One Man's Garbage

Kim Fowley has been writing and producing music for seven decades. Some of his more notable efforts include work with Gene Vincent, the Modern Lovers, Helen Reddy and Napoleon XIV’s 1966 Top 5 hit novelty song, “They’re Coming To Take Me Away Ha! Haa!!” — none of which are here, as One Man’s Garbage is a compilation celebrating Fowley’s flops. But these musical miscarriages reveal his uncanny understanding of the chemistry that bonds teenagers with pop music, as well as his sideways sense of humor that esoterically parodies it. Bruce Johnston (who later joined the Beach Boys) opens as one half of Bruce and Jerry on “I Saw Her First,” a beach-blanket bopper replete with a horn section that sounds interchangeable with Benny Hill’s theme song. Patterns’ “Late Late Show” also cleverly pokes fun at ‘60s surf music, but not as overtly as the hilarious “Surf Pigs” which could be argued as the impetus for the sound that Surf Punks forged in the ‘80s. Other tunes like the no-goodnik spoof “The Rebel” and garage rocker “Underground Lady” are the kinds of weird songs that would perfectly accompany John Waters films.