Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA
The Cruncher - Jupiter Cdotdotdot
artworkThis is an early album from Germany's Cruncher. This release was vinyl only. Some of these tracks have not appeared on CD. Herbert Hooke named the band after the line I'm ridin' that cruncher in the Trashmen's "King Of The Surf."
Picks: Jupiter-C, Beach Party, Redondo Strand, The Rebel, Honky Tonk, The Bronze Surfer, Underwater, Black Boots And Bikes, The Wasp, Casbah, Santa Barbara, Lonely Seagull

Track by Track Review


Jupiter-C dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Inspired by Link Wray's classico, and then morphed into a mambo, then vibrated and double picked, and delivered with extreme finesse. Fine instro, mighty fun, and very powerful.

Beach Party dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This is a fine cover of Link Wray's My Beth, delivered with extreme accent and wham. Plenty of string swipes, lots of angst, and very infectious playing, almost like King of Hawaii with distortion. Great double picking, and powerful surfisms.

Redondo Strand dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This is not Mel Torme, the Velvet Fog. This is the late sixties UK heavy psych-prog band. They issued but one album and a single, before fading into a well deserved obscurity. The oddity here is their inclusion of a bizarre version of the Joe Meek classic "Telstar," made famous by the Tornados.

The Rebel dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This is a sweetly played bottleneck blues, full of emotion and depth. Subtle, fluid, and sinewy.

Honky Tonk dotdotdot
Blues (Instrumental)

Bill DoggetŐs bluesy progression oriented hit instro, done a lot like a combo between Susan and the SurfTones and Freddie King. Good blues intro listening.

The Bronze Surfer dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This a cover of the album version of this classic Link Wray tune. It is a full throated performance, delivered like they mean it, and mean enough to cut the mustard. It shows off the time spent in Link's band by Greg Douglas and Les Lizama.

Underwater dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

the Frogmen, among the earliest guitar-reverb bands, had a minor hit with this tune. It is styled like a late fifties instro, more a riff than a melody, but then many of the early surf instros were too, which is why this has held up so well over time. The performance here is quite solid. The mean sax in the break is cool. Arrangement wise, this is a bit like the Super Stocks might have done it.

Black Boots And Bikes dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This Richie Podolor tune has gone under several names, including this when the Scramblers issued it. The arrangement is quite Super Stocks oriented, or maybe Devons. The rich melody is catchy, and the whammy is slight but effective.

The Wasp dotdotdot
Lap Steel Lounge (Instrumental)

Oh my goodness. Don Ho slips into the sunset on a nine-six McCoy on Waikiki beach. Lap steel smoothness and major lounge. very cool.

Casbah dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Surfy sounds, but fifties progression melody stylings. More like a jam, fun, but not very memorable. Maybe like a second cousin to Take 7 (the Novas).

Santa Barbara dotdotdot
Near Surf (Instrumental)

I'd guess this is a set ender for intermission. It is much like Dick Dale's usual short break tune Breaktime. It rolls along, and has a funky cool pace, and a few changes that are unusual. It has an almost surf sound.

Lonely Seagull dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Slow, swaying, shimmering, and lush. This tune is very pretty. The guitar tone is smooth and fluid, as is the delivery. Perfect for an evening on the beach.