Reverb Central .:. Review .:.

This CD collects the many singles and eps from the Fifty Foot Combo. Some tracks have been on CD before, but many have not. This is a very strong collection, with a ton of energy, excellent playing on many tracks, and a mess of fun too. Great surf and rock instrumentals from Belgium.

Picks: Evil Walks In, Italian Fuzz, Movin', Pygmee Dance, The Legend Of Hanau Eepe, SL 54 Automatic, Jack The Ripper, SL 54 Automatic, Everybody Up!, Spanish Hully Gully, 4 Devils 1 Hell, Tomahawk, Taboo, Shark Attack, Jerry Tibbs Amazing Discovery, Betty's Twist, The Victor, In Search For Montgomery, Down At Irving's, Titanic Tina

Surf (Instrumental)

Haunted house murk, spooky slow, darkened halls, hair up on the back of the neck... oh the anticipation of it all. Mostly a mood, but very effective. Dramatic guitar, bongos, organ, and frantic flight.

Fuzz (Instrumental)

Moody biker fuzz and console organ... The sound is murky to great effect here, giving it a ambiance estranged from reality. The moodiness is ominous, while the spy bongos add a sense of cheese. Very cool and Hollywood psychedelic.

Fuzz (Instrumental)

Lee Hazelwood's "Movin'" finds a murky home in this spunky damped reverb performance. Infectious and quite trad.

Fuzz (Instrumental)

Slushy chord rhythms drive a chunky post Link Wray thrasher. Hard driving, thundering tom toms, and a party chant. Like a locomotive comin' your way.

Surf (Instrumental)

This mostly percussion track is exotica based, tiki spiced, poi flavored, and rhythmically powered. Big chord accents and a double picked melody line serve as a vehicle for the very cool drum work. The tiki torch is lit.

Garage Surf (Instrumental)

Slinky and dark, driven and relentless, this riff meister uses drama and flying drums, and mighty speedy double picking. While it's not very melodic, it is an excellent track, absolutely power driven and bullet speed raging. The delicate damped end is really nice.

Garage Surf (Instrumental)

Not just another cover, a live audience shredder with that relentless beat and driven guitar work. It's not a ground breaker, but it sure does demonstrate the obvious crowd appeal of this band.

Surf (Instrumental)

The original version of this song was recorded by the Fender VI. It remains one of my all-time faves. Here, Fifty Foot Combo give it a raw power edge that changes it;s character some, much like the Treble Spankers' treatment of Mar Gaya (another Randy Holden song). It rocks seriously, sports ample power, and screams to be heard. This is a fine track.

Surf (Instrumental)

A bit of flamenco thinking, a suave and swingin' beat, Hawaiianesque whammy, and a very playful sound. "Spanish Hully Gully" is a very cool track, with more than enough aquatic edge for any surf set.

Surf (Instrumental)

Big Link Wray thinking, moody riffs, a slow beat, and then a raging growling double picked rage takes over. Big and grindy, with lots of edge and surfable charm.

Surf (Instrumental)

Indian beats, bongos, damped reverb chords a la "Drums A Go-Go," and a cool progression. More about rhythm than melody, "Tomahawk" is chunky and throbbing.

Surf (Instrumental)

This classic exotica tune from the pen of Ernesto Lecuona flows with liquid smooth and verandah cool. The guitar is distant for a haunting sound. Strangely attractive.

Surf (Instrumental)

Harsh surf rage, thrashing power and speed. "Shark Attack" sports a fine surf riff and lots of power, and a real grind. Big, fast, and powerful.

Surf (Instrumental)

"Jerry Tibbs Amazing Discovery" is kinda discordant, kinda like a Shadowy Men afterthought. Not very interesting.

Surf (Instrumental)

Big slow burn Link Wray feel, harsh feedback, and long howling sustain. "Betty's Twist" is a lumbering behemoth comin' for your first born. Yikes!

Surf (Instrumental)

Dick Dale and his Del-tones' "The Victor" is amped up, with speeding double picked power and an assaultive edge. Even the bongos are racing. Egads.

Fuzz (Instrumental)

Fuzzomatic thundering tom tom sustain and gruesome drive. No, there's no rest for the weary here, just relentless riffin' and grind.

Surf (Instrumental)

On the softer side, this spooky surf tune overpowered by the guitar's low level in the mix. Still, it's quite a powerful track, with speed, double picking, and maybe a little middle eastern edge. The midsection is excellent.

Rockabilly (Instrumental)

Echoed guitar, fast rockabilly pickin', and lots of energy. Mostly a speed driven riff rocker, but quite fun none the less.