Various Artists- Gotham Garage (Enoch)

"GG" is a raucous garage rock comp that may or may not have started out as a Noo Yawk only affair (as the title would suggest), but somehow spread it's tendrils all the way to Boston, since many of the bands here, like the Konks, the Tampoffs, and Baby Strange, can often be found playing down my street at local garage rocker dive, the Abbey lounge. Although there's not a whole lotta variation here (as you might expect from bands worshipping at the temple of 1966), it all rocks, so what the fuck. You want highlights? Genuine Gothamites Charm School have a fantastically catchy bubblefuzz rocker here, "Trust Fund". Fueled by the chirpy vocals of Tina Pederson, this one's a poppy, punky, sugar-coated hit. My long-time compatriot Ron Raymond's snarl rock outfit the Pale Imitations are on here too, with the most aggressive track on the whole disc, a sweaty, 70's punk rifferama complete with manic harmonica solo called "Girl I Want". They're from NYC, too. So's the Drossells, who sound like they were born under the floorboards of CBGB's in 1981, and who do a great skinny tie number, "Here's to You", which would not sound out of place on an early Jim Carroll band record. Then there's the Recruders (their spelling) who sound just like the Troggs, which I believe is the whole fuckin' idea. I think you get the drill here. If you dig your rock retro-fried and liquored up, "Gotham Garage" is a great place to go looking for it.