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hello !
well it's been a while since this review was officially out but since it's too
long i was too lazy to type it ha ha
if you have time ... surf in !
and TO THE MERMEN: God have mersey on their (thievs) souls... DON'T FORGET:what
goes around comes around! No one can stop Such a find band as you are...but
someone WILL STOP THEM...
yours Robi
BITCH BOYS RIDE THE FIRST WAVE
CD
Golly Gee Records GGR-1035; U.S.A. 2004; 76 min
This is quite simply the best surf album I've heard in a long, long time. Two
guitars, bass and drums with plenty of reverb and a third guitar part when
necessary, 30 songs averaging 2½ minutes each, a great feel for that mid-sixties
sound and style - it's heaven, sheer heaven.
So how can a band come up with an album comprising 30 such fantastic new
numbers? Well of course they can't, and this set is built around a selection of
vintage material picked jointly by the Bitch Boys and Golly Gee label boss Mel
Spinella. By avoiding the obvious titles they have helped maintain the air of
freshness about the album created by the band's vibrant playing, sounds and
arrangements. They add that reverb magic to numbers which pre-date its
invention, tracks from 1959 like Sandstorm (The Sportsmen), Twenty Thousand
Leagues (The Champs) plus Caterpillar Crawl / Rockin' Rebel (The Strangers) all
brush up very nicely in their hands. 1962's Ghost Hop (The Surfmen) benefits
similarly to make a sparkling opener and Big Noise From Makaha (The Majestics)
gets the full Astronauts treatment. Also saucily surfed up are that old Euro
fave Dark Eyes and the Tony Hatch single Out Of This World - which works a
treat.
There are so many great tracks it's one great surf blast after another, the
opening run of six being as perfect a sequence as you could ever wish for. This
is followed by a successful melding of Borodin and Lloyd Webber in the shape of
Stranger In Paradise and Phantom Of The Opera - yes, really, and it works. Surf
Rider is invigorated in part by being sped up, and Richie Podolor's spooky
Dracula's Theme (The Ghouls) gets a superb arrangement which fully justifies its
extended stay - this is a one brilliant track which still manages to stand out
amongst so many others.
Another great sequence from Shockwave onwards takes us up to a very welcome full
version of Rat Pfink Theme. Also very welcome to CD is a version of the stunning
4th Dimension (a.k.a. The Outer Limits) from The Centuries. After a little run
of trad European pieces the album closes with the surprisingly successful slow
surf drama of the Snowman - yes, that one.
What a great album, I highly recommended it. Alan Taylor
(4001 Kennett Pike, Suite 134, #520 Greenville, DE 19807, U.S.A.
www.gollygeerecords.com)
www.bitchboys.net
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