Giving their fans more of what they want, Detroit’s the Go followed up 2007’s celebrated release Howl On the Haunted Beat You Ride with this 2008 collection of demos and outtakes from the same sessions. And though you don’t have to be familiar with the former to enjoy the latter, it helps in that this offering plays like a documentarian companion piece to Howl. The original version of their standout jam “You Go Bangin’ On” kicks off this collection sounding even more like Ringo Starr hijacked Mungo Jerry — their classic performance and antiquated production sounds straight out of 1967. “Our Love’s Alive” (which was titled “Caroline” on Howl) is another standout with a prominent organ and a chorus that’s catchier than the one that made the final cut. The extended version of “Help You Out” resonates with bygone freakbeat tones mined in various Rubble and Nuggets compilations. More skeletal acoustic versions of these songs comprise the second half, starting with an intimate “So Long Johnny,” though the more salient track here proves to be the Kinks-esque “Mary Ann.”
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