Nuggets II: Come On by The Atlantics

Come On—The Atlantics

• Track 83, disc 4
• Year: 1967
• From: Sydney, Australia.

7/10

More about Nuggets II

Credits

4/2. COME ON – The Atlantics (Australia)
(Peter Hood)

PERSONNEL/JIM ADDAMS (aka SKIATHITIS): vocals, guitar * THEO PENGLIS: guitar * BOSCO BOSONAC: bass * PETER HOOD: drums, vocals
Produced by J.R.A. PRODUCTIONS
Recorded in Pyrmont, Australia
Sunshine single #QK-1691 (1967) [Australia]

The Atlantics

The Atlantics started as a surf band. They formed in Sydney, and all of the members emigrated to Australia as children. They enjoyed success as a surf band, topping the charts with ‘Bombora’.

By 1965, surf music was passe, and the band reinvented itself. They added vocalist Johnny Rebb, a 1950s rock and roll star.

Come On

The Atlantics recorded ‘Come On’ in 1967. Written by drummer Peter Hood, the lyrics are a little teenybopper and dopey. But The Atlantics’ tough sound and virtuoso playing (for a garage band) transform it into something bigger. There’s a great guitar solo and instrumental breakdown. It’s similar in tone to many of the American garage bands from the first volume of Nuggets, but The Atlantics have better instrumental chops than most.

There’s an amazing dynamism to The Atlantics’ “Come On.” From the strong bass-riff intro onward, it builds through a sequence of distinct stages, adding and subtracting instruments, before tumbling into the raucous, shouted chorus. It all ends in an ear-splitting, fuzz-spitting guitar break.

Mike Stax, Nuggets II liner notes

The Aftermath

The Atlantics drifted apart in early 1970. Peter Hood operated a successful recording studio, while bassist Bosco Bosanac forged a successful career in country music. The band released a new album in 2023, which featured original members Bosco Bosanac and guitarist Jim Skiathitis.

‘Bombora’ is their most enduring song. It was added to the National Film and Sound Archive’s Sounds of Australia registry in 2013

Read More

• Nuggets II Song by Song
• 1960s Album Reviews

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