Fort Worth Teen Scene!, Vol. 2

Gems and duds from Fort Worth, Texas:
The second volume of the Fort Worth Teen Scene serires isn't quite as good as its predecessor; there are a few too many indistinct, mediocre songs on this disc, tracks that do little more than recycle the same standard garage rock cliches you've probably heard a million times before. Songs like the Five Of a Kind's "Never Again," the Cynics' "I'll Go" and Larry & the Blue Notes' ho-hum version of "Everybody Needs Somebody" are the kind of wannabe Kinks/'Stones/Beatles numbers that plague the most uninteresting and dull of garage rock compilations. The Cynics' version of "Mister You're A Better Man than I" is incredibly unenergetic and completely lifeless, while the Mods' take on "Evil Hearted You" is a subpar recreation of the Yardbirds' famous version. The set also includes several inferior tracks by bands that were featured on volume one of this series: The Jades, whose fiery rendition of "Little Girl" was a highlight of the previous disc, are represented here by an unspectacular rehash of "I'm Alright" (made famous by the Rolling Stones) and the merely decent "Run & Hide." The Cynics (responsible for the afformentioned "I'll Go" and "Mister You're a Better Man Than I") sounded way better on volume one, which opened with their smokin' cover of "Tran Kept-A-Rollin'. Larry & The Blue Notes' "Night of the Sadist" (found on, you guessed it, volume one) is far better than their take on "Everybody Needs Somebody." The other Blue Notes track found here, "Night of the Phantom," is simply "Night of the Sadist" with the different title phrase dubbed over the chorus. Not only does "Sadist" sound better, but "Phantom" is available on the first volume of the Back From the Grave series, which is waaaaaaaaay better than this disc. Speaking of which, the Elite's "My Confusion" (one of the best songs here) is also available on the afformentioned 'Grave disc. There's also another version of the Tracers' rendition of "She Said Yeah," which is taken at a slower and less energetic pace than the one found on volume one. So, that leaves us with a handfull of good finds: The Visions' storming rendition of "Route 66" is one, and the Bards' snarling "Alibis" is another. The Chocolate Moose (veterans of volume one) contribute the wonderfully bizarre proto-psych anthem "Take A Ride," and the Snowmen's "Garbage Man" is as funny as it is rockin'. The Hi-Lights' "Sad Sack" is shambling, messy, and catchy as hell, while the Roots' "Lost One" is a superbly tough outcast anthem. Jack & the Rippers sound fantastically weird on (wait for it...) "Jack the Ripper," and the Jinx's "Can't Go On Loving You" is a high-energy example of garage rock at its best. There's also the Images' nicely Stonesy "My Kinda Woman," and the Barons' low-fi raver "Come On." The Barons also contribute the superb "I'll Never Be Happy," a moody little slice of garage pop catchiness. This is an incredibly mixed bag, but its best moments make it worthwhile for an avid garage rock collector.