guitar instrumentals ...

[kenny weir]

This music has been around me forever, just like most folks here I'd guess, but it was only recently that I twigged to the potential for this stuff to fry my synapses the same way great jazz, acid rock or western swing does.

The light-bulb moment came with my purchase of some early Bobby Fuller material on a couple of Norton CDs. Among the live stuff featured are a few Ventures-style instrumentals that, frankly, turn me on.

Along these lines, my collection is slim. To whit:

(One vocal that illustrates that when it comes to singing, Davie is a famed guitarist!)

(A handful of vocals that are actually pretty good ...)

I've also ordered this, because I dig the idea of surf music with a bit of Texas in it:

Ditto, the samples of this sound great:

Tips and suggestions wanted for stuff along these lines that does the job!

I'm sure that well-done anthologies and compilations are the way to go.

There's a Rhino double CD, for instance, on Duane Eddy that would be the go, I'm sure.

Edited March 12, 2010 by kenny weir

[BFrank]

The long-OOP Rhino box "Cowabunga" was a great 4-CD set. Maybe it can be found online somewhere.

Contemporary instro guitar bands to check out:

Aqua Velvets

Insect Surfers

Mermen

Big Lazy

The Sadies have a surf tendency, although their music runs more towards the Byrds, overall. They did the soundtrack to the movie "Tales of the Rat Fink" about Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. All guitar surf/hot rod music.

Look into the Del-Fi label for a lot of this stuff, too. The De-Fenders, The Darts, The Deuce Coupes - all worth checking out.

[AllenLowe]

let's not forger Jimmy Bryant - kind of a hvbrid.

Edited March 12, 2010 by AllenLowe

[jazzbo]

How about the band from this century "Pelican."

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

First and foremost, Link Wray & the Wraymen - the first guitar hero. I have "Rumble" on a 78. Fabulous sound!!!!

It's the only one of these I've kept through thick and thin, so as far as I'm concerned, it's in a different league to the rest.

There are some good Duane Eddy tracks, too. His version of "Peter Gunn" is a total classic! But also:

Ramrod

The Stalker

3.30 blues

All originally issued on Jamie.

Dick Dale & the Deltones - the great surf band. Go get his version of "Miserlou" (Capitol).

The Wailers - Tall cool one - Golden Crest (some good tenor playing on this one, too)

The Busters - Bust out - Arlen. The B side - "Astronauts" is like a rock guitar version of "Honky tonk". Good tenor playing, too, on this side. (Actually, I've still got this one, too )

The Virtues - Guitar boogie shuffle - Hunt

The Fendermen - Mule skinner blues

The Fendermen - Don't you just know it

Not instrumentals - though I seem to recollect they had instrumental B sides - but some real nice guitar playing anyway.

MG

There's a Rhino double CD, for instance, on Duane Eddy that would be the go, I'm sure.

I was a big Duane Eddy fan once, but in retrospect, much of it was crap. But there are some gems. I'd try to find 45s because I bet a lot of B sides have been left off compilations and the B sides were usually better.

MG

Another bunch of stuff you might find interesting are the instrumental B sides to Phil Spector hit singles. Just a bunch of studio musicians playing.

MG

[kenny weir]

The long-OOP Rhino box "Cowabunga" was a great 4-CD set. Maybe it can be found online somewhere.

Contemporary instro guitar bands to check out:

Aqua Velvets

Insect Surfers

Mermen

Big Lazy

The Sadies have a surf tendency, although their music runs more towards the Byrds, overall. They did the soundtrack to the movie "Tales of the Rat Fink" about Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. All guitar surf/hot rod music.

Look into the Del-Fi label for a lot of this stuff, too. The De-Fenders, The Darts, The Deuce Coupes - all worth checking out.

Tnaks for the replies, guys.

BFrank, I've stumbled across most of those bands in my browsing - some of them sound a little polite for my liking. I'll soon no doubt be ordering this:

IIRC, they're from Ottawa (you know, that renowned surfing burg) and this is a compilation of most of two albums. My son wants it coz it's got a Spongebob Trianglepants tie-in.

Sadies? Byrds/surf? Checking that out right now! Tales of the Rat Fink sounds great.

(I seem to have slipped into this world - where a lot of tracks clock in at under a minute - quite easily. There's a lot to be said for brevity! I remember back in the throes of the punk thing, living in London, reading an NME interview with Jerry Garcia. The rabid interviewer was saying he knew of bands that said/did more in 10 seconds than the Grateful Dead did in, oh, I dunno, five hours/whatever. Jerry just chuckled as the cigarette ash tumbled down his T-shirt ...)

I saw Link Wray a number of times back in the '70s/'80s. The only thing I have on him at the moment is the twofer that has his three '70s albums of sort of swamp rock - Wray's Two-Way Shack. Quite different from The Rumble!

let's not forger Jimmy Bryant - kind of a hvbrid.

Have a bunch of him on various Bear Familys. And some day I'll spring for the Bryant/Speedy West box. I'm sure it's a killer!

I was a big Duane Eddy fan once, but in retrospect, much of it was crap.

No doubt you're absolutely correct, but OTOH I figure this is a sort of Alice In Wonderland thing anyway, wherein stuff can be crap AND great.

The Wailers keep on coming up in my ferreting around so it's for sure time to check 'em out.

This double CD on Ace is just about to be released:

Edited March 13, 2010 by kenny weir

[BFrank]

Not sure which ones you're referring to as being "tame", but the Insect Surfers would NOT be one of those bands.

FYI "Tales of the Rat Fink" is primarily very short tunes, which is it's one drawback.

Don't know the Mel-tones, but let me know how THAT is.

For clandestine stars playing surf, check out:

*Actually Devo

*Actually Mike Campbell & the Heartbreakers (Tom Petty's band)

[kenny weir]

Not sure which ones you're referring to as being "tame", but the Insect Surfers would NOT be one of those bands.

Yeah, I liked their stuff when I checked it out at cdbaby a while back.

Edited March 13, 2010 by kenny weir

[kenny weir]

Have just spent a pleasurable hour checking out contemporary bands at cdbaby: Some great stuff to send me bankrupt!

The Madeira - run by the guy who used to do The Space Cossacks. Kinda wild with Mediterranean influences.

The Nematoads - more Texas surf. With cool titles such as Laredo By Sundown and Border Run.

The Secret Samurai - from San Diego.

[Jim R]

Seeing this thread reminded me of this bit of fun...

Bill Kirchen / part 1

Bill Kirchen / part 2

If you enjoy this, there are about a dozen other performances of it (different dates, locations, personnel, etc) by Bill on Youtube.

[Big Beat Steve]

Try to check out secnodhand bins or online lists for that (80s/90s-reissued) LP series of early 60s surf/garage etc. instro rock'n'roll bands called STRUMMIN' MENTAL.

That should suit your tastes and fill a few voids.

[BFrank]

Have just spent a pleasurable hour checking out contemporary bands at cdbaby: Some great stuff to send me bankrupt!

The Madeira - run by the guy who used to do The Space Cossacks. Kinda wild with Mediterranean influences.

The Nematoads - more Texas surf. With cool titles such as Laredo By Sundown and Border Run.

The Secret Samurai - from San Diego.

Hey, those are good! I just checked them out on eMusic and put them into my "Monster Surf" list.

Regarding the Mermen, their recent stuff has tended towards spacy psychedelia, but their earlier albums were quite a bit more surf/rockin'. Worth looking into.

[kenny weir]

In the mail today and playing at window-shaking volume in my living room:

That's Swift: Instrumentals From the Norman Petty Vaults

Brilliant!

This is gonna sound FREAKING ACE (ha ha) in the car!

On a couple of the real twangy and in-the-groove cuts tracks the automatic assumption is that the Fabulous Thunderbirds (of the first couple of albums) were listening, as well as to Juke Boy Bonner and Slim Harpo.

The cross-fertilisation among Texas/Gulf Coast musicians of many stripes is so hip!