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Here are my picks (belatedly, sorry):
Creature Feature ('98)
Self Titled (MuSick) ('99)
Around The World With ('96)
At Home With (early '95)
Soul Pilgrim (late '95)
I think their first three album were a bit sketchy, with some
excellent moments but also with a fair amount of boring stuff. But
their growth and progress was evident on each album. At Home With
doesn't have a very good sound, and it sounds like they were still
learning to play surf music, but there were several great originals
(Que Honda, El Rey, Surf Lyre). Soul Pilgrim is better in sound, but
is too R&B-oriented for my tastes, and it also had too many covers,
though some of them were truly great (Morpheus, Scatter Shield).
(The original track Haunted House of Rock '95 was definitely an
indicator of the great things to come with Creature Feature.) I
think they really started hitting their stride with Around The World
which had a great sound, plus some great originals and imaginative
covers (Godfather, Wave by Jobim). However, they truly hit their
peak with Creature Feature which as far as I'm concerned is one of
the very top albums of the nineties surf music, or for that matter,
surf music in general. Songs such as Scorpio 6 and the title track
are absolutely incredible, pushing the boundaries of surf music like
few other bands, while still very much remaining trad in mood and
style. Unfortunately, they lost Bobby on guitar for their fifth,
self-titled album, and though I don't think it reaches the lofty
heights of Creature Feature, it's definitely better than their first
three. There are many great moments on there, originals such as
Tears and Gears, Super Stock, as well as covers like Casbah.
There you go, that's my ranking of Satan's Pilgrims catalog. I'm
really looking forward to the comp. I think for those of you that
don't have much of their material, this comp will be a must-have!
Ivan
--- In , "Brian Neal" <bneal@i...> wrote:
> For me its:
>
> Creature Feature - Awesome
> At Home With - Awesome
> Around The World With - Awesome
> Self Titled on MuSick - Very Good (down to 2 guitars here)
> Soul Pilgrim - Very Good
>
> They also have some 7"'s which I don't have (yet).
>
> So in short, you are going to want to get them all eventually. I
had a very
> hard time getting a hold of Creature Feature. Good luck.
>
> BN
>
> >
> > I've only got one Satan's Pilgrims album and it's
> > awesome. I think it's the self-titled one on MuSick.
> > How many albums do they have and what would
> > everybody's picks for top album be?
> >
> > Richard
> >
> >
Ivan, I agree with your analysis of "Soul Pilgrim." My husband calls
that one "Scooby Doo music," because he thinks some of the tunes emulate
songs from the original TV cartoon (it's really more of a joke--he likes
to bug me about it).
The Casbah tune on the self-titled album is great. I've grown to
appreciate the lengthy drum sequence in that one. You don't get that
often in surf music.
Of all surf bands, Satan's Pilgrims has to be one of my favorites. I
believe the comp is released tomorrow! I'm looking forward to it. As a
matter of fact, I would love to hear other members' responses to the new
release. Let us know when you get your hands on it!
-Kristena
On Mon, 04 Oct 2004 18:42:28 -0000 "ipongrac" <> writes:
>
>
> Here are my picks (belatedly, sorry):
>
> Creature Feature ('98)
> Self Titled (MuSick) ('99)
> Around The World With ('96)
> At Home With (early '95)
> Soul Pilgrim (late '95)
>
> I think their first three album were a bit sketchy, with some
> excellent moments but also with a fair amount of boring stuff. But
>
> their growth and progress was evident on each album. At Home With
> doesn't have a very good sound, and it sounds like they were still
> learning to play surf music, but there were several great originals
>
> (Que Honda, El Rey, Surf Lyre). Soul Pilgrim is better in sound,
> but
> is too R&B-oriented for my tastes, and it also had too many covers,
>
> though some of them were truly great (Morpheus, Scatter Shield).
> (The original track Haunted House of Rock '95 was definitely an
> indicator of the great things to come with Creature Feature.) I
> think they really started hitting their stride with Around The World
>
> which had a great sound, plus some great originals and imaginative
> covers (Godfather, Wave by Jobim). However, they truly hit their
> peak with Creature Feature which as far as I'm concerned is one of
> the very top albums of the nineties surf music, or for that matter,
>
> surf music in general. Songs such as Scorpio 6 and the title track
>
> are absolutely incredible, pushing the boundaries of surf music like
>
> few other bands, while still very much remaining trad in mood and
> style. Unfortunately, they lost Bobby on guitar for their fifth,
> self-titled album, and though I don't think it reaches the lofty
> heights of Creature Feature, it's definitely better than their first
>
> three. There are many great moments on there, originals such as
> Tears and Gears, Super Stock, as well as covers like Casbah.
>
> There you go, that's my ranking of Satan's Pilgrims catalog. I'm
> really looking forward to the comp. I think for those of you that
> don't have much of their material, this comp will be a must-have!
>
> Ivan
Soul Pilgrim is probably my least favorite in the SP catalog (too
much R&B and organ in a few spots). Having said that, you have to
get it for their great covers of Morpheus (The Toads) and Steel Pier
(The Lively Ones). Their Steel Pier track is really very surfy with
lots of chunkin' and reverb. And yes, the Scatter Shield cover is
one of my favorites as well.
BTW, this CD contains the song "Plymouth Rock" which may be where
the title of the new release comes from. (Cool tune! I remember
learning this song after I got the CD, very cool...)
However, it is a great CD all on its own. Being the weakest CD in
the SP catalog still puts you head and shoulders above a lot of
other stuff... :) I recommend it to everyone on the list.
BN
BTW, I just noticed that Steel Pier was written by "W.M. Brown". Did
the Lively Ones cover this one too? Who was this Mr. Brown?
--- In , "Brian Neal" <bneal@i...> wrote:
> Soul Pilgrim is probably my least favorite in the SP catalog (too
> much R&B and organ in a few spots).
It's funny that Dano, Brian, and myself, the three people that ranked
the SPs recordings, all put that CD on the bottom of our list.
> Having said that, you have to
> get it for their great covers of Morpheus (The Toads)
Incredible track.
> and Steel Pier
> (The Lively Ones). Their Steel Pier track is really very surfy with
> lots of chunkin' and reverb.
I don't think that Steel Pier was ever covered by the Lively Ones -
are you maybe thinking of Shooting the Pier? Or am I forgetting it?
> And yes, the Scatter Shield cover is one of my favorites as well.
Awesome. Better than the Surfaris, they really let the track live up
to its full potential.
> However, it is a great CD all on its own. Being the weakest CD in
> the SP catalog still puts you head and shoulders above a lot of
> other stuff... :) I recommend it to everyone on the list.
I totally agree. My favorite originals on there are Haunted House of
Rock and Small Craft Advisory, both of which are really cool.
> BTW, I just noticed that Steel Pier was written by "W.M. Brown".
> Did the Lively Ones cover this one too? Who was this Mr. Brown?
Wayne Martin Brown, the lead steel guitar player for the Impacts (who
featured Merrell Fankhauser on lead guitar, later a big psychadelic
player). Steel Pier was first recorded by them, and later covered by
the Surf Teens and Bob Vaught and the Renegaids.
Ivan
> > and Steel Pier
> > (The Lively Ones). Their Steel Pier track is really very surfy
with
> > lots of chunkin' and reverb.
>
> I don't think that Steel Pier was ever covered by the Lively Ones -
> are you maybe thinking of Shooting the Pier? Or am I forgetting it?
Shootin The Pier was a Lively Ones track.
> > BTW, I just noticed that Steel Pier was written by "W.M. Brown".
> > Did the Lively Ones cover this one too? Who was this Mr. Brown?
>
> Wayne Martin Brown, the lead steel guitar player for the Impacts (who
> featured Merrell Fankhauser on lead guitar, later a big psychadelic
> player). Steel Pier was first recorded by them, and later covered by
> the Surf Teens and Bob Vaught and the Renegaids.
>
> Ivan
Thanks Ivan. I think I got The Lively Ones mixed up with The Original
Surfaris.
It's interesting that The Nebulas covered both Morpheus and Steel Pier...
Are the Impacts worth a listen?
BN
--- In , "supertwangreverb"
<supertwangreverb@y...> wrote:
>
> > > and Steel Pier
> > > (The Lively Ones). Their Steel Pier track is really very surfy
> with
> > > lots of chunkin' and reverb.
> >
> > I don't think that Steel Pier was ever covered by the Lively
Ones -
> > are you maybe thinking of Shooting the Pier? Or am I forgetting
it?
>
> Shootin The Pier was a Lively Ones track.
I don't understand. That's what I was saying: that Brian may have
confused Steel Pier for Shootin' the Pier by the Lively Ones - that's
the only Lively Ones song with a 'pier' in the title, as far as I
know.
Ivan
--- In , "Brian Neal" <bneal@i...> wrote:
>
> Thanks Ivan. I think I got The Lively Ones mixed up with The
> Original Surfaris.
Oh, wow, I forgot they also covered that track. Man, that track was
covered quite a bit in the sixties. I never realized that.
> It's interesting that The Nebulas covered both Morpheus and Steel
> Pier...
Hmmmm....
> Are the Impacts worth a listen?
I haven't listened to them in a while, but they never made a good
impression on me. I just didn't like the steel guitar in a surf
band. Besides that, I don't know, they just didn't seem to have much
of a 'spark', something that would distinguish them (obviously,
besides the steel guitar thingy)...
Ivan
What the heck, I'll chime in here as well.
I've got the SP discography minus the self-titled one, and as others
have stated, 'Creature Feature' is head and shoulders above most 90's
surf albums. I was a bit reluctant to get it since the first two I
picked up ('Soul Pilgrim' & 'At Home With') didn't grab my attention
for more than a couple songs each ("Beach Creep," "Surf Lyre," etc.),
but Brian Neal more or less demanded I track down a copy, and I'm
thankful he did. I think the only fault that can be found
with 'Creature Feature' is that a couple of the songs run a bit long,
but that's an incredibly minor complaint.
I think 'Around the World With' is about 2/3 really solid, but
there's a few tunes that I usually skip. 'Creature Feature' is
definitely one of those rare surf albums where I'll listen to every
song.
As for the Impacts, I got suckered into buying their Del-Fi album
because it was really cheap, and I listened to it maybe twice. It's
not offensively bad or anything, but it's pretty unremarkable. The
covers of "Steel Pier" seem to be much more compelling than the
original. The Goldtones ("Gutterball" & "Strike" on the 'Diggin' Out'
comp) were much better for steel guitar surf.
Isn't it the Impacts' tune "Wipe Out" that's covered on the Original
Surfaris' 'Bombora,' though?
-Warren
I just had to pop in Soul Pilgrim after all the discussion, and wow,
it rocks!! I just had to skip over the first organ heavy track, not
that its a bad song, its just not a typical SP song, that's all.
Great, great stuff. Steel Pier is awesome. Morhpeus, incredible
groove and vibe (lots of mileage out of a simple melody). Plymouth
Rock had me jumping up and down, destroying the house. 911 was
nearly called. The reverb crashes of Scatter Shield! The spookiness
of Haunted House of Rock, the dizzying guitar work on Shootin' The
Pier....what was I thinking?...This is not a so-so album by any
means...Those guys really need to reform if at all possible.
BN
Sheeeeeeeeit, we'll also bust Ichabob Crane, Gravewalk, Ghoulash, Badge of
Honor, Hungarian Dance, and Spanish Head if you ask nicely.
Hmmm, maybe there's a future as a SP tribute band here...
-Dano
The Nebulas
----Original Message Follows----
From: "Brian Neal" <>
Reply-To:
To: <>
Subject: RE: [SurfGuitar101] Re: fave Satan's Pilgrims
Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 20:48:20 -0500
> > BTW, I just noticed that Steel Pier was written by "W.M. Brown".
> > Did the Lively Ones cover this one too? Who was this Mr. Brown?
>
> Wayne Martin Brown, the lead steel guitar player for the Impacts (who
> featured Merrell Fankhauser on lead guitar, later a big psychadelic
> player). Steel Pier was first recorded by them, and later covered by
> the Surf Teens and Bob Vaught and the Renegaids.
>
> Ivan
Thanks Ivan. I think I got The Lively Ones mixed up with The Original
Surfaris.
It's interesting that The Nebulas covered both Morpheus and Steel Pier...
Are the Impacts worth a listen?
BN
.
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