What would you say is THE BEST?

I think there is one song, maybe two, that have not been comp'd to land in the vaulted Top 1000 label scan array.
My cabinet members tended to rate their songs on a very conservative level. A few guys rarely voted any song as a 9 or even 10 - it had to be something utterly amazing, even better than just "great" for these guys to throw the switch for a 9 or 10 vote. On the other hand, there were two guys most liberal with their high rated votes. Ned takes the award as the giver of most "10"s. Something like 200 different songs, Ned? Maybe more? Haha...
 
Upon eagle eye examination of the Top 1000 label scans in my copy of the book, there are about 8-10 songs that have not been officially comp'd, to my best guess. As I don't follow comps anymore, some may have found their way onto limited edition type releases
 
These I would give a 10 - off the top of my head (most are two-siders but not a 10 for the other side. Maybe only the Squires). There are e few more tens. I would love MTM to compare this to the TBM ratings.

Plagues - I've Been Through It Before
Aardvarks - Higher Than I'm Down (all time number one)
Squires - Goin Alll The Way
Dovers - What Am I Going To Do (I'm NOT hot for The Third Eye)
Keggs - Girl
 
These I would give a 10 - off the top of my head (most are two-siders but not a 10 for the other side. Maybe only the Squires). There are e few more tens. I would love MTM to compare this to the TBM ratings.

Plagues - I've Been Through It Before
Aardvarks - Higher Than I'm Down (all time number one)
Squires - Goin Alll The Way
Dovers - What Am I Going To Do (I'm NOT hot for The Third Eye)
Keggs - Girl

All of those easily made the Top 1000.
Book #2 will show the vote breakdown results so you can compare your vote to everyone who participated in the voting sessions during the 8 and one half (!) year long effort.
 
Sorry, but I'm not feeling the love for the "To Find Out". The very least they could have done was tune the guitar!

I do agree about the Outcasts, though. I love the guitar at the beginning.
 
I think there is one song, maybe two, that have not been comp'd to land in the vaulted Top 1000 label scan array.
My cabinet members tended to rate their songs on a very conservative level. A few guys rarely voted any song as a 9 or even 10 - it had to be something utterly amazing, even better than just "great" for these guys to throw the switch for a 9 or 10 vote. On the other hand, there were two guys most liberal with their high rated votes. Ned takes the award as the giver of most "10"s. Something like 200 different songs, Ned? Maybe more? Haha...

I probably did have more "10" votes than most of my fellow panel members. I think we rated over 15000 sides & at that point 150 or so "10" votes represents a measley 1% of those auditioned. Even 200 "10" votes comes in somewhere around 1.3 % or so. I would think anyone who posts here & has a strong passion for the music discussed would find at least 1% of it to be exceptional. If I didn't think 1% was exceptional I would be in the wrong place on this forum.

My definition of a "10" would be a prime example of the genre either for an old time hardcore listener or an introductory example for the newcomer. A "10" is the kind of tune that runs through your head & you can't wait to hear it as soon as you get into the house. Some of my top votes were well known "commercial" sides that were radio hits in 1966, but most were the "under the radar" stuff we generally discuss here. Some newer sides to my ear did quite well, but the old tried & true (30 years +) also held up pretty strong. Like most guys I probably stuck to the type of things I origionally liked in 1966 - that hasn't changed much over the last 45 years plus.

I liked the idea of a "panel" being involved in the voting, with each guy (I don't think there were any women involved - if so look me up ASAP) bringing his own taste into the final rankings. By the way, we didn't do much in the way of comparing our votes during the process, either.

My voting seemed to run with 3, 5 & 7 as the most popular tallies with an occasional 1 and my own category of "sick" popping up occasionally. It was a real education even for a jaded bastard like myself to hear just about every known side that falls into the "Teenbeat Mayhem" category & I thank my old pal MTM for the opportunity to be involved.

Ned
 
The ultimate Garage-Song for me is...

The Runaways - 18th Floor Girl (reaches 11 on the Garage-O-Meter 1-10)

the second is Shades Of Night - Fluctuation
3 is JuJus - I'm Really Sorry
4 Northwest Company - Get Away From It All
5 The Centurys - So The Prophets Say
 
Just came across this, but it's still pertinent, so I'll add my voice.

Yes, it is difficult if not impossible to pick a "best" from such a rich and divine genre, but if I was to define best as the song whose absence from my 45 collection haunts me unremittingly, without a doubt it is:

M.G. & the ESCORTS - A someday fool

After that it becomes a blur, but ES SHADES - Anyday, anywhere is a likely second. Many of you mentioned songs which score a 10/10 for me, but I'm surprised no one mention these two!
 
There are so many that I never heard that would qualify, but the following are some of the ones I have and like a lot:

Heathens ''other way around''
Briks ''foolish baby''
Kempy & the Guardians ''love for a price''
Bohemian Vendetta ''enough''
Mojos ''I like it''
 
Missed this thread when it was active. My top 5 has been pretty much unchanged for a very long time. It is songs that I never get tired of hearing, songs that I can listen to regardless of them being "garage" or not. Because there is periods in life where I actually focus on other genres (shocking!) than garage.

These are unfuckwithable bonafide lifesavers of mean wax

Thirteenth Floor Elevators : You're gonna miss me

The Unrelated Segments : Cry, cry, cry

The Electric Prunes : I had too much to dream (Last night)

The Music Machine : Talk talk

The Seeds : You're pushing too hard / Out of the Question (8 and 7 in TBM. 7?! Really?)

Ferdig snakka! As one might say in Norwegian

The bubbling under list is so long it is no point even trying to mention any more sides. But if an exception was to be made, and it is also one of the deadliest double barrels of pure anger ever committed to wax, it would have to be The Mods : I give you an inch (And you take a mile) / You've got another think comin'