The Nomads - Outburst

Yes, I've been going through my "N" section of my CDs and discovered that I haven't listened to the Nomads in a while and had to rectify that! This album was my introduction to the band in the mid-80's and is still a classic of the 80's garage/punk revival.

Several songs from this record were reissued on the fabulous compilation, Showdown, which I wrote about here, including the near-perfect one-two punch of the opening "The Way You Touch My Hand" and "Where the Wolfbane Blooms". But, of course, there's lots more, like the dementedly-tremelo'd take on "Five Years Ahead of my Time" and the updated power chord-and-Farfisa-version of the Kinks' (probably by way of the Chocolate Watchband) "I'm Not Like Everybody Else". Then there's the frantic, rockabilly-ish "Real Gone Lover" and "Lowdown Shakin' Chills", which the Hellacopters covered and made even more manic.

I love the Davie Allen-esque, fuzz-drenched instro "Rat Fink a Boo Boo" (named after the movie, of course), and the garage-riff-rock of "Don't Tread on Me". There's a high-energy take on Alex Chilton's "Bankok", a wild ride of Elmore James' "Stranger Blues" (with a fairly insane slide solo in his honor), a Chocolate Watchband-with-Marshalls' "Milk Cow Blues" and the whole she-bang ends up with a punky (maybe taken from the Zeros?) "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White".

These cats were never purists but obviously owed a huge debt to the great 60's garage combos while also loving late 60's Detroit heaviness and 70's punk rock. Mix it all up and you've got what many bands are still doing today! Always recommended!