(*) Echo & The Bunnymen - Nothing Lasts Forever (London)
The A-side is a great, mid-tempo tune from their album Evergreen. The flip side contains two brand new gems that continue the Bunnymen's tradition of including excellent b-sides on their singles. Hurricane is a mid-tempo rocker that sounds a bit like a lost Doors outtake with load of great guitar from Will Sergeant. Next up is Jonny, a simple three-chord rock n' roll song that could have come from Electrafixion (Ian & Will's 'grunge' band). (Continental #5)

(*)Duane Eddy - Water Skiing (RCA Victor)
This must be one of the few albums dedicated to the sport of water skiing. This came out in 1964, near the tail-end of the first wave of surf music's popularity. Perhaps Duane was looking for a unique twist on the genre to jump ahead of the rest of the pack. Unfortunately, it isn't one of his better outings. This could be due to the fact that Lee Hazelwood didn't write any of the songs here. The melodies just aren't as strong as on his earlier albums. Still, it is a Duane Eddy record, which puts it above just about everything else. (Hmmm... #7)

8-Ball Shifter - Hanson (Clamarama)
"The personality of the music was shaped aby the sounds of rockabilly, punk, voodoo ritual music, psychadelia, and above all, that which gnaws at their core, horror."
This is an amazing set of dark, lo-fi voodoo garage rock. If you like the darker moments of The Cramps, The Stooges, or any number of Estrus bands, you will be sure to like this. They have toured with the likes of Southern Culture on the Skids, The Chrome Cranks, and The Cheater Slicks, among others. It is amazing that this was recorded just a year after they formed; all of the songs sound like they were written by a band that's been around much longer. They will be touring soon, catch them if you can in your town. (The Continental #1)

The El-Caminos - Reverb Explosion! (Del-Fi)
"Guitarists Eddie Ugata & Ritchie Khoda are Del-Fi fanatics and both were inspired by the slurpy, splashy reverb-drenched sounds of the Del-Fi surf bands."
The El-Caminos are a great band from Kobe, Japan that really know how to lay down a crazy surf beat with plenty of rhythm and reverb from their twin guitar attack. Most of the tracks here are covers of great surf tunes from the past (The Wedge, Big Surf, How!, Quite A (Surf) Party, etc.), but there are plenty of cool originals too. Packaged in a eye-catching sleeve designed by Shag and full of exceptional liner notes that are standard with any Del-Fir release, this is an all around package that no instrumental surf fan should be without. (Continental #4)

(*) Electrafixion - Baseball Bill 7" (Spiffing)
"Playing music ahead of its time but locked in the shackles of the past."
Electrafixion, subject of one of this issue's feature interviews, is a two year old band formed by Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant of Echo & The Bunnymen. On this single they have gone for a sound that combines the straight ahead rock of Electrafixion's first album with the ambient soundscapes created by Will in his side project called Glide. As they have done with each new release throughout their careers, they have created something entirely new from their seemingly endless bag of tools. Catchy as hell, with enough detail to keep you interested after repeated listenings. This is a limited edition pressing on colored vinyl of 1000, so get your hands on it quick before it's gone. (Spiffing Records, P.O. Box 725, Westbury, NY 11590.) (Hmmm...#7)

(*)Electrafixion - Never - CD Singles I & II (WEA)
This is one of those damned two-parters from the UK. I don't mind the extra tracks, but there is plenty of space for all of the songs on one cd. Part 1 folds out into a case that holds disc 1 and disc 2. So what do you do with the case and insert for the second disc? Betweent the two there are three new songs and three remixes. Two of the remixes, "Sister Pain" and "Lowdown" are superior to the LP versions. The three new songs are also great, much more experimental than the tracks used for their LP. (Hmmm... #5)

(*)Esquivel - The Genius of Esquivel/Esquivel 1968 (Latin Jazz)
This release seems legit, yet I think it is probably a bootleg. The sound quality is excellent and the packaging is good, although there aren't any liner notes. The music on this disc is the best I have heard from him, surpassing any of the compilations that are readily available. Tons of organ, percussion, and plent of "boo-bah-zoo-bee-doo-wah" vocals. If this is a boot, then someone must release this right away, because it blows the other reissues right out of the water. (Hmmm... #5)

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