Zakary Thaks -I Need You.(1966)****

One of the best garage bands of the ’60s, and one of the best teenage rock groups of all time, Zakary Thaks released a half-dozen regionally distributed singles in 1966 and 1967; some were hits in their hometown of Corpus Christi, TX, but none were heard elsewhere until they achieved renown among ’60s collectors. Heavily indebted (as were so many bands) to R&B-influenced British heavyweights like the Stones, the Kinks, and the Yardbirds, the group added a thick dollop of Texas raunch to their fuzzy, distorted guitars and hell-bent energy. Most importantly, they were first-rate songwriters, with the breakneck “Bad Girl“ (later compiled on Pebbles, Vol. 2), “Won’t Come Back,“ the smoking “Face to Face,“ “Can’t You Hear Your Daddy’s Footsteps,“ and the folk-rock/Merseybeat hybrid “Please“ ranking among the top echelon of American ’60s garage rock. Their 1967 singles found the group moving into psychedelic territory; some songs betrayed