Mouse And The Traps
The Fraternity Years (1997)
Label:   
Length:  1:03:43
    Track Listing:
      1.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Public Execution    2:49
      2.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Maid Of Sugar, Maid Of Spice    2:40
      3.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Nobody Cares    2:44
      4.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Cryin' Inside    2:33
      5.  
      Mouse & The Traps - I'm A Man    2:25
      6.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Lie, Beg, Borrow, And Steal    2:35
      7.  
      Mouse & The Traps - I've Got Her Love    2:15
      8.  
      Mouse & The Traps - I Am The One    2:26
      9.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Like I Know You Do    2:25
      10.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Sometimes You Just Can't Win    2:57
      11.  
      Mouse & The Traps - All For You    2:47
      12.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Do The Best You Can    2:25
      13.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Look At The Sun    2:41
      14.  
      Mouse & The Traps - You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care)    2:09
      15.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Promises Promises    2:24
      16.  
      Mouse & The Traps - I Satisfy    3:47
      17.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Requiem For Sarah    3:19
      18.  
      Mouse & The Traps - L.O.V.E. Love    2:31
      19.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Ya-Ya    1:57
      20.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Good Times    2:31
      21.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Hand In Hand    1:59
      22.  
      Mouse & The Traps - You Are My Sunshine    2:23
      23.  
      Mouse & The Traps - I Wonder Where The Birds Fly    1:57
      24.  
      Mouse & The Traps - Mohair Sam    2:14
      25.  
      Mouse & The Traps - As Far As The Sea    2:39
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      Review by Richie Unterberger :
      "Fraternity Years is the first Mouse & the Traps compilation of a truly official nature, taken right from the master tapes. The 25 tracks do miss a few of their least essential cuts, like the awful country novelty "Would You Believe," their mediocre final single for Bell, and the "Psychotic Reaction" single they recorded under the pseudonym of Positively 13 O'Clock. But everything else is here, with the neat bonuses of a 1967 single credited to another pseudonym (Chris St. John) and seven interesting, previously unreleased sides, including the moving folk-rock-protest number "Nobody Cares" and a you-gotta-hear-it-to-believe-it cover of "You Are My Sunshine" (set to the arrangement of James Brown's "I Got You"!). The lengthy liner notes present the best history of the group ever written, capping an excellent reissue of a fine band who were probably too chameleon-like to find their niche in the national market."


      Biography by Richie Unterberger :
      "This Tyler, TX, group from the mid-'60s is most known for their uncanny imitation of Highway 61-era Dylan, "A Public Execution." Featured on the Nuggets compilation, it is to Dylan what the Knickerbockers' "Lies" is to the Beatles: one of the few rip-offs so utterly accurate that it could easily fool listeners into mistaking it for the original article. Spearheaded by singer/songwriter Ronnie Weiss, the group actually recorded quite a few decent singles between 1965 and 1969 without approaching any sort of national recognition. "Mouse" never got as explicitly Dylanesque again, but there's no doubt that Weiss often recalled a non-atonal Dylan with his nasal delivery, and several of their singles were a much more melodic, pop-oriented extension of Dylan's mid-'60s sound. Recording almost exclusively original material, they were one of the better regional groups of the time, and also waxed some capable Texas punk-psychedelia and good-time pop/rockers."
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