Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA The Invictas - Swinging With The Jet Set
 | 20th Century Fox issued this by Detroit's Invictas (aka The 5ive Invictas) in mid 1964. It's musical quality is varied, with some surf and some rock. Very rare these days. |
Picks: Missing, Shadrack, Spanish Harlem, Karen, Breakout, Red Board
Track by Track Review
Surf (Instrumental)
"Missing" is simply excellent. A slow "Harlem Nocturne" backtrack, and an excellent rhythm guitar under a very sad lead with tribal drums make this a very unusual track. It's well arranged and shimmering with atmosphere. Essential!
Surf (Instrumental)
Organ melody, a cool cycling low-E guitar pattern, and great drums. "Shadrack" is almost great - just diminished some by the organ. That said, it is very engaging, almost spooky.
Surf (Instrumental)
Ben E. King's "Spanish Harlem" gets an instro arrangement with fine guitar work. Partly exotic, partly tribal, it is surf edged rock with delightful muted patterns and cheesy organ.
Surf (Instrumental)
Whistling organ lead creates spooky ambiance, while excellent drums with crisp hi-hat deliver tribal emotion, and the lead guitar does a sort of Middle Eastern riff. This is a bit like Johnny and the Hurricanes' "Sheba."
Surf (Instrumental)
"Tiger" is very riffy, chord dominated, and not too surfy. Lots of energy, just more jam than song. Still, it's darn fun.
Surf (Instrumental)
Big drama and lightly double picked guitar in the opening yield to cheesy organ lead. The cymbals are the brightest part of this otherwise rather uninspired rendering of "Exodus."
Surf (Instrumental)
Eerie tremolo and tribal drums, with a spooky, call and response duet between echoed guitar and fiercely whistling organ. Odd in some ways, but mostly "Breakout" is downright disturbed. A line or two in low-E with surf tone connects the dots.
Surf (Instrumental)
George Gershwin's "Summertime" is haunted by whammy and Viscounts' drum patterns. Throbbing tremolo guitar and thumping bass. The organ is too overbearing.
Point Lookout Surf (Instrumental)
"Point Lookout" is a low brow fifties style riff rocker, saved only by its energy and great drums. Sounds more like it's from 1959 than 1964.
One Life One Love One You Surf (Instrumental)
Slow dance stroll with mall organ. "One Life One Love One You" is hideously arranged and mixed. Yikes!
Surf (Instrumental)
"Red Board" is The Fireballs' "Torquay" and employs a Challengers arrangement merged with sound more like The New Dimensions' "Tor Chula." Pretty cool.
Surf (Instrumental)
Likely named for its place in the set list (last dance numbers were traditionally slow in '64), "The End" is an easy going and gentle number with a pleasant melody and echoed lead guitar. While pretty, it's fairly unremarkable.