Trashmen The Best Of The Trashmen (LP, colored Vinyl)

(Sundazed Music) 16 tracks, colored vinyl in white

The defining moment in The Trashmen's blitzing career is surely the release of their ultimate uber-hit "Surfin' Bird" from 1963.

It's their first true studio recording, capturing the group's immense energy and masterful live performance. But it's also the culmination of the spirit and experimentation that made them something new and, from the perspective of 50 years, unique. This collection shows them to be a first-rate surf band, a great proto-punk outfit, solid rockers with the raw essence of the sound's earliest founders, and savvy enough to throw in some comedy and country as well. This range of skills and interests is probably the true foundation of the band's current following.

But "Surfin' Bird" has more tenacity than the entirety of other bands' sometimes better catalogs, and with this track, The Trashmen have created a work that is arguably the most relevant release from this storied decade today.