When a reissue of tracks from the U.S.A. family of labels was announced by 2131 South Michigan Avenue does the job for U.S.A. The resulting three-LP/two-CD set just issued completely justifies my heart attack.
Sundazed has always been at front of the line for the overall top-notch quality of their releases, and they've topped themselves this time. The three LPs on colored vinyl offer superb sound, in the original mono. The triple-gatefold packaging is packed to the gills with pictures and information on all the bands included, thanks to painstaking research work by co-complier Jeff Jarema; there's even more info that didn't fit Perhaps the biggest surprises here for me are the five fuzz-drenched cuts by Oscar & the Majestics, including a version of "Soul Finger" with vocals! Despite the zillions of garage band comps available since the original Nuggets LP defined the genre, this band has only had a few stray tracks reappear previously, which leads me to believe their 45s must be awfully obscure. I know I've never found one. Here's hoping they'll get their own stand-alone reissue someday. In the meantime, Sundazed has already announced a roundup of Chicago's Quill label singles for release later this summer. Perhaps the future will also see a deluxe vinyl reissue of their classic Dunwich compilations! (