As something of a less ruthless, more musically inclined {|Kim Fowley|} (with whom he briefly partnered in his early career), {|Gary Paxton|} was an interesting jack-of-all-trades. Working mostly in Hollywood, between the late '50s and late '60s he h... Read more

As something of a less ruthless, more musically inclined {|Kim Fowley|} (with whom he briefly partnered in his early career), {|Gary Paxton|} was an interesting jack-of-all-trades. Working mostly in Hollywood, between the late '50s and late '60s he had his hand in innumerable records as a producer, songwriter, and performer. This compilation gathers 32 such tracks from that time, some of them previously unreleased, and most from very obscure singles, though it does include several hits with which he was involved: {|Skip & Flip|}'s {|It Was I,|} {|the Hollywood Argyles|}' {|Alley-Oop,|} and {|Bobby Boris Pickett|}'s {|Monster Mash.|} {|Alec Palao|}'s 28-page liner notes are so thorough, and so evocative of the early-'60s anything-goes Hollywood {|pop/rock|} scene, that some collectors will find them worth the price of this CD alone. That doesn't negate the fact, however, that most of the tracks on the CD are forgettably derivative of many trends in the era, from {|rockabilly|}, {|instrumental rock|}, and {|doo wop|} to {|Ricky Nelson|} ({|David & Lee|}'s {|Tryin' to Be Someone|}), {|Bo Diddley|} ({|Renfro & Jackson|}'s {|Elephant Game, Pt. 1|} is a pretty transparent takeoff on {|Diddley|}'s hit {|Say Man|}), {|folk-rock|} ({|Mickey Rooney, Jr.|}'s previously unreleased {|I Can Read Between the Lines|}), {|Association|}-like harmony {|pop/rock|} ({|the Four Freshmen|}'s 1966 single {|Nowhere to Go|}), {|novelty|} {|rock|}, uptown New York {|Brill Building|} {|soul|}-{|pop|}, and more. In fact, the three aforementioned hits are the best cuts, and as fun as they were, they weren't exactly the most deathless classics of the early {|rock|} era. There are some little-known tracks from future stars here that might interest collectors, like {|Paul Revere & the Raiders|}' 1961 single {|Midnite Ride|} and {|Ritchie Marsh|}'s 1962 release {|Darling, I Swear That It's True,|} which is such trite and sappy {|teen idol|} {|pop|} you'll have a hard time believing it's the same guy who changed his billing to {|Sky Saxon|} and became the singer for {|the Seeds|}. Plus there are some reasonably good cuts here and there, like {|the Art Reynolds Singers|}' 1966 {|gospel|} version of {|Jesus Is Just Alright,|} famously rocked up in the 1970s by {|the Byrds|} and {|the Doobie Brothers|}. But overall, it leaves the impression of an energetic journeyman willing to try almost everything, rather than of an unjustly neglected genius. Many other {|Paxton|} rarities are collected on other {|Ace|} compilations of his work in the {|surf|}, {|hot rod|}, {|girl group|}, and {|country-rock|} genres, and some of the material on those (particularly the {|country-rock|} collections) outshines much of what's on this more all-encompassing compilation. ~ Richie Unterberger Less