The Barracudas - Drop Out With The Barracudas

The Barracudas' debut album, Drop Out with the Barracudas, is two records in one. On their first singles, the band presented as a kind of fun-loving surf rock group, singing about Woodys and California-flavoured good times. Their first recording session for the album took place during a hot London summer, and the songs reflected that. The second session took place later in the year when the weather was colder and the mood was less cheery. The initial trip yielded lighthearted fare like "Campus Tramp" and "On the Strip" (as in Sunset Strip), retro songs ("California Lament" and "[I Wish It Could Be] 1965 Again"), and even a goofy novelty ("His Last Summer"). The band hit their marks perfectly, crafting loving homages to surf and garage powered by Robin Wills' peppy guitar and Jeremy Gluck's enthusiastic vocals. 
Interestingly, the group stuck all these songs on the flip side of the LP, preferring to lead off with the darker, more intense material from their second studio visit. Here, they were more influenced by folk-rock and protest songs, landing closer to the Electric Prunes than Jan & Dean. They sound even better on these tracks, even as subject matter is dead serious and the sunny jangle is usurped by jagged leads, slicing chords, and an almost punky level of intent. Songs like the Flamin' Groovies-influenced "I Can't Pretend" and "We're Living in Violent Times" are almost direct contradictions of their early work, "Codeine" is about the gloomiest song of the '60s to cover, "I Saw My Death in a Dream Last Night" cuts close to the bone thanks to Gluck's pleading vocals, and "Somewhere Outside" gives the Jam a run for their money as far as uplifting mod anthems go. Which side of the record sounds more appealing depends on the mood one is in when getting ready to listen. Feeling kinda blue and depressed about the state of the world, try side one. Want to escape with some good-time oldies, then side two is perfect. Most bands would struggle to be convincing in either format, but the Barracudas managed both with ease and came up with one of the best garage rock revival albums, defining the genre almost before it even got up and running.

The 2005 expanded remaster of Drop Out With The Barracudas stands as a triumphant reappraisal of a record that was criminally misunderstood upon its initial 1981 release. Arriving at a time when the UK music scene was dominated by post-punk gloom and synthetic New Romanticism, the Barracudas’ frantic fusion of sunny California surf-pop, garage rock, and dark 1960s psychedelia was largely dismissed as a novelty throwback. This definitive reissue completely shatters that outdated perception. By cleaning up the original master tapes, the 2005 release allows listeners to fully appreciate the brilliant, deliberate architecture of the album's dual personality: the moody, folk-rock-infused "Down Side" and the sun-baked, high-octane "Up Side".

What elevates this specific edition from a simple nostalgia trip to an essential piece of rock history is the inclusion of the 12 bonus tracks. Far from being throwaway studio floor sweepers, these additional tracks—comprising rare single B-sides and previously unreleased studio cuts—flesh out the band's artistic vision with remarkable depth. Tracks like the tongue-in-cheek spy-surf anthem "The K.G.B. (Made A Man Out Of Me)" and the infectious "Chevy Baby" showcase a band operating at the absolute peak of their creative songwriting powers. Meanwhile, unreleased vault gems like "Grammar of Misery" and "Shades of Today" prove that the band's darker, introspective tendencies were just as potent as their chart-friendly summer anthems.

Ultimately, the 2005 reissue acts as a vital time capsule that proves the Barracudas were far ahead of the retro-rock revivals that would follow decades later. Peter Mew's crisp digital remastering gives the rhythm section a punchy, modern clarity without sacrificing the raw, analog warmth of the original sessions. It leaves the listener with a profound appreciation for a band that managed to mirror the micro-details of 1960s hot-rod culture while injecting it with a uniquely British, post-punk urgency. For garage rock aficionados and casual fans alike, this release is nothing short of a masterpiece that finally gives the album the respect it always deserved.

Ripped to MP3

1. "I Can't Pretend"

2. "We're Living In Violent Times"

3. "Don't Let Go"

4. "Codeine"

5. "This Ain't My Time"

6. "I Saw My Death In A Dream Last Night"

7. "Somewhere Outside"

8. "Summer Fun" (The band's breakout UK hit single)

9. "His Last Summer"

10. "Somebody"

11. "Campus Tramp" (Replaced by "Surfers Are Back" on US Voxx Records releases)

12. "On The Strip"

13. "California Lament"

14. "(I Wish It Could Be) 1965 Again"

Official Single B-Sides

1. "Chevy Baby"

2. "Barracuda Waver"

3. "Surfers Are Back"

4. "Rendezvous"

5. "The K.G.B. (Made A Man Out Of Me)"

Previously Unreleased Tracks (1981)

1. "Ballad of a Liar"

2. "Gotta Get a Gun"

3. "Grammar of Misery"

4. "I Can't Sleep"

5. "On a Sunday"

6. "Shades of Today"

7. "Summer Fun (Alternative Version)"