Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Split: The Vampires and the Wangs
 | This is a very cool split CD from two relatively new bands. The Vampires are from Berlin, Germany, while the Wangs are from France. On the garagie side, this is an excellent trad based CD. There are three vocals from the Wangs, a splashy version of that venerable old rockabilly classic "My Girl Is Red Hot" that was so roundly trashed by Sam the Sham and the Pharaos, a garagie "No Chance," and a party yakking and mighty fun Mexican variation called "A Zaza Tiquettes Chaufees." |
Picks: The Vampires - Bandit, Speedway, Come With Me To The Casbah, Road Runner, Ghost Train, Jungle Rats, Bumble Theme, Mars Attacks, Leopardos, Ace Of Spades, Night Of The Vampires, The Wangs - Wangs Stomp, Gotcha, Twist In Chinatown, Cruel Sea, Princess Lee, Space Frog, Salam Malekoum, The Attack Of The Tang Brothers, Shaolin vs. Ninja
Track by Track Review
Surf (Instrumental)
Horror film organ and crashing thunder opens this set... as it fades away, it's replaced by gunfire and a crunchy ultra twang surf instro. The melody lies somewhere between surf and cowboy twang, with ample reverb and lots of ricochets. It all ends on a big whammy chord.
Surf (Instrumental)
Very cool damped chord chop, fiery guitaristry, and a fairly traditionally styled riff. "Speedway" sports a feel of the raceway in the days of AA Fuelers before the wheely bar. Not exactly melodic, but chinky and very reverby.
The Vampires - Come With Me To The Casbah Surf (Instrumental)
This fine surf tune sports a traditional middle eastern song in a whole new ultra reverb format. Great surf, chunky reverb rhythm, and a fluid feel. Excellent!
The Vampires - Road Runner Surf (Instrumental)
This is the Road Runners' "Road Runnah" chunked out and twanged. In this much heavier arrangement, the "Pipeline" rhythm is replaced by a menacing surf rumble. Solid surf.
The Vampires - Ghost Train Surf (Instrumental)
This is not the Swanks' classic. It's an eerie original with a slow spooky sound. Very cool.
The Vampires - Jungle Rats Surf (Instrumental)
Heavy chord chunk and wham, evil vermin running wild among the palm fronds... surf and pest control... a novel concept.
The Vampires - Bumble Theme Surf (Instrumental)
Geez... everyone that's covered Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Flight Of The Bumble Bee" has basically yielded to the fuzzy playfulness of the Ventures version. This, on the other hand, is heavy drudge surf, deliberate and dark. Quite different.
The Vampires - Mars Attacks Surf (Instrumental)
A little distortion, a buncho string slides, a nasty sound, and a bit of the old menace. Alien surf for a black and white weekend. The progression is a lot like Barrett Strong's "Money." It grows on you.
Surf (Instrumental)
Thick and crunchy, awash in reverb crashed, and based on a Bobby Fuller tune, this is reverb riff surf, rhythm dominated and tribally drummed.
The Vampires - Ace Of Spades Surf (Instrumental)
Link Wray and his Raymen's "Ace Of Spades" gets the ugly in the jungle treatment, as if the Linkster wandered off the trail at Jurassic Park, only to discover guitar sustain in a cave where dwellers crawled diagrams for guitar amps on the walls with red ocher many millennia ago. Primitive, just the way Link likes it.
The Vampires - Night Of The Vampires Surf (Instrumental)
I was hoping for a reverb treatment of Roky Erickson's plaintiff horror tail. Instead, this is a surfization of the Mountrockers tune, with excellent surf credentials. The vibrato is chillingly brisk.
Surf (Instrumental)
Neil Hefty's "Batman" is all decked out in reverb.
Surf (Instrumental)
dark reverb charm, riff surfin' sixties surf feel, and sparkling guitar work. The guitar bridges are inspired by Ronny Kae and the Saints' "Drums Fell Off A Cliff," and are a great addition. Excellent.
Surf (Instrumental)
Tradewinds' "Gotcha" is darkened with reverb, made more tribal, and hints of Pete Curry's tone. A fine choice of an obscure cover.
The Wangs - Twist In Chinatown Surf (Instrumental)
"Twist In Chinatown" is a splendid surf tine, fluffy and fun, sparkling with a playful riff. Is this really a cover? It's mighty familiar sounding, like from one of the Midwest bands.
Surf (Instrumental)
Mike Maxfield's often covered tune gets a fresh face from the Vampires' make up artist. A rockabilly beat and a faster pace with variations on the riffs and new embellishments comes from the heart of surf. To draw a comparison, I'd have to say you might imagine Drew Weaver doing it this way.
Surf (Instrumental)
This is a very pretty surf 'n' reverb instro, with warm ringing chords and delicate guitar. Warm island images and thundering danger on the waves. The mix doesn't really do justice to the excellent writing.
Surf (Instrumental)
Amphibian Astronauts, warts in space, the bad imagery abounds. Bouncy surf is what it really is, like some of the happier Surf Trio tunes, with a a fine melody riff, and lots of fun. This is excellent.
The Wangs - Salam Malekoum Surf (Instrumental)
Excellent middle eastern themes and exotic moods. "Salam Malekoum" greets you with a western tourist feel in local garb. An interesting variation on the desert sands sounds.
The Wangs - The Attack Of The Tang Brothers Surf (Instrumental)
Fast behind the bridge twang, chunky, mean, and a little quirky. "The Attack Of The Tang Brothers" doesn't have an eastern sound, but does have lots of reverb and surf.
The Wangs - Yukkum Yukkum Surf (Instrumental)
Dark surfabilly sludge, a Cramps-ish progression, and low-E gloom.
The Wangs - Shaolin vs. Ninja Surf (Instrumental)
Pitting one against the other, "Shaolin vs. Ninja" is a heavily damped reverb rhythm track with an interesting pace and structure. The melody riff is satisfying trad in style. Deliberate and chunky, and pretty cool.