Cameo Parkway 1966-1967: The Best Of ? & The Mysterians

Performer: ? & The Mysterians
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: ? & The Mysterians: Question Mark (vocals); Bobby Balderrama (guitar); Frank Rodriguez (organ); Frank Lugo, Fernando Aguilar (bass guitar); Eddie Serrato (drums). Additional personnel: Tony Orlando (background vocals). Though most people remember ? & the Mysterians solely for their one enduring hit, "96 Tears," the frat-band staple that mixed garage rock with Tex-Mex via a monomaniacal organ riff, they actually laid down plenty of other memorable tracks in their initial lifespan. Most, including the original version of their hit, were, incredibly, unavailable on CD for decades making this 2005 reissue of the band's Cameo-Parkway sides something of a monumental occasion for garage rock collectors. The Mysterians are in their prime here ably mixing blues, soul, and teeth-baring rockers with rough-and-ready aplomb, and the inclusion of a few never-before-heard tracks (including an alternate version of "96 Tears") makes this sharply assembled anthology an absolute must for fans of the genre.

Uncut (p.118) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[The songs] exude hipster cool far transcending their one-hit-wonder reputation."

With a touch of Tex-Mex flavor and a trashy organ riff, "96 Tears" earned 1960s Mexican-American rockers ? & the Mysterians a place in garage-rock history. Led by the eccentric, flamboyant Rudy "Question Mark" Martinez, they turned out a gutsy, R&B-inflected sound whose in-your-face attitude prefigured punk rock. The original version of the band didn't last long, but over the subsequent decades, various revamped lineups (some without Martinez) have continued to perform live.

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