THE GUESS WHO
Before they burst into the mainstream with pop hits like "These Eyes" and "American Woman," the Guess Who were the garage-rocking pride of Winnipeg, Manitoba. This 24-track anthology SHAKIN' ALL OVER is the first compilation of the Guess Who's singles and unreleased tracks, from their formation in 1963 to their signing to RCA Records in late 1967. It's very clear at certain points they're still developing their style, including their taste in covers, but they generally sound very appealing, both when they rock hard and when they indulge in candy-coated melodies. In fact, they can rock pretty damn hard, not just on the title song, but on another Johnny Kidd cover called "Baby Feelin'," Johnny Otis' "Tuff E Nuff," Randy Bachman's great "Believe Me" (which sounds a bit like early MC5) and "It's My Pride," plus Burton Cummings' great "If You Don't Want Me," while on the other end of the spectrum, Bachman's instrumental British Invasion tribute "Made in England' is pretty endearing, as is the sweet (albeit dippy) "Stop Teasing Me". This set includes two previously unreleased songs and a number of rarities including a beautiful cover of Buffalo Springfield's "Flying on the Ground Is Wrong," written by another veteran of the Winnipeg garage rock scene, Neil Young. Dig!