Neats
Neats
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

1983 Original. Appears Unplayed. "The Neats (1983) Was The First Full-Length Album From The Band. Produced By Rick Harte For His Ace Of Hearts Label, There Is A Distinct Mid-'60s Garage Feel To The Recording, Though Not As Directly Garage Rock As Their Labelmates The Lyres. The Neats Show Flashes Of The More Baroque Sounds Of Groups Like The Left Banke, And Even A Little Of The Reverb-Y Blues Of The Early Rolling Stones; "Do The Things" Even Features A Blues Harp Rave-Up, And One Can Detect A Bit Of "Paint It Black" In The Album's Closer, "Water," Which — As With "A.B.D." (Another Broken Dream) And "Caraboo" — Reaches Another Droning Climax. But The Standout Tracks Are Songs Like The Opening "Sad," "Now You Know," And "Ghost," Folky Pop Songs With A Certain Melancholy Tinge. Though The Album As A Whole Could Be Called Dark, These Songs Are More Personal Sounding, With A Bit Of The Self-Pity And Sensitive-Guy Sorrow That Always Finds An Audience With Literature And Art Students. Fans Of Belle & Sebastian Would Be Well-Advised To Try To Track Down This Album For A Bit Of Precedence." Fellow Bostonian Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom) On AMG