Long before this Chicago quartet traded in their musical saws and xylophones for a tedious, but thankfully short-lived college-rock phase, the Coctails were the ultimate lounge-garage act. Their gimmick not only consisted of a multi-instrumentation of pop and jazz directly imported from the 1960s; they also had a fan club that sent out exclusive singles, a newsletter, and even toys. The Early Hi-Ball Years perfectly captures the Coctails during this era when they were in their quirky prime. Taken from their self-released albums Hip Hip Hooray!, Here Now Today, and Songs for Children, each track has an unpredictable uniqueness of lounge and rock & roll nostalgia — a result of their combined use of banjos, organs, bells, vibraphones, saxophones, clarinets, and other instruments. – Mike DaRonco