The album compiles teen garage groups influenced by surf rock, and is somewhat raw and amateurish in its recordings.

In comparison to the rest of the series, You Treated Me Bad is the most pop and folk rock-oriented as the majority of the featured musical artists attempted to appeal to public taste.

[1] Musical highlights include "Hurray for Hazel", by Terry Davidson and the Barracudas, which is an instrumental marked by its jangling freeform.

Additionally, the Morticians' "It's Gonna Take a While" makes innovative use of fuzz-toned guitar arrangements, and the Sound Extraction's "I Feel Like Crying" holds the novelty of the singer vocalizing the guitar solo.

Arguably, the best known song on the album is The JuJus' "You Treat Me Bad", which is considered a garage rock classic for its inclusion on Pebbles, Volume 1.