Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Jorgen Ingmann - Apache / The Many Guitars Of Jorgen Ingmann
 | This CD is quite a paradox. The mastering is dreadful, with drop outs and a lot of distortion in the right channel, pretty much throughout the disc. Most of the music is without redeeming qualities, unless you groove to the snappy sounds of guys in bow ties. It's also about 1/3 different from the recent best-of package, and there are a couple of very twangy almost surf intros from a guy who surely never saw the breakwater. |
Picks: Apache, Oh!, Little Serenade, Pepe, Serenade Of The Mandolins, Echo Boogie, Amorada, Anna, The March Of The Siamese Children, Dalla Strada Alle Stelle, Side Saddle, My Isle Of Golden Dreams, Bonanza, Pinetop's Boogie Woogie, High Noon, Cherokee, Sweet Talk, Third Man Theme, Wheels, Jalousie, Oceans Of Love, Milord, Hear My Song Violetta
Track by Track Review
Pre Surf (Instrumental)
Around the world, it was Hank Marvin and the Shadows that hit with Jerry Lordan's tune in 1960. Everywhere except Denmark and the US, where Jorgen Ingman ruled the charts with this exceptional track. It's my personal opinion that this is the quintessential version of "Apache." When will Atco reissue the album? Every surf band on earth played this tune in the early days of reverb.
Oh! MOR (Instrumental)
"Oh!" is a very light weight and flippant intro decidedly in the easy listening category, and very much inspired by Les Paul.
Little Serenade MOR (Instrumental)
Whistlers and an almost polka instro song is smooth and completely inoffensive. Pure fluff.
Pepe MOR (Instrumental)
Jorgen Ingmann's guitar plays against a bouncy MOR backtrack. "Pepe" is a song that made the rounds in 1961 when this was recorded. faux Mexican pinata party laughter augments the track.
Serenade Of The Mandolins MOR (Instrumental)
Another easy listening journey down romance novel lane... pretty but entirely dismissible.
Echo Boogie Guitar Boogie (Instrumental)
Echoed guitar boogie in the traditional sense, play in a lightweight vein. Pretty, fluid, remain-seated bounce, and kinda jazzy.
Amorada Light Rock MOR (Instrumental)
Some near power guitar notes open "Amorada" before it lightens up a little. Like a hard-edged MOR track, it's on the fun side, and kinda odd. Not bad.
MOR (Instrumental)
This version of the commonly covered "Anna" is not bad for an MOR interpretation. Almost bouncy and energetic, the guitar tone is solid and the flow alright.
The March Of The Siamese Children MOR (Instrumental)
From The King And I, "The March Of The Siamese Children" is among the more interesting of Jorgen Ingmann's instros, but not as cool as the U. S. Rockets. Not exactly rock 'n' roll. but it sports a groove nonetheless.
Dalla Strada Alle Stelle MOR (Instrumental)
Fake cool in the way only the the late fifties bachelor pad sound could generate. Squishy and without redeeming qualities.
Side Saddle MOR (Instrumental)
A cowboy in white chaps with fringe all decked out for the fancy-pants hoe down. Yikes!
My Isle Of Golden Dreams MOR (Instrumental)
"My Isle Of Golden Dreams" floats softly on a a barely-island theme as only a tourist daydream could endure.
Bonanza Cowboy MOR (Instrumental)
This is an interesting distortion of Al Caiola's theme to the TV show. It doesn't rock, it doesn't roll, it has no western feel, yet it's oddly cool. All I can say is good grief!
Pinetop's Boogie Woogie MOR (Instrumental)
Jorgen Ingmann plays with this classic guitar boogie with near-flair. One could almost find oneself rockin' in the chair...
MOR (Instrumental)
The cowboy drama of "High Noon" is almost carried off by Jorgen Ingmann's guitar, dampened by the fluffy backtrack. Still, it's pretty enough.
Cherokee MOR Surf (Instrumental)
"Cherokee" is a funny track. Soft double picked guitar lightly flows the melody above a soft and almost pointless backtrack. Think elevator surf. Strange.
Sweet Talk MOR (Instrumental)
Decent guitar tone and a too-chumpy MOR backtrack... jeesh, this is so MOR!
Third Man Theme MOR (Instrumental)
Oh man! This is a very strange version of a strange song. I can hardly stand it! Blecht!
Sub Surf (Instrumental)
The String-A-Longs' classic "Wheels" is played in a lighter style, and much smoother. Despite the lightness of this track, it's quite endearing.
Jalousie MOR (Instrumental)
"Jalousie" was a much covered French melody from a period when cool was defined by guys in bow ties. Egad.
Sub Surf (Instrumental)
A sucky chorus and a fanciful rhythm runs beneath what has to be the only gutty guitar sound on the disc. The echoed parts approach surf in a strange way. Twang meets playboy in an elevator!
Milord MOR (Instrumental)
Another lost melody that should stay that way! "Milord" serves no purpose in the rock world, but likely causes the swaying of pinkies in the bachelor pad world.
Hear My Song Violetta MOR (Instrumental)
A ways from cool, maybe a long way, "Hear My Song Violetta" almost rocks in the bridges. In fact, it almost surfs, but then there's the main body of the song. Big twang, but that's just not enough to carry it off.