The Koobas - Koobas (1969) (2000)

In a sense, it's unfair to rate Koobas entirely by this, their only LP, because they were already in the process of calling it quits as a group when they cut it late in 1968; indeed, it's likely that if they'd thought they would have a possible future, a couple tracks that are here might never have seen the light of day. That said, Koobas is a good document of its time: Its three best songs, "Royston Rose," "Barricades," and "Gold Leaf Tree" are resplendent in rippling guitar parts, lots of fuzz-tone, searing breaks that sound like George Harrison's or Tony Hicks' playing pumped up by a few hundred amps, and drum patterns lifted right out of "Rain" and a dozen equally impressive psychedelic tracks, and some very pretty singing. Unfortunately, the best parts of this album are juxtaposed with too many self-indulgent exercises in quaint nostalgia (which the Kinks could pull off but no one else in mid-'60s England ever could without looking silly) and psychedelic digressions like "Here's a Day" and "Fade Forever" (which, with its heavy Mellotron sound, recalls moments off of the Zombies' Odessey and Oracle without ever being as clever). Their rendition of "A Little Piece of My Heart" is closer in spirit to their older Pye singles and it is easily the best song on this album, as a descendant of their old R&B-based Liverpool sound. [Some reissues have added copious bonus tracks from the rest of their EMI/Columbia output circa 1966-1968.]