Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Johnny and the Hurricanes - All The Hits
 | Most of Johnny and the Hurricanes output was average at best, with the exception of their brilliant singles, and Dave Yorko hooks and occasional leads ("Sheba," "Sandstorm,"etc.). This is not one of their better track. Check 'em out on tunes like "Sheba," "Sandstorm," "Crossfire," "Rockin' Goose," "Down Yonder," "Red River Rock," "Beatnik Fly," "Revival," and the insane "Reveille Rock." |
Picks: Red River Rock, Crossfire, Reveille Rock, Sheba, Rocking Goose, Mr. Lonely, High Voltage, Come On Train, Buckeye, Lazy, Time Bomb, Sand Storm, Revival, Molly-O, Traffic Jam, The Hungry Eye, Beatnik Fly, Down Yonder, You Are My Sunshine, Bamboo, Thunderbolt, Cut Out, Walkin', Joy Ride, Rock-Cha, Happy Time, Storm Warning, Corn Bread, Catnip, Travelin', Rockin' T, Milk Shake
Track by Track Review
Sax & Organ Rock (Instrumental)
The first of what would become their formula, public domain standards ominously rocked out with organ dominated evil sax instrumentals with great Dave Yorko guitar breaks. "Red River Rock" never sounded so cool! It was instro covers of public domain standards that originally influenced Paul Johnson, who used "Little Brown Jug" among others in the Belairs sets (and on disc).
Sax Guitar (Instrumental)
Guitar machine gun riff and a growling sax in a most ominous tune. You can just see a stylized prohibition gang land drive by...
Military Organ-Sax-Guitar Rave (Instrumental)
Yup! This just plain rocks! Not many of the instros of the late fifties really pummeled, but this had more energy than most everything else of the day. The organ lead is so-o-o cool, and the spit-ball sax just rips! Dave Yorko's guitar break rules too! When I was in the service, I used to play this in the barracks at reveille to wake the slumbering masses.
Tribal Middle Eastern Guitar (Instrumental)
Dave Yorko's magnificent guitar work just shines here. This incredible middle eastern melody is spectacular as is, but just imagine it surfed up! The organ is mysterious beneath it all. Why isn't some surf band doing this? It rips!!!!
Organ Sax (Instrumental)
With the sax squirting out goose honks and the organ pumping out a simple lead line, this track has to be one of the most infectious gimmick records ever recorded.
Mr. Lonely Guitar Organ (Instrumental)
Slow dance guitar lines with the organ whistling away. A stroll.
High Voltage Guitar Organ (Instrumental)
Raw guitar choked like Link Wray too fast, delivered under a simple organ lead. This could be surfed up with a reverb guitar taking the organ lines. The melody is based on that old English children's song "Gramma's Lye Soap," or what ever it's called. Lonnie Donnegan had a big MOR hit with it in the fifties.
Sax Guitar (Instrumental)
Guitar train whistles a la the Swanks' "Ghost Train" open this cool number, with the guitar doing some rare double picking under a sax lead. Interesting arrangement.
Buckeye Sax Piano Guitar (Instrumental)
A bison bop tune with the guitar laying down a cool riff under a mean sax and a pumping piano.
Guitar Sax Organ (Instrumental)
Guitar melody slowly shimmers as the organ counters and the sax cries for mercy.
Time Bomb Organ Sax Guitar Jazz (Instrumental)
No explosion from this misnamed tune. More a cool for cats Beat/Jazz number and a simple riff-rocker.
Pre Surf (Instrumental)
Dave Yorko's simple infectious guitar line, mixed with bells, a pumping choppy organ and sax sums up to a mighty fine track. The Neon Spores used to do this song to great effect. Some enterprising surf band should pick this up and surf the Hell out of it.
Organ Sax (Instrumental)
"When The Saints Go Marching In" has been done by dozens of rock and R&B acts, including the cooler-than-cool version by the Viscounts. Here, the organ melody line is accented with sax slides, until they trade places. Nice and pumped.
Molly-O Organ Sax (Instrumental)
If they'd just left the strings outta the thing, it would have been a lot better. Oh well, it's not that great a loss. It is just a cover of "Greensleeves" after all.
Tribal (Instrumental)
Traffic sounds lead in, with the band fading in with a jazzy guitar line and a honky-squonky sax pumping over tribal tones. Occasional Broadway sax lines detract... too MOR for the rest of the arrangement. The Tiki Tones could make hay with this.
The Hungry Eye Beatnik Sax (Instrumental)
Beatnik chunk under a fifties beat sax line.
Organ Sax (Instrumental)
This is another track morphing a traditional song, as was the majority of the singles from this band. "Blue Tail Fly [Jimmy Crack Corn and I Don't Care]" became "Beatnik Fly" over a cool backtrack and Dave Yorko's great guitar. The intro is so sad, then the Beat rhythm, breaks out and the cool jazz bass line, and then that whistlin' organ and mumblin' sax. It's way fun and melodic.
Organ Guitar Sax (Instrumental)
The kettle drum is so-o-o cool here. It adds that extra dimension to a nearly screaming organ lead or that rapid fire damped guitar chop and sax squirtology. When the sax takes the lead, the organ pumps the same way the guitar was. Very infectious arrangement and powerhouse performance.
You Are My Sunshine Organ (Instrumental)
A basic rendition in a Perez Prado sorta way.
Sax Guitar Organ (Instrumental)
The guitar lays down an intricate line with the organ rolling under a choppy sax. Quite cool.
Thunderbolt Sax Fifties Rock and Roll (Instrumental)
A fifties rocker with a sax lead.
Cut Out Guitar Boy Chorus (Instrumental)
A guitar boogie lead over rolling toms and horrid "Cut Out" beat poetry chorus lines.
R&B (Instrumental)
"Walkin'" sports a nasty strollin' sax over a honky tonk piano and a walking bass line. It's a mean R&B groove.
Joy Ride Guitar Sax (Instrumental)
Boogie woogie rolling guitar lines and sax howls.
Rock-Cha Organ Cha Cha Cha (Instrumental)
Like you might guess from the title, the cha cha cha is the theme with a pedestrian organ lead.
Sax Guitar Organ (Instrumental)
An evil sax line is supported by swirling guitar and organ riffs.
Storm Warning Sax Guitar Boogie Shuffle (Instrumental)
Just sax squonkage and guitar boogie shuffle triteness.
Corn Bread Jimmy Smith Horns (Instrumental)
Jimmy Smith organ with horns... very derivative.
Catnip Sax Organ (Instrumental)
A sax rant over an oscillating organ.
Wood Block Organ Country Hawaiian (Instrumental)
Light weight guitar chords and wood block percussion with a cutesy organ lead. The guitar break is somewhere between country and Hawaiian.
Organ Folk (Instrumental)
Like the old stuff... similar to "She'll Be Comin' 'Round The Mountain When She Comes" and "Old Smoky," but faster and more spirited.
Milk Shake Sax Plucky (Instrumental)
A plucky damped reverb guitar lies under sax lead that's bluesy. The organ is pumping away through it all.