The Goldstars: Purple Girlfriend

When you think of Chicago, garage rock doesn’t come to mind, but the Goldstars mix a bit of soul and Booker T. into the mix with “D.M.V.” — it works fine, but isn’t fantastic. “No Friend of Mine” has a great Yardbirds feeling to it which gels quicker and better than the first song, fading out with a mini-rave up. On other occasions, lead singer and bassist Sal yelps to help the song move along as he does on “Fire”. The first true highlight is “One + One”, which hits on all the nuances of the garage rock domain — a subtle keyboard, rampant drumming, and everything clicking on all cylinders. And they return to this with the short, punchy “It’s All About You”, which has an airtight rhythm section. Unfortunately, the Goldstars don’t get a gold star for the tamer and tedious keyboard-heavy title track and the ordinary and mediocre run-through “She’s Late”. Meanwhile “Angry Eyes” brings to mind George Thorogood & The Destroyers on an off day. And don’t even get me started on a cover of Mel Torme’s “Comin’ Home Baby”.