Huey P. Meaux
knew what music would sell, which is why he was so hot to find a Texan band that could sound like one of those ravers out of the U.K. He found one with
Sir Douglas Quintet
, getting
Doug Sahm
and
Augie Meyers
to play
Ray Charles
with the ragged glee of
the Kinks
or
Rolling Stones
, but
SDQ
wasn't the only rock & roll band he recorded for his
Crazy Cajun
cabal. Once "She's About a Mover" hit in 1965, teenage Texans with guitars and organs sought out
Meaux
so he recorded them, putting out 7"s on
Tear Drop
,
Ventural
Caddo
Capri
Shane
Pic
Pacemaker
Back Stage
, and other imprints designed to disguise how
Huey
was running an empire.
Alec Palao
dug through the vaults, assembling
Ace
's 2015 compilation
Don't Be Bad! 60s Punk Recorded in Texas
out of rare singles and excavated cuts, among which is the comp's title track. Eleven of the tracks are previously unreleased but the entire collection is essentially unheard for those who aren't hardcore '60s garage and proto-punk collectors. Although
the Phinx
, one of those bands tucked away deep in
's vaults, flirt with spacy drones on "To No Place of Its Own," this is all prime mid-'60s fuzz-toned stomps -- lean, cacophonous three-chord rockers punctuated by the occasional blues jam and descending minor-key madness. In other words, a lot of
Stones
Yardbirds
--
the Pirates
jammed those two influences together in a medley of
Bo Diddley
's "Mona"/"Who Do You Love," tunes that were covered by
the Stones
, respectively -- but Texas had its own garage quirks, namely great sheets of cheap, greasy organ, a hint of wayward
Dylan
influence (best heard on
the Dodads
' "Lost in a Crowd"), and a strain of pop that echoed both
the Beatles
and that great son of Lubbock,
Buddy Holly
. It's enough variety to keep things cooking on
Don't Be Bad!
, but credit that to
Palao
's sharp selection and sequencing, skills that are as evident as his research and excellent liner notes. Although there's no denying
's nefarious side -- the main reason this collection doesn't dip into psychedelia is because he was jailed in 1967 on a violation of the Mann Act â??
spins spin
's hucksterism in the best possible light, showcasing how his eagerness to make a quick buck led to the kind of timeless trashy thrills preserved here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine