Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Los Fantasticos - Return Of The Leopard Man
 | This is a very sophisticated and lovely disc, with exceptional writing and well thought out arranging. I'm impressed! |
Picks: Tierce de Picardi, (Theme From) Return Of The Leopard Man, All Along The Promenade, Sleep Walk, Town With No Name, Liz's Dream House, Crazy Lady / High Velocity, Man Turns Animal, Olympic White, Sofia, Sergio, El Mar del Amor
Track by Track Review
Surf (Instrumental)
Rich guitar and sad trumpet launch this dramatic piece of music. Once into the song, two guitars play around each other, rhythm playing a "Brand New Cadillac" riff while lead plays an original melody. Solid and on the dark side.
(Theme From) Return Of The Leopard Man Surf (Instrumental)
Groovy muted guitar and twangy whammy chords, liquid reverb and a tweaky surfin' spy sound colorfully create intriguing interplay. Soft and yet twangin' tuff. Very cool!
Surf (Instrumental)
"All Along The Promenade" is a strolling kind of song with a tone and and friendly guitar lines. heavy at times, fluid at others, it holds your attention and is very nicely arranged.
Surf (Instrumental)
Santo and Johnny's ever slithery "Sleep Walk" is done in a simple easy surf style that's very complimentary to it. Simply lovely!
Surf (Instrumental)
"Town With No Name" is soft and moody to the max, like a gentle Gabor Szabo or perhaps Harvey Mandel ballad. This very slow and sensual piece lulls you into a relaxed state, whether you want to go there or not. Beautiful! That's part one. Part two speeds up with a cowboy beat that's just too cool! A great track!
Surf (Instrumental)
Pomp and keys and big drums and jazzy bass, then a soft and lush piece with a sinewy bass line that seems to hold it together. As it grows to be heavier, it leaves tranquility behind in favor of drama. This is serious music, or maybe perfect soundtrack material.
Crazy Lady / High Velocity Surf (Instrumental)
"Crazy Lady / High Velocity" is a pure joy, with splashy surf guitars and a warm Austin style melody. Edgy, powerful, and very attractive.
Surf (Instrumental)
Surf and rock and progressive and classical seem intertwined as "Man Turns Animal" unfolds. It grows on you as time passes. It's sort of mathematical, yet quite fluid.
Surf (Instrumental)
Ultra low lead guitar, a cowboy beat, and a sinewy sound that's very inviting. "Olympic White" is a superb piece of music that's engaging and very pleasurable. Imagine Jet Harris surfing to Guam.
Surf (Instrumental)
"Sofia" is a slow and pretty song with a tasteful melody line and sad imagery. A lovely creation in tux.
Surf (Instrumental)
Tremolo shimmer and long chords bring on a very pretty sequence of notes before becoming a wonderful surf instro with real charm. gentle and dramatic, and very fluid!
Surf (Instrumental)
"El Mar del Amor" is a jazzy surf stroll down a foggy beach in search of a love lost. Like some of the better seventies prog, it moves through its paces with art and sophistication. The long leaning bass note at the end is really neat. Excellent!