LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

After being highly sought after in record collector circles for decades, The New Tweedy Bros! has been reissued, complete with a classy package that reproduces the original multigatefold, acid-cube design. The record shows the variety of its time, with tracks that range from thumping electrified boogie to jangly folk rock, from Elizabethan chants to full-on, kaleidoscopic, psychedelic freakouts. While the work of other artists -- Canned Heat, the Byrds, Jerry Garcia, the Jefferson Airplane -- echoes throughout this disc, the New Tweedies had a distinctive feel that was individual, like the somewhat shaky vocals, as well as its diverse repertoire and its ability to shift from one style to another.