Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA
The Supertones - Surf Side Twang - Rarities Series - Volume 2dotdotdot
artworkAnother volume in the unreleased Supertones vault purge series... this is in many ways an unreleased Shadows tribute. A few of the tracks have marginal to dreadful sound, but as outtake issues go, this is actually a pretty good CD.
Picks: Intro - Miserlou, Bumble Boogie, Church Key, Surf Beat, Exodus, Wipe Out, Rumble, Mr. Moto, Ghost Riders, Holiday Inn Spain, Diamond Head, Cosa Nostra, Secret Agent, Sleep Walk, Switch Blade, Last Date, Hawaiian War Chant

Track by Track Review


Intro - Miserlou dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

A fake Ed Sullivan introduction mispronouncing "Miser-Lou" leads to a bit of a muddy take of a fine performance of "Miserlou" with plenty of plinky piano overdubbed (I think). It's an otherwise heavy sound.

Bumble Boogie dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Clapping and cheering cover the beginning of this classic B. Bumble and the Stingers tune. Not very exited playing, but with the piano over the top, it has a certain charm.

Church Key dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This crudely recorded version of the Revel's "Church Key" is sporty fun, but of very questionable sound quality.

Surf Beat dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

More murky live sound, but the cool drums under "Surf Beat" are a unique twist on an old standard not often covered these days. Fun despite the murk.

Exodus dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

A solid performance lies beneath the muddy sound. A relatively straight arrangement.

Wipe Out dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

A fiery performance this... and the drums are not bad... without some real drum magic, this song usually falls flat.

Rumble dotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Just plain grodie... lo-fi sound and a little too fast pace...

Mr. Moto dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

The Belairs' classic played well, with more drum energy than guitar spiff. It's solid, but not remarkable.

Ghost Riders dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

The distorted lo-fi intro is from WNYU-FM, but the take is not. The arrangement is quite nice, more cowboy than surf, less cowboy than the Ramrods hit. Great twang.

Holiday Inn Spain dotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Another off-air take that's all distorted. Too bad, because this Raybeats tune is well done and nicely arranged.

Diamond Head dotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

More WNYU yuk sound burying a solid performance of this Ventures classic.

Cosa Nostra dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Your basic riff rocker... kinda cutesy at first, but it gets old much too quickly. It's the sort of thing that works well live, but doesn't translate to disc well.

Secret Agent dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

"Secret Agent Man" is warmly arranged, with a rhythmic backtrack. It's down to earth, crisp, and low key friendly.

Sleep Walk dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

As non-slide/lap steel versions go, this is nicely arranged and played. It's warm and a little sludgy.

Switch Blade dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Link's lumbering thunder rendered anew in a spy-like format with crazy guitar work... quite interesting, like Link Wray at an asylum or something.

Last Date dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Floyd Cramer's plaintiff "Last Date" gets a nice treatment, with piano and all. The take is a little distorted, but the arrangement is good.

Hawaiian War Chant dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This is a way fun interpretation of the often maligned "Hawaiian War Chant." It's low key, rhythmic, and understated. Almost humorless, it takes on a mechanical tropical air that's way too cool. Liquid robots...