The Spotnicks - Back to the Roots

If you like guitar instrumental music from the early 60s, this CD is essential. The USA had the Ventures--England had the Shadows--and from Sweden came the Spotnicks. With lead guitarist Bo Winberg, the Spotnicks really have a unique sound that this beautifully mastered CD captures. In addition to being a fine musician, Bo was an electronics expert, making his own guitars and amplification systems. This was a key to the Spotnicks' "outer space" sound.This CD contains a number of their most famous, original recordings, including "Johnny Guitar", "Karelia" and, of course, "The Spotnicks Theme". Served by EEK THE CAT!~!

01. (00:02:48) The Spotnicks - Ghost Riders In The Sky02. (00:02:41) The Spotnicks - Hot Toddy03. (00:02:31) The Spotnicks - Avah Ginala04. (00:02:12) The Spotnicks - Old Faithful05. (00:03:24) The Spotnicks - Highway Boogie06. (00:03:51) The Spotnicks - Johnny Guitar07. (00:02:55) The Spotnicks - Diamonds08. (00:02:31) The Spotnicks - I'll Remeber You09. (00:03:27) The Spotnicks - Sleep Walk10. (00:01:57) The Spotnicks - Moonshot11. (00:01:41) The Spotnicks - Wabash Cannonball12. (00:02:37) The Spotnicks - Karelia13. (00:02:04) The Spotnicks - Busted14. (00:02:53) The Spotnicks - Space Walk15. (00:02:14) The Spotnicks - The Old Spinning Wheel16. (00:03:21) The Spotnicks - Memories Are Made Of This 17. (00:03:40) The Spotnicks - Last Date18. (00:02:49) The Spotnicks - In The Mood19. (00:02:14) The Spotnicks - Tinta Verde20. (00:01:57) The Spotnicks - Spanish Gypsy Dance21. (00:01:46) The Spotnicks - The Spotnicks Theme22. (00:01:57) The Spotnicks - Amapola23. (00:02:46) The Spotnicks - Big Jump24. (00:02:14) The Spotnicks - Moonshot Special25. (00:02:47) The Spotnicks - Ghost Riders In The Sky (Karaoke Version)26. (00:03:40) The Spotnicks - Last Date (Karaoke Version)27. (00:01:54) The Spotnicks - Amapola (Karaoke Version)

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Blazin' Longboards - Soundtrack

The soundtrack to a surfing documentary, this turns out to be one of the more entertaining albums of the year while ranging far and wide over the landscape. The Aqua Velvets and the Mermen contribute snarling, twanging, crashing surf guitar stomp, with an assist from Scott Henderson on the frantic jazz guitar tip (having these three start out the album with back-to-back cuts is a perfect approach). To lighten and leaven things, there are contributions from Peppino D'Agostino, Jerry Riopelle, Strunz & Farah and Willie & Lobo, making for an album that revs the engines from time to time, but never hits the point of burnout. Great guitar styles throughout. twangtastic.

1. Bravado - The Aqua Velvets 2. Honeybomb - The Mermen 3. Hole Diggin' - Scott Henderson 4. Spanish Blue - The Aqua Velvets 5. Tarantula - Peppino D'Agostino
6. Be My Noir - The Mermen 7. Beyond The Dunes - Peppino D'Agostino
8. Sweet Meanderings - Willie & Lobo 9. Ida Y Vuelta - Strunz & Farah
10. Calypso Facto - Peppino D'Agostino 11. Ocean Beach - The Mermen
12. Swampabilly Hop - The Aqua Velvets 13. Bahia De Banderas - Willie & Lobo
14. Naked - Jerry Riopelle 15. Too Many Gittars - Scott Henderson
16. Follow Your Dreams - Jerry Riopelle

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The San Andreas Fault - Encantada

Robert Spain (aka Warmowski) started the 1980s Chicago punk and 1990s rock bands The Defoliants and Buzzmuscle. Fusing the sounds of rock, soundtracks, punk and surf is his obsession as a writer and multi-instrumentalist.
Pete Machine is a classically trained guitarslinger who puts the heartbreak out in front of the aggro proceedings. In a band without a singer, his bittersweet melodies are the emotional focus. The debut from Chicago's premeire exporter of reverb. Punk rocker multi-instrumentalist Robert Spain collects guitar dandy Pete Machine and a crew of aggro-pop pounders to produce the sound of heartbreak instrumental-style. One vocal love letter to California is included. Compelling instrumental songs? Debussy meets the Plugz meets Roy Orbison? Hardly any singing? Good enough for me. Long silence between last cuts. Nice soundscapes similar to Friends of Dean Martinez but more accessible. Worth a listen.

1. Encantada 2. Fault Herald 3. Maestro's Gone 4. splinterlude 5. Go Sleepy
6. Bags Unlimited 7. Sympatico 8. Fault Herald (vocal) 9. Bonus

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Nelsonics - Ruins of Rome

Their infectious sound combines influences ranging from 60s mod to surf rock into one soulful go-go groove. THE NELSONICS have left the Woody at home in Milwaukee and hopped across the pond for a whirlwind tour of Europe armed with nothing but a rented "Go Go Motorscooter" and a CD of the grooviest tunes of the year, namely RUINS OF ROME - the coolest new party record on the international scene. You can't help but get moving when THE NELSONICS take the stage. Their infectious sound combines influences ranging from 60s mod to surf rock into one soulful go-go groove. The Nelsonics formed in 2001, taking audiences by storm with their high-energy live show. The following summer, released the band's debut LP - which received rave reviews for its blend of instrumental grooves, organ-based R&B, Latin rhythms, big beat hooks and reverb-drenched guitar.

RUINS OF ROME comes complete with 11 original gems that showcase a musical maturity not usually found in the genre plus one adventurous cover of Midwest legends The Bent Scepters (aka The Diplomats of Solid Sound).

THE NELSONICS are Don Nelson (drums, percussion, vocals), Don Turner (organ, sax, theremin, vocals), Terry Vittone (guitar, vocals), and Jon Ziegler (bass, vocals). Collectively, they set the standard in instrumental groove. With RUINS OF ROME, they have added a new dimension to their music...vocals on 8 of the 12 tracks...enhancing the commercial appeal of their music beyond their instrumental roots. Ugh. RUINS OF ROME delivers the floor stomping goods for those in the know and blows open the doors for an entire Roman Legion of new fans. Fun even with the vocals. Get their first all instro shot in the archives.

1. International Jet Set 2. X-Ray Skinny 3. Soul Skippin' 4. My Toyota
5. Come N' Get Me 6. Forbidden Harem 7. Date With Danielle
8. Go Go Motorscooter 9. Ruins Of Rome 10. My Convalescence
11. Mission 2 Mod 12. Let's Go To Mexico

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The Aqua Velvets – Radio Waves

The coolest (Yes,COOLEST) thing about surf music is that it is ALWAYS better live than recorded in a studio. This post is all about the RAW RARIN' GUTBUSTIN' Drive of live surf music. This is some of the ABSOLUTE best guitar rock you will find anywhere - The Aqua Velvets, Mermen, Los Straitjackets, Laika and the Cosmonauts, 50 Ft. Combo, and technically not surf, serious guitar virtuosity - Eric Johnson. I'll be on the left coast all week this week shooting promos with Oscar and Emmy winner Cloris Leachman for one of my projects so I wanted to leave you all with some major waves, just in case I stay longer than expected.

We start with fan faves - the Aqua Velvets. Although this is technically a "live" record, the fact that it was recorded during radio broadcasts gives it a very polished studio feeling, blending the best of both worlds. This CD spans the career of the Aqua Velvets from beginning to recent, and it satisfies completely. It contains all the classic Aquavelvet hits (a good starting place for you first time Velvet-heads). The extra disk is a great addition too. It includes a very cool version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." You gotta here this surf version of the grunge classic to believe it. That song alone is worth the price of admission! If you were to have one modern surf music CD in your collection, may this be the one...

1. Intro KFJC 2. Swampabilly Hop 3. Bravado 4. Diamond Head 5. Spanish Blue
6. Gringo 7. Martini Time 8. Green Sunshine 9. Surfmania 10. Hawaiian Blue
12. Beauty And The Beach 13. Intro KPFA 14. Mexican Rooftop Afternoon
15. Guitar Noir 16. Subterranea 17. Surf Nouveau 18. Holly Tiki 19. Nomad 20. Nervous On Neptune 21. Walk Don't Run 22. Apache 23. Pipeline/Auld Lang Syne

Bonus: 1.Smells Like Teens Spirit 2. Baja 3. Spanish Blue 4. Green Sunshine

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The Mermen - Live At The Haunted House

From the opening salvo of "Pull of the Moon"'s hellaciously swirling guitar riff, the Mermen's Live at the Haunted House reveals itself as an atypical live record. Culled from a series of frequent appearances between 1991-1994 on Phil Dirt’s surf show (broadcast on Los Altos Hills, CA's KFJC-FM), this 74-minute tour de force captures all the majestic reverb, lovely tonality, and loose humor that made this San Francisco trio cult favorites in the mid-'90s. As if acknowledging its unusual, live-in-the-studio limitations, Live at the Haunted House contains seven numbers never released on Mermen studio albums — including the perennial showstopper "Casbah," on which guitarist Jim Thomas uses his whammy bar as a virtual finger trampoline. "Slo Mo HVO" is shorthand for the band's wonderfully languid take on the "Hawaii Five-O" theme, while "Quiet Surf" and "Gulch of Spleens" (an original song unavailable elsewhere) each pulse with reserved sway. Finally, there is "The Whales Are Coming and Boy Are They Pissed," a meaty sloppy joe of surf standards, classic rock staples, Yiddish traditionals, and American show tunes. Bits of "Miserlou," "Paint It Black," "Hava Nagila," and "America" all provide high points throughout the track's 11 minutes and 32 seconds, none of which are as nutty as exhausted drummer Martyn Jone's faint screams of "Hurry up!" before the marathon medley's raging coda. Other feathers in Live at the Haunted House's cap are the updated versions of two songs from the band's distortion-free 1989 debut, Krill Shrimpin’: "Lonely Road (Krill Slippin')" and "Splashing With the Mermaid"; each brims here with additional warmth. Contrarily, the five songs that also appear (in different versions) on Food For Other Fish seem peripheral to the cause at hand; the apparent thrust of this album is to showcase songs unavailable elsewhere. Keeping that in mind while not expecting a live best-of set is perhaps the best way to enjoy this quirky, yet ultimately essential Mermen collection. Psychsurf at its best.



1. Pull of the Moon 2. Honeybomb 3. Lonely Road (Krill Slippin')
4. Cashbah-America 5. Into the West - Be My Noir 6. My Black Bag
7. Gulch of Spleens 8. Quiet Surf
9. Whales Are Coming and Boy Are They Pissed (The Victor-Latinia-Mise ...
10. Unkown 11. Spalshing With the Mermaid 12. Penetration 13. Slo Mo HVO


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Los Straitjackets – Damas Y Caballeros

Excellent live cd by the best surf instrumentalists playing today. This album really cooks from beginning to end. The band is blessed with two great guitar players in Danny Amis, from the legendary New York band the Raybeats. And the very impressive Eddie Angel, who does double duty with the excellent roots rock band the Planet Rockers. Two musicians with many years playing experience, and it shows on this live set. The entire band is so entertaining to see live. Drummer Jimmy Lester is hilarious with his Spanish banter he does between each song. Also the stage antics of bass player Pete Curry, a very talented musician, songwriter himself, who used to lead the excellent Calif. surf band the Halibuts. For already converted Straitjacket fans, there are several songs here that have never appeared on any of their previous albums. Two Link Wray songs: "BRANDED", and a fantastic version of "RAWHIDE" which ends the album. "SQUAD CAR", a hot rod tune that Eddie and the Showmen did in the early 60's. "DRIVING GUITARS" which is an old Ventures tune. "LAST DATE" an instrumental by country legend Floyd Cramer. Great version! And what live surf set would be complete without the instrumental standard by Farina and Farina called "SLEEPWALK". My favorites though, are the songs they do from their first album "The Utterly Fantastic And Totally Unbelievable Sound of Los Straitjackets". This album is a surf classic that was produced by the one and only Ben Vaughn. Every surf fan should have this one. Songs included off this are "TAILSPIN", a killer version of "ITCHY CHICKEN", and my alltime favorite Jacket tune "LYNXTAIL", a cool tune that is a combination of Duane Eddy and Link Wray, with a few neat blues licks thrown in for good measure by Eddie Angel. Another favorite here is "MY HEART WILL GO ON" (LOVE THEME FROM THE TITANIC). Yeah, that's right, the Titanic theme. The way it's done here though, they make it sound like it should have been a surf song all along. It's stuff like this that really seperate this band from all the surf band pretenders out there. Live surf albums don't come along very often. And as it goes, this is the best one I've ever heard. This is a must-have for any fan of tasty surf music, and it comes highly recommended. Catch the wave and hang ten with the masked ones. You'll be glad you did.

1. Introduction of los Straitjackets 2. Outta Gear 3. State Fair 4. Casbah 5. Calhoun Surf
6. Itchy Chicken 7. Last Date 8. Kawanga! 9. I'm Branded 10. My Heart Will Go On
11. Squad Car 12. Rockula 13. Tempest 14. Lynxtail 15. Tailspin 16. Pacifica
17. Driving Guitars 18. Sing Sing Sing 19. Sleepwalk 20. Rawhide

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Get more Los Straitjackets at Trustar Vibrations and RockIsDeadRIP - in links

Laika and the Cosmonauts - Laika Sex Machine - Live

A buddy of mine came back from Finland where he was visiting his fiancée and gave me a tape of “this whacked out Finnish surf band” which he said was right up my alley – and he was right. I loved the tape and it took years to find out who it was.

Brandonio over at RockisDeadRIP posted their fist lp - go get it there - and gave this one a major 2 thumbs up.

Review –Finland's favorite retro-rockers rev up with a generous 26-song, 75-minute set of music recorded live, predominantly in 1998 and on their home turf. Except for some brief introductions in both English and the band's native tongue, this is a non-stop roller coaster ride through instrumental rock & roll. The quartet plays with fire and fury whether covering genre classics like "Telstar" or obscurities such as Roy Budd's theme to "Get Carter." Not surprisingly, a Ventures tune gets worked in, but the group digs deep into the California band's catalog to unearth "Fugitive." The foursome charges through a unique combination of Bernard Herrmann's themes from Psycho and Vertigo in a composite renamed "Psyko." "Mission Impossible" also gets the Laika treatment as they speed and trash it up in a breathless version that doesn't break the two-minute mark. While not as recognizable, the group churns out originals with as much flair touching on hard rock with a slight Spanish matador approach on "Look! No Head!" and the "Walk Don't Run"-styled "Floating" which stands as a contemporary surf classic. Many of these tracks appear in less frantic fashion on the band's studio albums, but the live approach electrifies these versions. Certainly you'll never hear "Ode to Billy Joe" the same way after experiencing Laika's take on the song (which they rename "Sauna-Soul" for no apparent reason). With its extended playing time, there is plenty of room for experimentation on a low-down run-through of Henry Mancini's "Experiment in Terror," a showcase for Matti Pitsinki's distorted organ sounds. The rhythm section is spry but stays out of the way of the lead guitar and keyboards that drive this music. Crowd noise is minimal to non-existent, smartly keeping the focus on the tight musicianship and superbly well-recorded tunes. Better and more lively than the group's slightly less compelling studio albums, this is a rousing live performance from one of contemporary music's most talented and creative instrumental combos. Hal Horowitz

1 The Hypno-Wheel 2 Disconnected 3Sycophant 4 Tantrum 5 Floating 6 Turquoise 7 Boris the Conductor 8 Look! No Head! 9 Experiment in Terror 10 The Avengers 11 Circumstantial Evidence 12 Hi & Lo 13 Café Equator 14 Lands End 15 Psyko 16 Mission Impossible 17 Get Carter 18 Global Village 19 Enchanted Rock 20 C'mon Do the Laika! 21 Fugitive 22 Ba-Ha-Re-Bah! 23 Fadeaway 24 Sauna-Soul 25 Telstar 26 Vendetta

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Eric Johnson - Alien Love Child Live

When it comes down to it, there are very few people that have such an incredible guitar sound. Eric Johnson is definitely one of those people. Voltage sag or no, his sound is almost always perfect, and on "Live and Beyond" he is a lot more raw than his studio albums. Yet, he still has that perfect tone. This is a fun album. One, because it came out a little quicker than the last one, and because of it's rawness. Johnson should be heard and seen live to really appreciate it, and this does a good job of it. He has an amazing bassist in Chris Maresh and Bill Maddox pounds on the skins.
This album is a little different than classic Johnson due to the rawness of being live, but his sound is still exceptional and his speed is still blinding. Solos on "Zenland", "Once a Part of Me", "Last House On the Block" and "Enzo Shuffle" will leave your jaw bouncing off your lap. Malford Milligan steps in to sing a couple of songs including Jimmie Vaughan's own "Don't Cha Know". His voice is a little more fitting for the blues than Johnson's own. He gets a little airy on "Elevator Sky Movie" with long delays and repeats before kicking it into a countrish overdriven speed workout. He segues into "Shape I'm In" which is very classic Johnson sound. As usual, it's on the instrumental numbers where Eric truly shines - "Boogie King," "Rain" and the superb "Zenland" especially stand out. The jaw-dropping instrumental wizardry is still there. For those who worried about the somewhat 'sterile' sound of Venus Isle, this will be a refreshing jolt of energy. Not only do Eric and the guys pull this off on stage, but the live situation commands a spontaneity that was somewhat lacking on the last album. Melody, not flash, is the order behind these songs. When it comes down to it, Johnson is an incredible axe player. A joy to listen to, and watch (although guitar players find him quite frustrating). His speed and sound are amazing, and he uses both with an elegant ease. And when Eric plays his guitar, it's a sweet sound indeed. Enjoy.

1. Zenland 2. Last House On The Block 3. Rain 4. Enzo Shuffle 5. Once A Part Of Me 6. Don't Cha Know 7. The Boogie King (Tribute To John Lee Hooker) 8. Elevator Sky Movie 9. Shape I'm In 10. World Of Trouble

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Get more Eric at Trustar Vibrations - see links.

50 Foot Combo – Go Hunting

Phil Dirt from Reverb Central writes "After a couple of singles, this fine band releases a strong first CD, garagie in nature, precise in performance, and infectious in it's shifted trad stylings. They are somewhere between Mar Gaya and Martin Denny." I think they have a sound all their own that is well worth having. Lots of CRAZY stuff. This album is a killer - nice balance between powersurf and lounge-tunes. The live bonus tracks are amazing. When there's no beach around, this is a good substitute.

1. It's Alive 2. The Tunnel 3. Doe De Duip 4. Inspection #5 5. Robin Boy Wonder 6. Dimitrius 7. The Brain From Planet X 8. I Think I Shot Her 9. Drums A Go-Go 10. The Escape 11. Minesweeper 12. Hully Gully Stomp 13. Sl 54 Automatic (Bonus Track) 14. Jack The Ripper (Bonus Track)

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