Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Jerry Cole and his Spacemen - Outer Limits
Picks: Outer Limits, Point Panic
Track by Track Review
Studio Jam (Instrumental)
Better than most of Jerry Cole's stuff by a long shot. Many are marred by guitar mistakes and/or just plain wrong melody lines from hasty learning or a lack of attention to detail I suppose. This is not as good as the Mar-Ketts original, but it does have a certain attraction, if only for the novel guitar tones.
The Strut Studio Jam (Instrumental)
Studio fluff jam, little more than just messin' around. A dry guitar and an organ accompaniment with no direction.
Wipe Out Surf (Instrumental)
So, if you played this Surfaris monster hit without actually opening your guitar case, might employ less energy, but it would be close. Uninspired is the watchword, and studio guitar hero noodling is the chorus line.
One Color Blues Studio Jam (Instrumental)
Fuzz intense bluesy stereotypical progression. This is arranged like it expected to be a demo for an orchestral reworking by Burt Kempfert or Neil Hefty.
Pipeline Surf (Instrumental)
Never let it be said that Jerry Cole was even a prince of the surf guitar. Listening to this version of "Pipeline," you quickly notice he got the melody wrong. Argh! Makes me crazy! Incidentally, Jerry was one of the studio regulars in Hollywood, and was reported to have played guitar in lieu of the Beach Boys on many of their early studio tracks.
Sukiyaki Studio Jam (Instrumental)
Sax and studio nonsense. Sorry, but this goes nowhere fast. The novelty hit vocal was bad enough, without this sorta wedding band slaughter.
Studio Surf (Instrumental)
It's OK, but the generic surf standard thievery and the mediocre performance don't pull much weight. It's mostly a studio jam, not well thought out. Musta been written during a coffee break. It has that "let's put a glissando here, and a whammy there" feel to it.
Pokey Studio Jam (Instrumental)
I have to wonder if Jerry Cole didn't go to the Lawrence Welk school of rock 'n' roll. Crappola cosa nostra.
Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow Studio Jam (Instrumental)
Surf chunk rhythm and sax lead instrumentalization of the Rivingtons' hit. Beyond the first bar, it's very boring and uninspired.
Surf (Instrumental)
Given the energy of the Surfaris' original, this is pretty tame. Given the other tracks here, this is pretty hot. The performance pace seems just slightly faster than Jerry could really play, giving that rushed feeling.
Tequila Studio Jam (Instrumental)
If you took the Champs and blended them with Wes Montgomery under the watchful eye of Creed Taylor, you might get something like this. It's not very good, and has that lame CTI jazz feel.
