Six String Samurai -OST- Bryan Tyler, Red Elvises

Starting off with a blast (literally) of the apacolypse, the track "The United States of Russia" plays a slow chorus with a perfect guitar note, a combination that peforms what can only be called Badass Doom. It's a very short, unmelodic track that is wonderful for beginning. But it's not a song. The Red Elvises make that their prelude as they rip right into the soundtrack with surf guitar tracks. There are drums and the occasional vocal in the background, but the guitars deservedly steal the show. "Love Pipe" almost seems empty, but it's too much fun not to enjoy. The Red Elvises aren't alone on the soundtrack though. Brain Tyler scores sections as well, not very prominently at first, but he is there. "Mother's Hand/Buddy" gives a musicbox melody for The Kid, and then a gritty guitar theme for Buddy before handing things over to the Red Elvises again. Dividing the score between the two is unfair, but appropriate, because unlike some movies where the score and soundtrack don't fit, with one dropping the load and the other stealing the show (such as for "Spider-man 2", where Danny Elfman's score outshines the lackluster songs), the songs and score for "Six-String Samurai" work together wonderfully, even though they each have their own halves (the Red Elvises dominate the first half, while the second half is mostly Brian Tyler score cues.) Don't look for anything of granduer though. This album is set right to the film, even including dialogue snippets from time to time. The Red Elvises specialize in surf tunes, with the occasional jazzy bit here and there, while Brian Tyler takes their surfer style and matches it to the guitars used in most post-Morricone western tunes, but never does it turn into an orchestral bit. I'm tempted to call this soundtrack an aquired taste, however, most people love to have fun, and as the Red Elvises' song "Jerry's Got the Squeeze Box" evidences, that's what this soundtrack wants to promote: Have fun, with twang and sword.

1. United States Of Russia - Six String Samurai, Red Elvises, Brian Tyler
2. Neverland - Brian Tyler
3. Love Pipe - Red Elvises
4. A Mother's Hand/Buddy - Brian Tyler
5. Fly Away Little Butterfly... - Six String Samurai, Brian Tyler
6. Kill 200 Men - Six String Samurai
7. Boogie On The Beach - Red Elvises
8. I Do Not Like Rock And Roll - Six String Samurai
9. Hungarian Dance #5 - Red Elvises
10. Arrowed Kid/Bowlers On The Floor - Six String Samurai
11. Rock N' Rolling Ourselves To Death/Jerry's Got The Squeeze Box - Six String Samurai, Red Elvises
12. Lonely Highway Of Love/Scorchie Chornie - Six String Samurai, Red Elvises
13. My Darling Lorraine - Red Elvises
14. Astro - Brian Tyler
15. Follow The Yellow Brick Road/Leech - Six String Samurai, Red Elvises
16. See You Around Kid/Siberia - Six String Samurai, Red Elvises
17. Good Golly Miss Molly - Red Elvises
18. My Love Is Killing Me - Red Elvises
19. Sacred Funeral - Brian Tyler
20. Relentless Sun - Brian Tyler
21. Over The Hill - Brian Tyler
22. Bring His Guitar To Me/Sahara Burn - Six String Samurai, Brian Tyler
23. A Boy And His Spirit - Brian Tyler
24. If You were Me You'd Be Good Looking/Surfing In Siberia - Six String Samurai, Red Elvises
25. Dragging A Fallen Hero - Brian Tyler
26. Nice Tuxedo/Showdown At Not Okay Corral - Six String Samurai, Brian Tyler
27. Bend Before The Ways Of Heavy Metal/Dueling Guitars - Six String Samurai, Brian Tyler
28. Dream March - Brian Tyler
29. The Great Battle - Brian Tyler
30. End Of A Hero/Finale - Brian Tyler
31. On My Way To Vegas - Brian Tyler

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The Moon Rays - Thrills and Chills

Surfing, monsters and spies...if they ever decide to re-make any of the old Frankie and Annette beach movies, throw in The Creature From the Black Lagoon and spy girl Stephanie Powers to fight him off you'd have the groundwork for a Moon-Rays soundtrack. Spy-Fi at it's best.

I really, really, really, enjoyed this CD the first time I put it on. I like it even more with repeated listening. The thing thats different about "Thrills and Chills" is the variety of themes woven into this recording. It goes from spooky 60's flavored Halloween tunes to 50's exotica, to ear blasting surf and then to spy jazz. But it works!!! Totally different styles but they all blend perfectly into the same genre. I've bought a lot of CD's that have tried to do the same thing but thyese guys pull it off with panasche! My only complaint is with the 11 tracks it should have been longer. I WANT MORE!

1.1313 Mockingbird Lane 2. Shot in the Dark 3. Hypnotique/ Our Man Flint 4. Beat Girl 5. The Bat 6. Shockwave 7. Twang 8. Bonzai Pipeline 9. Lament for a Trapped Spy 10. Run Spy Run 11. Experiment in Terror /"Theme from Creature Features"

thrilz

William Orbit - Best of Strange Cargos

"The Best of Strange Cargos" covers some of William Orbit’s best independent work. Essentially a dynamic album of quirky mood music, with the producer exploiting the full range of his synthesizer presets and evoking a quintessentially '80s style of Fourth World digitalia, with some fascinating twists. "Via Caliente" and "Riding to Rio" are exceptional spaghetti twang pieces that evoke the old west. Cuts from Stange Cargo 2 show Orbit moving (slowly) away from the synth-horn solos and overall sound of new age/contemporary instrumental. Though there's a bit more electronics on this record, he still uses textural touches like Spanish guitar, to give a more human appeal to the digital beats. The last and best of the Strange Cargo albums, III matches elegant sequencer trance and understated organic instruments (piano, guitar) with ethnic-fusion and soft house rhythms. It's the only Strange Cargo featuring vocals, with Beth Orton making an early appearance (more earth mother than neo-folky) on the beautiful ambient-trance single "Water From a Vine Leaf." "The Story of Light" are excellent variations on the same form, while Orbit borrows from hip-hop and dub for "Time to Get Wize," with the toasting of Divine Bashim. There is enough variety here to keep you going from beginning to end, not always knowing where you will wind up and having a good trip getting there.

1. Water From A Vine Leaf 2. Dark Eyed Kid 3. Gringatcho Demento
4. Fire And Mercy 5. Via Caliente 6. Time To Get Wize
7. Ruby Heart (Transmogrified) 8. Atom Dream 9. Harry Flowers
10. Love My Way 11. Riding To Rio 12. The Story Of Light
13. Silent Signals 14. Painted Rock 15. Water From A Vine Leaf (Underworld Remix)
16. Water Babies

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Senor Coconut - Fiesta Songs

Uwe Schmidt continues to explore the line between sincere music philosophy and comical exercise with his Señor Coconut project. While his breakthrough El Baile Alemán album brought to life the idea of a traditional Latin band covering the songs of Kraftwerk to amusing yet intellectual effect, Fiesta Songs does the same to pop hits such as "Smoke on the Water," "Riders on the Storm," and "Beat It" with less finesse but still fun results. An extravaganza of sound and festive energy that will pump new life into your sound system pronto. A highly amusing and entertaining arrangement of voice and spiced up instruments, not to mention the wonderful little surprises like Martin Gore influences.

1. Smoke On The Water 2. Negra Mi Chachacha 3. Riders On The Storm
4. Smooth Operator 5. El Rey De Las Galletas 6. Oxygene Part II
7. Blue Eyes 8. Las Maracas De Machin 9. Beat It 10. Electrolatino
11. Humo En El Agua

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Famous Monsters - In The Night

While Rob Zombie (before his delusions of being a cutting-edge horror movie producer) pulled the classic faux pas of thinking that he could be White Zombie without the rest of the band, Sean Yseult decided to do something ORIGINAL with her music career and enter the realm of crazy-cool chick-trio music. While Cake Like had the kitsch of Kerri Kenney's background on The State, and The 5, 6, 7, 8's have Quentin Tarantino at their back and the Japanese thing to boot (like Shonen Knife, but with more emphasis on retro-rock than food), Famous Monsters went to the realm of surf rock and its tributary, monster-movie shlock. Playing in the personas of Devil Doll (Yseult), She-Zilla (Carol Cutshall) and Vampire Girl (Brijitte West), the humor quickly becomes a little thin in songs like "Bloody Mary," where each band member declares her favorite drink (which do you think declared her favorite the title drink?), but there's enough oddities among the predictable stuff to keep this album interesting. The playing? Oh no, it's not virtuoso stuff, but virtuosity is not the end-all, be-all of what makes music good –i.e The Ramones. This is all very surf-oriented garage rock with a 50's-era horror movie feel (take THAT, Rob not-such-a-Zombie!). "Hairy Eyeball" is a masterpiece, and the opening 2 tracks definitely promise a lively spirit. The album as a whole doesn't live up to the energy completely, but the surprises that keep the shtick from getting too old are the Cheap Trick cover ("Clock Strikes 10") and the cover from Groovie Ghoulies, just to make sure that we see the monster routine as a little childish and not necessarily out to be ground-breaking. This band seemed to last for only two albums, which is a shame, since this album alone makes a far more creative effort that the rest of Rob Zombie's entire career, but this one is definitely worth having--at least for inclusion into a good file shuffle. A lot of potential booty-shaking going on here. If you're looking for SERIOUS music you're definitely looking in the wrong place. Go check out Tales from Topographic Oceans or A Love Supreme. But if you're just looking for all out fun and have a thing for girls dressing up like rejects from a bad horror film- this will definitely hit the spot.

1. Murder Beach U.S.A. 2. In The Night! 3. Lone Wolf Massacree 4. Destroy Puny Earthlings
5. Bloody Mary 6. The Haunting Of Planet Earth 7. Hairy Eyeball 8. Outerspace Deathrace #13
9. Satan Sends A Rat ! 10. Vampire Cosmonaut 11. Oui Monstre, Oui
12. F Is For Fiend 13. Clock Strikes 10 14. International Monster Presentation
15. When I Grow Up

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Tiki Time At the Lounge ....with Apologies to Eek the Cat

Hi guys -- was so impressed with my buddy Eek the Cat's (see links) Tiki post that I had to follow up and give my version. Yea -I know, not a lot of original thought here -- but, hey - you can never go wrong with the classics. Just to add to the mix frequent Eek contributor, AL ZOMBIE, sent me this deadly delicious recipe for --you guessed it ---

So mix one up, grab your favorite smoke, mine for sweet drinks is a light to medium bodied cigar like a Montecristo, and get that mental vacation rolling. By the time you have gone through both Eek's and this post -- you will be long gone from the hassles of everyday life. Enjoy.

The Zombie 2000
2 oz. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1 oz dark rum
1 oz. light rum
6dashes apricot brandy
6 dashes cherry brandy
1 oz.pineapple juice
cracked ice

Miles Corbin -- Sounds From the Tiki Hut

It takes spades of talent to create music as beautiful as this without the aid of layered mixing, over-hyped production and in Miles' case, even lyrics. Even if you're not a big surf fan, but are looking for a some amazing relaxing guitar, this is it! If you happen to love surf to begin with, you will be pleasantly surprised. This is not a full-blooded surf album. It is mainly sparkling reverb with occasional acoustic amid a tapestry of soft bongo-like percussion. No one plays as clean or precisely as Miles. It takes me back to the islands, basking in the sun, sipping a mai tai, w/ some local cats playing under the palapa. I'm a big fan of the Aqua Velvets, and Miles playing is stunningly gorgeous on this as well. His songwriting capabilities are the real treat here though. Haunting, dramatic but always relaxing, it dosen't get more mellow or exotic than this.

1. Tiki Hut 2. Coconut Syrup Daydream Skies 3. Sister Moonlight
4. Indian Summer 5. Quintana Roo 6. Enchanted Island
7. Beats Around The Bush 8. Kahuna 9. California Slack
10. Trail To Magic Falls

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Don Tiki -- Adulterated - The Remix Project

Every couple of years we are treated to a new neo-Exotica treasure from Honolulu's Don Tiki. The new album, Adulterated, is a remix project featuring 11 tunes from their first two albums. Now I'm sure some of you are thinking this is a recipe for disaster (we are all too aware of failed "lounge" remix projects, right?). In this case, Don Tiki have done it the right way. As implied by the title, this is a remix of classic Don Tiki sounds, which pay homage to Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman and all the forefathers of exotica. Even repertory tracks have been mixed, reshaped, refined and re-invented by a coterie of top deejays - call it Martin Denny for the millennium - and the tunes take on new sass.For the most part, the remixes stay true to the vibe of the original songs, so things are mellow and relaxing and not hyper and kinetic. Some good tracks in this mode are All Quiet Flows the Don, remixed by 8FatFat8, and Close Your Eyes, remixed by A Certain Frank. Adulterated features three standout tracks, starting with DJ Jimmy B's remix of The Natives Are Restless. Now, we're big fans of the original song but Jimmy B's remix takes it up a notch. Extremely effective remix effects and nice spoken word pieces highlight this mix, along with chanting to die for. Br Cleve contributes a HiNRG "Bongo Congo" mix of Bwana Banana that somehow fits in even though this has a much higher BPM than the rest of the album. "The Other Side of the Moon," remixed by Ursula 1000 of NYC as heard on the Samsung Electronic worldwide TV campaign. Lastly, Clutch Cargo Cult gets a great remix from 8FatFat8 that includes a nice rap by Julio Davis. Now, things aren't all Mai Tai's for Adulterated. An Occasional Man has a syncopated remix style that I found annoying (honestly, I'm not a fan of the original version either) with several grating effects.

There's a mix of sultry, intermittent vocals with inventive instrumentals. This is party music that collates a myriad of styles, from exotic jazz to ska, from funk to pop. Light the tiki torches, turn on the lava lamps, haul out the tiki mask and start groovin!'

A review in Time Out/NY states, "Don Tiki have a sexy allure along with flair and a good sense of humor." The Honolulu Advertiser says, "Don Tiki captures exotic sounds, party spirit...this is Martin Denny for the Millenium!" This sensuous, flowing piece of work is an instant classic.

1 The Other Side of the Moon 2 Clutch Cargo Cult
3 Heat [Jack Fetterman's Tabuzack Mix] 4 Da T'Ing He Grow
5 An Occasional Man 6 Close Your Eyes 7 The Natives Are Restless
8 Polyamoré 9 Bwana Banana 10 Terminal [Perry Coma's Comatose Mix]
11 All Quiet Flows the Don

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Music For a Bachelor's Den - Exotica (Rare)

This 14-track survey isn't the most extensive exotica compilation, and lacks the single-minded depth of those Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman anthologies. What it lacks in depth, however, it more than compensates for in breadth, especially as it's not limited to the back catalog of a single specific label. Cuts by some of the standard-bearers of the genre are here (Arthur Lyman, Les Baxter, Yma Sumac, the South Sea Serenaders), as well as more unexpected contributions from Duke Ellington and Percy Faith. The absence of Martin Denny due to contractual issues excludes this from the top of the field, but it's one of the better introductions to the strange world of exotica, with the expected more or less equal doses of kitsch and off-the-wall goofiness. It is the BEST recorded collection of exotica you will find. This is the direct to disc from the master tapes DCC version loving engineered by Steve Hoffman. This will come alive on a good system, the imaging is almost 3 dimensional even in this reduced format. Sit back, pour yourself a Zombie and go far far away to your happy place.

1 Taboo South Sea Serenaders
2 Song of India Irving Cottler
3 Ritual of the Torch Hunter, Frank & His Orchestra
4 Jungle Fantasy Percy Faith
5 Bonga Ellington, Duke
6 Poinciana Maxwell, Robert & His Orchestra
7 Sim Sim Lyman, Arthur Group
8 Salome's Veil Lester, Sonny And His Orchestra
9 Arab Dance Irving Cottler
10 Mountain High, Valley Low Ethel Azama
11 Ataypura (High Andes) Yma Sumac
12 Simba Baxter, Les And His Orchestra
13 Zimbah! Hunter, Frank & His Orchestra
14 Tahiti Sunrise South Sea Serenaders

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Tipsy - Trip Tease

Tipsy totally defies categorization. On a crude level, I suppose you could call them electronic, though I think they actually bring all their instruments into the studio and organically recreate the sound of exotic electronic music. Think of them as Martin Denny on acid.

On their debut album Trip Tease, they seem to get as much pleasure from playing around with their music as they do playing it. Given that Tim Digulla and David Gardner were involved in industrial and ambient projects previously, it's not a surprise that there are bizarre juxtapositions of mood, tone and texture on this album. What is surprising is how well the group's blend of state-of-the art editing and retro-exotica-sci-fi kitsch works. Songs like "Liquordelic," "Mr. Excitement" and "El Bombo Atomico" go beyond the intellectual, studio experiments they could have been, blossoming into hothouse hybrids that transcend genres and just sound good. The weightless keyboards and slide guitars on "Space Golf" and "Nude On The Moon" wink at the Atomic Age's preoccupation with living in outer space, while "Oops!" and "Grossenhosen" sound like a collaboration between Carl Stalling, Raymond Scott and the Orb. "Tuatara," "Fuad Ramses" and "Something Tropical" nod to the exotica trend of the '50s and '60s. The album's remarkable arrangements feature bouncy drums, sitars, harps, horns and all sorts of unclassifiable "space" effects that jell into a collection of songs that are retro and cutting edge, bachelor pad and launching pad.

A must for sound geeks and space age bachelors alike, Trip Tease is an invigorating debut that only gets better with each listen Their music veers in such diverse directions, though, that it is at times difficult to tell the music is even modern. If you own a swimming pool, this is music to lay out with and sip fruity green drinks from martini glasses with paper umbrellas. If you are a landlocked city dweller, this music can transport you to a little island called Tipsydonia, where the natives are friendly, the beaches are white, and there's a luau till dawn every night. If you live in the country and feel misunderstood, this CD will either make you feel that someone does understand your slightly wacky view of the world or make you so immensely cheered up that you will no longer care. Beware, though...listening to this music in your sleep may cause sudden knowledge of the entire Tahitian language and a strange longing for cat-eye sunglasses and pina coladas...

1 Mr. Excitement 2 Space Golf 3 Grossenhosen 4 Tuatara 5 Nude on the Moon
6 El Bombo Atomico 7 Liquordelic 8 Cinnabar 9 Fuad Ramses 10 Oops! 11 Ugly Stadium 12 Something Tropical 13 Zenith

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Check out the archive for their second effort -- Uh Oh! more in the lines of space age pop.

Pimp My Band 1 -- The Treblemakers

This is a new section at the Lounge -- Zak Izbinsky of the Treblemakers left a comment on a prior post that got me thinking of this. He is the third music maker who has left a positive comment. So--as a thank you -- here is the The Treblemakers Vs. The Doomsday Device with Zak on the guitar.

Here is how the conversation went:
Zak: If you like the Bomboras, you should check out the Treblemakers, a great Canadian surf/garage band with a prominent Farfisa organ sound and some fuzz guitar along with the reverb.

Brandonio: And Zak would be from the Treblemakers yes? Your so totally busted dude. Zak Izbinsky folks out self promoting his band, shameless (yes) has a point good(yes). Zak dude no need to boost your band to me, your album "The Treblemakers versus The Doomsday Device"is a modern classic in my book. Any way It's cool that you could stop by and and say hi.

Here you go -- The Treblemakers are supposedly coming out with a new one this year -- until then - enjoy.

1 Waiting for the Apocalypse 2 The Great White Lunch Hour
3 Exploding Bikers from Hocheloga 4 Freakshow 5 Rubber Dukies
6 Lawnmower Drag 7 Organ Failure 8 Seven Seconds to Perfection
9 The Sheriff of Chinatown 10 The Lonesome Cretin 11 Ebola
12 Countdown at Ground Zero 13 The Shmirnoff Conspiracy
14 The Dentures in Space 15 Squarewave

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The Bomboras -- Organ Grinder

Organ Grinder was originally relaesed as a mini-album but the version here includes more than a handful of live tracks. The Bomboras are simply the best at their style of surf. Loungy organ, screaming guitar, intense bass lines and the unbelieveable rhythmic pounding of Dave Klein. So it's not deep or guaranteed to stir your soul, and that's not it's intended purpose. These cats wail, and they are very well balanced, each bombora puts on a show of his own. The recording is rough and wild, just like the group. Great frat surf here. Let it rip and play it loud.

1. Return Of The Death Ray 2. Take A Chance 3. Organ Grinder 4. She Kills Me 5. Riot City 6. Third Star To The Left
7. Ilene 8. Night Rider 9. Asphalt Eater
10. Last Call
11. Lord Hunt Surf Party 12. Moon Probe 13. Earthquake 14. Forbidden Planet

ogrind

Wrinkles - Rare Classic Chess Records Instrumentals

This cd is a complilation of rare Chess instrumentals from the 50's and 60's. What we have with this potpourri of Chess recordings is a series of ingenious variations on the popular instrumental format. A little blues, a little pop, a little jazz, a lot of fun. Not always categorizable, and different virtually from track to track. However, all of these pieces share a feeling of time and place, a sense of earthiness that prevades the bulk of Chess recordings of the '50s and early '60s, coupled with a hearty raucousness that creates instant mental images of smokey after-hours jams. There is an unreleased Bo Diddley song "Mess Around", worth the price of admission alone. I did not expect to like every single track, but I do! This gem is hard to find – enjoy.

1."Lucky Lou" by Jody Williams 2. "Wrinkles" by The Big Three Trio 3. "Blue Midnight" (alternate take) by Little Walter 4. "How High the Moon" by Chuck Berry 5. "Driving Home, Part 2" by Paul Gayten 6. "Soft, Sweet and Mellow Blues" (take 2) by Earl Brown 7. "Five Spot" by Otis Spann 8. "Little Eva" by Lloyd Glenn 9. "Ram-Bunk-Shush" by Gene the Hat 10. "Shimmy Shimmy Walk, Part 1" by The Megatons 11. "Coolin' Out" by J.C. Davis 12. "Mess Around" by Bo Diddley

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R. Crumb and the Cheap Suit Serenaders - Singin' in the Bathtub

In the late '70s the Cheap Suit Serenaders--fronted by comix legend Robert Crumb but also featuring fellow old-time music artistes Robert Armstrong, Bob Brozman, Al Dodge, Tom Marion, and Terry Zwigoff (who would later produce a whole film on Crumb)--were the only group around who would even think about still producing 78s. After all, that's where all their favorite music came from. Those platters are now highly collectible, but their albums live on, reissued on CD. Singing in the Bathtub collects some of their best work--humorous originals such as "Suits Crybaby Blues" and plenty of covers of tunes from obscure 78s. Their playing is flawless (you probably haven't heard the steel guitar, banjo mandolin, or musical saw played with such virtuosity as here), the tunes are mostly fun and spirited, and the music styles are varied. In the hands of the Cheap Suits, old-time music is alive and well. --Jason Verlinde

As if it weren't enough that Robert Crumb was one of the outstanding inventors of the 60's style underground cartoon art (often imitated, never duplicated .. remember Janis Joplin's first album cover?) .. this album has got to be one of the understated works of our time. Robert has an outstanding line up (for example, Brozman who is a slack key style player, and also appears as an instructor in Home Spun Video tape courses). I love this stuff! It makes me happy .. it's sincere and heartfelt .. qualities which are completely absent in so much of today's modern over marketed, over hyped, over produced trend ridden music drek! This CD actually put me in touch with a part of myself that had been long lost .. experiencing the fun and enjoyment of listening to simple good music performed with spirit. It should do the same for you. The title cut is Bugs Bunny's favorite song -- he sings it in 5 or 6 classic cartoons. If it's good enough for Bugs -- it's good enough for me. Have fun.

1. Singing in the Bathtub 2. Chile Blues 3. Dream of Heaven
4. Suits Crybaby Blues 5. Collier Medley: Ben Hur March & Napoleon March
6. Shopping Mall 7. Yearning and Blue 8. Hula Girl
9. Pedal Your Blues Away 10. La Gima Polka 11. Sing Song Girl
12. Home 13. My Gal Sal

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Walter Wanderley - Talkin' Verve

You will recognize Wanderly's work instantly as it is the absolute core of the origin of the first generation, shopping mall-lounge music. It'll remind you of early, wacky, tounge n' cheek Woody Allen Films.

The organ music...OH MAN! It's KWWAZY! The syncopation will leave you swirling. Imagine a hopped up Grandma jammin’ away at the roller rink!
It is a fantastic mix of Jazz and brasilian elements with accent on syncopation at a point where entertainment is so high that it has rarely been reached again by western musicians after him. Sadly syncopation has never been explored enough by western musicians, I don't know why. He had syncopation, and an immense musicality. His interpretations of brasilian standards and pop favorities are crazy fun. No cool discography is good without Walter's music. I can't say more than this.

1. Popcorn 2. Agua De Beber 3. Amazonas
4. The Girl Form Impanema 5. Summer Samba 6. Blue Island
7. Taste Of Sadness 8. Crickets Sing For Ana Maria
9. Canto De Ossanha 10. A Different Beat 11. Call Me
12. Wave 13. Beach Samba 14. Music To Watch Girls By
15. Goodbye Sadness 16. Batucada Surgiu

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Shark Quest -- Battle of the Loons

Blending beautiful guitar melodies with inspired beats and producing a sound that might be like "surf jazz", the band continues to impress. Each track in this album is long enough to enjoy the music, but short enough to hold the listener's interest until the next song plays. Musically, this album is quite diverse. Each track sounds like it could be coming from a different band. This album makes me wish I had synesthesia. I would be smelling roses, seeing a kaleidoscope of colors, and tasting gourmet cuisine. Many different soundscapes. I recommend for lovers of jazz or rock, for the album could easily be considered either one.

1. Blake Carrington 2. Kool's America 3. Baii 4. Ellen's Theme
5. Lunch At Sara's 6. Dead Turkey Gulch 7. Armadillotron
8. In A Dive 9. 5 Dollars

shk

Impala - Night Full of Sirens

In my opinion, Impala was one of the greatest, and easily the most underrated of the recent instrumental surf revivalists – hailing from Memphis, Tn, no less. This is an outstanding compendium of their best pieces. Slow, sensuous, sleazy sax over the fast pulse of a great rhythm section. Exotic, melodic guitar riffs instead of the usual tube-amp thrash that tries to pass itself off as surf these days. This album creates a beautifully sleazy, neon-lit pulsating world. What a great way to start a new year!

1. Ltd A Go Go 2. Mr. Here 3. Taos Pueblo 4. Experiment In Terror / Stalkin'
5. Hell Of A Woman 6. Odalisque 7. Ronnie And The Renegades
8. Wild Night At The Bloody Bucket 9. Last Tango In Turrell
10. Anna Vienna 11. Incident On The 10Th Floor 12. The Hearse
13. King Louie Stomp 14. Nothing More Than Murder 15. Penetration
16. Venus Flytrap 18. Epilogue 19. Squad Car 20. Tomb Of The Tupelo Twin
21. Blue Light Of Capricorn 22. Night Full Of Sirens 23. Herculanium
24. Rope Of Sand 25. Choctaw 26. Jet Action Brunette 27. Cozy Corner 28. The Scratch 29. Makin' It 30. Amarillo

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Hold The Vocals - A Tribute to Instrumental Music

Tribute CDs are usually a hit or miss affair. This one's a bit different. Rather than concentrating on one artist, or a specific genre, Hold the Vocals salutes the instrumental tunes that were hits during the 50's, 60's and 70's, and overall, the results are quite good. Most of the bands featured here will be unknown to the masses, but that’s part of their charm. Independent/obscure artists are often just as enjoyable (sometimes more so) as their über-moneymaking peers. As for the artists being covered here, you can't get much more variety: how about Captain Beefheart, Henry Mancini, Led Zeppelin, Funkadelic, & The Beach Boys for starters?
The Squirrels get the award for the most innovative tune (or tunes, in this case) for their mixing of "Hawaii Five-O" and Dave Brubeck's "Take Five." This may seem like an unlikely combination, but it really works. Waterdogs turn in a fine cover of Henry Mancini's theme from the Blake Edwards movie, Experiment in Terror. Ever wonder what The Allman Brothers Band would sound like as a surf band? Check out Hugh Jones' cool take on "Don't Want You No More" and you'll get a good idea. Jones never strays too far from the classic ABB sound, but he gives you an idea of what they could sound like. Bill Wolford's Head serves up a funked-up rendition of Zeppelin's "Moby Dick," only instead of the drum solo, Wolford throws in orgasmic moans and samples of "Whole Lotta Love." Link Wray, who is probably best known as the man responsible for inventing the power chord, is ably represented here by d.A. Sebasstian's with his version of Wray's "Rumble." Things quiet down a bit on tracks by Adam & His Ballard Playboys (who contribute a beautiful cover of Santo & Johnny's "Sleepwalk") and Michael R. Bristow (with his acoustic version of The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds").Over the course of the next three tracks, this CD is all over the musical palette--from rockabilly (The Exploding Pintos' cover of Jeff Beck's "Jeff's Boogie") to electronica (on Swedish Whistler's version of Hot Butter's "Popcorn," complete with the sound of popping corn at the end) to ambient trance (on Trance to the Sun's ethereal take on Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross"). On Alonzo "Blind Pineapple" Phillips' "Pipeline," the song sounds like something out of a spaghetti western instead of the surf classic made famous by The Chantays and later by Dick Dale and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
The two tracks that are really far out are Elvis X's almost unrecognizable cover of Billy Preston's "Outtaspace" and Clang Quartet's deconstruction of Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein." The drum solo sounds like it's being played on coffee cans... Maybe that's the idea. This is worth a listen, and in most cases, more than one. If you're a fan of covers songs or any of the bands covered here, Hold the Vocals will make a great addition to your collection.

1. Hawaii Take 5-0 (The Squirrels) 2. Frying Pan (Erik 4-A & Friends)
3. Experiment In Terror (Waterdogs) 4. Don't Want You No More (Hugh Jones)
5. Telstar (freedirt) 6. Moby Dick (Bill Wolford's Head)
7. Rumble (D.A. Sebasstian) 8. Sleepwalk (Adam & His Ballard Playboys)
9. Pet Sounds (Michael R. Bristow) 10. Haunted Castle (Peter Parker)
11. Jeff's Boggie (The Exploding Pintos) 12. Popcorn (Swedish Whistler)
13. Albatross (Trance To The Sun) 14. Pipeline (Alonzo "Blind Pineapple" Phillips)
15. Outaspace (Elvis X) 16. Frankenstein (Clang Quartet)
17. Maggot Brain (Peter Aldrich)

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The Avengers and other Top 60's T.V. Themes

Fun set with 60(!) themes from hit U.S. & U.K. TV shows of the '60s, all digitally remastered. A must for fansof lounge music, it includes numerous spy, detective & sci- fi themes, including 'The Avengers' (fans of the 1998 film starring Uma Thurman, Sean Connery & Ralph Fiennes need look no further for the original theme), 'Dr. Who', 'The Saint', 'The Fugitive', 'Perry Mason', 'Out Of This World', 'Peyton Place' & 'Thunderbirds'. The themes to the British shows are the original versions. Some of the others are rerecorded for this set. Purists might scoff, but, there is no other source for some the obscure British spy show themes. Extremely loungerific in most excellent quality recordings.

1. The Avengers - The Laurie Johnson Orchestra
2. A Man In A Suitcase - Ron Grainer & His Orchestra
3. Thunderbirds - The Barry Gray Orchestra
4. Dr. Who - Eric Winstone And His Orchestra
5. Old Ned (Theme From 'Steptoe & son) - Ron Grainer
6. Who Do You Think You Are Kidding... Mr. Hitler? (Dad's Army) - Bud Flanagan
7. Captain Scarlet - The Barry Gray Orchestra
8. Theme From Z-Cars - Johnny Keating & His Orchestra
9. The Saint - Cyril Stapleton & The Eliminators
10. Department S - The Cyril Stapleton Orchestra
11. Joe 90 - The Barry Gray Orchestra
12. Crossroads Theme - The Tony Hatch Orchestra
13. Lucky Stars (Theme From 'Thank Your Lucky Stars') - Peter Knight & The Nightriders
14. Light Flight (Theme From 'Take Three Girls') - Pentangle
15. Stingray - Gary Miller/Barry Gray Orchestra
16. High Wire (Theme From 'Danger Man') - The Bob Leaper Orchestra
17. The Champions - The Tony Hatch Orchestra
18. Hancock's Tune (From T.V. Show) - The Derek Scott Music
19. Forsyte Saga Theme - Cyril Stapleton, His Choir & Orchestra
20. On The Ball (World cup TV Theme) - John Schroeder Orchestra
21. The Power Game - The Cyril Stapleton Orchestra
22. A Little Suite (Theme From 'Dr. Finlay's Casebook') - The Les Reed Strings
23. Fireball (Theme From 'Fireball XL5') - The Flee-Rekkers
24. Maigret Theme - The Eagles
25. Out Of This World - The Tony Hatch Orchestra
26. No Hiding Place - The Laurie Johnson Orchestra
27. The Fugitive Theme - John Schroeder Orchestra
28. Theme From 'Who-Dun-It' - The Tony Hatch Orchestra
29. W. Somerset Maugham - The Cyril Stapleton Orchestra
30. Happy Joe (Theme From 'Comedy Playhouse') - Ron Grainer

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1. Scarlett (Theme From 'Scarlett Hill') - Peter Knight Orchestra
2. How Soon (Theme From The Richard Boone Show) - Jackie Trent
3. The Willow Waltz (Tim Frazer's Theme) - The Tony Hatch Orchestra
4. Mr. Rose - Roy Budd Listen Listen
5. The Doctors - The Tony Hatch Orchestra
6. Theme From Sam Benedict - Johnny Keating & His Orchestra
7. Ben Casey - The Tony Hatch Orchestra
8. Sir Francis Drake - The Piccadilly Strings
9. Perry Mason - The Tony Hatch Orchestra
10. Our House - The Piccadilly Stings
11. Who Is Sylvia? - Charlie Drake
12. Latin Quarter (Theme From 'Riviera Police') - The Laurie Johnson Orchestra
13. Ghost Squad - The Tony Hatch Orchestra
14. Echo Four-Two - The Laurie Johnson Orchestra
15. Our Love Story (From TV Series 'Love Story') - Sounds Orchestral
16. Theme From 'Naked City' (Somewhere In The Night) - The Tony Hatch Orchestra
17. Sucu Sucu (From TV Series 'Top Secret') - The Laurie Johnson Orchestra
18. Casablanca (Theme From 'Crane') - Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen
19. Oliver Twist Theme - The Eagles
20. Carlos' Theme (From 'The Sentimental Agent') - Johnny Keating
21. The Spies Theme - Cyril Stapleton
22. The Deputy - Laurie Johnson Orchestra
23. Man Alive - The Tony Hatch Orchestra
24. Memories Of Summer (From TV Series 'Love Story') - The Tony Hatch Orchestra
25. Lunar Walk (Theme From 'Thank Your Lucky Stars') - Johnny Hawksworth Orchestra
26. West End (From 'Whicker's World') - The Laurie Johnson Orchestra
27. Three Live Wires - Bob Wallis & The Storyville Jazzmen
28. Quick Before They Catch Us - Paddy, Klaus & Gibson
29. That's Me Over Here (Ronnie Corbett's Theme) - Cyril Stapleton
30. Theme From 'Peyton Place' - Jack Dorsey Orchestra

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El Patapsco

El Patapsco play instrumental music influenced by surf, spaghetti westerns, rockabilly, and sixties garage.

Here's a recent review of one our shows from 4/1/06 at Otto's Shrunken Head in NYC (pasted in from Yahoo's NESMA group):

"Next up was a band up from Baltimore, just for our viewing pleasure and it was aural pleasure too. El Patapsco is a unique 5 piece ensemble. What I noticed was 3 unusual choices in instruments: lovely Becky on a Roland Organ, Marc on a hollow body Gibson, and Mike on a hollow body Rickenbacker. There wasn't much reverb from the guitars, the organ provided the reverb instead. This trio was backed up by the rock solid rhythm section of Ted on bass and Mark on drums. Many of the songs such as The Rattler, Huevos Sowebos had a spaghetti twang with an emphasized on good interplay between the guitars and organ. Yamanote Line had slower poppy sound, almost like a love song.” Very nice bowl of spagetti, with meat sauce.

1 Long Range Desert Group 2 Battery in My Side Yard 3 The Rattler
4 The Revenge of Wooly Doug 5 Check the Record6 Bulletproof Bully
7 Caravan 8 Yamanote Line 9 Gerry From Pikesville 10 Jolly Rancher
11 A Shot in the Dark 12 Western Grip

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Space Age Pop 1 Melodies and Mischief

Long before labels--the music contained on this cd was definitely "out there." A boon to arrangers and players who thought there could be more in the creative experience. Like Sauter/Finnegan and other pioneers--much of this disc is quite simply ahead of its time. Ping pong effects and all. Head and shoulders above the Command Classics stuff. There are 3 volumes of these early RCA adventures--made for adventurous tastes and long before Capitol and the hordes gave it a category. Ultra lounge at some of it’s best.

1. Delicado - The Three Suns 2. Caravan
3. Little Black Box - Bob Thompson 4. Foolin' Around - Esquivel 5. Whispering - Henri René
6. 3rd Man Theme - John Klein, Sid Ramin 7. Sentimental Journey 8. Roller Coaster - Henri René & His Orchestra, April Stevens
9. Isle of Capri - Dennis Farnon 10. Springtime for Hitler - Henry Mancini
11. Scheherazade - Markko Polo Adventurers 12. Diga Diga Doo - Bob Thompson
13. Why Wait - Pérez Prado 14. Doll Dance - Russ Case 15. Smoke - The Three Suns
16. Powerhouse - Sid Bass

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