Another sideproject of Mark Enbatta (Vietnam Veterans)…
Members
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...Volumes One and Two (PSALM2320 and PSALM2350) were enthusiastically gobbled up on release by Red Lickers so would we want to deprive you of the unhinged pleasures of another volume?
Psychedelic pop rock band from Los Angeles. They were comprised of Steven Crabtree (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Roy McDonald (drums, percussion), Pete Rouch (bass, vocals), Andre Garcia (guitar), Larry Klein (guitar, vocals), Bob Wier (bass, vocals), Mike Sosa (drums).
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This new hybrid music coincided with the new, expanding 60’s drug culture that was leaving its effect on both the musicians themselves and the new counter-culture audience, fostering a new music that was both spontaneous as it was cerebral. Most audiences were so caught up in this new musical and cultural explosion that they remained utterly unaware at the time how much of this music could be traced back to roots barely recognizable to the throngs dancing in ballrooms like the Avalon and the Carousel. The SAN FRANCISCO SOUND represents rock music’s first foray into what would later be dubbed Americana, and in the San Francisco counter-culture’s rejections of all things Amerika, it unknowingly embraced some very American musical forms. (Mark R.)
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Boy, howdy! Certified Beachcomber is quite a treat. many songs borrow classic lines or progressions, yet the affect if refreshing and engaging. Very cool whammy with some imaginative and well executed ideas. - Phil Dirt
...Compiled from such esteemed collectors as Joe Bussard, the recordings include songs by Louvin Brothers, William McCoy, Washington Phillips, Carter Family and more. The songs on the first disc describe mother's activities on earth: kindness, discipline, teaching and love. The second disc's songs involve coping with a mother's death and the emptiness it creates. The book features 65 antique photographs from such noted collectors as Sarah Bryan and Jim Linderman. Included is a foreward by Grammy-Award winning singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash and an essay by Sarah Bryan. "We can feel our American past here: how we lived, how hard we worked, how we were a nation of travelers and wanderers, how we held fast to our faith, how great our losses were, how quickly death came, and how often our mothers were the rock and the lighthouse, the home inside our hearts. These songs could never be written in the age of jet travel, therapy, delayed adolescence, the internet, nor could they survive current popular ideas of human psychology. They are pristine and deeply wrought sonic images, unfiltered through modern expectations, and are all the more refreshing and thrilling for being so. Those of us who treasure American roots music are listening to the very center of its essence in this anthology: a nearly century-old collection of songs about the most important person in the entire lexicon." --Rosanne Cash, from the introduction. Never A Pal Like Mother is elegantly presented in a 96-page hardback book (5.75"x8.5") with 2 CDs in front and back sleeves on the inside covers.
...Covering the band's entire career, reaching all the way back to 1982's groundbreaking Days of Wine & Roses (over half of which is represented), the set list is a well-chosen blend of Steve Wynn's twisted character studies and the band's neo-psychedelic guitar rave-ups. The second disc in particular focuses on the latter side of Dream Syndicate's sound, consisting entirely of half-a-dozen different jams in the seven- to nine-minute range, all of which feature only the barest minimum of aimless noodling in favor of some impressively noisy solos and some of Wynn's most raw-throated singing, especially on a near-violent climax to "The Days of Wine and Roses." The whole thing is capped off with the definitive version of "John Coltrane Stereo Blues," Dream Syndicate's own "Sister Ray," which had never quite been captured in its full glory on tape before. Dream Syndicate were already kaput when the first release of Live At Raji's came out, but this expanded edition shows that unlike many of their so-called Paisley Underground contemporaries, they went out at the peak of their powers. - AllMusic Review by Stewart Mason
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...Their lineup in 1962 consisted of Dave Myers on lead guitar, Jon Curtis on rhythm guitar, Johnny Miller on bass guitar, Bob Hurtly on saxophone, and Bob Morosco on drums. In 1962, Dave Myers and his group as well as another group called the Rhythm Rockers were regulars at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, California. They became the house band at the venue, having taken over from Dick Dale and his band. Myers's father owned a store that was visited by Bob Hafner who was the partner of Tony Hilder. One day Hafner and Myers Sr. were having a conversation that got on to the subject of music. A short time later Hilder turned up. He came to one of their practice sessions and heard their version of "Church Key", a song he held the rights to. They would end up having two singles released on Hilder's Impact label. They were "Moment Of Truth" bw "Frogwalk". They also covered The Revels hit "Church Key" bw "Passion" as Dave Myers and his Surf-Tones. In late 1963, drummer Bob Callwell left the group. He was replaced by Ross van Kleist. Also in late 1963, the group played at the Second Annual Surf Fair, held at the Santa Monica Auditorium. This live event was recorded live and released on the Impact label as Shake! Shout! & Soul.
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Basically, this is a retitled reissue of the 1963 Hangin' Twenty album, with a couple Myers & the Surftones' tracks from the 1963 compilation album KFWB's Battle of the Surfing Bands! added as bonus cuts. For most people, a Dick Dale best-of will suffice as a representative slab of this kind of music, but if you're enchanted by Dick Dale-style instrumental surf and want some more records in the same style, this should certainly be on your list. Although Myers did R&B-surf blends well, of more interest are the more exotic items, like the minor key "King's Surf," "Aquavelva" (motored by a walking bass and spooked-out, icy reverb lead), and "Moment of Truth," which recalls and stands up to Dick Dale with its staccato lead guitar and snaky middle eastern horn solo. In fact there's pretty good Dale-style guitar throughout, although without as much of the fury or wattage. - Review by Richie Unterberger
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The title track opens this CD with its wonderfully catchy melody set against jangling electric guitars. Green Light gives the go-ahead for a more typical modern surf blast from The Torpedoes. Their three-piece instrumentals are guitar led with leader Brian Pool multi-tracking himself to boost the sound. He favors a strident edge with echo for a lot of the leads, slipping into sustained distortion for screamers like The Gunfighter and Night Of The Hot Rods and easing into some beautiful solo acoustic for the closer Davenport. Fishin' is a slower piece while Lickety-Split ia a fast romp. Most of the album is uptempo in fact, modern guitar rock with surf roots, relying on riffs and the beat rather than the melody. It's all original material but I just keep going back to the haunting melody of Lucky You which is picked out Meek style on a single note keyboard. - Alan Taylor, Pipe Line Instrumental Review, Summer 2000
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Fine collection of rocking blues, up tempo R&B and black rock 'n' roll recorded by mostly obscure artists for obscure labels in the 50s and early 60s, most of them making their first ever appearance on CD. Includes Tender Slim (the great Don't Cut Out On Me and I'm Checkin' Up with Jimmy Spruill on guitar), Big Bill Schaeffer (the silly I Hate, But I Like Popcorn with hot guitar), Clarence Samuels, Mon-Vales, Bull Moose Jackson (probably the biggest "name" with his fine and rare Watch My Signals from 1957, Bo Tolliver & His Timers, Big Charles Green, Dorian Burton, Fox Hall, The New Mason Dixons, K.C. Mojo Watson (with the ferocious title song), Jeanette "Baby" Washington, Mattie Jackson & The Nighthawks and others. Sound is generally excellent and the booklet has some mouth watering label shots. (Frank Scott, Roots & Rhythm)
In the 1980s and early 1990s, hard rock often meant pop-metal bands like Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Vixen, Warrant, and Kiss. But for the Miracle Workers, hard rock was something entirely different. In the hands of the Miracle Workers, hard rock meant a throwback to the garage and psychedelic era of the late 1960s and early 1970s -- a time when the MC5, Steppenwolf, and the Kinks defined loud and proud. Roll Out the Red Carpet, which was recorded in late 1990 and released in 1991, isn't quite heavy metal. But aggressive, forceful tunes like "Burn Baby Burn" and "Rock N' Roll Revolution in the Streets (Part 1)" definitely recall a time when parents heard their teenagers playing the MC5 and wondered why kids would prefer something so noisy over "real music" like Doris Day and Rosemary Clooney. The Miracle Workers were never innovative or groundbreaking -- they never claimed to be. But they were good at what they did and enjoyed an enthusiastic cult following. Roll Out the Red Carpet isn't considered the band's best or most consistent effort; many fans insist that they reached their creative peak with 1985's Inside Out on Bomp!. But even though Roll Out the Red Carpet isn't the Miracle Workers' most essential release, it's a generally likable outing that has more plusses than minuses. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
Miracle Workers:
Brian Pool is hell-bent on being the fastest man of surf guitar, and the snazziest flashiest dresser behind a Silvertone. Jason Brown is bound for the short-line of bassists capable of playing the lead melody while the guitarist caries off the rhythm, and being the funniest play-his-bass-in-your-face stage / audiencepractitioner in the business. Brandon Watson is destined for the machine gun hall of fame, with rolling military precision awards. Overstatement? Maybe! Maybe not. Having just seen them again for the first time in a few months, I'd say, you see 'em, you'll agree. This is the debut CD from this Sunnyvale California band, who alone occupy the new genre of Submariner Surf. They have recorded 17 instrumental tunes for us, in five basic styles. First is Brian's trademark faster-than-you'll-ever-bepunk/surf thrashers, which accounts for the bulk of the CD. The undelivered promise of skate-core, the mere hinting of JFA is brought to fruition here. In this groove are "Manta Ray", "The Hornet", theremarkable "Interplanetary", "Nebula 33-7", "Green Light", the skate-titled "Half Pipe", "The Mummy","Gyro-scopic Control", and "Torpedoe". All you ex-punks looking for the new messiah band, this is it. They prove great punk needs no words, in fact it's better that way. The second style evidenced here is the surf genre played with manic attack, most admirably displayed through "Spanish Main" and "MidnightSurfer". The third style is moody melodic grotto surf, a new venturing-out for the lads with the marvelous "The Snake". Fourth is the reason they are so popular in Arizona and New Mexico (they've been invited to play the state pens), cow surf, here shown through "The Naked Spur", and "Stockyard 250", and live by the incredibly great "Fishin' With My Boy", and "The Happy Song". The last is spy-core, and that is conveyed by "Theme From The Ipcress File (A Man Alone)" and "Secret Agent In Berlin". - Phil Dirt
The Torpedoes:
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With his backing band Panther Burns, Tav Falco has created some of the rawest, sloppiest, wildest, and most amateurish rock roll of the 1980s and '90s; a Falco LP generally features obvious mistakes that, for his fans, are more than made up for by Falco's excitement and enthusiasm. Falco's debut, Behind the Magnolia Curtain, was released in 1981, and Panther Burns included former Big Star leader Alex Chilton at the time; Chilton produced and played on several of Falco's later records. Most of Falco's songs, whether originals or covers, are '50s-style rockabilly and RB, with the occasional blues number. Falco has continued to perform and record for several independent labels, releasing Shadow Dancer in 1995 and Disappearing Angels the next year. Panther Phobia was issued in fall 2000.
Panther Burns:
Don’t miss Volume 1 in this great series!
…But it's Coffman's relentless and loving attention to detail that sets Beach & Guitar head and shoulders above other generic retreads of the era. It should be pointed out that this is Coffman's third original music project in just over two years. Never content to rest on his laurels, B & G is a follow-up to the highly successful 2003 release of Nonstop to Paris which was warmly embraced by smooth jazz radio and during it's debut week scored on the list of top 10 most added radio singles. Destined to be a smooth jazz favorite Nonstop to Paris with it's mix of cool Jazz, smooth Jazz and deep grooves continues to receive international airplay 10 months after it's release. Now rewind to June 2002. Coffman began by recording This Is Fun his first personal project of instrumental tunes that he had written over a 10-year span but had never gotten around to recording. The resulting nine-track CD represents a sentimental trip back to the 60's, when melody dominated popular music - Coffman then adds just the right blend of contemporary spices and succeeds in capturing the essence of the instrumental pop music genre of the time. The result is some very fresh 'Vintage Soundtracks.' But to tell the story we need to go back to Coffman's roots in a three-decade career that has taken him from sharing the stage with rock music luminaries Steppenwolf and the Dave Clark Five to country legends Roy Clark and Jimmy Dean. During the following years Coffman performed as a front man and bassist for several West Coast bands and worked as a freelance songwriter and producer. Coffman's natural progression from performer to producer began in earnest in 1984 when he opened a small recording studio in San Diego and began building a solid reputation as a music producer and engineer. During the years that followed, Coffman produced hundreds of projects including local and national commercials, and full length CDs for Classical, Jazz, Rock, Blues, Latin and Contemporary Gospel artists. In 1986, Coffman founded Rolltop Records as a way to promote the artists he was recording. Rolltop, named for the huge desk in which the studio mixing board was set, became the epicenter for many recording artists in San Diego. Coffman also enjoyed a stint in the 80's as a successful concert promoter, working with many leading Gospel artists, including Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Sandi Patti and others. In 1993, Coffman launched a series of CDs that eventually grew to six volumes of praise and worship music. Drawing almost solely on hometown talent, the Adventures worship series has enjoyed national airplay on over 200 Gospel stations. Now fast forward to 2004. Beach & Guitar was recorded in Hawaii and at Rolltop Studio in San Diego CA. Coffman continues his legacy of authentic tones by using a dream collection of vintage mics, recording gear and instruments. Conclusion: Beach & Guitar has the vibe. Tim Coffman was recently asked to describe his music. Here is what he had to say. "I grew up in a beach town and my musical experience has been shaped by the beach culture. I think of my music as 'New Americana' which is an expression of surf and Island music, cool jazz, Flamenco, Roots Rock, Ambient, Folk and modern loops all blended into a new wave of Beach Music." - from: http://www.cdconnection.com/
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These collections always seem to have a cool theme, irreverent artists, great song titles, and delicious artwork, but rarely does the music come close to the promise of the packaging. Whoever was in charge of this project made sure all the pieces fit like a glove. Despite the title, it's not really about Mondo or Drive-In movies, just films in general. There's some predictable entries that are done efficiently, but the biggies that make this a keeper are The Chesterfield Kings' remake of the theme from "Muscle Beach Party", The Boss Martians' cover of the Herman Hermits b-side, "Hold On" (from the film of the same name), and a fantastic cover of Vic Mizzy's "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" theme done by The Tiki Tones. Personally, I'd love to see more Mizzy material covered in the future. There's also a nice working of "Lara's Theme" (from Dr. Zhivago) by Planet Seven. Really, I enjoyed everything from the first reel to the last, excepting the complete throwaway final track by Miss Murgatroid. I'll have this baby cued up for all future Halloween parties and I recommend you do the same. - SkinnyRobbie
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This is about as good as it gets, 30 songs that pretty much (with one or two exceptions) shake, shimmy, and generally rock out about as well as any best-of-the-1950s that you'll buy from Time-Life. Even improbabilities like Cheeko Vass' "Bo-Peep Rock" (the kind of novelty number this reviewer hates) come out okay, played with style, fervor, and a sweaty involvement that makes them better than the material itself. Bob Vidone's "Untrue" kicks off the collection in good form, and it never really lets go. Brock Williams' "What Am I" nearly sinks of its weight, as premature exercise in what later came to be called "identity crisis," but his raunchy singing and a good guitar break overshadow any serious intentions. Pete Cummins' R&B-style "In the Middle of the Night" is one of the more unexpected tracks here. Not everything is quite that good, of course, but everything here has something to recommend it, whether it's lustiness ("Honey Blonde" by Ronnie Elles), raw musicianship ("Bop Hop" by Little Jimmy Dempsey, Ernie Nowlin's "Tally Ho"), raunchiness ("Little Miss Susie" by Eddie Cleary), a great performance (the guitar on Steve Wagoner's "Big And Yellow"), or just a plain good song ("Check That Baby Out, One Time" by Randy Proffitt). Other highlights include: Darrell Rhodes ("Lou Lou," the Bo Diddley rip-off "I Thought About You"), Sonee West ("Sweet Rockin' Baby"), Troy Ferguson ("At the Jamboree"), Eddy Bell ("Johnny Be Goode Is in Hollywood," an unauthorized sequel to the Chuck Berry song), the Elvis imitator Harold Shutters ("Baby Fan the Flame"), Gene Vincent-influenced Jimmy Kirkland ("Come On Baby"), and Jerry Lee Lewis-emulator Marshall Ray Walters ("Willie Willie Willie"), and the honking sax-driven "Rock Baby Rock" by Cliff Ayers -- these all rate more than a listen 40 years after the fact. (Bruce Eder, Allmusic)
"Dream Syndicate" was an influential guitar driven band from L.A. from 1981 to 1989. In 1980, as Steve Wynn is recording what he thought would his final recording (as The 15 Minutes), and then he runs into Karl Precoda. Steve plays guitar in the band Goat Deity. They search for a guitar player and Karl comes around and hears them play. Allegedely Karl and Steve hang out afterwards and Karl tells Steve that he don't like the band, but that he likes his songs. From there on Steve and Karl start jamming together. While one plays rhythm guitar the other is playingf solos. Equal space for both of them. Kendra Smith is still in touch with Steve, and she is invited to here Steve and Karl. She likes what she hears, and she is in the band as well. Around December Kendra gets Dennis Duck, of Human Hands, to listen to a session. At this time Dennis Duck is by far the most well known of the four and has released records that cought some audience. By the end of 1981, Steve, Karl, Kendra and Dennis is a band. Early 1982, the band was still without a name. Steve has suggested XXXX, but Dennis Duck comes up with 'The Dream Syndicate', a reference to John Cale. On February 23 1982, The Dream Syndicate performs their first show at Club Lingerie, Los Angeles. from wikipedia
The Dream Syndicate:
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"One of the first British beat comps from 1976 predates the various beat series such as British Freakbeat, Beat Beat Beat, and the British Nuggets comp. Long out print. Issued by United Artists. Some of these songs appear on various comps but most don’t. A lot of hits: Downliners Sect, Roulettes, Beat Merchants. Some misses: Four Pennies, Mojos. And lots of should have beens –The Addicts, Mike Sheridan & The Nightriders." - Philo
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"... they whip up a casual stew of rockabilly, tex-mex, blues and zydeco, laying down grooves that are deep enough to bury a pink Cadillac... roots rock at its friendliest and funkiest." - Entertainment Weekly (2/9/96, p.54)
The Tail Gators:
When rockabilly reared its ugly head in country music circles back in the mid-'50s, hillbilly artists generally took one of two approaches to it: ignore it or take a stab at it. One country singer who decided to test these uncharted waters was Marty Robbins, and as this 12-song package clearly shows, he was well-equipped to take on the new sound. This compilation combines the original cover and the half-dozen songs that comprised a 10" vinyl album issued in the 1950s, with six more tracks (five of which were Columbia singles) released during the same time period. While the accent is on the "billy" side of the rockabilly equation along with Music City's attempt to tame the style down for an audience more accustomed to Grandpa Jones than Gene Vincent, this is very credible music, indeed. Rather than just covering the hits of the day (he was the first to cover Elvis' "That's All Right"), Robbins also contributed solid self-penned ditties like "Tennessee Toddy," "Respectfully Miss Brooks," and "Mean Mama Blues," although his best-known rocking effort, "Sugaree," is curiously missing from this collection. That a ballad singer whose sobriquet was Mister Teardrop could jump into this music so wholeheartedly is one of the more interesting footnotes to this confusing period in country music's history.(Cub Koda, Allmusic)
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Austin's Tail Gators sound like they are reassembling rock and roll out of its original elements. Lap steels sizzle, fiddles whine, and cheesy guitar riffs light up the night. Yes, this is it: swamp-rock heaven. 
...From
the high school ladies man of Kenny Smith's "Wild Man" and the
plus-size hipster of Duane Schurb's "Roly Poly" to the pumping piano man
of Groovey Joe Poovey's "Ten Long Fingers" and the hepcat hillbillies
of Rudy Hansen's "Saturday Jump," this disc features a healthy portion
of jumpin' sounds from the '50s that surfaced on various regional and
independent labels, though the closer, the Rhythm Rockets' stomping "The
Slide," makes its first commercial appearance on this collection. It's a
testimony to how fertile the rockabilly and hillbilly boogie fields
were at the time that Buffalo Bop are still finding find so many quality
recordings after over ten years in the game, and while some of these
sides are a good bit more frantic than others, everybody on board rocks
on out and there's no shortage of teenage attitude no matter which track
you cue up. The label has also dug up some great photos of some of the
artists, including Rudy Hansen in an impressive fake Nudie suit and
Weldon & Wanda showing off their guitars which have been customized
with stick-on letters one commonly finds on mailboxes. Wild Men is great
stuff for fans of first-generation rock & roll, from the rollicking
sounds to the quality audio remastering. (Mark Deming, Allmusic)
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