Various Artists — Make Mine Mondo 2!

Make Mine Mondo 2 is a twenty-eight-track trip back through the wackier, rawer, and downright weird 45s from the 1960’s.  Moving through genres such as rockabilly, garage, raw rock ‘n’ roll, and instrumental fare. The release appears on UK’s Ace Recordings in the form of a CD.

As you’d expect/ hope from this type of collection- it comes presented with an informative inlay booklet. It opens with two pages of fairly detailed track information- before launching into a fifteen-page write-up discussing the collection & the tracks- with a good selection of 45 labels, and a few artist's pictures dotted through-out.

The first half of the collection moves the harmonica groove, organ climb and shouty/ wailing vocals of Boddy Jameson’s “Viet Nam”. Through to plodding haphazard percussion, sneering horn swoon, lose guitar strum, and call ‘n’ response vocals of The Sanddab’s  “Crab Louie”. Onto down rough ‘n’ ready instrumental rock ‘n’ roll stonk ‘n’ holler of “Red Hot Rockin’ Blues” by Jesse James.

In the second half, we go from jaunting keys, electric guitar strum, flute vividness, and car sounds of “Stalled” By The Zanies. Onto gloomy bass ‘n’ guitar twang, even-yet-sparse percussion, and wailing soulful vocals of The Last Word’s “Sleepy Hollow”. Though to lose wondering blend of jiving organ, steady/slightly jingling beats, & wailing guitar tones of  “Soul Serenade” by the wonderful named Bea Dollar & The Coins. With the disc playing out bopping lo-fi percussion, twang ‘n’ wailing guitar, echoed spoken word story/ effects of “The Cave(Part1)” by Gary ‘Spider’ Webb.

Make Mine Mondo 2  is a consistent, varied, and largely rewarding 45 compilation- with an even mix of the raw, weird, and WTH tracks