Martin Cilia - The Odd One Out

Atlantics' guitarist Martin Cilia's new CD ventures far afield from the surf sounds of Oz's principal progenitors of the aquatic sound. While this is not at all surf, it sure is good! Superb playing (you expected that, of course) is matched with really good arranging and writing. The Odd One Out is a fine release.

01. The Odd One Out (1:49)
02. Real to Reel (3:02)
03. Cry for a Shadow (2:45)
04. Exile on Chapel Street (2:36)
05. Medication (3:50)
06. The Same Song Remains (5:02)
07. Old Guitars (4:04)
08. Chunky (3:21)
09. Pick on Me (1:51)
10. Ancestor (4:38)
11. West of Bondi (3:34)
12. 1993 (5:12)
13. Road to Ballarat (2:31)

mcioddsandsods

Duane Eddy - Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel [40th Anniversary Edition]

If Duane Eddy's instrumental hits from the late '50s can sound unduly basic and repetitive (especially when taken all at once), he was vastly influential. Perhaps the most successful instrumental rocker of his time, he may have also been the man most responsible (along with Chuck Berry) for popularizing the electric rock guitar. His distinctively low, twangy riffs could be heard on no less than 15 Top 40 hits between 1958 and 1963. He was also one of the first rock stars to successfully crack the LP market.

Having said this I would also like to praise the remarkable eclecticism of this first and greatest All-Instrumental Rock and Roll album. I have heard this album- at least in sections- for about 20 years now have only recently come to respect the range of styles represented here. Hazelwood and Eddy pulled every possible trick out of their bags in late, great '58: there is real rockabilly ("Cannonball" w/ Al Casey- Duane's truest rockabilly outside of his later "Theme From Dixie"); standard Rock and Roll ("Rebel Rouser"); proto-surf (the legendary "Movin' and Groovin'"); country-rock ("Detour"); standard country ("Anytime"); REAL- (no foolin')- BLUES ("Three-30-Blues"); Rhythm and Blues ("I Almost Lost My Mind"); just a hint of jazz stylin' ("The Lonely One"); and even a stab at what would later be called Folk Rock ("Lonesome Road"). Absolutely incredible!

Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel was his first LP and the album that put Duane Eddy's name on the map. It was the first album of the Rock And Roll era issued completely in stereo and the best selling instrumental rock album ever (2 years in the charts). Sadly only half of the stereo masters could be located and that's why this 40th anniversary remastered edition contains 6 mono tracks. However it includes 3 previously unavailable b-sides as bonus tracks.


Tracklisting:
1. Lonesome Road
2. I Almost Lost My Mind
3. Rebel Rouser
4. Three-30-Blues
5. Cannonball
6. The Lonely One
7. Detour
8. Stalkin'
9. Ramrod
10. Anytime
11. Moovin' 'N' Groovin'
12. Loving You
13. Up and Down - (bonus track)
14. The Walker - (bonus track)
15. Mason Dixon Lion - (bonus track)


twngulation

Johnny & The Hurricanes - The Very Best Of Johnny & The Hurricanes

The rock instrumentals coming out of the Golden Age of American rock and roll were defined by the likes of Duane Eddy, the Ventures, the Champs and Sandy Nelson. As much a part of this era but much less recognized was the group of Johnny Pocisk and his Hurricanes. This band produced a string of energetic, organ and sax-dominated rock instrumentals in the late 50s and early 60s. Much of their output was based on a formula of creating rock tunes out of traditional songs. In spite of their notable chart successes, their music has largely been ignored in the domestic CD reissue market until now. Varese Vintage records has come out with this first high-quality compilation of Johnny and the Hurricanes tunes. Titled as the "Very Best of...", this collection contains most of the higher-charting singles along with some b-sides and album cuts. The omission of two of their lower-charting singles notwithstanding, this piece presents a good overview of the Hurricanes' output from both their Warwick and Big Top label stints. (These missing tunes are available on some other import Hurricanes CDs from Black Tulip - an excellent greatest-hits collection - and album-oriented CDs from Repertoire in Germany). Sound quality is very good and far better than most other Hurricanes pieces available. Many tracks (1,2,4,8,11,12,13,17,20) are in true stereo. An eight-page booklet contains some pics and a backround history of the group. Another high-quality reissue from Varese Vintage that fills a long-standing gap in the universe of classic American rock and roll reissues.

Tracklisting:
1. Reveille Rock
2. Bye Bye Blackbird
3. The Hungry Eye
4. Beatnik Fly
5. Miserlou
6. James Bond Theme
7. Buckeye
8. Sand Storm
9. Red River Rock
10.Bean Bag
11.Walkin'
12.You Are My Sunshine
13.Storm Warning
14.Down Yonder
15.Time Bomb
16.Rocking Goose
17.Like Rock
18.The Sheik of Araby
19.Crossfire
20.Sheba

johnnybest

The Eliminators - Room to Move

The Eliminators are back with their 3rd CD of rockin’ surf instrumentals, Room To Move. For close to 20 years, The Eliminators have remained a critically acclaimed Southern California surf instrumental band and Room To Move dramatically drives that point home. This is an eclectic collection of rock instrumentals that transcend a strict surf guitar regimen. While the traditional surf sound is certainly evident here, this release also ventures into the spaghetti western style (“Snake Eyes”) with elements of the Memphis soul sound (“Slick”) and even big band instrumentals (“Steel Trap,” a cover of an obscure Link Wray recording).

Joining The Eliminators on this recording is author-guitarist John Blair (who also coproduced). His early band, Jon & The Nightriders, ignited a “second wave,” or modern school of instrumental surf music, in 1979 and his book, the Illustrated Discography of Surf Music, 1961-1965 is the most comprehensive discography of surf music recordings ever published (now in its 4th edition).

The pairing of Blair and The Eliminators’ Joe Kurkowski combines two of the foremost guitarists and composers in the history of surf-rock instrumental music. ”

01. Hang On (3:02)
02. Walking Tall (3:00)
03. Snake Eyes (3:26)
04. Balsa Chica (3:00)
05. Rockin' Billy (2:31)
06. Pool Party (3:19)
07. Sonic Blue (5:32)
08. Sunset Glide (2:55)
09. Steel Trap (4:00)
10. Slick (3:40)
11. Revenge of the Cowabunga Thunder Melvins (2:31)
12. Marty's Theme (2:27)
13. One Gun Is All You Need (2:45)
14. Starlight Cruise (2:42)

materzrm