Reverb Central .:. Review .:.

This is a great double disc set finally wrested from Mike Curb's clutches. 'Bout time! Davie Allan is one of the most overlooked guitarists of the last 40 years. Beginning with his first single for Mike Curb, he displayed exceptional writing and playing ability. Davie Allan and the Arrows have continued in one form or another through today, with remarkable strength of performance and continued powerhouse writing. His music for the early indie film Skaterdater won him recognition, but his most important accomplishment remains his creation of the biker fuzz genre for soundtracks to films like Wild Angels. "Blue's Theme" set the pace, hit nationally, and has influenced thousands of guitarists since. His band even included Paul Johnson on rhythm guitar for a while ("Apache '65"). His aggressive fuzz guitar and insane screaming into his pickups earned him the nickname King Fuzz. Davie Allan is a national treasure!

Picks: Apache '65, Blue Guitar, The Rebel (Without A Cause), Tomahawk, Scratchy, Commanche, Moondawg '65, Dance The Freddie, Theme From The Wild Angels, U. F. O., Blue's Theme, Bongo Party, The Chase, The Unknown Rider, Devil's Angels, Cody's Theme, Theme From Thunder Alley, Pete's Orgy, The Devil's Rumble, The Ghost Story, King Fuzz, Action In The Street, (Ghost) Riders In The Sky, The Young World, Born Losers' Theme, The Loser's Bar, Moonfire, Cycle-Delic, Blue Rides Again, Invasion, Blue's Trip, The 13th Harley, Another Cycle In Detroit, Mind Transferal, Lulu's World, The Glory Stompers, The Stompers And The Souls, The Checkered Flag, Hellcat, Shape Of Things To Come

Surf (Instrumental)

This is an odd rendering of the Jerry Lordan tune made famous in the us by Jorgen Ingmann. It's sped up, and it has a whole new feeling to it. Davie's interpretation is unusual, and it works. Not too fuzzy.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

Movie magic, with a sound lying somewhere between surf and biker fuzz. The melody is flowing and dramatic. Attractive in a story telling kinda way, with just a touch of mystery from the string bending. A very nice track.

Surf (Instrumental)

A slowish echoed variation on the "Blues Theme" idea, but reverby and unusually light. Another melody that has served Davie well over the years, this time in an unusual arrangement that's pretty surfy. It's a nice touch.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

And you though Travis Wammack did the definitive version of his Billboard hit fuzz instro - not! Davie gives it more edge and power, and less of that Memphis studio soul. Cool!

Surf (Instrumental)

This Indian theme number is quirky, stereotypical, and very infectious. Brilliantly written and delivered. Davie Allan is a master at reinventing the Indian motif with surf twang and style. "Commanche" is a great track!

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

This unusual and almost pop melody is fuzzed to death by King Fuzz, with lots of note bending craziness, and a pristine almost surf rhythm guitar behind. It's all too surreal. Great short blast of bikerness.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

"U. F. O." is dark and evil with mucho fuzz and evil growls. The melody is very serviceable, having seen multiple reinterpretations by Davie under titles such as "Theme From The Unknown" and "Dark Alley."

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

Davie will always be most famous for his Billboard biker flick soundtrack hit. It's the first time Davie's own invention of the biker fuzz instro burst into the consciousness of average Americans. In the popular sense, King Fuzz was born here! This is Davie Allan's signature tune. It became a household fixture when it appeared in the biker flick Devil's Angels, and has been a part of Davie's repertoire ever since. It is also the groundbreaking track that catapulted fuzz into the hearts of bikers everywhere. Great, and grungy.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

Echoed drums and bass guitar walking down the road with a bit of guitar. Mostly a rhythmic track, designed to support a scene. It's very drum oriented, and interesting to a point, but not for long.

Surf (Instrumental)

This is one of the great lost surf tracks, melodic, unusually produced, and really good listening. Davie's use of the whammy bar is precise and perfectly executed, delivering an extra dimension of sadness. Wonderful.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

More motorcycle engines, more melodic Davie Allan fuzz, and twin guitars at that. It's more melodic and less dangerous than "Blue's Theme," but just as interesting. Big grinding biker fuzz, and featuring some of Davie's tortured note bending.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

Motorcycle engines pass by, and then in comes Davie's twin fuzz monster sound delivering a lumbering melody over a military backtrack. Great intense choking action! Wow! Davie also uses a Leslie effect on his guitar in the break.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

Thick and menacing with a sense of humor, "Theme From Thunder Alley" pounds with a dangerous edge. This grodie song was even covered by the eighties girl-garage legends the Pandoras.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

Fuzz and a simple riff bring on images of bikers chasing nymphets through the tulips with their Harleys as backdrops. The piano adds a sense of sophistication to the dropout mentality. Fun and flippant.

Psychedelic Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

Low down extra grodie super distortion long sustain guitar, a lumbering bass line, and knife-at-the-ready drums. You can here the beginnings of psychedelia's influence on Davie's music. Very grungy.

Psychedelic Fuzz (Instrumental)

Drama, danger, psychedelic swirl, demented fuzz, piano madness, bass grumble, and drummed pomp. "The Ghost Story" is not a song really, but rather an exercise in disturbed scene setting. Quite powerful.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

Davie's namesake song, also known as "Mario's Theme." This is a very fuzzy rendition, with grit and grandly ugly guitar tone. The string bending and guitar harmonies are demented and delightful.

Cowboy Surf (Instrumental)

Low-E guitar, a cowboy backtrack, cow slingers shouting at them dogies, and a bunch of country feel. A nice version, relatively standard arrangement, which is pretty unusual for Davie. Simply cool!

Fuzz (Instrumental)

Romping fuzz and psycho-edged warbles from string bending, extra grodie guitar, and a classic Davie Allan melody line. "The Young World" is a fine example of the poppier side of fuzz, yet is a very credible mind rocker.

Twang (Instrumental)

This is a very cool song, bridging surf and twang sensibilities with a very tasteful melody. The damped EchoPlexed lines are very cool, and then the dribbling surfisms add that extra over the top coolness. Excellent!

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

This is an interesting track, with borrowed elements from a number of classics melded into a new thing. The drums from "Wipe Out" merged with the drums from "Moon Dawg," which also provided the piano and rhythm, and then a bit of Davie Allan's sound and fury binds it all together. Quite interesting.

Psychedelic Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

This is simply the most amazing psych instro ever recorded, with the first time recording of Davie screaming into the guitar pickups. This song is so strong, the break alone was the basis for Missing Link, where Davie also employs the screaming trick. This screams out with twisted visionary noise, and creates chills on your spine. Utterly fantastic!

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

"Blue Rides Again" is a bit of a chumpy bouncer with tongue in cheek, but it's also strangely attractive with the guitar whammy and odd backbeat. Kinda like a country picnic with a moron in dirty denim, the song laughs and flows and has an endearing sound.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

Inspired by Larry Williams' "Slow Down," this track is sporty and very fuzzy, with a simple progression melody, and a choppy transition, plus a wah-wah break that's right out of 1967.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

"13th Harley" is a brooding and sullen song with a distant background guitar that hints of a ceremony over the hill. The rhythm track is soft and gentle. Davie's guitar almost cries in some spots. The added violins are the final touch. The really low fuzz almost sounds like a French Horn cutting wood.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

A motorcycle engine throttles up, then in slams Davie Allan's big fuzz monster guitar, delivering a melodic grindy tune. It's heavy and yet sports a light melody line for a cool contradiction.

Psychedelic Surf Fuzz (Instrumental)

The track opens into a "Pipeline" backtrack and a surfy psychedelic guitar, with the drums backwards. Really cool nutso psych. Rhythmic and bizarre. I love it, especially Davie's totally intense guitar. It opens with a poem to a dead biker... oh so hippy!

Country Fuzz (Vocal)

Davie's melodic vocal biker epic "The Glory Stompers" is melodic and fuzzy and gloriously cool! Davie cut several vocals that are well worth tracking down, this being one.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

From the biker flick The Glory Stompers, this punky theme fuzzes and grinds in a relentless playful party mood. Later retitled "Polyurethane." Psycho and totally cool! Demented guitar lines, and twisted sound. Great!

Pop-Psych Fuzz (Instrumental)

Swirly guitar effects and a classic Davie Allan melody line, drama, and psychedelic overtones. "The Checkered Flag" is a cool pop-psych capsule. This song has been retitled a couple of times.

Biker Fuzz (Instrumental)

Davie Allan and the Arrows were also Max Frost & the Troopers, and they had a bit hit with this song, vocally anyway. This is the instro version of the song, and was often thought of as a cover, but then can you cover yourself? A fine instro.