Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA
JFA - Live 1984 Tourdotdotdot
artworkDuring their heyday, JFA toured extensively and rocked mightily. Like the title says, this CD is a reissue of their Live 1984 Tour album. These tracks most likely come from an ambient source or soundboard tapes. This CD includes some tasty glimpses into the surf realm of the skate punk genre. Cool stuff. These guys should have done a surf album.
Picks: Charlie Brown, Pipetruck, Flyboys, ABA, Baja, Walk, Don't Run, Standing On The Verge

Track by Track Review


Charlie Brown dotdotdotdot
Surf Punk (Instrumental)

JFA's brilliant surfish arrangement of Vince Guaraldi's "Linus & Lucy" was brilliant when it appeared on studio disc. They played with equally creative abandon on this live session. The offbeat melody line is brilliantly complimented by the non-punk back track. Skate thrash gone jazz. Quite fun.

Pipetruck dotdotdot
Surf Punk (Instrumental)

This cover of the Dead Kennedys variation on "Pipeline" is fast, furious, and thrash based. It's noisy, driven, and whammied.

Flyboys dotdotdot
Surf Punk (Instrumental)

This track utilizes an interesting progression for the melody, and hard driving punk chords throughout. It is a bit too one dimensional for my taste, but it has a ton of energy and adequate flair. It seems more of a backtrack than an instro.

ABA dotdotdot
Surf Punk (Instrumental)

Huge intro chords, metallic assault, and a building thrash structure create a hard driving number with no melody, but several rhythm changes that hold the interest. Whammy is used effectively, and the power of the track is undeniable.

Baja dotdotdotdot
Surf Punk (Instrumental)

When Lee Hazelwood wrote "Baja," he envisioned something akin to what Al Casey did with it, and was probably amazed at the Astronauts version. Then there was the Surf Mariachis' slowed down cover. Now it's been speeded up again, to about 50% over the Astronauts, and it retained the intent without the authentic surf sound. It's very chunky, fast, and bunches of fun.

Walk, Don't Run dotdotdotdot
Surf Punk (Instrumental)

Faster, gremmie, faster. Skate punk but thinner, based on the Ventures' "Walk, Don't Run '64" variation, this is spirited, joyous, and just plain fun. The mid song variation is unusual. No glissandoes for the tube riders though, and no double picking either.

Standing On The Verge dotdotdot
Surf Punk (Instrumental)

Big metallic assaultive instro, pushing the barrier between a backtrack and a melody. It's got a unique structure and lead line, and is delivered with typical JFA energy.