Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA
Jody Reynolds - Endless...dotdotdotdot
artworkJody Reynolds was accompanied by an impressive list of players on his records, including the great Al Casey, Jimmy Bryant, Les Paul, Howard Roberts, Bobbie Gentry, Ed Black, Greg Eckler, Hal Blaine, and Plas Johnson. His music was often primal, and his tone pure big guitar. Right from the opening lines "The night was black, rain fallin' down...," you knew he was different. His band the Storms cut a few instros, which are included here alongside an impressive 53 tracks on two CD's.
Picks: Makin' Out, Out Of Nowhere, Five Fingers, Shot Down, Thunder, Tarantula

Track by Track Review


Makin' Out dotdotdotdotdot
Big Guitar (Instrumental)

Whoa! This is major pre surf twang. It's nastier than the Storms single, more rhythmic and pumped, less rich. It's downright sensual. Yikes! Makes you wanna go in the back seat with your baby... Plas Johnson plays sax with the Storms on this track.

Out Of Nowhere dotdotdot
Suave Guitar (Instrumental)

The suave playing of Les Paul and Jimmy Bryant are featured on this track. I'd guess that Les is playing lead. It's a soft and squishy and very jazzy guitar piece, pretty in every way.

Five Fingers dotdot
Suave Guitar (Instrumental)

This track is a choppy jazz number with Jimmy Bryant taking leads while Les Paul backs him up. It's intricate, and displays significant playing skill, but not much interest.

Shot Down dotdotdotdot
Surfabilly (Instrumental)

Like a Mexican cantina that features cannelloni, this very pretty number reminds me of some of the Farina brothers' writing, a bit of the Buddy Merrill styling, and slinky Latin quarter sensuality. A nice tune, moody, mystical, and smooth. Like a Jim Thomas construction, this moodily meanders through some interesting guitar tones and shimmering delicate melody ideas, displaying island visions and wahine sway.

Thunder dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

With the manic energy if a less than correctly wired board rider in storm surf, this track angrily disorients the listener with a defined reality filter. Intense and nervous. "Thunder" was one of the singles that inspired the first generation of surfbands, from Paul Johnson onward.

Tarantula dotdotdotdot
Pre Surf (Instrumental)

This is Jody Reynolds' band. Their most familiar instro is "Thunder," which is a pretty straight Duane Eddy-Al Casey styled number. "Tarantula" is much more moody, with that same low-E guitar grumble and a nasty sax in the break. Excellent pre-surf from 1959