid and Batlord play their own homages to The Fuzztones’ original organ player lady Deb O’Nair, Weirdtones from Finland plays their own track “Leave Your Mind at Home” and Mangaizoides form Peru their own. Some of the most famous participants must be the old Fuzztones collegues Plasticland, Hank Ray and the late Nikki Sudden. According to The Fuzztones and Sin Records boss Rudi Potrudi, there is still material left for another two similar releases… At this point I must confess that even though I do dig 80’s psychedelic garage rock and punk, I’ve somehow pretty much missed The Fuzztones. It’s a sad thing, because this album proves that they’ve got some excellent songs! I won’t go into all the tracks here in detail, let’s just say that on this record you can find great and at least okay versions of tracks from The Fuzztones vast back catalogue. At times it gets rather wild in punk style, but there is also some more peaceful, atmospheric stuff in there, usually with a bit of cemetery stench. Most of the tracks are in a 60’s garage rock vain and even beat. There’s naturally loads of nice fuzz guitar as well as tremolo and organ. The mood doesn’t get overtly psychedelic at any point, but this album does still have its mind-expanding qualities. The sound quality differs a bit, as you might expect, but all the tracks sound at least okay. My absolute favourite is the Vibravoid track that even has some sitar. Some of the other tracks worth mentioning are for example the rather psychedelic, The Stooges styled “Highway 69” played by Sonic Litter from Holland, the nice, hazy and moody version of the track “Ward 81” by Plasticland, the fast “Third Times the Charm” played by the Finnish Deletones with female vocals, Aliens and Strangers’ rocking “Fabian Lips”, the wild “In Heat” presented by Libidos, the very good sounding “Rise” by Cosmic Goblins and, in a rather psychedelic rock vein, “9 Months Later” by Holland’s Sonic Temple. This album is naturally a must-have for all The Fuzztones fans, and a pretty nice expedition for those others who are interested in the band’s musical legacy. The album is only available through the band’s own record label and includes a 28 page booklet. www.fuzztones.net 27.04.06 by Dj Astro - Psychotropic Zone