The Sandblasters - Space Bar-B-Q CD (Mostly Harmless)
"Instro-mentals for surf and space travel."
This effort from The Sandblasters is a high-energy, full-on twangfest. Combining all of the elements that make surf and exotica cool, this 12 track collection has got to be one of the best releases of 1996. Even more amazing is the fact that these are all originals. Some of the melodies may seem familiar, but that's cuz they take the influence of others and use it to create a sound all their own. Never has such cool music come from a trio. My personal favs were the reverb and Farfisa-driven Weird Satellite and the driving Oyster Wax. (Continental #3)

(*)Satan's Pilgrims - Around The World With… CD (Empty)
Around The World With… is my favorite Satan's Pilgrims release to date, combining their cool vintage sound with melodies that come from every corner of the world. Spain, Britain, Brazil, Japan, Italy, and other countries are all represented here. There are 3 new tunes (all excellent) and 8 covers, including the theme from The Godfather, Jobim's Wave, John Barry's Theme From Beat Girl, and The Ventures' Ginza Lights. Satan's Pilgrims ARE the 90's version of The Ventures! (Continental #3)

(*)Satan's Pilgrims - Soul Pilgrim CD (Estrus)
This cast of caped crusaders have been one of my favorite surf bands for the past few years. Soul Pilgrim is their second full length release after the At Home With...Satan's Pilgrims disc on Empty Records. This disc is a fine mix of cover tunes and original instrumentals, compiled into a package that no surf lovin' person will want to miss. Included here is "Haunted House Of Rock 95", an updated version of the title track from their first Estrus 7". There isn't a clunker in the bunch here. (Hmmm... #7)

The Satelliters - Wylde Knights of Action! CD (Dionysus)
"A swinging mix of snotty '60s garage punk, instrumentals and pure attitude! Lots of fuzz guitar, screaming vocals, rave-ups and pure teen blast!"
The Satelliters became one of my favorite garage/mod bands after I picked up their split 10" with The Astronauts a while back. This new 14 track CD from Dionysus is even better, kinda like the finer moments of The Animals with twice as much attitude and plenty of Farfisa thrown over the top. Wearing black masks on stage at their shows, I imagine they put on a pretty fierce live show. If you like The Makers you will dig these guys. (Continental #4)

(*)The George Shearing Quintet - Velvet Carpet LP (Capitol)
More easy listening music. I think this would be perfect music to listen to while doing homework. Unfortunately, I graduated over a year ago. Perhaps I will try listening to this while doing the dishes. It isn't very dancable, just very slow and pretty. It does have a cool cover though. (Hmmm... #2)

The Silencers - The Silencers CD (Total Energy)
"Link Wray & The Ventures rolled into one big ball and heaved through Dick Dale's living room window."
A great debut release from this new Michigan surf/instro band. This 12 track CD includes eleven originals and one cover (a good one - Journey To The Stars by The Ventures). There is plenty of power, action, and reverb in these tracks. The Michigan surf scene is one of the strongest around, with The Silencers, The Volcanos, Professor Schmiddy, Mondo Mod, The Lustre Kings, The Campus Kings, and The Prodigals. For a good sample of what the scene has to offer, pick up this CD, The Volcanos CD on Estrus, and the Surfin' The Spillway compilation. Some of the best sounds around! (Continental #4)

Ron Silva & The Monarchs - Ron Silva & The Monarchs EP (Get Hip) Originally released in 1994, this was the debut release by Ron Silva and The Monarchs, a five piece combo with vocals, sax, drums, guitar, bass, electric piano, and organ. Playing a mix of R&B and good ole rock n' roll, they swing through I Did My Part, Can Your Monkey Do The Dog?, This Soul Of Mine and Bye Bye Baby. One word sums up this recording: amazing. (Continental #5)

Sit N' Spin - Primate Mixer Party 7" (Solamente)
Good ole rock n' roll that celebrates the party mentality of monkeys. To be honest, I've never partied with monkeys, but if Sit N' Spin are playing there I can guarantee it'd be fun. This all-girl group will win ya over with their raw energy and good time vibes. Comes in a crazy sleeve designed by Merinuk, one of the best illustrators in the biz. (Continental #5)

Skyray - Neptune Variations 7" (Ochre) This is a limited-edition radio edit promo of a track available on a 12 EP. This is a moody, thoughtful song that on the surface is a repetitive instrumental. It's what's happening around the basic drum and bass pattern that makes this interesting. Skyray features Paul Simpson, one of the veterans of the early 80's Liverpool scene who fronted a band called The Wild Swans. Skyray is his new project; so far he has come up with some pretty interesting stuff. (Continental #5)

Slacktone - Slacktone CD (Go Boy Records)
"Warning: Reverb Instrumentals."
Slacktone play high-energy, fast surf rock with an ear for cool melodies. The cover photo features a skateboarder doing a cool trick, so perhaps these guys are going for more of a 'sidewalk surfing' sound. In any case, this fifteen track CD delivers the goods. It always amazes me when an surf/instrumental band can come up with a release that is 90-100% original, yet Slacktone have done just that. The only cover here is their take on the Goldfinger theme song (excellent choice!). A great debut from a band with a bright future ahead of them. (Continental #3)

(*)Keely Smith - I Wish You Love LP (Capitol)
I first heard Keely Smith through her work with Louis Prima. The two of them really heated things up on the Vegas circuit, recording several excellent albums along the way. This solo album featuring arrangements of ten standards done by Nelson Riddle. Most of the tunes here are ballads, but her smokey voice brings these tunes to life. Not quite as good as her work with Louis Prima, but certainly a nice addition to any record collection. (Hmmm... #7)

Southern Culture On The Skids - Santo Swings 2x7"/CD-EP (Estrus)
"These are more than merely songs ‘to remember wrestling by’ they are marvelous vocal and instrumental arrangements with the kind of driving solos that make bands sweat."
This six-track package comes in CD form or in a 2x7" format. Go for the latter, since it comes on colored vinyl (red and green), the cover art is bigger, and you get cut-out wrestling figures. The tunes here are so cool, you’ll be shakin’ and shimmyin’ all over yer living room. It features four tracks from the Santo Sings 7" released back in ’92, along with a couple of brand-spankin’ new tunes. This is as good as it gets, hombre! (Continental #2)

The Space Cossacks - Interstellar Stomp CD (MuSick) * * * * *
This combo takes the tone and melody of The Shadows and melds it with the raw energy of The Atlantics. This 15-track disk has twelve originals and three covers that have been part of the 'Cossacks repertoire for a while. The tag 'sci-fi surf' is appropriate for this, yet they mix in some spaghetti western and spy theme melodies here and there. To top it off the amazing artwork for this release was done by Shag and Stephen Blickenstaff. This is going to get a lot of time in my CD player this year and will undoubtedly prove to be one of the top releases of 1998. (The Continental #5)

The Space Cossacks - The Space Cossacks Cassette (Self-Produced)
"So, in the name of world safety, and for the survival of our world, we ask that you support The Space Cossacks."
Amazing surf-instro tunes that will knock you on your behind. Their cassette of cover tunes is split into two halves, the Space side and the Tough Turf side. The first side features covers of ‘Journey to the Stars’, ‘War of the Satellites’, and three other tunes, while the flip side has ‘Hava Nagila’, ‘Squad Car’, ‘Bombora’, and a couple of other steamy tunes. The Space Cossacks are on their way to bigger and better things, including an appearance on an upcoming Shadows tribute compilation. Check ‘em out! (Continental #2)

The Splash Four - Kicks in Style CD (Estrus)
"Twelve slash and burn anthems recorded straight up and full on…"
This is punk rock which is full of energy and hooks. Outta Paris this foursome has all the ingredients necessary for ragin' rawk n' roll. I have no idea what they're singing, since the lyrics are in French (The Splash Four are from Paris, France), but it just doesn't matter. My favorite tune on here is Telstar Man, perhaps a tribute to Joe Meek, but everything on here stands out above the rest of the pack. Cover art by Art Chantry. (Continental #3)

The Sprague Brothers - Battle of the Bands! 7" (Hillsdale)
Hillsdale is one of the best labels puttin' out wax today - yer guaranteed for some good ear candy with each and every release. I hadn't heard of The Sprague Bros. prior to this release, yet this is gonna put 'em on the map. The A-side is a vocal romp, while the flip contains a fine r & r instro called Green Arrow. The band features Deke Dickerson (The Untamed Youth, The Dave & Deke Combo, etc.) on rhythm guitar. (Continental #5)

Squid Vicious - Cheapy EP (Demo)
Created so they would have something to sell while on tour, this cassette has two studio and three live tracks. Squid Vicious love to combine all types of music into their instrumental rock sound. This tape includes several original tunes plus Miserlou With Cheese (a Dick Dale classic that's been 'Squidified') and USA by The Pogues. (Continental #5)

Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited - Plays Lost TV Themes CD (Mai Tai)
"From the earliest surf music-inspired compositions, to the later ska and eastern music influenced themes, the group has captured the sound, spirit, and exuberance of the original recordings."
There's quite an amazing story behind this one. Originally composed by Ernest Maeschi and Karl Diblitz for a variety of Swiss TV shows during the period of 1963-1972, these tunes were thought to be lost forever. That is, until a group of young musicians (including Ernest Maeschi Jr., the son of one of the original composers) did some digging and decided to re-record a bunch of the original songs. This twelve-track CD contains a wide variety of instrumental tunes, from surf n' spy music to exotic eastern themes. All of 'em have a streak of impeccable coolness running through them. This collection is guaranteed to please exotica fans everywhere. (Continental #3)

Billy Strange - Strange Country CD (Rykodisc/Tradition)
"While Strange spent his formative years on the "hillbilly" circuit, his musical arrangements for the likes of Dean Martin and Nancy Sinatra infused his instrumental music with the right sound for sipping martinis or single malts."
I was expecting something a little more lively than this. Not to say that this is bad, far from it. I have many of the albums he did with Sinatra and Martin and have really enjoyed his work. This is just a little more laid back, mixing that distinctive 60’s lounge sound with country strummin’ and pickin’. Some of the tunes here border on spaghetti-western, yet ultimately what you’ll find here are twelve cool pop tunes. Guitars sing in place of human vocals, capturing a unique instro sound that was unique in the 60’s and remains unique today. (Continental #2)

Sugar Shack - Five Weeks Ahead Of My Time CD (Estrus)
"No one kind of influence here, just a smattering of primal 60's punk, Heartbreakers Chuck Berryisms, MC-5 straight aheadisms, and twisted Texas punk rock feedback noise."
Sugar Shack play a cool brand of distortion boogie with power that can only come with downing lots of hi-octane swill. Fourteen blasts in all, recorded by Tim Kerr at Austin's Sweat Box Studios. This release features the powerhouse drumming of Stefanie Paige Friedman from the Lord High Fixers, so you know that primal stomp beat's gonna be there. The guitars are up as high as they go, fighting with the vocals the whole way through. (Continental #4)

Gene Summers - A Gene Summers Record Date 7" (Norton) Norton has jumped into the time machine and found four unissued demo recordings from 1958 by Gene Summers & The Rebels, a swingin' rockabilly combo from the same Dallas/Ft. Worth scene that featured guys like Ronnie Dawson, Gene Vincent, Johnny Carrol and others. There are four tracks on this crazy slab o' wax - Fancy Dan, Nervous, Gotta Lotta That and Twixteen. (Continental #5)

Supercharger - Don't Mess Me Up 7" (Estrus)
"This swingin' slab was originally released back in early '93 with a mere 400 copies making it out of the warehouse and into the stores!"
"Don't Mess Me Up" is a lo-fi rocker done short and sweet. The b-side is filled with some hilarious dialogue and outtakes from the recording of their "Goes Way Out!" LP. For an introduction to this band this seems to work pretty well for me. (Hmmm...#7)

Supercharger - Goes Way Out! CD (Estrus)
"Listen, if you ain't treated yer lobes to this 14-song slopfest yet prepare yerself for an awe-inspiringly essential dose of stripped down lo-fi rawk n' roll that's nothing short of a trash rock masterpiece."
Straight-ahead lo-fi punk rock that goes for that cool trash sound while retaining some sense of melody. This is really something that I can listen to over and over (I'm not a huge punk rock fan). This album was released a year or two ago, but this is the first time these songs have appeared on CD. I have never seen Supercharger live, but I'm sure that's where they're at their best. (Hmmm...#7)

Supercharger - Supercharger CD (Estrus)
"America's worst rock n' roll band - ever!"
These guys (and gal) are the coolest. While I like their other LP (Goes Way Out) a little better this one is pretty damn cool. Only 500 copies of the original release were pressed, making this collection very difficult to find. The fine folk at Estrus have done us all a huge favor by re-releasing this and slapping a coupla bonus tracks from the original sessions. If you dig lo-fi trash/punk nobody does it better than Supercharger. (Continental #4)

Supergrass - In It For The Money CD (Capitol)
"Supergrass have stretched out musically a bit from the 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 assault on their debut…but this one is every bit as catchy."
Supergrass are definitely one of the best pop bands around, with just enough of an edge to keep things interesting. I loved Alright and Caught By The Fuzz off their first album, but I didn't really find anything of the same caliber here. This isn't a bad album by any means, but just not as good as the first one. What make this worth purchasing is that you not only get the regular album on CD, but there's also a bonus CD with a bunch of b-sides and acoustic tracks. (Continental #4)

(*)Supergrass - I Should Coco CD (Capitol)
Really cool Brit power-pop, beating the socks off Green Day or anything else this country has to offer. Personal faves on this disc include "Alright", "Caught By The Fuzz", and "I'd Like To Know". Check out the size of the singer's chops on the back cover! (Hmmm... #5)

The Surfdusters - Raincoast Rumble CD (Fireball)
"Their originals are quite unique with reverb, echo & tremelo Fender guitar tones mixing it up with cheesy Farfisa organ lines, a solid bass bottom and drum backbeat to produce totally new sounds."
Fierce instrumental surf music with twangy guitars and gnarly saxophone. It’s hard to pick a favorite track on here, cuz they’re all so good. Only the modern production separates this from the sound of classic combos like The Lively Ones or The Pyramids. Almost all of these fine tunes are original compositions, showing of the knack of The Surfdusters to come up with one catchy tune after another. (Continental #4)

The Surfdusters - Waves of Pleasure 7" (Surfdust)
The Surfdusters have a great sound, loads of reverb on the guitars and a nice 60's sounding organ in the background. This 3-track 7" shows off what the Surfdusters do best - coming up with one great instro tune after another. Phantom Train is one of the best songs I've heard this year - there just aren't enough surf bands with a saxophonist. Another excellent release from those crazy cats up north. (Continental #5)

The Surf Trio - King Of Cool 7" (Roto)
No press kit was included.
Despite their name, The Surf Trio really don't play surf music on the A-side of this 7" and there are four people in the band. The title track is punkish, with vocals that bear a strong resemblance to Lou Reed. On the flip side they rip into surf tune that cooks like a really good Dick Dale tune. It teeters on the edge of total chaos and is over much too quick. (Surf Trio, 2134 NE 25th, Portland, OR 97212.) (The Continental #1)

The Surf Trio - Safari In A Living Graveyard CD (Blood Red Vinyl)
"Before there ever was a surf revival, there was The Surf Trio."
This band combines surf, garage, and punk into one extremely cool package. From trad surf to Ramones inspired punk n' roll, these guys do it all. This reissue combines tracks from the band's 1988 release of the same title with five new instro numbers. From the surf-themed punk anthem Hang Ten to their cool take on Out Of Limits this release has it all. Eighteen tracks in all!! (Continental #3)

Susan & The Surftones - Thunderbeach CD (Gee-Dee)
"Powerful instrumentals. Follow-up to Without A Word."
This release was my first exposure to Gee-Dee music, a small label based in Hamburg, Germany. They have a catalog with approximately 25 releases, all of which look really cool. Susan & The Surftones are an instro-surf band that capture the classic sound of the early 60’s. The twist here is they are one of the few surf bands led by a female guitarist. This is a trend that should definitely continue, especially when the playing is as solid as it is here. On this release they blaze through a bunch of classics: ‘Jack The Ripper’, ‘Tequila’, ‘Baja’, ‘Telstar’ and even The Beatles’ ‘This Boy’. In all you get fifteen tracks without a clunker in the bunch. Highly recommended. (Continental #2)

The Switch Trout - Rod Action 7" (Estrus)
If you dig your instro rawk cranked up to 11 the Switch Trout are your band. On the four tracks here they display a knack for beating the hell out of their instruments. Not to say there ain't tunes here - they're actually pretty damn cool. If you were one of the lucky people to get this direct from Estrus you received the platter on white wax along with a Fortune Trout all tucked into a nifty Art Chantry designed sleeve. (Continental #5)

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