A Texas Battle of the Bands

• Artist: The Bad Seeds/Zakary Thaks
• Rating:
• Release Date: September 01, 1995
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

The Bad Seeds, another Corpus Christi-based band, provided the first six tracks to this 12-song CD, but the Zakary Thaks are represented on the last six, all live (yeah, that's right, the Zakary Thaks live), and drawn from the audio portion of a videotaped performance from 1967. The sound is understandably a little raw, and there's a little leakage and compression, but the sound is still better than some '70s boots of lots of other bands I can think of, and the sheer energy of the performance makes this a must-own recording. Much of the material here is covers of others' familiar hits, including "My Little Red Book," "Mustang Sally," and "I'm a Man," but the group also does a searing version of the Jefferson Airplane's "3/5 of a Mile In Ten Seconds," not exactly a number on anyone's hit parade, and snarl their way through "Sock It to Me Baby" and sneer audibly on "Love Is a Beautiful Thing." Like the Bad Seeds, the Zakary Thaks had learned a valuable lesson in presenting this kind of music -- playing soft and sounding interesting is as important as making the rave-ups exciting, and meshing their voices well was also a good idea. A priceless document of an undeservedly overlooked group, at least as worthy of respect for their music as the Thirteenth Floor Elevators. So how about releasing the videotape? ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
A Taste of the Same	Mike Taylor	The Bad Seeds, Zakary Thaks, Bad Seeds	(2:46)
I'm a King Bee	J. Moore	The Bad Seeds, Zakary Thaks, Bad Seeds	(1:51)
All Night Long		The Bad Seeds, Zakary Thaks, Bad Seeds	(2:23)
Sick and Tired		The Bad Seeds, Zakary Thaks, Bad Seeds	(2:36)
Zilch, Pt. 1		The Bad Seeds, Zakary Thaks, Bad Seeds	(1:47)
Zilch, Pt. 2		The Bad Seeds, Zakary Thaks, Bad Seeds	(2:18)
Sock It to Me, Baby!		The Bad Seeds, Zakary Thaks, Bad Seeds	(2:57)
Love Is a Beautiful Thing	Eddie Brigati, Felix Cavaliere	The Bad Seeds, Zakary Thaks, Bad Seeds	(2:39)
Mustang Sally	Bonny "Mack" Rice	The Bad Seeds, Zakary Thaks, Bad Seeds	(3:16)
3/5 of a Mile in Ten Seconds	Marty Balin	The Bad Seeds, Zakary Thaks, Bad Seeds	(3:53)
My Little Red Book		The Bad Seeds, Zakary Thaks, Bad Seeds	(2:25)
I'm a Man		The Bad Seeds, Zakary Thaks, Bad Seeds	(4:14)

Credits

Zakary Thaks (Performer), Henry Edgington (Bass), Rod Prince (Guitar), John Lopez (Guitar), Pete Stinson (Guitar (Rhythm)), Stan Moore (Drums)