The Sonics

The Sonics peeled out of the Northwest in 1965 with Here Are the Sonics!!!, a display of all the good things that emerge from the garage when clamorous guitars and thumping R&B meet at a crossroads. Their music was raw as an open wound and wholly unrestrained -- traits that probably owed their existence to the teenaged band's penchant for full-throttle, amp-destroying music, not to mention their lack of technical ability which they celebrated instead of downplaying. The end result was rebellious noise that could rattle floors and send listeners into a foot-stomping frenzy. Even with so much dirty Grunge still caked in Seattle's corners and crevices, the Sonics produced music that makes what followed in their wake seem flat-out wimpy.