Kaliedescope Compendium - The Best of the Blues Magoos

iTunes Review

While the Blues Magoos indulged in playful allusions to psychedlia, naming their albums Psychedelic Lollipop and Electric Comic Book and featuring songs deliberately named “Love Seems Doomed” (LSD) and “Albert Common is Dead” (ACID), they far surpassed novelty status. This Bronx-based quintet had more than just the amateurish enthusiasm of an average garage band and was more than a one or two-hit wonder group. “(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet” has been rightfully anthologized on most notable ‘garage rock’ collections. Their version of “Tobacco Road” has been similarly acknowledged. But there’s more to look into. “So I’m Wrong and You Are Right” is a cute, quick pop song. “Sometimes I Think About” is an atmospheric blues that fuses a manic guitar solo with the perfect mid-60s Farfisa organ. “Queen of My Nights” simply haunts. “Love Seems Doomed,” with its “trippy” effects and stumbling drum spots, has an enticing innocence. “Life is Just a Cher O’Bowlies” has a hapless charm. The Blues Magoos never evolved beyond their beginning stage, but their allegedly ephemeral charms linger long past their supposed expiration dates.