Volume 1 of this long out of print collection of 14 “worldwide psychedelic obscurities” is a frenetic fuzz fest, filled with frantic fretwork, snarling vocals and snarky attitude. Sloppy guitar solos abound – The Hobbits’ “Times Past” makes good use of the requisite Jaggeresque vocals and features an incredibly surreal, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink break. Dutch psych legends Dragonfly offer an appropriately floating “Celestial Dream,” featuring keyboards and unusual flute and guitar interludes over a proggy, Moody Blues vibe.

Both sides of The Thingies’ 1968 single “Mass Confusion” b/w “Rainy Sunday Morning” are highlighted by John Dalton’s finger-bleeding guitar solos. The tracks have a distorted, disembodied 13th Floor Elevators’ aura with such fuzzy guitar that you’ll think it’s time to clean your CD’s laser! The Darelyks (a psyched-out variation of Derelicts?) only released the brilliant Timothy Leary channeled through Kim Fowley single “Bad Trip,” and their label owner charged the $600 for the privilege of recording and pressing 500 copies. Naturally, it bombed, and they disbanded a year later. However, if they have any of those originals lying around, I’m sure they can recoup their investment a hundred times over.

One of Sweden’s early beat bands, The Shakers formed as The Rangers back in 1961, released a couple of singles and embraced psychedelia in 1967. “Who Will Buy (These Wonderful Evils)” is gentler than the title implies, but still includes appropriate lyrics about “the color of my mind” and a moody arrangement highlighted by an ear-cringing guitar solo. Staying in Scandinavia, the Dutch studio project The Tower deliver a groovy, organ/fuzz guitar solo-filled stomper describing the psychedelic effects on their “Slow Motion Mind.”

Things fizzle out towards the end as The Buzzards’ “Burned” is standard bluesy fare and Pendragon’s “Desert of Time,” despite some nasty guitar solos and an unusual arrangement that switches between near-silent passages and stomping hard rock, is typical longhaired, bar band boogie that’s nothing special. The disk does end on, pardon the pun, a high note with both sides of The Beautiful Daze’s oft-comped “City Jungle.” The raga guitar solos and extended jam on the instrumental B-side explains the songs popularity and warrants the song’s classic status. 7/10 -- Jeff Penczak (7 October, 2009)