The Barracudas - The Complete EMI Recordings (1993)

Born out of the punk explosion taking place during the late '70s in England, the Barracudas defied the prevailing ethos of the time to reach back to the groovy 1960s for inspiration. Early singles and half of their debut album, 1981's Drop Out with the Barracudas, merged good-time surf music with raucous garage rock good enough to fit on a Pebbles compilation. The other half of the album leaned in the direction of jangling folk-rock with songs that dealt honestly with the less-than-thrilling present. This was the direction further albums took, especially two cut in the early '80s with former Flamin' Groovies singer Chris Wilson on board. The band split in 1984 but re-formed a few years later for live shows and the occasional album, including 2005's self-titled effort, which featured Wilson as a guest. Their energetic and artful take on classic guitar rock not only stands the test of time, but as the 2023 reissue of Drop Out makes clear, the group created at least one classic moment of their own.