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. ~ Tim Sendra
