The Godz, Contact High with the Godz (side A)

Not even Lester Bangs's effusive praise helps to provide a clear context for the Godz when they started in 1966.  Their acoustic music hints at folk, but folk tended to value professionalism and at least a bit of sterility.  The Godz brought the primitivism of punk rock, without the angst and energy.  Contact High with the Godz coincides with the Velvet Underground's earliest work—both groups were in New York but it's hard to know if they were aware of each other.  The Godz at times sang catchy, almost silly songs like "Lay in the Sun" and "Turn On", but these were juxtaposed against more abstract noise freak-outs that still rested on simple major-chord progressions.  By today's standards, this album, down to its lo-fi, if still quite great sounding simplicity, would make sense—in 1966, it must have fit a lot less.  The repeating and rotating cover image feels disorienting to stare at, and gives few hints to how to contextualize Contact High.