From the beginning, rock was destined for a loudness arms race; any music that depends on maintaining a rebellious edge will need to keep upping the ante. In my lifetime I saw rock reach the natural endpoint of extreme loudness and distortion, then slowly begin to wither. But on these first garage rock records, when bored suburban kids started really fucking with their amps and getting nasty, the thrill is undeniable. You can hear it every time Van Morrison ad libs over the chorus of the gloriously unhinged “Gloria;” he seems to ask “How far can I push this?”