The standells torrent

Gary Leeds later to join the Walker Brothers was an early member though he was replaced by Dodd. The Standells' pre-"Dirty Water" history is a little vague and confusing; they recorded some ordinary albums and singles for Liberty, MGM, and Vee Jay, appeared in the movie Get Yourself a College Girl, and did a lot of television work most notably a well-remembered guest appearance on The Munsters, where they did a woeful version of "I Want to Hold Your Hand".

There were flashes of gritty inspiration on early cuts like "Big Boss Man" and "Someday You'll Cry," but the group didn't really hit their stride until teaming up with producer Ed Cobb, formerly of the clean-cut vocal group the Four Preps. It was Cobb who wrote "Dirty Water," which marked quite a change of direction from their previous clean-cut image. In fact, the group didn't even like the song, which took about six months to break into a hit.

Considerably toughening their image, the group churned out four albums in and , as well as appearing in and contributing the theme song to the psychedelic exploitation movie Riot on Sunset Strip.

Along with Why Pick on Me, this was the group's strongest album, although you're always better off with a greatest hits collection. The CD reissue takes off one cut the easily found "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White" and adds six bonus tracks of only mild interest, including a version of "Batman. Why Pick On Me Paint It Black Mi Hai Fatto Innamorare I Hate To Leave You Black Hearted Woman The Girl And The Moon Looking At Tomorrow Nobody My Little Red Book Mainline Our Candidate Don't Say Nothing At All This pop-punk relic isn't bad, but as the best of these songs -- "Why Pick on Me," "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White," "Mainline" -- have been issued on whatever best-of Standells compilation you might pick up, its appeal is really limited to big fans.

Of the more obscure tracks, "Black Hearted Woman" is a decent slow, menacing number, "Mr. Nobody" a decent punky cut, and "The Girl and the Moon" one of their best pop-oriented compositions. Ooh Poo Pah Doo Hill - 3. Bony Maronie Williams - 4. I'll Go Crazy Brown - 5. Linda Lou Sharpe - 6. Shake Tamblyn - 7. The Peppermint Beatle Tamblyn - 8. So Fine Otis - 9. Help Yourself Reed - Why Pick on Me Cobb - 2.

Paint It Black Jagger, Richards - 3. Mi Hai Fatto Innamorare Valentino - 4. I Hate to Leave You Valentino - 5. Black Hearted Woman Houle - 6. The Girl and the Moon Tamblyn - 8. Looking at Tomorrow Mann, Weil - 9.

Nobody Tamblyn - Mainline Chellis, Huntress Our Candidate Smith - Wild Thing Taylor - 3. Sunshine Superman Leitch - 4. Sunny Afternoon Davies - 5. Lil' Red Riding Hood Blackwell - 6. James Infirmary Traditional - Try It Levine -