To Infinity, And BEYOND!

Three of the best Endless Boogie albums so far, by David Fricke.

FOCUS LEVEL ★★★★ (No Quarter, 2008)

After more than a decade of woodshedding, their maelstrom was unleashed on this double LP’s worth of barbed-fuzz hooks and iron-horse drive in tight arrangements. Major was credited as Top Dollar, adding mystery by alluding to his collecting prowess.

But one title said it all: Gimme The Awesome.

LONG ISLAND ★★★★ (No Quarter, 2013)

The third album was more of the same plus textural vengeance in the Stooges typhoon of Occult Banker and the single-minded VU drone of The Montgomery Manuscript, with its folk rock arpeggios and a Can-like shuffle. “Endless Boogie can’t help sounding like hip rare-vinyl freaks,” I wrote at the time in Rolling Stone. “But it’s a gag with legs.”

THE GATHERED AND SCATTERED VOLS 1-4 ★★★★ (No Quarter, 2020)

Here is The Crude Truth, as one title puts it – a 4-LP box of primordial ooze from those early rehearsals and more. Fidelity varies, but the meaty crawl of Cretan Miniatures and Rattleshake Snake, a

19-minute wigout loosely carved from a familiar Fleetwood Mac riff, are treasures. A 1,000-copy pressing sold out, but the whole digital stash costs $20 via Bandcamp.