Don & the Goodtimes

The northwestern group Don & the Goodtimes started out as unvarnished garage rockers but evolved into something more sophisticated by the time they charted two minor hits for Epic Records in 1967, "I Could Be So Good to You" and "Happy and Me." Comparisons to the Kingsmen are apt because Don Gallucci and Jack Ely had both been members of that most famous of garage rock bands. That isn't the end of their credentials: Charlie Coe from Paul Revere & the Raiders spent a few years in the group, and the Kingsmen and the Standells' covered Don & the Goodtimes' song "Little Sally Tease." Their eponymous anthology on Jerden concentrates on the group's early rockers, but makes room for the Jack Nitzsche-produced "I Could Be So Good to You" at the end of the disc. The early recordings are raw and primitive, featuring several songs ("Louie Louie," "Jolly Green Giant," "Money") that the Kingsmen also recorded. A cover of the instrumental classic "Tall Cool One" by fellow northwest rock & rollers the Wailers further connects Don & the Goodtimes with their regional scene (and with the Kingsmen, who covered it, too). Sundazed released a 25-track anthology, The Original Northwest Sound of Don & the Goodtimes, that includes all but five of the songs on Jerden's collection. One of the best songs on the album, "I Hate to Hate You," wasn't included on Sundazed's anthology, so Jerden's collection still has its merits for comparison shoppers.