VA Beyond The Sea

 VA Beyond The Sea
Fun surf covers of modern songs. Modern surf groups doing what The Ventures and Shadows did with their contemporary music.

"This is easily one of the most consistently good compilations I've heard in ages. Great bands recorded well with solid rearranging of standards. Inventive and excellent listening." Phil Dirt Reverb Central

Pretty straightforward modern surf styles. There are 2 sequels (coming soon) that stretch the surf instro boundaries into some amazing post rock/avant  territory. Way cool. Stay Tuned.

1. My Favourite Things by The Swamp Coolers
2. Viva Las Vegas by Los Derrumbes
3. Take on Me by The Bitch Boys
4. I'm Not in Love by Don's Mobile Barbers
5. Then He Kissed Me by The Detonators
6. Mexican Whistler by Los Fantasticos
7. Auld Lang Syne by The Glasgow Tiki Shakers
8. Funeral March of a Marionette by The Pyronauts
9. Je t'aime... moi non plus by Kahuna Kawentzmann
10. Rock and Roll High School by Cobalt and the Aquabears
11. Redemption Surf (redemption song) by Estrume'n'tal
12. Barbie Girl by Fudge
13. The One I Love by Nova Surfer
14. You Sexy Thing by Our Flying Saucer
15. Surfer Freak (Super freak) by RNA
16. The SpongeBob SquarePants theme tune by Monkey Versus Robot
17. The Adventures of Rabbi Jacob by The Astroglides
18. Another Brick in the Wall part II by The Vivisectors
19. I Only Wanna be with You by The Muffinmates
20. Hooray for Hollywood by The Urban Surf Kings
21. Cinnamon Girl by The Lost Boys of Penzance
22. Travelin' Man by The Reluctant Aquanauts
23. Dance of the King of the World of Maya (Dance of Maya and King of the World) by Pegleg
24. Blue Velvet by The Cocktail Preachers
25. Bohemian Rhapsody by The Thurston Lava Tube
26. Beyond the Sea by The Aquamarines

waves1

Bonus trax - free downloads from website not included on cd

27. I Only Want To Be With You by The Glasgow Tiki Shakers
28. El Diablo De Polvo by The Swamp Coolers
29. Mar Gaya by Our Flying Saucer
30. The Disadvantages Of You by The Lost Boys of Penzance more details...
31. These Boots Were Made For Walking by The Detonators
32. Obligatory Blues by Scott Colby more details...
33.The Third Man Theme by Monkey Versus Robot

waves2

Roaring Blue: Return Of The Instro-Hipsters Vol. 3

Roaring Blue: Return Of The Instro-Hipsters Vol. 3 

20 Groovy Instrumentals From The '60s & '70s

The seemingly bottomless record collection of Nick Saloman from the Bevis Frond has spawned the third in an ongoing series of albums collecting obscure instrumental tracks from the '60s and '70s, and while many of these songs support the popular notion that the hipper and more interesting rock artists of the day were fond of vocal numbers, there are some fun and exciting tunes to be found on this set. Roaring Blue draws its title from the lead-off track, a swinging dance tune by the Sound of Jimmy Nicol, featuring the drummer who briefly replaced an ailing Ringo Starr during a tour in 1964 (this may explain why Nicol's drums are so far up in the mix), while members of the long-running U.K. pop band Blue Mink appear on the track "Beat Party" under the pseudonym the Underground, and John McLaughlin adds guitar licks to "Trans-Love Airways" by Big Jim Sullivan. That's about it for star power on this volume, but the lesser known acts are in equally solid form here, with the Des Champ Orchestra delivering a slightly rocked-up arrangement of the theme from It Takes a Thief, Casey and the Pressure Group bringing some supper club funk to a cover of the Shocking Blue's "Venus," Okko Bekker's sitar and a whacked-out synth solo adding to the fun on "Santana," jazzman Shake Keane generating a fine Northern soul dance groove with "Make with Shake," and the Jim Doherty Trio making with some potent organ-based groove jazz on "Ladies Wear"." Many of the other cuts on board are uncomfortably generic sounding, and too many of these songs fit into the same faux-R&B template, making the set a bit tiring by the time it comes to a close. But the good numbers manage to outnumber the bad (just barely), and if you have a soft spot for the kitschy side of U.K. pop, Roaring Blue is just what the doctor ordered.

Review by Mark Deming, Allmusic.com

Tracklist:

01. The Sound of Jimmy Nicol - Roaring Blue (02:14)
02. The Des Champ Orchestra - It Takes a Thief (02:22)
03. Clubman - Round Up (02:46)
04. The Duke of Burlington - 30-60-90 (02:12)
05. Casey & The Pressure Group - Venus (03:01)
06. Okko Bekker - Santana (04:05)
07. The Keith Mansfield Orchestra - Boogaloo (03:44)
08. The Underground - Beat Party (02:44)
09. The 4 Instants - All About My Girl (03:40)
10. Rajah - Deadeye Dick (02:54)
11. Ram Inn Junction - Junction Blues (02:36)
12. Shake Keane - Make with Shake (02:41)
13. Monty Babson - My Friend Jack (03:03)
14. Johnny Howard Band - El Pussy Cat (02:57)
15. Electric Bird - Stoned Out (02:17)
16. The Jim Doherty Trio - Ladies Wear (02:57)
17. The Cyril Stapleton Orchestra - Theme from Department S (02:57)
18. Big Jim Sullivan - Trans-Love Airways (02:09)
19. The Stormsville Shakers - J.C. Greaseburger (04:02)
20. The New Dance Orchestra - Theme Number One (02:54)

hipsville3

Mickey Baker - In the 50s (1952-56)

Mickey Baker - In the 50s (1952-56)

71 minutes. Mostly instrumental greasy, slinky, gut bustin' guitar. GIT IT!

Few rock & roll or R&B guitarists of the '50s and '60s have a more consistently frantic body of work than the great Mickey Baker, though his name isn't nearly as well-known as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, or Ike Turner. Baker did most of his work as a sideman, and his best-known recordings as a headliner found him playing second fiddle to Sylvia Robinson as half of Mickey & Sylvia (whose "Love Is Strange" remains a puzzling delight 50 years after it was recorded), but folks who know and love first-era rock & roll are aware of Baker's greatness, and this collection is a superb overview of his work, both as a bandleader and as a hired gun.

Containing a hefty 31 tracks recorded between 1952 and 1956, In the '50s: Hit, Git & Split runs the gamut from the low-key acoustic blues of Baker's "Love Me Baby" to the wailing electric dread of Larry Dale's "Midnight Hours," the uptempo rockabilly of Joe Clay's "Did You Mean Jelly-Bean," the easy-swinging jump blues of Sam Price's "Rib Joint," a double-time rewrite of Chuck Berry's "Maybellene" on Brownie McGhee's "Anna Mae," and a rockin' re-recording by Louis Jordan of "Caldonia" with Baker's guitar answering the hearty peals of the horn section and Jordan's vocals. The word "Wild" tended to pop up in the titles of Mickey Baker's solo albums, and one spin of this disc will show you why – the man's rough-and-tumble style screamed and hollered the blues whenever he hit the strings, and Baker's solos are death-defying hoodoo magic no matter what cut you cue up. Hit, Git & Split is a thoroughly enjoyable set of vintage R&B that's good and greasy throughout, and a peerless introduction to one of the great unsung heroes of rock & roll.

Personnel & tracklist:
01 - Bill Hendricks - Spinnin' Rock Boogie
02 - Mickey Baker - Love Me Baby
03 - Mickey Baker - Brandstand Stomp
04 - Mickey Baker - Riverboat
05 - Big Red McHouston - I'm Tired
06 - Big Red McHouston - Stranger Blues
07 - Larry Dale - You Better Heed My Warning
08 - Larry Dale - Midnight Hours
09 - Mickey Baker - Shake Walkin'
10 - Larry Dale - Down to the Bottom
11 - Mickey Baker - Greasy Spoon
12 - Larry Dale - Please Tell Me
13 - Mickey And Sylvia - Where Is My Honey
14 - Mickey And Sylvia - No Good Lover
15 - Mickey Baker - Rock With a Sock
16 - Mickey & Sylvia - Love Is Strange
17 - Joe Clay - Did You Mean Jelly-Bean
18 - Charles Calhoun - Runaway
19 - Little Willie John - I Need Your Love So Bad
20 - Titus Turner - All Around the World
21 - Sam Price - Rib Joint
22 - Brownie McGhee - Anna Mae
23 - Eddie Riff - My Baby's Gone Away
24 - Louis Jordan - Caldonia '56
25 - Tiny Kennedy - Country Boy
26 - Mr Bear And His Bearcats - The Bear Hug
27 - Roy Gaines - Worried 'Bout You Baby
28 - Square Walton - Pepper-Head Woman
29 - Champion Jack Dupree - Stumbling Block
30 - Big John Greer - Come Back Uncle John
31 - Young Jessie - Hit Git And Split 

mickeybaby

The Mutants - Boogie De La Muerte

The Mutants - Boogie De La Muerte Mixture of 60's garage rock, surf, porn funk and manic psychedelia, the instrumental madness of The Mutants is a lost soundtrack for Russ Meyer's, Tarantino's and Aki Kaurismäki's films. Impossible to categorize, they call it "afro-garage-mambo".
The Mutants were founded in 1998 by Weijjo a.k.a Abnormal, who wanted to form an instrumental band after getting tired of difficult singers. Members were picked partly from his previous punk band "Isebel's Pain" and from locations you don´t want to know about. The sound of The Mutants has been wonderfully weird from the first beginnings, only to get seriously sicker since. After the first chaotic gigs with the usual rock instrumentation + organ, they needed to sound bigger. A Saxophone and percussion were added. The originally punk/surf/garage -based stuff is now smashed through Parliament/Funkadelic filter. The beats have been funkier since. You will love it with leather and rubber.

 Tracklist:
01. P.I.P.
02. Texas Rampa Mutant
03. Lady Boy
04. Erotic Doner
05. Romanow
06. Muerte Le Mutande
07. Rotko
08. Ribuli
09. Fraude De El Fierro
10. Backnang

deathdance

The Mutants - Death Cult

The Mutants - Death Cult
Mixture of 60's garage rock, surf, porn funk and manic psychedelia, the instrumental madness of The Mutants is a lost soundtrack for Russ Meyer's, Tarantino's and Aki Kaurismäki's films. Impossible to categorize, they call it "afro-garage-mambo".
The Mutants were founded in 1998 by Weijjo a.k.a Abnormal, who wanted to form an instrumental band after getting tired of difficult singers. Members were picked partly from his previous punk band "Isebel's Pain" and from locations you don´t want to know about. The sound of The Mutants has been wonderfully weird from the first beginnings, only to get seriously sicker since. After the first chaotic gigs with the usual rock instrumentation + organ, they needed to sound bigger. A Saxophone and percussion were added. The originally punk/surf/garage -based stuff is now smashed through Parliament/Funkadelic filter. The beats have been funkier since. You will love it with leather and rubber.

Tracklist:
01. Welcome To Death Cult
02. Port-au-Prince
03. Heavy Caramba!
04. Cps In Heat
05. Iron Jamaica
06. Mutants Death Cult
07. Serious Mojo
08. Jung'ala
09. White Trash Trouble Man
10. The Ghost Of Meadow Hill

killerdiller

The Mutants - Voodoo Blues

The Mutants - Voodoo Blues
Mixture of 60's garage rock, surf, porn funk and manic psychedelia, the instrumental madness of The Mutants is a lost soundtrack for Russ Meyer's, Tarantino's and Aki Kaurismäki's films. Impossible to categorize, they call it "afro-garage-mambo".
The Mutants were founded in 1998 by Weijjo a.k.a Abnormal, who wanted to form an instrumental band after getting tired of difficult singers. Members were picked partly from his previous punk band "Isebel's Pain" and from locations you don´t want to know about. The sound of The Mutants has been wonderfully weird from the first beginnings, only to get seriously sicker since. After the first chaotic gigs with the usual rock instrumentation + organ, they needed to sound bigger. A Saxophone and percussion were added. The originally punk/surf/garage -based stuff is now smashed through Parliament/Funkadelic filter. The beats have been funkier since. You will love it with leather and rubber.

Tracklist:
01. A Caligula
02. High Ride
03. Voodoo Blues
04. Sin Hipster
05. Lumbago
06. Stampede Caravan
07. Southern Far Out
08. Papa Simba
09. Move Along!

voodooyou

Shazam! and Other Instrumentals Written by Lee Hazlewood

Shazam! and Other Instrumentals Written by Lee Hazlewood

24 tracks. Shazam! features two dozen vocal-free (give or take the occasional rebel yell etc) nuggets written by the great Lee Hazlewood. Star of the show is twang master Duane Eddy with three great tracks: the title number, the menacing 'Stalkin' and 'This Town', a lesser-known 45 from Hazlewood's stint writing and producing gems for Nancy Sinatra and others at Reprise Records. Other key artists include guitar wiz Al Casey, top Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine, renowned arranger,orchestra leader Jack Nitzsche and ace surf combo the Astronauts, not forgetting Dick Dale with his axe-shredding version of 'Angry Generation'. The most interesting and enjoyable tracks are the final two additives - neither of which rightly belong on this CD - a weird and almost creepy take on 'Some Velvet Morning' (24) and, preceding it, a demo instrumental of 'These Boots' by long-time collaborator Billy Strange which sounds like it could be an outtake from the self-same sessions that produced Nancy Sinatra's million-selling hit, although that is not acknowledged in the booklet so I could be wrong. BTW - The Residents did a wonderfully mutated version of this in their early days and Track 20, 'Zapata' (1964) by Jack Nitzsche is no relation to John Barry's seductive 'Zapata' from three years earlier. You've probably gotten an idea of what this album is all about. If you're into instrumentals from that classic period when they were all the thing, and you couldn't turn on the (AM) radio without hearing this type of music, this is for you.

Tracklist:

1. Duane Eddy – Shazam!

2. Al Casey – The Stinger

3. Duane Eddy – Stalkin'

4. Tony Castle And The Raiders – Salty

5. Al Casey – Surfs You Right

6. The Astronauts – Movin'

7. Hal Blaine & The Young Cougars – Challenger II

8. Jack Nitzsche – Baja

9. The Rhythm Rockers – Moovin' N' Groovin'

10. The Ventures – Rebel-'Rouse

11. The Lively Ones – (Dance With The) Guitar Man

12. The Astronauts – El Aguila (The Eagle)

13. Hal Blaine & The Young Cougars – The Phantom Driver

14. The Astronauts – The Hearse

15. Dick Dale & His Del-Tones – Angry Generation

16. Lee Hazlewood's Woodchucks – Muchacho

17. The Challengers – Johnny October

18. Dino, Desi & Billy – Desi's Drums

19. Duane Eddy – This Town

20. Jack Nitzsche – Zapata

21. The Vanguards – A Stranger In Your Town

22. The Whisk Kids – Bo-Dacious

23. Billy Strange – These Boots Are Made For Walking

24. The Afro Blues Quintet – Some Velvet Morning 

leebuddy

VA - Kan-Gu-Wa and Chop Chop

Trick and Treat - - enjoy the madness.

First time on CD! The third and fourth volumes in the Exotic Blues & Rhythm series were released on limited edition 10" vinyl (500 copies per volume) and sold out in next to no time! Enjoy amazing and danceable tunes from the late 50s and early 60s - a handful of Popcorn dancefloor smashs, a few grinding Tittyshakers, awesome Rhythm & Blues - most of them with an exotic twist! 24 songs.

TRACKLIST

01. Ubangi Rock - Chaino
02. Kan-Gu-Wa - The Scholars
03. Man From Utopia - Donald Woods & The Vel-Aires
04. Haunted Lover - Carole Bennett
05. Little Doe-Doe - Curtis Knight
06. Ghost Train - The Electro-Tones
07. Big Foot - Googie Rene
08. Twistin' Fever - The Marcels
09. I Want Her Back - Dick Jordan
10. Rise Up And Walk - Troy Dodds
11. Voodoo Drums - Les Elgart
12. Volcano - The Three Suns
13. Chop Chop - Sandy Nelson
14. Don't Go - Vince Everett
15. Ali Ben Ghazi - Jack Hammer
16. Monkey See, Monkey Do - The Sherwoods
17. Johnny Lee - Faye Adams
18. I've Been True - Jannie Williams
19. Baltimore Jones - Chuck Miller
20. I Go (King-Kong) - The Go-Rillas
21. She's Mine - John Lee Hooker
22. Red Lips - Marty Hill
23. Little Indian Girl - Billy & The Moonlighters
24. Bullfrog - Johnnie Moore & His New Blazers

bongoz

VA - Katanga Ahbe Casabe: Exotic Blues and Rhythm

 Happy Halloween --- 

This reissue combines the first two volumes from the “Exotic Blues & Rhythm” compilation series named “Katanga!” and “Ahbe Casabe!” with two additional bonus tracks. This album is a colorful garden of delights consisting of R'n'B and rock'n'roll based songs from the 1940s to the early 1960s that all have this slightly exotic, dark and mystical feeling from the melody structures and instrumentation. Most of the tunes at hand sound astonishingly fresh and timeless. EDDIE COLE & THREE PEPPERS with their hypnotizing groover “Police” for example present a Caribbean mento with a mambo and rhythm'n'blues feel. The beat will drag you directly from your seat and make you swing on the dancefloor. This piece finds its roots in the late 1940s and demonstrates impressively how far even the predecessors of rock music already got in their development. The simple yet haunting lead vocal harmony makes this song a steaming hot all-time fave. And this is only one out of 26 rare gems. The album already starts magically with a gloomy bluesy tune named “Green onions” played by German composer and conductor Claus Ogermann, a cover of a BOOKER T & THE MG'S tune from 1962 with a rather specific basic melody that will stay with you forever. There is much more simmering popcorn rock and enchanting exciting pop from those old times to be found on this compilation and when you reach the “Ahbe Casabe” this is where the strange and quirky charme of exotica music captures your soul even more. The title track for example is a song from the late 50s written by proto hippie Ehden Ahbez that combines a Latin groove with a vocal melody speaking of dark backstreets in oriental cities. The album is rich on colors and the view behind the obvious you are allowed to take will open an entirely new world for you. The 1940s, 1950s and 1960s had much more to offer than what we already know and this is a field of diamonds you get to dig in when you spin this record. A nice little oddity is the bonus track “The riddle of the papawhos” by Danny Staton, based on old spirituals and gospels with a 1950s pop music base. The backing vocal effects here are more than strange somewhere between a deep gnarling and chipmunk style squeaking while the lead vocals on the other hand are soulful and striking as expected. The other bonus track by Kip Tyler named “Pu-Chun-Ga” is another outstanding mad Latin tune with wild female vocals and memorable lead melody. Tracks like "Shadow Street" leave you once more somewhere in between the jungle and a haunted oriental café in a town near the desert plains of Egypt. Next to master Ike Turner (still without his later wife and coming legend Tina) with his exotic surf instrumental “Katanga” from the first part, good old rock'n'roll pioneer Bill Haley should be the most famous contributor to this musical treasure chest. The sheer sensual stimulation you receive from these 26 songs will make you groove your mind away. Regardless where you are, these catchy Rhythm and Blues tunes will turn any place into a vintage dancefloor!

TRACKLIST

01. Green Onions - Claus Ogerman Orchestra
02. Nene Aman - Artie Barsamin & Orchestra
03. I'm Going Home - Prince Conley
04. Everything I Touch Turns to Gold - Joe Valino
05. Lucky Me - Chance Halliday
06. Apache - The Chiefs
07. Katanga - Ike Turner & His Kings of Rhythm
08. Where Were You? - Jimmy Rushing
09. Police - Eddie Cole & The Three Peppers
10. Hey! Little Woman - Sonny Til & The Orioles
11. Woke Up This Morning - Emmet Davis
12. Classie's Whip - Classie Ballou
13. Cleopatra Kick - Jack La Forge
14. Ahbe Casabe - Marti Barris
15. They Took John Away - Steve Arlen
16. Lucky Is My Name - Bruce Cloud
17. Thirteen Women and One Man - Dickie Thompson
18. Cleo - Rene Hall
19. Asia Minor - Machito & His Orchestra
20. Lament - Mamie Perry
21. Chick Safari - Bill Haley & His Comets
22. Big Bamboo - Lord Kitchener
23. Cleopatra - Jamie Coe
24. Shadow Street - Kip Tyler

hippy

A change of pace:
Over at Twilight Zone blog folks have been having a fun time posting "song swarms" or massive comps of versions of the same song.

For example, I posted almost 200 versions of Ghost Riders in the Sky over there. 
Check out the comments sections at the Zone for all kinds of awesome song swarms.

Here's a little one to whet your appetite. A few friends and I worked on this over the years. 

Eexperiment in Terror 3 in 1 – Banzai Pipeline, A Shot in the Dark, and Experiment in Terror
All covers of songs by Henry Mancini
Various bit rates due to various source material

Mostly Modern Surf versions
Banzai Pipeline –

Henry Mancini
The Astronauts
The Boardwalkers
The Panthom Five
The Raybeats
The Blue Hawaiians
The Moonrays

Contributors: Eek and Bossexec

A Shot in the Dark –

Treble Spankers
Big Ray and the Futuras
Four Piece Suit
Henry Mancini
John Zorn
Whiskey Buscuit
Creed Taylor and his Orchestra
Chris Mancini and Leonard Maven
Girl Trouble
Jimmy Haskell
The Moonrays

Contributors – RYP, Bossexec

Experiment in Terror

Al Caiola
Danny Morris
The Champs
Davie Allen and the Arrows
Henry Mancini
Impala
Laika and the Cosmonauts
The Moonrays
The Blue Hawaiians

Contributors -- Bossexec, Frisian

getitnow

No Age - A Compilation of SST Instrumental Muaic

This is a great disc to listen to when you a really pissed off and want to destroy something.

An unsung classic of the avant-garde music scene, No Age is, on the surface, simply a compilation of experimental instrumental music. The difference, though, is that most of the musicians who participated on the album came not from the jazz world, but from punk rock or an underground even the most adventurous listeners rarely visited. Though SST is a California label, there is little evidence of the reverbed Stratocasters and dance party music of old. Instead, the listener finds a cornucopia of melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, and most importantly, sonic textures that constantly challenge and surprise. The variety here is nothing short of stunning. From Greg Ginn's inside-out Deep Purple riffs with Black Flag/Gone to the scenic Cali-jams of Pell Mell, Paper Bag, Lawndale, & the Alter-natives to the NYC art-damage scene via Renaldo, Sharp, & Kaiser to the free jazz crescendos of Universal Congress Of--this album blew my mind when it first came out, & still does. For those who tire easily of completely improvised, aimless noodling, there are several pieces based on more traditional melodic and harmonic concepts. For those looking for complete freak-out music, that's here too. In some ways, this album is one of the most successful comps of all time in that it effectively presents a cohesive yet comprehensive overview of an incredibly diverse genre, all the while remaining eminently listenable. Overall, No Age is an absolute must-have for any fan of left-of-center music that has heart and soul.
Allmusic, GW

1.Southern Rise - Black Flag 2. Dark and Light - Blind Idiot God 3. Sugagaki for Conlon - Henry Kaiser 4. Shopping Maul - Elliott Sharp 5. Florida Power - Lee Ranaldo 6. March of the Melted Army Men - Lawndale 7. Vista Cruiser - Glenn Phillips 8. Cinnecitta - Pell Mell 9. Faith Opaque - Paper Bag 10. Let's Go Places and Eat Things - Scott Colby 11. Days of Pup and Taco - Lawndale 12. Priests on Drugs - Paper Bag 13. Chasing - Universal Congress Of 14. Johnny Smoke (Swamp Thing) - Steve Fisk 15. Left Holding Bag - Gone 16. Over the Counter Culture - Alter-Natives 17. Diurnal - Elliott Sharp 18. Trace - Fred Frith, Henry Kaiser 19. Insidious Detraction – Gone

nonne

Surf-Age Nuggets Trash and Twang Instrumentals

Been a while so here's a start to stay warm when the weather gets cold -- 

Monster wave of obscure ‘60s surf gems

It’s no accident that this deluxe 4-CD set uses the word “Nuggets” in its title; this is an apt reference to Lenny Kaye’s landmark 1972 compilation of psychedelic and garage rock. An even better touchstone, however, is Bomp’s follow-on series of Pebbles releases, which dug deeper into the world of one-off local and indie releases. In that sense, Surf-Age Nuggets is the Pebbles (with a touch of Las Vegas Grind) to earlier anthologies of major label releases, hit singles and nationally-known acts. Producer James Austin (who previously helmed Rhino’s Cowabunga! The Surf Box), focuses here on the impossibly rare and ephemeral: obscure singles that barely managed local distribution, with just a hint of rarities from a couple of well-known names. The result is a magnificent musical essay on the scene that flourished in the wake of surf music’s brief rise to commercial popularity.

Dozens of earlier collections have explored this DIY wave, but never in the luxuriousness of this set. Not only are the discs stuffed with 104 tracks (including a sprinkle of period radio spots and a 16-minute bonus montage hidden at the end of disc four), but the collection is housed in a wide 11 x 6 hardcover with a 60-page book of liner, song and band notes, full-color photographs and reproductions of picture sleeves, posters, period ads, comics and other ephemera. Although the material was sourced primarily from early ‘60s vinyl, unlike the first-state (that is, pops-and-clicks intact) condition of many collections of vintage singles, mastering engineer Jerry Peterson worked some very special voodoo in cleaning up the digital transcriptions. The complete lack of surface noise is a bit eerie, but the results remain largely true to the powerhouse mono vibe of a vintage 45.

The selections are guitar-centric, beat-driven and up-tempo; a formula whose thousands of variations have yet to get old. This is the sound of four guys getting together in a garage, working up covers and a couple of originals, scoring a gig and getting a crack at recording. Being true to the period, what’s here isn’t all strictly surf music; there’s plenty of reverb-drenched Dick Dale-styled staccato picking, but instrumental rock was a bigger lineup into which musicians crowded from every state. California surf bands provided inspiration, but the twang of guitar slingers like Duane Eddy, Link Wray and Lonnie Mack also held sway. Most of these acts had brief careers, but this collection is more than a set of surf songs; it’s a soundtrack to an era in which surf culture captured the national attention, even among those who didn’t surf or listen to surf music. This is a document of a time when radios had only an AM band, and teen culture was on the rise. Paddle, turtle, hangout and catch this tasty wave!

DISC 1-01 The Velvetones-Doheny Run/02 The Shan-Tones-Sheba/03 The Valiants-

Jack the Ripper/04 Vasqueros-Echo/05 Johnny McCoy and the Cyclones-Scrub Bucket/06 Surf Teens-Moment of Truth/07 The Ramrods-Night Ride/08 The Emeralds-Earthquake/09 The Runabouts-Surfer's Fright/10 Avengers IV-Slaughter on 10th Avenue/11 The Phantons-X-L3/12 The Vistas-Moon Relay/13 The Scouts-Mr Custer Stomp/14 The Vibrants-The Breeze and I/15 4 of Us-Batman (Freefalling)/16 Chiyo and the Crescents-Pink Dominos/17 The Pace Setters-Mustang/18 The Reekers-Don't Call Me Fly Face/19 The Lincoln Trio-Garden of Eden part 2 20 Dick Dale and the Del-Tones-Jungle Fever/21 Vasqueros-80 Ft. Wave/22 Steve Rowe and the Fuyrs-Minor Chaos/23 Kan Dells-Cloudburst/24 KHJ Radio Jingle (1963)/25 The Roadrunners-Quasimoto

DISC 2-01 The Emotionals-Miserlou/02 The Revelairs-The Cruel Sea/03 The Surfaris-Kick Out/04 The Velvetone-Mr X/05 Robin and the Hoods-The Marauder/06 Vox Instruments Radio Commercial/07 The Ric-A-Shays-Turn On/08 The Travelers-Windy and Warm/ 09 The Vulcanes-Cozimoto/10 King Rock and the Knights-Scandal/11 Reveliers-Hanging Five/12 The Hollywoods-Scramble/13 The Mockers-Madalena/14 The Royal Coachmen-Loophole/15 Rich Clayton and the Rumbles-Flip Side/16 The Losers-Snake Eyes/17 The Carnations-Scorpion/18 The Gestics-Rockin Fury/19 Pipeline Pete-Commercial/20 The-Ron-De-Voos-Pipeline "66"/21 The Torquetts-Side-Swiped/22 Sinders-Sinner/23 The Royal Flairs-One Pine Box/24 The Nautiloids-Nautiloid Reef/25 Surfing Soft Drink Commercial

DISC 3-01 The Squires-Batmobile/02 The Roadrunners-Roadrunner/03 The Rhythm Surfers-502 (Like Getting Pinched on a 502)/04 The Ree-Gents-Downshiftin'/05 The Tradewinds-Gotcha/06 Irredescents-Swamp Surfer/07 The Creations-The Crash/08 Jerry and the Silvertones-Ce'ny/09 The Monzels-Sharkskin/10 THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH TRAILER/11 The Vy-Dels-Unknown/12 The Countdowns-Do It/13 The Avants-Wax 'Em Down/14 The Cherokees-Uprisin'/15 The Royal Flairs-One Pine Box (Unreleased/Undubbed Version)/16 JAMES BOND TRAILER/17 The Twilights-.007/18 The Debonairs-High Wall/19 The Motivations-Motivate/20 The Persuaders-City of Atlantis/21 The Sherwoods-Tickler/22 TheSting Rays-One Mo' Gin/23 The Tempests-Lemon Line/24 Bobby Fuller-Stringer/25 The Vibrants-Scorpion/26 Newport Nomads-Blue Mallards /27 The Breakers-Jet Stream

DISC 4-01 Manuel and the Renegades-Rev-Up/02 The Telstars-Spaghetti Strap/03 THE BIRDS MOVIE TRAILER/04 The Motivations-The Birds/05 The Frogmen-Beware Below/06 The Hollywood Surfers-King of the Stomp/07 Charades Band-Sophia/08 Calvin Cool-El Tecoloto/09 Dave and the Customs-Ali Baba/10 Jim Head and his Del-rays-Harem Bells/11 The Fugitives-The Fugitive/12 The Tourquays-The Other Side/13 BAJA CALIFORNIA RADIO ID/14 the Turks-Baja/15 St. John and the Cardinals-The Rise/16 Five More-Avalanche/17 The Mosriters-On the Run/18 Elite UFO-Tarantula/19 The Buddies-Pulsebeat/20 The Vasqueros-Desert Wind/21 The Dantes-Desert Walk/22 The Decades-Strange Worlds/23 The House on Haunted Hill Movie Trailer/24 Kenny and the Fiends-House on Haunted Hill/25 Marlow Stewart and the Illusions-Earthquake!/26 The Toads-Morpheus/27 The Vistas-No Return/28 (Untitled)

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John Ford - No Talkin'

John Ford, UK, guitarist in a number of bands over the years - Strawbs, Blackmore's Night, Hudson Ford plus.

This album is 100% instrumental, with many tracks hinting to the sound of the UK 60's instrumental bands.

 The album’s cover is telling as every string plucked here belongs to a Fender, the only implicit thing about the record being the homage it pays to THE SHADOWS. This becomes obvious once the muscular chord of “The Reaper” starts hugging its gently rippling strum. Ringing in the years, its echo takes Ford down the memory lane, as no matter how long John’s been living on the other side of the Pond, the reminiscences he puts in “Granny Takes A Trip” still bear an imprint of foggy-eyed English psychedelia and “Tomorrow’s World” contrasts its futuristic self with an air of nostalgia, while out of the title cut the same axe carves a prime example of surf rock. The veteran also introduces exotic flavors to the mix, although the acoustic undercurrent makes the retro-jazz of “Looking For Django” and Mariachi-shaped “Spanish Jive” sound so cinematic they come out deliberately humorous.

But if the delicately swinging “36-34-36” provides a skeletal rock bottom to it all, “Dead Ending” grooves wildly – it’s so infectious, no words are needed, indeed. Music does all the talkin’ here, and this conversation that lasts less than half an hour speaks volumes of its creator’s singular talent.



Some great foot/finger tapping tunes & some beautiful melodies - if you have headphones on, I challenge you to listen to the track titled Joyce's Song and not succumb to the urge to stop what you're doing, sit back, close your eyes & dream of clouds.

Highly recommended.

 Track List:

01. The Reaper [02:50]
02. Spanish Jive [02:20]
03. No Talkin' [02:41]
04. Tomorrow's World [03:31]
05. Granny Takes a Trip [03:16]
06. Looking for Django [02:27]
07. Joyce's Song [03:15]
08. 36-24-36 [02:19]
09. Lost Horizon [02:41]
10. Dead Ending [02:31]
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