Happy Labor Day!

LABOR DAY postathon -- here is the start of a massive post to celebrate Fat City's first year in operation. Many thanks to those who visit and comment and enjoy our fine, fine wares. Many more ready for next year. Enjoy this group of WAY KOOL loungerific tunz for your parties and pleasure.

There are nine music posts to this so click on the older posts link at the bottom of this page for the rest of the groovie goodies.

To help you celebrate - here's a little cocktail to set the mood.

Monkey's Rum Martini

1/2 oz Bailey's® Irish cream
1/2 oz banana liqueur
1 1/2 oz Myer's® dark rum
1/2 oz cream
shredded coconut flakes

Shake ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Garnish rim of glass with shredded coconut. Strain into glass and serve.

Ape - Jungle Gems

Imagine the grooviest tropical vacation in your mind, complete with wailing bongos, Hawaiian steel, ukuleles, tribal drums, surfy guitars, the occasional vocal and foreboding Tiki's - that's APE, a six-piece Exotica Rock band from San Francisco. They TOTALLY rock – everything is played fast and furious from bitchin’ originals to classic covers. Endless Summer is a hoot. WAAAAAAAAAY Reccommended! Punk Exotica – watch out world, here comes APE.

1 The Jungle Calls 2 Papia Tahiti Nui 3 Jumping Beans 4 Missorlou 5 Hawaiian War Chant 6 La Cuba Libra 7 Hawaiian China Doll 8 The Endless Summer 9 Bell's Beach 10 I'm Pau
11 Barbados Carnival 12 Jungle Gems 13 Pass The Hatchet 14 Hilo March 15 Na Pali Drums
16 Caravan 17 Kilima Waltz

goinape

Four Piece Suit -- On The Town

Thanks to Brandonio who served up this awesome sonic delight.

As heard in “SEX IN THE CITY” --- FourPiece Suit’s ON THE TOWN spins through surprising realms that only Four Piece Suit could navigate. By turns swinging, romantic, exotic, or downright wacky, be ready for a romp. The Four Piece Suit sound has often been called "cinematic", and this new collection goes further than ever in that direction. The Four Piece Suit highball is a mix of sea-foam soaked guitar and squalling tenor sax, shaken--not stirred--with Finnish surf tangos, Battista-Era mambos, Depression swing, Slavic hoe-downs, spaghetti Westerns, beach blanket boppers, spy music, crime jazz, and movie themes. Just the thing for audiences thirsty for a shot of rock'n'roll in their cocktail music, with a twist of romance. They continue to generate new sounds, pulling from different genres each and every song. What can often happen with instrumental bands is that all the songs start melting together into one LONG song - this never happens with Four Piece Suit. These Boston based musicians are total pro's and have created some of the most infectious pop rock instrumentals since Duane Eddy - I would even call some of it genius. Get all of their stuff for a full jazzy wig out.

1 Vindaloo 2 Lobology 3 Prowler 4 The Magnificent Four 5 Hot Oil 6 Dusting
7 Samba Familiar 8 Dave's Bossa 9 Redd's Funk 10 Shake & Bake
11 Vigoda 12 Do You Bossa Nova, Sophia? 13 Low Blow 14 Blue Texas
15 Castle Mood 16 Finally 17 Shooting The Breeze 18 Come Here Often?
19 Loungin The Blues 20 Get Up & Go

towny

Four Piece Suit - Spirito

Quirky, eclectic, instrumental music. Third CD from Four Piece Suit, who have created a unique musical world, somewhere between Rock'n'Roll and Jazz. Driven by huge tenor sax tone and twanging guitars, "Spirito" careens from Spaghetti Western, through Bollywood, Latinesque, Space Age bachelor pad, cartoon music, Merseyside Big Beat, and their own serpentine groove pieces. Best known for their sophisticated, comic, and sexy soundtracks for HBO's Sex and the City, this Grammy-nominated combo has shown up in innumerable films and tv shows. As always, the band has a blast with their favorite styles, but on this outing, more than ever before, they have gone beyond category to create a sound that is uniquely Four Piece Suit.

1. Spaghetti-O 2. Desi's Cha Cha Cha 3. Vindaloo 4. Toreador Pants 5. Village of the Jammed 6. Lobology 7. Hold Me Loose 8. Moondust 9. Dig Big 10. Hijinx 11. Medley: Castle Mood/Johnny Guitar 12. Cuyahoga Crawl 13. Tube Top 14. Spirito

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Four Piece Suit- Ready To Where?

If you have seen the TV show, “Sex In The City,” you have heard Four Piece Suit already. They do the opening theme and some of the incidental background score for the show.I love their "spy/surf" music the most, but their mix of old time rock and roll, Latin themes, beach party music, and other unclassifiable tunes is very ear-catching from start to finish. David Sholl's sax is better than having a lead singer, and Milt Reder's guitar work is outstanding. Dean Cassell on bass and Lorne Entress on drums are showcased on a few songs as well.You haven't heard a band like them. But you'll almost certainly like them.

Review – Stevie “8”This band rocks! They swing! They swagger! They're the absolute most - to say the very least! Hailing from the greater Boston area, Four Piece Suit lays to rest those nasty rumors that the East Coast has no swing!Choice cuts: "A Shot in the Dark", "Theme From Exodus", "Something for Cat" and "Dark Eyes" all are guaranteed to get your happy feet moving on the dancefloor - whether you want to swing, twist, frug, or just do that drunken frat-boy shuffle. Throughout it all, David Sholl's sax wails one its sexy-siren call above the grooving guitars.Picture a beach party where Frankie Sinatra drops Ava Gardner for Annette Funicello. THIS is the CD they'd be playing! Amazon

1. A Shot In The Dark2. Mondo Bondo3. Jam Up4. Theme From Exdous5. Something For Cat6. Kolme Kitaraa7. Strip Search8. Walter And Conny9. In Pain In Paris10. El Cumbanchero11. Hey Hey My My (Out Of The Blue)12. Rambunctious13. Lonesome Lover14. Human Jungle15. Dark Eyes

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password: eektcat

Four Piece Suit - Matinee Idylls

It's a rockin' eclectic set of instrumentals (Well, okay, there is one vocal,) that's at home in a smoky lounge with over-dressed patrons and over-dressed martinis. It just as much at home with half the room rocking while watching the other half swing. The Boston Globe (1/21/99) said, "No Label for these Suits! Four Piece Suit does a swinging instrumental hybrid of surf. lounge, rock and jazz. The sound is suave and playful with non-stop banter between Dave Sholl's sax and the three remaining pieces: Milt Reder's guitar, Dean Cassell's bass, and Lorne Entriss's drums.Four Piece Suit in the flesh--er, suits--whips up a nice camp-infected rumpus, and on disc it doesn't disappoint. "Matinee Idyls" is mostly composed of originals, mingled with covers such as a surfy take on Patti Page's 'Old Cape Cod' and 'It came from Ipanema,' a woozy relation to the Ipanema song." Some of their pieces harken back to the "Beach Blanket Bingo" style of lounge act and others are reminicient of the 1940s crime dramas. All around fun. Highly recommended

1.Dave's Happy Place 2.Bombasteroid 3.Go Ahead and Burn 4.Sloppy Shopping 5.Sneaky 6.El Niño 7.Yeah Yeah 8.Romeoville 9.Elevator Shaft 10.Cara 11.Medley: Granada - Blue Pavillion 12.Blow-Air-O 13.Regrettable 14.Bender 15.Roxotica 16.Old Cape Cod 17.It Came from Ipanema

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Kenny Sasaki - Tiki Moon

Ken Sasaki, a long time composer/bassist for independent films and artists in the island of Japan, has found a heaven where Jazz, Reggae, Latin, Polynesian and Rock coexist, brought together by analog and futuristic means. This is one of those rare albums you will keep going back to time after time. It pleases lovers of all genres once they've reclined their seats to relax. Ideal for moods at dinner parties or kick back sessions after night falls. Also a fulfilling alternative for those who seek exotic travel but choose to stay home in the comfort of their cocoon. Fans of Waitiki will love this. Check out XTABAY (in links) for more amazing lounge and tiki sounds.

1 Enchanted 2 At the Tiki Bar 3 Fever 4 Tiki Diva 5 Owl 6 Snow On the Beach 7 Sweet Talk 8 Cat 9 Crescent Moon 10 The Way You Turn Me On

tikitavi

Pepe and the Bottle Blondes - Latenight Betty

Aight, if you are looking for interesting and fun music with a distictive Latin flair then this is the one to get. What a trip! Mad, bizarre, outrageous paired up with melodic, rhythmical, and enchanting. I'd classify their style as mellifluous hodgepodge. Bold improvisations on some familiar tunes and themes, plus plenty of inventive and original variations. Incredibly catchy, swirling, jiving music and lyrics. Nothing is held back, totally unrestrained. The music has the ability to make any room start jumpin’. Beyond that, tho, is the song selection shows the diversity and breadth of the musicians. One of the most fun (there's that word again) songs is Number 4. It sounds like an old-style swing song, except for the fact that the lead vocalist is singing in Chinese...really really bizzarro cool. There is also a really nifty keeno version of Sing Sing Sing. My personal favorite is Rumba de 5 Kilos. If you enjoy Pink Martini HINT HINT then this a must, the same quality but much more danceable. Pick up the Pink Martini (another group put together with Pepe Raphael) for a full on cabaret in the twilight zone experice. "Latenight Betty" is nothing short of a fiery, feisty, cathartic listening experience.

1. Rumba De 5 Kilos 2. L'oranguta 3. Cuentame Que Te Paso 4. I Want Some Lovin' 5. Joselito 6. Tarzacheando 7. El Vals De Tomas 8. Lo Dudo 9. Boom Boom 10. Quizas 11. Sing Sing Sing 12. Unnamed

bleachedblonde

Pink Martini - Sympathique

Pink Martini was the brainchild of classically trained pianist Thomas M. Lauderdale and vocalist China Forbes; fusing a vast array of influences spanning Cuban jazz to music hall to film scores, the group honed an exotic sound which led to their 1997 debut LP, Sympathique. Rather than simply aping legendary artists in their prime--and fooling only a few dim bulbs in the process--band shakes things up by writing its own material, or at least creating tasteful new arrangements that fit within the band’s unique post-lounge framework. Hard to describe, incredible to listen to. Think of the soundtrack to a surreal 1940's European spy movie and you might get close. Cool no matter what. For you surf fans --check out - No Hay Problema - some of the best spanish spagetti guitar you will hear.

1. Amado Mio 2. No Hay Problema 3. Sympathique 4. Qué Sera Sera 5. La Soledad 6. Donde Estas, Yolanda? 7. Andalucia 8. Song Of The Black Lizard 9. Never On Sunday 10. Brazil 11. Lullaby

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pmsin2

Pink Martini - Hang On Little Tomato

LABOR DAY postathon -- here is the beginning of a massive post to celebrate Fat City's first year in operation. Many ythanks to those who visit and comment and enjoy our fine, fine wares. Many more ready for next year . Enjoy this group of WAY KOOL loungerific post. More coming over the weekend as I get time.

Pink Martini should be known as the little orchestra that walks a fine line in its music. The Portland, Oregon, outfit is deeply influenced by Latin music, jazz, cabaret, cinema scores, and a smattering of other styles. But rather than simply aping legendary artists in their prime--and fooling only a few dim bulbs in the process--band shakes things up by writing its own material, or at least creating tasteful new arrangements that fit within the band’s unique post-lounge framework. The band keeps the playful musical vibe on Hang On Little Tomato, but jettisons what kitsch factor it had, choosing to focus wholly on original material or stuff that isn’t recognizable to the average music fan. It’s been a seven-year wait for fans since the band’s fun debut, Sympathique, and while the blush is now off the rose, the band’s creative ambitions and talent are never better displayed than here on their second effort. – Tad Hendrickson

Let's Never Stop Falling in Love 2. Anna (El Negro Zumbon) 3. Hang on Little Tomato 4. Gardens of Sampson & Beasley 5. Veronique 6. Dansez-Vous 7. Lilly 8. Autrefois 9. U Plavu Zoru 10. Clementine 11. Una Notte a Napoli 12. Kikuchiyo to Mohshimasu 13. Aspettami 14. Song of the Black Swan

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The Dionysus Records Empire Presents Music Supervisor's Best Friend: Dionysus Records / Hell Yeah / Bacchus Archives, Not Your Ordinary Music Labels!

A rare treat. DJ promo copy comp from Dionysus wit a little bit of everything! Surf, garage, exotica, and all out fun. Enjoy.

1.'It Came From Pier 13' by The Bomboras, 2. 'White Sands' by Frenchy, 3. 'Night Of The Tikis' by The Tiki Tones, 4. 'High Seas Drifter' by The Tiki Tones, 5. 'Death Valley Charge' by The Outsideinside, 6. 'Hot Foot' by The Boss Martians, 7. 'Best Little Girl' by the Boss Martins, 8. 'The Crossing Guard's Coffee Break' by The Boss Martians, 9. 'Bad And Beautiful' by Kirby Allen presents Chaino, 10. 'Bongo Serenade' by Kirby Allen presents Chaino, 11. 'Hot Water' by Big Sandy & The Fly Rite Trio, 12. 'Smile No More' by Thee Fourgiven, 13. 'Let's Talk About Girls' by The Grodes, 14. 'Where Lovers Go' by The Jaguars, 15. 'Moonshine' by The Surf Teens, 16. 'Ave 339' by Yard Trauma, 17. 'Sanity' by Yard Trauma, 18. 'Vicious Cycle' by Thorazine, 19. 'Amoeba' by Gorilla, 20. 'Happy Family' by Fearless Leader, 21. 'Sex House' by Hot Damn, 22. 'Chico Marx' by The Kabalas, 23. 'Dance Of The Virgins' by Karla Pundit, 24. 'Francis Farmer' by DJ Bonebreak / Skip Heller Quartet, 25. 'Afraid Of The Dark' (edit) by Harmless, 26. 'Song Of Forgetting' (edit) by Harmless, 27. 'Baklava' (edit) by The Outsideinside, 28. 'Six Point Six' by The Outsideinside

new links - revised

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newdino2

The Saboteurs - Espionage Garage

"Spy-Surf" gets a fairly well-rounded workout on this trio's 1998 disc. This Canadian group recorded the CD in Japan--in seemingly low-fi, reverb-drenched surroundings with minimal production by lead guitarist Mark Brodie. Though apparently recorded in the late 90's, there's no sound herein which would indicate it was made after 1966 or so--this would have fit right in as the soundtrack to a Bond or Matt Helms movie.The songs are a fairly good cross-section of various rockin' instrumental styles: a couple of surf-like uptempo rockers ("Spy Party" or "Do the Creep"), lots of minor key themes conveying the darkness and danger of spy action(such as "The Man from E.N.I.G.M.A", "Midnight Rendezvous" or the title song), and a couple of choice covers of 60's instrumentals. (These are the Lee Hazelwood-penned "The Hearse", made famous by the best surf band ever from Boulder, Colorado...the Astronauts, and Bobby Fuller's "Our Favorite Martian" (here dubbed "Our Favorite Saboteur").The performances are smooth without being overly polished, the sound treads the line between an echoey demo tape and a retro-low-fi atmosphere, and the overall mood is consistently interesting even though the disc almost seems at times to be made up of a series of variations on a theme. There's one apparent soundbite from some hokey radio play of the 30's or 40's leading off "Into the Shadows", and an even hokier (if that's a word) spoken word intro and outro to the disc which are not nearly as entertaining as the band seems to think they are. The time spent on these two pieces would have been better served by coming up with a few more memorable songs to add to the menu. Other than this tiny complaint, the disc is recommended to anyone wishing to add a bit of secret agent vibe to their next surf party background music or soundtrack.

Introduction 2. Unabomber 3. Spy Party 4. The Man From E.N.I.G.M.A. 5. Espionage Garage 6. The Hearse 7. Midnight Rendezvous 8. Mission: Unsurfable 9. The Crow Flies At Midnight 10. Our Favorite Sabateur 11. Main Theme From 'The Smiler' 12. Into The Shadows 13. Do The Creep 14. Conclusion

sabos

Mark Brodie & The Beaver Patrol - Live At the Shores of Hell

Brodie & co. do the genre justice in this reverb-soaked monster. Great (albeit a little too clean) cvr of the Illusion's "Jezebel", a true hall-of-famer in the ghostly "Phantom Wave", & a host of solid, traditional sounding tunes. Surf guitar like it's meant to be, old school & bitchin'!

Frogs Can't Surf 2. Jezebel 3. Scratch 4. Bitch Stole My Board 5. Death At Mile Zero 6. Wedgie 7. Day The Surf Stood Still 8. Spin Cycle 9. Banzai Rider 10. Scarlett O'hara 11. Theme From The Old West 12. Bad Hair Day 13. Suicide Ride 14. Meltdown 15. Phantom Wave 16. The Shores Of Hell

hothothot

The Metalunas - X Minus One

Mark Brodie's specialty has been--more or less-- traditional instrumental guitar surfing music. Why mess with a good thing by adding neo-modern reinterpretations? X-MINUS-ONE is his 3rd album, and to date my fave of his. With The Metalunas he's plowing the same field as Man Or Astro-Man-- mixing guitar instros with 50's sci-fi space schlock. It's a fun mixture, and brings up memories of watching exciting (and often tacky) space films on Saturday afternoons. A few times on the album there are surprisingly long passages that could have come straight from even earlier RADIO shows, all adding to the effect. Among the highlights are "Shields Up!" (a cover of "Space Race" by The Hodads, also done by The Space Cossacks), "Blast Off!", and "Satellite Of Mystery", a quiet, moody piece that shows off Brodie's beautiful use of organ-- probably my favorite track here.

X-Minus-One 2. Blast Off! 3. Satellite Of Mystery 4. Enemy Aproaching 5. Shields Up! 6. Moon Relay 7. Interlude 8. It Came From The Nebula 9. Meteorite Mambo 10. Celluloio Planetoid 11. Jupiter Doo Dah 12. Twilight City 13. Ballistic Bikini

blastoff

The Supertones - Modern Surf Band Spotlight

Why would 15 bands from across the globe cover songs composed by The Supertones? Contrary to what you may think – this is NOT a tribute album. This album IS a showcase of some of today’s up and coming bands in the modern surf instrumental scene. It displays a slice of the vast talent of the surf instrumental phenomenon that has spread throughout the world and continued to grow unabated since the early 1960s. The concept behind this release is to strike a contrast between the bands’ interpretations of a body of modern surf music with the bands’ own original compositions. The songs and performances are a testimony to the quality of The Supertones’ music and the tremendous talent of today’s hot new surf bands. KILLER all the way ‘round.

1. Torque Wrench - The Nebulas
2. Fooling Around Playa del Rey - The Bitch Boys
3. Media Nocturne – VonRippers 4. Last Ride - The Cocktail Preachers 5. Side Slippin' - The Diamondheads 6. Dr. Yes - The Retroliners 7. Avanti - Monsters From Mars!
8. Flamenco Surf - The Sharkskins 9. The Wet Set - The Metalunas 10. The Sweet Ride – ZPS 11. Harbor Patrol - Estrume'n'tal 12. Ted's Twist - tsmf 13. Sand Pumper - The Brainwashers 14. Moonshot Part 3 - The Mighty Surf Lords 15. Wingnut - Bustin' Surfboards with Ralph Rebel 16. T-16 - The Nebulas 17. Did You Bring Your Brass Knuckles? - The Bitch Boys 18. 00 1/2 – VonRippers 19. Margarita Meltdown - The Cocktail Preachers 20. Dented Fender - The Diamondheads 21. Rumble In The Stratosphere 2002 - The Retroliners 22. Happy In A Cage - Monsters From Mars! 23. The Mild Bunch Rides Again - The Sharkskins 24. The Curse of Pier 13 - The Metalunas 25. Estampida – ZPS 26. Vacalgada - Estrume'n'tal 27. El Duelo de Chiuauas – tsmf 28. Bawunga Bob - The Brainwashers 29. Spanish Fly - Ralph Rebel

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modband

The Breakaways - Time Surfin'

The Breakaways are a traditional classic instrumental surf band. These Fender playin' guys have a knack for a softer brand of surf instrumental that is very attractive and very traditional, yet lush and round. Most of the arrangements are with lead guitar supported by two rhythm guitars, one dry chords and one damped and heavily reverbed, not unlike the Astronauts'. Time Surfin' is a fine CD of well done surf instros.

Review from surfrockmusic.com:

I must confess that my first choice of surf styles is traditional. I prefer its overall sound and feel much more than the modern styles. Maybe it's the equipment. Maybe it's the way it's played. Whatever the reason, it's my preference. Sad thing is, finding traditional surf music is very difficult these days. Let me rephrase that a bit ... finding good traditional surf music is very difficult these days. So, I consider the day I was asked to review The Breakaways Time Surfin' CD to be one of my luckiest. This is a really fantastic collection of classic style surf rock.


1 North Shore Rumble 2 Ride the Crest 3 Hotdoggin' 4 Waves of Change 5 Pray for Surf 6 No Surf 7 Journey to the Stars 8 Storm Surf 9 Baja 10 Diamond Head
11 Island of the Sea 12 Out of Limits 13 Shark Breath 14 Longboard Lesson
15 Penetration 16 Apache 17 The Curl's Revenge 18 The Crusher 19 Percussionator
20 Surfin' Sam

solid

surfsoundz

Waitiki - Rendezvous in Okonkuluku

The world’s only performers and drinkers of exotic tiki-tainment from Polynesia and beyond have released their second album featuring 14 tracks of Polynesian Pop and tiki-drink accompaniment! Produced by the inimitable Brother Cleve of Combustable Edison and DelFuegos fame, WAITIKI’s newest - is subtitled “A Fresh Retrospective of Classic Exotica.” Rendezvous in Okonkuluku (R.I.O.) brings to mind the classic sounds of Martin Denny, Les Baxter, and Arthur Lyman (they cover Denny’s “Tiki” and “Voodoo Love” on this album). “We have brought you the finest available recorded sound, so that you can reduce it to compressed mpeg files and listen to it with little earbuds while you’re sipping a Rum Barrel on some faraway beach…or even Minneapolis, ” adds producer Br. Cleve. Hey –they know the score!

1 Okonkulu, Okonkuluku 2 Rendezvous in Okonkuluku 3 Plamingo Merengue 4 Cave of the Tarpon 5 L'Ours Chinois 6 Wadada 7 China Clipper 8 Tiki 9 Choko Chunichu 10 Voodoo Love 11 Sumotori Sumopop 12 Stirring Cocktail Journey through Okonkuluku 13 Pineapple Lilt 14 Haole Beach Sunset

deleted at band's request

The King Dexter All Stars - Greatest Hits

COOL! That's how you describe a band that, according to the ORLANDO FREE STAR, "moves easily between the musical worlds of South American b-movies, New York jazz haunts, surf parties, New Orleans hoodoo havens, Mexican tourist traps, Jersey punk clubs, Miami prono flicks and dot com grip & grins". Whether they're playing rock'n'roll, jazz or lounge schmaltz, these cats are operating on "all-systems-GO". TOKYO TODAY called their concerts "a meeting of the Atomic Age, the Beat Age and the Digital Age".

"The King Dexter All-Stars is basically a 60's band," says King Dexter, "we never lost our early spirit and still try to put a touch of that bravado in everything we play". That statement holds true over the entire collection of 15 songs that showcase their talent for injecting psychedelic fun and a party attitude into rock, jazz and lounge music. Great spy fi.

1 Brujo de Loco 2 Third Floor Man 3 Johnny Pronto 4 Shark Tank 5 Tortuga 6 Knee Lock 7 Samurai.org.jp 8 Skyscraper 9 Casa de Denero 10 Blue Sidewalk 11 Crymia River 12 Calle Duro 13 The Big Bean 14 Miami AM 15 Spy Spy Girl

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wingy

The Ultralounge - Tiki Sampler

The Ultralounge series -- in addition to being great collections of music that straddle the line between irony and good music -- also have commendable art production, with the best examples being their Fuzzy and Tiki samplers.Some really great tracks on this one: Billy May's "The Look of Love" is probably the very best song on here. The brass sounds so full and robust (especially at the end), and the bossa beat only adds to the magic. The same brass feeling goes for "A Taste of Honey." I couldn't stop humming this one, either, especially the cool decrescendo part. Love those muted trumpets! I also liked Peggy Lee's cool take on "The Boy from Ipanema." I was happy to see that "Brazil," a favorite tune of mine since I saw the movie (also great!), and was intrigued by the odd melody of "The Inch Worm." I've always liked the "Get Smart" theme, and who doesn't love "Just A Gigolo?" Every time I hear it, I laugh and think of David Lee Roth's video. I was also fascinated with the almost hallucinatory "Light My Fire." I was very pleased to see that Martin Denny and Les Baxter, who helmed my two favorites from the Fuzzy Sampler, were back again. And, of course, they offered up equally intoxicating selections (if anything can compare to Baxter's brilliant "Voodoo Dreams," on the first Sampler). I can't wait to buy Denny and Baxter's sets! Perhaps my very favorite on the disc, though, was Mel Torme's truly outstanding cover of "Happy Together." Quite possibly one of the world's catchiest songs, Torme conquers the tricky-yet- simple melody and swings it out of the universe. He especially shines toward the end, when he really jazzes up the melody after singing it relatively straight. The Tiki Sampler was just another example of the gems the Ultra-Lounge has to offer, and you should mine them all as soon as possible.

1. The Munster's Theme - Jack Marshall 2. My Three Sons - Nelson Riddle
3. So Danco Samba - Wanda De Sah 4. The Look Of Love - Billy May
5. The Boy From Ipanema - Peggy Lee 6. Just A Gigilo/I Ain't Got Nobody - Louis Prima 7. Theme From The Apartment - Tito Rodriguez
8. Moon River - Henry Jerome 9. The Inch Worm - Jack Costanzo
10. Brazil - Tino Contreras 11. Oh Honey - Gloria Wood
12. Guys & Dolls - Terry Snyder 13. Light My Fire - Zacharias
14. Happy Together - Mel Torme 15. Go Chango - Les Baxter
16. Cubano Chant - Martin Denny 17. A Taste Of Honey - Jackie Gleason
18. Come On A My House - Julie London 19. Wives & Lovers - Lena Horne
20. Wave - Nancy Wilson 21. My Baby Just Cares For Me - June Hutton
22. I Dig Chicks - Jonah Jones 23. Get Smart/Casino Royal - Pourcel Agents
24. Untitled - Various Artists 25. Untitled - Various Artists

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loungitude

Ben Rogers - Welcome to the Instrumental Asylum

When electric guitars ruled the earth. Surf/gypsy/Tarantino rock solid pulp guitar truth and fiction. Reverb drenched guitar, bass & drums that echoes some of the best work of the Shadows, Ventures and Surfaris, but with an extreme left turn towards the surreal. All done up with an Aussie accent.

There are 18 tracks on this album, seven of them originals - and all the tracks are guitar driven and played with passion, style and skill including a monster version of Shake ‘n’ Stomp and terrific adaptations of House of The Rising Sun, Geronimo and Apache (think: Hank B. on acid).

Original tracks feature the formidable and fabulous KangaRoux, Surfing the Synchrotron and Gol Gol Tip - a feast of metro influenced bush tucker for guitar lovers.

“…a majestic reading of the Shadows’ Geronimo…”“glimpses (and sometimes songs) of Django Reinhardt, Peter Green and J.J. Cale poke through Rogers' Strat...” and “A welcome addition to the cowabunga club.”
Dan Forte, Vintage Guitar Magazine (USA), May 2006.

“You don't need a vocalist ...when the music is driven by a guitar player as extraordinary as former Perth musician Ben Rogers”. “If you love guitar, buy this album.”
Billy Pinnell - JB Mag (Melbourne, Australia), March 2006

"Against the hard-driving rhythm section of Nikki Scarlett on bass and Denis Close on drums, Ben fires salvo after salvo of tastily aggressive licks which enliven even such well-worn numbers as Apache and Walk Don't Run" and "Kangaroux is a mighty meaty, catchy pounder which thoroughly deserves its slot as opener".
Alan Taylor, Pipeline Magazine (UK) Issue 70, Spring 2006

"(Ben Rogers' Instrumental Asylum) paints from a varied and witty palette: a House of the Rising Sun that bypasses Hilton Valentine's signature arpeggios, a Nuages that transports Django's reverie beyond the clouds" and "Nods to past masters...sit happily with driving "guitar noir" originals".
Ken Williams (The Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age) March 31, 2006

1 KangaRoux 2 Apache 3 House of the Rising Sun 4 St James Infirmary Blues
5 Surfing the Synchrotron 6 Sandy Feet 7 Medina Wedding Blues 8 Nuages
9 Shake 'n Stomp 10 Incident at Docklands 11 Geronimo 12 Gol Gol Tip
13 Stomping at Steve's 14 Fleetwood Mac 15 Loved Another Woman 16 The Ninth Wave
17 Walk, Don't Run 18 Sleepwalk

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instrosbuddy

Waitiki - Charred Mammal Flesh

WAITIKI is a Boston-based band playing "Exotic Tiki Entertainment from Polynesia and Beyond" - like nobody else can! It’s modern "Exotica", a style of music that they loosely define as a mixture of jazz, Latin, and contemporary Asian sounds under a tropical umbrella. Exotica is sometimes referred to as "tiki", jungle tiki, lounge, or space-age-bachelor-pad too. WAITIKI is one of only a handful of bands performing live Exotica in the world.
WAITIKI decided to embrace the "space-age bachelor pad" sounds of the late great Juan Garcia Esquivel. Esquivel's knack for zany antics and wild instrumentation struck a dominant-7 chord with WAITIKI, who was already sacrificing live watermelons to the founder of lounge Exotica, Martin Denny. They do traditional Exotica hits, original compositions, and anything else which permits frequent use of bird-calls, the guiro (chi-yah chih chih chi-yah chih chih) or the melodica. Yummy fun.

1 Bwana, Bwana A 2. Cave of Uldo 3 Manila 4 Primativa 5 Satyritar
6 Fuzzy Mammoth Breath 7 Dew Drop Inn, If You Please, My Humming Flower
8 Plamingo Flagoda 9 Flower Humming
10 Merry Adventures of the Sleepy Space Kadet
11 March for Chief MauMau 12 Mr. Ho's Yummy Hut Yee-Haw
13 Pan-XOTIK-Da 14 China Fan 15 Sweet Pikake Serenade

deleted at band's request

Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters - Hope Radio

Ronnie Earl is as good a blues guitarist as I have ever heard. Hope Radio is a return to the instrumental format that is all Ronnie. If you especially enjoy slow extended moving blues jams that touch you to the core, you'll love this album. It is a retrospective compilation of Ronnie's music catalog done live in studio in front of a small audience. It is audiophile level recording from a four-piece band, including hammond organ support throughout. Ronnie's sound is full and sweet as he hits just the right note each time. Much of what is featured here is from "Language of the Soul", a favorite of mine. While it is true that this album hits some slow spots, his sound and overall ability make those moments more tolerable to listen to than most other bluesmen who are stuck in the same rut. Johnny Winter comes to mind. Opening track "Bobbys Gospel Groove" is an exciting jam beginning to end, with a healthy dose of organ that brings to mind classic Santana. "Bobbys Bop" keeps the flow going. From here, Earl experiments with some mellow, tasteful "noodling". How you feel about these tracks largely depends on how you feel about guitar/jazz music as a whole. The first 3 songs are faster, then he and the band get bogged down playing slow song after slow song. For some it can be a bit tedious, for others it can be sultry. Things don't pick up again until the last 2 songs. Overall, a marvelous dose of blues on the slightly mellower side for those hot steamy summer evenings.

1. Eddie's Gospel Groove 2. Bobby's Bop 3. Blues For the West Side 4. I Am With You 5. Katrina Blues 6. Wolf Dance 7. Kay My Dear 8. Blues For the Homeless 9. Beautiful Child 10. Blues For Otis Rush 11. New Gospel Tune


LINK REPAIRED> Sorry.

myguy

ronniee

Ok Computer - MOJO Compilation

Fun comp of new wave/synth/electronic pop for Mojo Magazine. A few well worn hits and lots of variety make for a decent sample of the scene.

1.The Human League / Circus of Death
2.Gary Numan/Tubeway Army / Down in the Park
3.The Knife / Silent Shout
4.Fujiya & Miyagi / Ankle Injuries
5.Matthew Dear / Fleece On Brain
6.John Foxx / Burning Car
7.Arthur Russell / Place I Know/Kid Like You
8.Xela / Afraid of Monsters
9.Tangerine Dream / Rubycon (Part One)
10.Clouddead / Dead Dogs Two (Boards of Canada Remix)
11.Severed Heads / Dead Eyes Opened
12.Farley Jackmaster Funk / The Acid Life
13.The Peppers / Pepper Box
14.The Gentle Rain / Plastic Man
15.The Sounds of Tomorrow / Space Child

removed by request