This album is a pre punk icon. From the first glance at the cover to hearing the last track I was fully satisfied by this great rock classic. Must be played at high volume. Each song sounds like they've taken ice picks to their speakers (and rumor had it, that they really did). This is a great staple in any punk history collection, also a pre requesite for listening to the Kinks, who probably had this album sitting in their collection.
The highlight of this album is Louie Louie. The fact is that Louie Louie is far from a great song. That anyone wanted to argue over authorship of this song is based solely on it's popularity. A song like this is not written well, it is only performed well, being left to the artist to mold it into something altogether different from every other recording. A song containing the three same chords over and over again is a particular challenge, but the Sonics rise to it, creating the greatest, hardest, rawest, most ear piercing version of Louie Louie ever recorded. Rob Lind wails and screams after the greatest solo on the album, and you already know you'll be backing up a track to hear it again.
Take all of your Paul Revere and the Raiders albums, and burn them (because you really shouldn't subject your ears to that ever again) then take your Wailers albums (no disrespect, they try hard) and sell them, and take that money and buy this album. It's all you need.
	
By Aaron C. Burkhalter "aaronburkhalter" (Seattle, WA United States)