Thanksgiving Day -- Beach Party

Number 3 in the “party” collection …..DEL-FI BEACH PARTY is a bunch of rare or unreleased tracks by Del-Fi artists circa 1963. The big names are David Gates, with his hokey surf novelty "Okie Surfer," Bruce Johnston, who never was an outstanding creative force in his pre-Beach Boys days, and Preston Epps, with the previously unissued "Bongo Beach." The rest is basic surf music, or rock & roll instrumentals from the era. The spooky cocktail-surf of Dave Myers’ "Aquavelva" is my favorite cut. Get all three and add Pulp Surfin’ for a fun snazzy time.

Mazatlan - Bruce Johnston
2. Dancing In The Sand - Wayne Hollers
3. Church Key - The Gonzos
4. Bikini - Ricky Dean
5. Aquavelva - Dave Myers & The Surftones
6. Sammy The Sidewalk Surfer - The Surfettes
7. Surfin' Queen - Larry Bright
8. Only Donna's Friend - Tom & Larry
9. Twist To KCBQ - The Centavos
10. Okie Surfer - DAVID GATES
11. Surfer's Delight - Bruce Johnston
12. Twist & Freeze - Bob Keene Orchestra
13. Little Betty Limbo - Ricky Dean
14. Surfboard - Rene & Ray
15. Bongo Beach - Preston Epps

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The Blue Stingrays - Surf n Burn

More Exotic Surf -- This is an excellent top-shelf classic old-school surf/spy reverb guitar CD. If you like reverb, you'll love this one. Not as hard-edge as Dick Dale & Link Ray nor as laid back as Aqua Velvets. Somewhere in between. The songs are very well-written, performed, and arranged. The players are supposed to be anonymous, but, hey – it was a side project by The Heartbreakers in between gigs. Extremely good production, better than on most surf albums --reverb without the mud, all the instruments can be clearly heard, and the performances are crisp and tight. The guitars are bright and twangy, and like any self-respecting surf record, are at the front but not overly so.

There's not a bad song on this CD and the cool twist is that it has a very retro look and feel even though it was released in 1997. The track list even refers to "Side 1" and "Side 2" and "33 1/2 RPM" as if it was originally a slab of vinyl. There's even the occasional needle scratch noise inserted between tracks. Very Cool.

It’s an intriguing disc, and I find myself listening to it over and over again, which I rarely do. There's a good variety of moods and styles that blend together very well. The quiet and unassuming Ju Ju Beads is my favorite on here. Amazing record--highly recommended.

1. Monsoon 2. Echo Park 3. Goldfinger 4. Brave New World 5. Russian Roulette 6. Moon Over Catalina 7. Malibu Babylon 8. Blue Venus 9. Land Of The Unknown 10. Surfer's Life 11. Stingray Stomp 12. Zuma Sunset 13. Ju Ju Beads 14. Green Sea 15. Super Hero

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Surf's Up - The Human Tornados

A pedigree doesn't hurt. Bill Schunk was the co-founder and lead guitarist with Beat Rodeo (I still love the Coyote 12 inch "Do You Mean It"). Pete DeCosta was with Bobby Radcliff and Kristi Rose and the Midnight Walkers, as well as the Walking Clampetts. Ted Lawrence was guitarist with the Supertones as well as Purple Knif. Their music is also slated to be included in the upcoming film Anthem. With influences ranging from the Shadows (melodic sense, not archetypical echoplex twang), the Ventures (pristine sound, not bored again chameleons), the Sentinals (Tommy Nuñes melodic sensibility), and Antonio Carlos Jobim (not the rabid approach of Brazil 2001, but rather the measured intricacy of the Raybeats. This CD is very melodic, and well produced. The seasoned talent allows the players to make their sacred noise without leaning on volume or speed. Like the Aqua Velvets, they have an imagery in their work that carries it far beyond the mere limits of instro. It's more than soundtrack, much more than ambient. It commands and soothes. very good CD. Phil Dirt

Talent oozing from every track, very well engineered. This is a one-off colaboration. The musicians got together, between bands, and ripped this one out in about in a very short period. The result is pure enjoyment. This is a must have for the instro-surf/rock lovers. You can't go wrong.

Pugsakuk, The Man From N.O.R.K.A., I Surf In Black, Del Surfin', Incident At Broken Wind, Princess SFWS, Shadow Of The Rangemaster, Theme For Young Lovers, Shempin' Surfari, Hotel Loneliness, Petey Kross The Merzey, Twister, Wave

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Messer Fur Frau Muller - Triangle, Dot and Devil

Messer fur Frau Muller (translates as Knife for Mrs. Muller in German) originally started in 1991 in St.Petersburg, Russia with Oleg Gitarkin and several other band members playing hardcore and psychobilly. By the mid-nineties the majority of the the original cast had left the band. The current version, with the addition of Oleg Kostrow, takes its sound into unusual territory defining it as “post easy-listening,” drawing on samples from the 50’s and 60’s pop-culture, with addition of Gitarkin’s bass and guitars and Kostrow’s synths and programming. The band’s tracks are surprisingly favortised by German banks for licensing in television commercials. The influences on "Triangle, Dot & Devil" come from music styles as varied as surf, twist, mondo, lo-fi noise, experimental electronica, and even cartoons, children’s educational records, and sampled dialogue from Soviet cinema. According to Oleg Kostrow, there is a big mystery behind every song that gets substantial airplay nowadays - the mystery is that it was borrowed from another catchy song in the past… however with MFFM, for their every song there is about a hundred reference songs out there.

This does not mean it is “retro”. It's music of our time, while using sound elements of those bygone decades (horror/sci-fi movie sound effects/samples, Farifsa organs, Theremins) through the magic of sequencing/sampling to create a cut-up sonic portrait of that era. It really rocks, and should induce dancing despite being unconventional as a pop album. The sampling is some of the most tasteful and creative I have ever heard, i.e. when a movie scream is sampled, the musicians actually use the pitch ascents and descents in the sample to carry the melody of the song, or at least harmonize with it.

You will notice a similarity of song structure with Messer Chups – that’s because it is the side project of Oleg Gitarkin stretching the sonic boundries of craziness even further. Way groovy.

Agents and Spies
Funny Man Under Anesthesia
Karate Feelings
Ultrasound Vibrator
Rock Rock Rock
No Place for Me
Euro-Friendship
Sedative Trip
Smile, But Don't Move
Barmaley '66
I Like I
Mr. PshikIntime Service Cosmique

Cherche le Zavr
Acorns from Mars for Pigs from Earth
Hinki-Dinki Parlez Vous
Goodbye, Sea!

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Man or Astroman? Vapor Nitemare - Comp

Hi all. Per your requests -- more rare Man or Astroman? Goodies, served by BRADONIO. This time it's not an actual release per se, instead we have two krazy, killer komps to satisfy you desperate Astroman fans ravaging thirst for missing Astroman music in their collection. Yeah, baby! You see, MOAM were famous during the 90's for releasing a ton of music. That's true and all but they also put their loyal fans on a quest to search a song here and there on various comps and hard to find limited released 45's from all over the globe.

Here’s what Brandonio has to say about it -----
You guessed it, I was one of those loyal and devoted fans probably their biggest fan. I mean, I do sport a "Intravenous Television Continuum"tattoo on my right arm and am the proud owner of silly collectibles such as the bands DNA GENOME PACK files, space dust, space particles, 3D glasses, switchplates, clocks, YoYo's, Lunchbox and thermos, and the list goes on and on. Well, I’m willing to share some of the fruits of my labor here. Here are 2 incredible comps of music that I named myself "Vapor Nitemare", and “Space Debris”. “Vapor Nitemare” is homage to the movie that the band named itself after, The Human Vapor. The movie is a early 60's Japanese Sci-Fi film that mentioned the words, {“is it man or astroman”} on it's movie poster. Birdstuff the drummer saw this and presto --- Man Or Astroman? was born. I do have one more song, "Space Potatoes", a vocal sung by CoCo that I forgot to add to the mixes here. I had to leave something out to keep the hunger still lingering there in the back of your human mind!!! Until next time......TRAX

------Classified
400,000. 37 Miles (Breaking The Sanity Barrier)
Bird’s Stuff
Creature From the Surfer’s Lagoon
Cuts and Volts
Draining Their Batteries
Drone of the Earth
Eisenhower and the Hippies
Galaxy of Zombies
Green Blooded Love
High Wire
Holojoy’s Interlude
Illidiuym Q36
Inside The Head of Jophn Peel – aka- King of Monsters
Italian Movie Theme
Mach One
Man or Man Machine
Max Q
Mr. Goodchoices Meat Packing Accident
Point Blank – Mission into Chaos version
Quasi- man
Radio Fission
Radio Promo
Rudy’s Lounge
Sfreric Waves
The Powerful Fully Transistorized Dick Tracy Two Way Wrist Radio
The Shadow Knows
The Sound Waves Reversing
The Space Alphabet
The Wayward Meteor

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Man or Astroman? Space Debris Comp

Space Debris, is just that --- debris of astroman music. Mainly stuff I found on cd comps and even some rare Space Ghost clips the band played on the show.


1. A Miracle of Genuine Pyrex 2. A Synthesis of Unknown 3.Substances 4.Closing Theme 5.Don’t Think What Jack
7.Drumulator is Boss
8. Flotation Devices For Frequencies Yet to be Detected
9. Interplanet Janet 10. Johnathan Winters Frankenstein 10.LoBatt
11. Mystery Science Theatre 12. Name of Numbers –Extended
13. Play Me To The Desk 14. Space Ghost Screenplay 16. The Carbonated Comet

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Star Wars - Cocktails in the Cantina

Before John Williams moved to California and became a hugely famous composer of film scores, he gigged in numerous New York jazz clubs, performed on Henry Mancinni's recording of the Peter Gunn theme, and served as band leader and arranger for crooner Frankie Laine. He was known then as "Johnny" Williams. And it's to Johnny and this era that Carvin Knowles and the Evil Genius Orchestra dedicate this album of Star Wars covers, Cocktails in the Cantina, clever arrangements for big band orchestra circa the late 50's in styles ranging from jazz and mambo to bossa nova performed by some of southern California's best studio musicians. Knowles is himself a resident of Los Angles and composer for film, the most well known of his projects being music for the comedy, American Pie. Apparently rich in curiosity and all things musical, he has composed, produced and arranged in a number of genres, from big band to jazz to blues, from funk to club. His most recent project is a world beat recording called Hamsa. Despite the obvious appearance, Cocktails in the Cantina is not a commercial knock-off, but a project that shows some musical wit. The Imperial March starts off with pounding tympanis followed by tenor sax and trombones playing the theme down low, with the trumpets coming in a bar later on the high end in a hilarious mambo swing. The well-worn Cantina Band number is slowed down to about half the original speed, a hypnotic lullaby led by xylophone and joined by a torpid tenor sax and scatting chorus. The hipster main title features a rhythm section of snapping fingers over which a muted trumpet plays the theme, accented by a number of sound effects, including mouth harp and what sounds like a theremin (though that instrument is not listed in the credits). Princess Leia's Theme is given a bossa nova shuffle, with flute playing the melody over acoustic guitar chords accented with xylophone fills, and The Throne Room climax is played like a Peter Gun theme, with trumpets calling out the fanfare, and then playing the lead melody over B3 organ and a swinging drum kit.

Porn queen Jasmin St. Claire, graces the cover. But, back to the subject. I found 'Cocktails' to be a surprisingly enjoyable listen. The Evil Genius Orchestra's renditions sounded like they'd fit right in as part of the atmosphere in those classic 40s & 50s detective flick scenes that take place at the local mob-front nightclub! All in all, this collection is a beautifully balanced combo of fast and slow tunes, which can be enjoyed by both 'Star Wars' fans and cocktail tune aficionados alike! For those who enjoy a bit of the unexpected in their music, this will not disappoint.

1. Star Wars Main Title 2. Princess Leia's Theme
3. The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) 4. Cantina Band
5. Ben Kenobi's Death/The FIghter Attack 6. Han Solo And The Princess
7. Yoda's Theme 8. Lando's Palace 9. The Asteroid Field
10. Parade Of The Ewoks 11. Binary Sunset 12. The Throne Room
13. End Title

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Another CRRAAZY Cocktail Party -- Conga Baby!

Mix up some mojito's, set out some tapas, invite all your friends over to play canasta, and let this play! Another Crazy Cocktail Party is a collection of swinging easy listening and pop from the mid-'60s, designed to appeal to the retro-lounge lizards of Generation X. None of the songs on the collection were actual hits, but the sound of the record, with its jive brass and Latin rhythms, is kitschy and wacky enough for '90s swingers. Some of the music is strong, and the rare David Bowie composition "Pancho" was written for a Euro TV show! For the most part, Another Crazy Cocktail Party is fun, if not earth shattering. Get ready to Conga!!

1. Big Band Conga - Los Albinos
2. Chiquito - Ruben Calzado And His Orchestra
3. When The World Was Mine - The Golden Dream Orchestra
4. Aquarella - Jo Carlier Et Son Orchestre
5. Loin De Mes Yeux Pres De Mon Coeur - Jean Claude Pelletier Et Son Orchestre
6. Go Go Conga - Los Albinos
7. Blue Candlelight - Jean Evans His Piano And His Strings
8. Los Patatos - The Boxeros
9. Obsession - Reg Owen And His Orchestra
10. Pancho - Dee Dee And Her Panchos
11. Chinese Conga - Los Albinos
12. Blue Sunrise - The Sadi Quartet
13. La Cucarachacha - The Peter Loland Orchestra
14. Birds Of Paradise - Peter Krender His Piano And His Orchestra
15. A La Salud - Stan La Bann And His Orchestra
16. The Swinging Conga - Los Albinos
17. Forever - The Clippers
18. Headin' North - Willy Albimoor and His Lucky 13
19. Marijuana Brass - Teddy Mertens, His Trumpet And His Orchestra
20. Frere Jacques Conga - Los Albinos

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Guitar Speak -- Great Rock Guitar

Features a veritable royalty of rock guitar players each performing one new unique to this project (otherwise unavailable) instrumental track. This is long out of print but worth getting for examples of excellent guitar.

1. No Limit - Alvin Lee 2. Prisoner - Randy California 3. Western Flyer - Angelic Voices of Faith, Eric Johnson 4. Let Me Out 'A Here - Leslie West 5. Blood Alley 152 - Ronnie Montrose 6. Sharp on Attack - Steve Howe 7. Sphinx - Phil Manzanera 8. Slow Moon Rising - Rick Derringer 9. Danjo - Peter Haycock 10. Urban Strut - Steve Hunter 11. Captain Zlogg - Hank Marvin 12. Strut-A-Various - Robbie Krieger

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Ben Vaughn - Instrumental Stylings

Retro-rocker Ben Vaughn attracted attention for his faithful re-creations of pre-Beatles rock & roll, pop, and roots music, all of which were filtered through his quirky sense of humor. Vaughn began playing around Philadelphia with a band dubbed the Ben Vaughn Combo, after the band broke up, he did a few compilations and went solo.

Instrumental Stylings, 1995, an eclectic album that incorporated bits of his film scores. In fact, a couple of the album cuts were originally written for a 1991 muscle car documentary, Favorite Mopar, and a few others originally appeared in his score to the documentary Wild Girl's Go Go Rama. Sure enough, following the release of the album, he contributed the award-winning theme song to the television series Third Rock from the Sun, and much of the music from Instrumental Stylings was subsequently featured on the show. Vaughn went on to serve as music director for That '70s Show throughout it’s 8 year run.

Instrumental Stylings is not a soundtrack album, but it certainly tackles its fair share of instrumental touchstones. Vaughn shies away from no genre: bone-crunching surf, spaghetti western, drag-strip stompers, country-blues boogie, Italian soundtrack, breezy bossa nova, Tex-Mex cowboy ballads, noir Indian music, and numerous mix-and-match hybrids thereof. One of the most surprising aspects of the album is his ability to evoke a wildly eclectic array of sources and styles and create a palpable mood and atmosphere with each one using virtually the same basic instrumentation. The constants on the album are Vaughn's crazily reverbed guitar and rock-steady drumming. He also douses many of the songs with simplistic organ runs and a bevy of alien effects. Amazingly -- and it is a testament to his estimable skills -- Vaughn manages to make the album sound like a compilation of the finest camp sounds from exploitation flicks of the '50s and '60s. He is as gifted at replicating B-movie styles as Todd Rundgren is at reproducing pop/rock ones. It is virtually impossible to be put off by the retro stance of the music because it exudes such a joyous quality and is crafted so impeccably. It hangs together as a tribute that is often better than the music it is meant to acknowledge.


1. Aqua Blue 2. Gumpstumper 3. Enfermo 4. Pipe Bomb 5. Aldente
6. Battery Acid 7. Heaven Above 8. Toestubber 9. Snake Pit
10. Dreadnaught 11. Hydroplane 12. Tarot Reader 13. Descafeinado
14. Constellation Drive 15. Illusion 16. Stretch Limo

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