Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA The Atlantics - Collectibles
 | This is a fine collection of Atlantics material, mostly from 2001 onward, but also including some rarities from 1965-1967. My unbiased opinion as a super Atlantics fan is that Collectibles is an essential addition to your library. |
Picks: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, Chantilly Lace, Tequila Slammer, One More Summer, Ticket To Rio, Superstar, Flowers, Cossack, Aquarius, Take A Trip
Track by Track Review
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Spaghetti Surf (Instrumental)
Australia's first family of surf drives Enio Morricone's "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly" with their signature drums and huge guitars. This is a superb cover, full of the richness of well used ambient reverb and powerful playing. Excellent!
Surf (Instrumental)
The Atlantics applies their craft to the Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace" to fine effect. Ultra low gutty guitar (or is that a six string bass?) mixes with tight and tuff lead guitar. Bouncy and fun, with a Los Straitjackets kinda beat and feel. A fine track!
Surf (Instrumental)
Great drums, giant twang, and pulsing bass deliver a sense of traveling adventure in "Tequila Slammer." This is a superb and very visual piece of music. Uplifting, celebratory, and exhilarating. Big grins here!
Surf (Instrumental)
"One Man Summer" is a soft and slow song with a sweeping panoramic visual. The melody is slightly sad, and connects almost immediately with the listener. Very nice track.
Surf (Instrumental)
This is a lovely song with a very engaging melody. It conveys some of the sadness of traditional Eastern European melodies, but floats on rich, long sustain. While subdued, the drums are very cool!
Surf (Instrumental)
Now, this is big, but what else would you expect from Australia's Atlantics! Disco beat, huge guitar, and lots of power! Completely tuff and fun, "Superstar" is a rock anthem for sure, and when they drop into the signature melody line, well, all bets are off! Magnificent!
Surf (Instrumental)
"Flowers" may be titled for 1967, but it's more surf than psych, though the whistling organ is much like pop psych. A splendid melody and easy flowing rhythm are very easy to take. Very nice!
Surf (Instrumental)
That signature "Bombora" beat drives this song very powerfully. The melody is sultry and stunning in its writing and deliverance. "Cossack" has Gypsy sadness and upbeat charm. A few glissandos bring it squarely into surf territory. This studio take is superb!
Surf (Instrumental)
This is a wonderful moody arrangement of "Aquarius." The drums and bass are classic Atlantics, and the guitars fly with echo and spatial reverb. High energy and soaring sound.
Discotheque Surf (Instrumental)
In some ways, this reminds me of Gary Hoey, though certainly less wanky and egocentric. Long whammied distortion and rhythm domination, with a relentless beat.
Surfadelic (Instrumental)
Organ chords and reverb crashes start this ripper off right. Double picked at times, echo laden in the traditional Atlantics style, but clearly from a post surf period melodically. "Take A Trip" is an example of what happened when surfbands encountered garage psych. Raucous and visual.