November Birthdays 
Shadow Alley by Said The Ripper Album Review by Noel
Said The Ripper are Jordan Tarlow and Bernard Yin. Guest drummer on “Live and Let Die”, “Shadow Alley”, and “James Bond Theme” is Denny Seiwell, while Los Angeles session drumming ace Curt Bisquera pounds out the beat on the rest of the album. Jason Rounsavall plays organ on “Agent Of Soul”. Jordan Tarlow and Bernard Yin have been around the music scene a while. Jordan’s resume includes The Outta Place and The Morlochs, being a founding member of The Fuzztones, recording two albums with Link Protrudi and The Jaymen, and the Freakbeat inspired solo release, Jordan Tarlow – Tonebender which is still available on iTunes, plus he can be heard as the composer/perfomer of music on numerous television commercials.
On the twangy side of things, Bernard was a member of Brazil 2001, the MiGs, El Vez and Chum. Then there are involvements with other genres such as the 90s alt-noise band Medicine. Back to surf, he is currently recording with Sam Bolle of Slacktone, plus not only has he toured with The Fuzztones, but also with the Insect Surfers during their 2013 trip to Europe. When not focused on live, he works on film and television music such as the tracks he co-wrote as a member of Astra Heights featured in Sine Qua Non - a big wave surf documentary. Other works of his are hidden in shows as diverse as Dexter and Duck Dynasty.
To say they’ve been around is an understatement. The seeds for Said the Ripper were sown while Jordan and Bernard reminisced over Fuzztone stories. Must have been some stories. These guys got INSPIRED. Could they write and record fresh, solid surf/spy/twang songs, while being loyal to certain ideas such as vintage gear and melodic sensibilities? Shadow Alley is the first of three records conceived during those conversations to be released.
There are eight songs on this short album. Six songs are original, four by Tarlow and two by Yin. There are two covers, fuzz-drenched versions of “Live and Let Die” and a baritone dominated “James Bond Theme”. Enough already with the introductions; what about the music?
Scalper Jack:
The pickup was short; just a single beat, and... And the bass started playing the melody, a groovy line that said, “Keep your ears open. Be ready for anything.” I was, or thought I was. But I wasn’t ready for this. The bass played the melody like it’s walking down the street like it owns the street. Then it’s joined by a guitar, repeating the phrase note for note. So much reverb. I like that. Feels good where it counts. And then another guitar joined them with so much fuzz it made my ears buzz. Out of nowhere an organ appeared. I didn’t expect that. Maybe I should’ve. I don’t know anymore. I should have been ready for what happens next, too, but I wasn’t. Scalper Jack came out of nowhere wielding a guitar like a switchblade. A little can do so much. Then he was just… gone! I have some explaining to do.
Shadow Alley:
Shadow-filled alleys. People fear them. The narrowness. So many doors, so close together. No way out! What hides in alleys in the shadows in the night? But there’s the draw of mystery and intrigue in every shadow in every alley. Do they call to you, “Come in and see!” like a shill in a shadowed open alley doorway? Like flame draws a moth? Shadow Alley is one such place. “Shadow Alley” is one such song. It calls like a siren of the night, compelling, captivating, eerie, ominous, irresistible. I go because I have to. I go to find what’s in the alley in the shadows. Because I want to. Will you? If you go once, you’ll go back again, and again. Like I did. Like I do.
Live And Let Die:
Stick your nose someplace it don’t belong once too often, and don’t be surprised if you end up running for your life. This is the theme song they’ll play while you run. Wicked fuzzed-out guitar, ultra-cool organ, frenetic bass and powerful drumming all contribute to a sense of urgency that propels you through this fantastic interpretation of the familiar Bond film theme song. Just hope you’re faster than them, and don’t look for cover in any dead ends. Maybe you should try hiding in plain sight among the crowd at the skating rink, where that lovely vintage organ is playing? Nope! You stand out alone from the crowd of kids as soon as they all stop skating and back away to stare at you. Out the back door to… what? The song ends. It’s up to your imagination. Or play the song again and keep running.
Said The Ripper Theme:
When you’re paid to stick your nose in other people’s business, it’s a sure thing you better be able to see patterns where others don’t, to sense what’s beyond the door, behind the wall, in the dark. “Said The Ripper Theme” talks to me, like a fresh smudge on a door frame, like a footprint beneath a window, or a soft gasp inside a shadow. The tremolo tells of where, the fuzz of how, the organ of when. Who’s the Ripper? Is it me? Is it you? The story isn’t written yet, the film isn’t made, but there’s a theme. This theme. Even it ends before the ending. But the last line of dialog is spoken. The narrator utters it as if they are the most important words you’ll ever hear, or the last, “… so said the Ripper.” There would be more, but the narrator is cut off.
Agent Of Soul:
I spy a soul brother secret agent. Turtleneck, afro, velvet purple suit, platforms, in Detroit on a secret mission to seriously come down on some music industry villains bent on destroying the world’s supply of funk. Too blaxploitation? Listen here. There’s not enough funky spy surf. Think about it! Funk and surf, together, could change the world. I see a gold-plated 1980 Cadillac Seville wearing 26-inch wire spinners carrying a surfboard on the custom padded T-top roof. Okay, maybe not. But this song inspires these images. The guitar break alone is a total funkadelic trip back in time to the ‘70s, when Shaft and Super Fly topped the box office and charts. Just. Too. Cool!
Slicked Down:
Hip, mod, cool, altogether together, this song is all that. Easily one of my favorite songs on this record, it’s loaded with energy, all the “take me back to 1966” mojo I need to time-travel, and an irresistible dance beat that’s got me bouncing in my chair as I type. If one song completely encapsulates the sum of everything on this record, this is it. Honestly, why aren’t there more organs in surf music?
Pane Reduction:
How to break your windows. Is this a warning? Or an instruction? Probably both. Drums pound, the organ wails, a guitar roars with fuzz, another guitar answers back with bursts of searing blues. Play this song loud enough and don’t be surprised by what happens. Oh, yeah. It’s terrific!
James Bond Theme:
If there’s one spy movie theme song that stands permanently above all other spy movie theme songs, one song that all other spy songs will forever stand in the shadow of, it is this one. The “James Bond Theme” is the pinnacle – the peak of the highest mountain. To record a cover of this song demands you bring your A-Game at a minimum, and something extra to stand out. This version stands out, entirely worthy of the films it introduced so long ago. How did Said The Ripper do it? This is a thoroughly orchestrated and arranged recording, recreating the sound and feel of the original film soundtrack. And then there’s the baritone guitar used for the iconic theme, which takes the entire song to the, “Wow! I didn’t expect that!” level. Fabulous!
Conclusion:
I believe Jordon’s and Bernard’s goal for Said The Ripper, to record fresh, solid songs loaded with vintage sound and feel, is definitely heard on this record. I love the tones they get from their guitars and organs, the drive of the drums and bass, and the vibe, the emotions and impressions these songs leave with me. Every one of them, even the covers, feels and sounds new, unexpected, even while saturated with a soundscape I normally experience when playing certain records from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. I anticipate the next releases from Said The Ripper with great delight. What else have they cooked up? It’ll rip; of that, I’m sure.
Shadow Alley is on the Psychedelic Siren record label.
Recorded in 2014 at Jordan Tarlow’s Radiobu Studios in Malibu, California.
Shadow Alley is available on iTunes at: http://bit.ly/siadtherippershadowalley
Said The Ripper are on the Internet at www.saidtheripper.com
And are on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/saidtheripper
One more thing. Jordan Tarlow answered my request for some information about the gear used to create the fantastic sounds which saturate “Shadow Alley”. His response was a comprehensive description so thoroughly entertaining I don’t have the heart to cut bits out to include here. So, with his permission, I’ll be putting it over in the Gear section and add the link to it here when I do.
—This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
Last edited: Dec 08, 2014 16:17:27
