The Outsiders (5) – C.Q.

Brilliant record! One of my favourite Dutch albums from The Outsiders. It's very sad that only Buzz is still alive....

Vinyl pressing shootout between this original 1st press, the 2001 Dutch repress and the jackpot 2014 repress from the states. The verdict is the original 1st press from 1968 smokes the field with the 2001 Dutch in second and the jackpot press a very distant 3rd. The soundstage, separation and transparency on the original is leaps and bounds above the others. Love you no. 2 is a perfect example where you can hear every instrument right down to the brushed percussion and shaker that stands out perfectly on the OG vs the muted jackpot. The best way to describe the difference is the band is in the room with you on the original while they are not on the jackpot press. The 2001 Dutch press is a great alternative if you don’t want to flip the $600+ it will take to get a clean copy but if you are a collector of rare essential psych/garage/surf records then do yourself a favor and pick up an original. You can really tell the difference between 100% analog cut from the original tape with this one.

Album review:
C.Q.’s strength is in its consistency and diversity. No two songs sound alike yet every experiment is well thought out and successful. The group’s hallmark start-stop punk rhythms are firmly in place on many of C.Q.‘s tracks but by 1968 the Outsiders had grown considerably, incorporating more folk-rock and psych sounds into their repertoire. Psych cuts such as the very European sounding “Zsarrahh” (supposedly a nod to Wally Tax’s Russian roots), the brief “Bear,” an avant garde folk-rock cut titled “Prison Song” and “C.Q.” heralded a new, more experimental outfit. Other cuts such as the sensitive “You’re Everything On Earth,” a bluesy, spacy cut titled “It Seems Like Nothings Gonna Come My Way Today,” and “I Love You No. 2” were folk-rock gems that showed off Tax’s soft, expressive side. That being said, it’s the harder cuts that warrant the greatest attention. “Misfit,” “Doctor,” “The Man On The Dune,” “Happyville,” and “Wish You Were Here With Me Today” are masterful acid punkers. “Doctor,” one of the group’s best LP tracks, features distorted vocals and an explosive fuzz guitar freakout. “The Man On The Dune,” another classic and personal favorite, is a blistering psych punker with jagged guitar fuzz and a strange, unsettling conclusion. It goes without saying that C.Q. is one of the immortal 60s albums.