Still rocking this album..truly special.

One aspect that hasn't been mentioned as much as it could (due to the sheer strength of the songs and performances) is the incredible work done recording and mixing this music. I am astounded by the clarity and depth of these recordings. So many instruments involved but everything sounds clear and proportionate.

I know this is due even more to the masterful composition, but this is a nearly perfect sounding record.

This is one of those great instrumental albums that just transcends genres and crosses over into being just brilliant music. Thanks again to all involved for the many hours of enjoyment.

http://blueruins.bandcamp.com

Yeah, I've had nothing but praise for this one since the debut.

Ironically, I play Monkey Pod the most, but the depth and breath of sound and influences is outstanding, the production excellent. A real joy to listen to.

Congrats!

-bIG wAvE Dave

Here's the complete review from Pipeline (UK):

FRANKIE & THE POOL BOYS “The Adventures of Cap’n Coconuts”
Review by Mike Vernon

It’s really cool and inspiring to see a musician that you’ve been a fan of for a long time get better and bolder as the years go by. With the second Frankie & The Pool Boys disc, The Adventures of Cap’n Coconuts, Ferenc Dobronyi boldly goes where not many surf guitar musicians have gone before and does it with grand style and no holds barred!

As founder and leader of one of the best surfing bands, Pollo del Mar, Dobronyi has earned a reputation as a fine guitarist and is regarded as one of the most innovative and talented composers of the modern surf era. Originally intended as a just for kicks side project, the first Pool Boys CD from 2008 rates as one of my favorite surf guitar recordings in recent years. With its’ bad-ass surf and almost Beatle-like changes, it blew me away with some of Ferenc’s most interesting compositions to date and featured some outstanding pickin’ and poundin’.

When I got wind of a new Pool Boys disc in the making I naturally expected and hoped for more of the same. NOT! While they are both great albums, the difference here is in Dobronyi’s surprising leap into the retro-future as a writer, player, producer and arranger. From the wonderful Space-Age cover illustration by Fred Lammers to the opening Cap’n Coconuts theme, I knew right away that this rocket was blasting off to Lord knows where, and boy did it ever! Ferenc’s use of unusual instrumentation and colors is a beautiful thing to behold and impressive by any standard or for any genre. In the album notes, Ferenc himself sets the bar rather high for himself by acknowledging some of the 60’s era composers that were influential in the making of Coconuts – Morricone, Booker T., Mauriat, Alpert, Crewe, Wilson, etc., and passes the test with flying colors. While not a concept album per se, the “concept” is more like one of those 60’s-era LPs featuring your favorite film and television themes – performed by the likes of The Ventures. And much like their 60’s grand epic, The Ventures’ In Space, this album is nothing short of an epic, instro masterpiece itself.

All the great writing and such doesn’t go very far if you don’t have the players to back it up and Dobronyi’s compositional style demands the best – and that’s what we get. Danny Synder, guitar slinger in the TomorrowMen, adds his signature high octane guitar licks and Michael Wray plays some awfully tough and elegant piano. Karen Dobronyi pumps the band along with her 60’s-cool organ while guest star guitar heroes such as John Blair and David Arnson contribute their mighty talents on a couple of tracks. I don’t know many drummers that could really do justice to these songs the way that “Gods Drummer” Dusty Watson does. He is simply one of the most musical drummers out there and lays down the law on these songs, and then breaks it. Nice work also by band-member and percussionist, Tony Baid.

With sophisticated and epic tracks like Cap’n Coconuts TV Theme and Cat Fight, Ferenc displays his impressive mettle as a writer and guitarist. The Golden State is simply gorgeous (my favorite of the bunch,) and Tic Toc is as good as it gets by anyone, anywhere. Manx, his ode to the VW dune buggy, is a guitar/piano tornado threatening to wipe you out - Wow! Not to be out done as a writer, Snyder completes the 1-2 punch with the sensational Ripley In Love and the ultra-cool Sundial Suite. The guitar interplay on these tracks is as smooth and tight as a, well, – hey, these guys can really play! And don’t fret, there’s plenty of surf guitar swirling in and out of the speakers. After all, when Wes Montgomery did A Day In The Life, you knew it was Montgomery and that’s what made it cool. Every now and then an album like A Day In The Life or The Ventures In Space comes along and grabs you hard. Cap’n Coconuts is one if those albums. Trust me.

Buy Speed of Dark @ Bandcamp
Buy Spin the Bottle @ Bandcamp
My Blog- Euro Tour Blog
Pool Boys on Spotify
INSTAGRAM
Frankie & The Pool Boys on FB
Pollo Del Mar on FB
DJ Frankie Pool Boy on North Sea Surf Radio

A bump for this incredible album. Every time I listen to it I love it more. Ferenc is a man of very few words, and most certainly not one to toot his own horn, but he really deserves even more accolades than he's already getting. I very deeply admire him. He's been involved in this music for twenty years now, and he's managed to make every new release he's done - whether with Pollo del Mar or with the Pool Boys - even better than the previous one - and that's a damn hard thing to do. I admire his boundless creativity, his remarkable musicianship, his ability to record such great sounds in his own basement, his sense of melody and especially his sense of harmony and counterpoint, which are rarely equaled and never surpassed in this genre of ours. In short, Ferenc is really a complete musician, and one that only keeps getting better with age. An amazing thing. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that he's currently playing with the TomorrowMen AND the Aqua Velvets, and in the past has been a member of the Mach IV and I think a few other bands that I'm spacing on now. He's truly generous and always willing to help other surf bands and surf musicians.

If you already have Cap'n Coconuts, give it another spin soon and be amazed anew. If you haven't gotten it yet, why, WHY in the world haven't you???

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

Last edited: Oct 10, 2013 18:06:23

Thanks Ivan. I agree - it's an honor to play with Ferenc.

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF

Still catching up with the library & learning curve. Have this one as well as the previous one; both great.

Now I need to find a .jpg of that full-width cover art like Pipeline had at the top of their review, that would make a neat decorative piece behind the guitar stands.

Good stuff!

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

THANK YOU! Livin' large now. (man, this album is just plain fun)

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Thanks Rev!

revhank wrote:

Just listened to the CD again after not hearing it for a while. I forgot how good this recording is. Some recordings grab me when I first get them, then fade away over time, some vice versa. This one hooked me both when it came out, and again yesterday. Great release!

Rev

Buy Speed of Dark @ Bandcamp
Buy Spin the Bottle @ Bandcamp
My Blog- Euro Tour Blog
Pool Boys on Spotify
INSTAGRAM
Frankie & The Pool Boys on FB
Pollo Del Mar on FB
DJ Frankie Pool Boy on North Sea Surf Radio