The Barbarians

The Barbarians rank among the most indelible garage bands of the 1960s, thanks to their inclusions on the Nuggets compilation and The T.A.M.I. Show. The vision of their one-handed drummer, hook and all, powering the group through a raw garage-punk number beside the era’s leading British Invasion, soul, and surf acts proves difficult to erase. Moulty displayed little unease about his physical condition; on the modest hit single later enshrined on Nuggets and straightforwardly titled “Moulty,” he recounts his victory over that loss in unabashedly theatrical language. The band also scored a larger success with the novelty number “Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl,” clearly modeled on British Invasion sounds.