I Want My Woman

南カリフォルニアはロング・ビーチのグレイト・ブリーチ・ブロンド・ティ-ン・ガレージ・パンク、エンペラーズの全シングル、アセテート、未発表音源を収録したアンソロジー的音源集!
オリジナル・エンペラーズによるワイルドなティーンエイジ・サウンドは今でも最高ですが当時もティーンの間で話題だったそうで、週末に近くでライヴがあると学校で行くかどうかの会話が飛び交ったそう。音を聴けば「Laughin' Linda」の笑い声から、ゾンビーズの「You Make Me Feel So Good」のフット・タッピン・カヴァーまで、やんちゃな悪ふざけ感と演奏の素晴らしさ、グルーヴ感まで全てが最高で、彼らがロング・ビーチの人気グループと賞賛された理由がよくわかります。

The Emperors were Long Beach, Californias hottest teen combo for a few years in the early- to mid-60s, and garage rock loyalists know the band from their 1965 single "I Want My Woman," which has appeared on a number of compilations of classic garage sides. Fans were doubtless aware that wasnt the only music the group committed to vinyl in their heyday, but not much of it has been in wide circulation. Thankfully, the folks at BeatRocket Records have finally addressed this matter, and the 2024 collection I Want My Woman not only brings together all the material the band released in the 1960s but also throws in four unreleased selections. "I Want My Woman" is the sort of track that garage mavens live for, a chugging R&B-influenced number full of sonic menace and a gruff vocal in which a guy urges everyone in earshot to leave his gal alone. But one of the key factors in the Emperors popularity was versatility, and this compilation shows they had many stylistic cards up their sleeves. "A Fool for You Ive Been" is lively pop number about heartache, "The Breeze and I" is a great surf arrangement of a tune that was a hit for Jimmy Dorsey, "Laughin Linda" and "Love Pill" are funny numbers that probably went over big live, "And Then" and "You Make Me Feel Good" are folk-rock with plenty of jangle, and their manic take on Jerry Lee Lewis "Great Balls of Fire" is a triumphant frat rock workout. The Emperors were clearly able to do a little bit of everything -- or at least everything that was expected from a teenage rock band in California in 1965 -- and they did it all with uniform skill and enthusiasm. The audio quality is good, though some of the source materials show their age, and Domenic Priores liner notes offer a concise but entertaining look at their history, including a note from drummer Steve Watts high school principal giving him permission to get his hair bleached, which fell outside the dress code for boys at the time. Garage rock fans and anyone who digs the teen rock & roll scene of the 1960s will find lots to enjoy in I Want My Woman. ~ Mark Deming