The Barracudas' debut album,
Drop Out with the Barracudas, is two records in one. On their first singles, the band presented as a kind of fun-loving surf rock group, singing about Woodys and California-flavored good times. Their first recording session for the album took place during a hot London summer, and the songs reflected that. The second session took place later in the year when the weather was colder and the mood was less cheery. The initial trip yielded lighthearted fare like "Campus Tramp" and "On the Strip" (as in Sunset Strip), retro songs ("California Lament" and "[I Wish It Could Be] 1965 Again"), and even a goofy novelty ("His Last Summer"). The band hit their marks perfectly, crafting loving homages to surf and garage powered by
Robin Wills' peppy guitar and
Jeremy Gluck's enthusiastic vocals. Interestingly, the group stuck all these songs on the flip side of the LP, preferring to lead off with the darker, more intense material from their second studio visit. Here, they were more influenced by folk-rock and protest songs, landing closer to
the Electric Prunes than
Jan & Dean. They sound even better on these tracks, even as subject matter is dead serious and the sunny jangle is usurped by jagged leads, slicing chords, and an almost punky level of intent. Songs like the
Flamin' Groovies-influenced "I Can't Pretend" and "We're Living in Violent Times" are almost direct contradictions of their early work, "Codeine" is about the gloomiest song of the '60s to cover, "I Saw My Death in a Dream Last Night" cuts close to the bone thanks to
Gluck's pleading vocals, and "Somewhere Outside" gives
the Jam a run for their money as far as uplifting mod anthems go. Which side of the record sounds more appealing depends on the mood one is in when getting ready to listen. Feeling kinda blue and depressed about the state of the world, try side one. Want to escape with some good-time oldies, then side two is perfect. Most bands would struggle to be convincing in either format, but
the Barracudas managed both with ease and came up with one of the best garage rock revival albums, defining the genre almost before it even got up and running.
[
Cherry Red's 2023 reissue of the album includes two discs' (and more) worth of bonus material. The first was previously issued by
Voxx in 1999 under the title
Through the Mysts of Time and collects demos and alternate studio recordings made between 1978 and 1981. Some of these came before the album and saw the band working through early versions of the songs that ended up on
Drop Out, covers, and tracks they recorded after the album. These more mature and slightly less '60s-indebted songs were done in order to convince their label to let them make a second record. It didn't work out, but many of the songs ended up on future albums made once ex-
Flamin' Groovie Chris Wilson joined the band. It's good that they were rescued in 1999 and it's nice to have them presented in tandem with
Drop Out. The other disc is made up of their debut single from 1978, "I Want My Woody Back"/"Subway Surfin'," plus demos and rehearsal tapes recorded between 1979 and 1980, and a ripping live cover of
the Groovies' "Slow Death." Also included on disc one are a handful of B-sides, demos, and a version of "Summer Fun" with
Joan Jett on backing vocals. The reissue provides a full picture of the early days of the band and is an absolute joy from start to finish.] ~ Tim Sendra
