#696 Them - Angry Young Them

Exciting, jaunty, organ-drenched proto-garage rock that influenced The Doors, and it shows. Van Morrison shows no signs of the mopey warbler he'd become as a solo artist, belting out raving rants with a desperation way ahead of its time. That this came out the same year as the Stones' Out of Our Heads comes as little surprise, the two albums share a certain sound, but Them are a rougher, trashier bunch of punks, less entertainers than beasts caught on tape. The result is an undeniable classic, built on the back of the peerless stomper Gloria 4.5/5