[ Sundazed Records Series # 08 ]
Two discs-38,35 minutes each approximately. Remastered by Sundazed Records. Having grown up in Southern California during the era this music was popular,and being saturated by it,I will try to be as unbiased as I can. This was the time before The Beatles and all the rest of the "British Invasion" groups changed music forever. This music was simple sounding yet was profound in it's message of fun under the sun at the beach,watching the girls stroll by.
For anyone who remembers the innocence of those times,or for anyone who wants an insight into what it was all about-listen to this.
Gary Usher was one of the architects of the "Southern California sound",and was ,in his own way,a genius in his field of music.
The tracks in this collection are fun-pure and simple. No great messages to ponder,just escapist tunes that sounded good on the car radio or blasting from your parents hi-fi when they weren't at home.
The arrangements ,by today's standards,are straight out of the pop music era,an era that others,like Brian Wilson(a collaborator of Usher's) and The Beach Boys for example,took all the way to the top of the charts.
Some listeners will note that Usher was the producer of albums by some of the best 60's groups-like The Byrds(Younger Than Yesterday,Sweetheart of the Rodeo,and one of The Byrd's best,The Notorious Byrd Brothers),Jan and Dean,Dick Dale,and one of my favorite groups,The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.
This collection delves into Usher's music beyond The Hondells,which sixties music-lovers will remember,and has a number of "B"sides that few have heard,and a few tracks that have not previously been released. All these tracks show how music in the Los Angeles/Southern California area was adopted by many groups,both known and unknown.
There are some short interviews interspersed throughout the two discs which give a better understanding of this era. Personally I would rather have had more music in place of the interviews,but that's a minor quibble.
The folks at Sundazed Records have done their usual good job with the liner notes.
There is a track by track listing with information that is helpful(if you need it!) in understanding and enjoying these great sides.
For the listener who still lives in this era,or for someone who wishes they could have-this is well worth picking up (by Stuart Jefferson).
CD-1:
01.R.P.M.
02.My Little Surfin' Woodie - (previously unreleased)
03.Barefoot Adventure - (previously unreleased)
04.Four On the Floor
05.Cheater Slicks
06.C.C. Cinder - (previously unreleased)
07.Chug-a-Lug, The
08.Gary Usher Interview Part 1
09.My Little Beach Bunny
10.Playmate of the Year
11.Lonely Surfer Boy
12.Soul Stompin' - (previously unreleased)
13.Nifty '50 - (previously unreleased)
14.Power Shift
15.Mag Wheels
16.Gary Usher Interview Part 2 - (previously unreleased)
17.My Sting Ray
18.426 Super Stock
CD-2:
01.Wax, Board and Woodie - (previously unreleased)
02.Draggin' Deuce - (previously unreleased)
03.'54 Corvette
04.My Little Surfin' Woodie - (previously unreleased)
05.Gary Usher Interview Part 3 - (previously unreleased)
06.R.P.M. - (previously unreleased)
07.Barefoot Adventure
08.Cactus Juice - (previously unreleased)
09.Coney Island Wild Child
10.Sugar and Spice - (previously unreleased)
11.Twins - (previously unreleased)
12.Milky Way - (previously unreleased)
13.Quicksand - (previously unreleased)
14.Gary Usher Interview Part 4 - (previously unreleased)
15.You Made a Believer Out of Me - (previously unreleased)
16.Waiting For the Day - (previously unreleased)
17.Tied Down - (previously unreleased)
18.Harder and Harder - (previously unreleased)
[ Thank you COR for sending this post ]
CODE: 20385
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