Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Johnny and the Hurricanes - Red River Rock - Anthology
| This is a comprehensive collection of Johnny and the Hurricanes material - all in mono. This Toledo, Ohio band was a seminal force in instrumental rock'n'roll, and their guitar oriented hits like "Sheba," "Sand Storm," and "Crossfire" were string influences on the young surfbands a few years later. |
Picks: Rocking Goose, Red River Rock, Beatnik Fly, Reveille Rock, Cross Fire, Down Yonder, Come On Train, Sand Storm, Revival, Sheba, Misirlou, Shadows, Traffic Jam, Lazy, Happy Time, Bye Bye Blackbird, Walkin', Travelin', Teensville Tonight, Bam Boo, Rockin' T, Kaw-Liga
Track by Track Review
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.
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).
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.
Organ Sax (Instrumental)
This is 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.
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.
Ja-Da Organ (Instrumental)
Again, a loungy arrangement with an organ lead.
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...
You Are My Sunshine Organ (Instrumental)
A basic rendition in a Perez Prado sorta way.
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.
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.
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.
Old Smokie Organ Guitar (Instrumental)
Johnny Otis' "Hand Jive" guitar riffs under the keys is OK, but not inspired like some of their public domain covers.
Salvation
Piano Trumpet (Instrumental)
A rolling piano and a trumpet lead can't salvage "Bringing In The Sheep.".. JEEZ!
San Antonio Rose Organ (Instrumental)
Chunky rhythms and an organ lead... just OK.
Mr. Lonely Guitar Organ (Instrumental)
Slow dance guitar lines with the organ whistling away. A stroll.
Greens and Beans Organ (Instrumental)
Relatively uninspired Booker T clone. While it's faster, it's no more interesting than "Mo Onions," certainly no "Tic Tac Toe."
Sheik Of Araby Organ (Instrumental)
Organ chops over an uninspired bed.
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.
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.
Sax Organ Guitar (Instrumental)
The sounds of the pool hall and a dissonant choked guitar with choppy organ all supporting a bluesy sax lead.
Farewell Farewell Guitar Organ Sax (Instrumental)
Eerie vibrato guitar and sax echoed and an organ riff... not very interesting.
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.
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!!!!
Money Honey Sax Boy Chorus (Instrumental)
Pedestrian sax rendition of the rock standard with a chorus.
Organ Sax Guitar (Instrumental)
Most unusual rendition of the Greek classic. A chunky guitar bed with the sax growling ominously. The organ takes the lead. If you're expecting Dick Dale, forget it. On the other hand, this is not the least bit lounge or fifties schmaltz. The sax break has that Steve Douglas staccato thing happening, and the guitar break is great too.
Space Blues (Instrumental)
Almost Tornadoes-like organ via Leslie or vibrato... very cool under a blue sax melody. A most unusual sound... space blues.
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.
Whatever Happened To Baby Jane Girl Chorus MOR (Instrumental)
Man-oh-man! The girls' chorus is gross. The rest is... yuk MOR.
Guitar Sax Organ (Instrumental)
Guitar melody slowly shimmers as the organ counters and the sax cries for mercy.
Rough Road Guitar Organ (Instrumental)
A pumping organ supports a vibrato guitar for a moderately interesting effect.
Sax Guitar Organ (Instrumental)
An evil sax line is supported by swirling guitar and organ riffs.
Cut Out Guitar Boy Chorus (Instrumental)
A guitar boogie lead over rolling toms and horrid "Cut Out" beat poetry chorus lines.
Storm Warning Sax Guitar Boogie Shuffle (Instrumental)
Just sax squonkage and guitar boogie shuffle triteness.
Thunderbolt Sax Fifties Rock and Roll (Instrumental)
A fifties rocker with a sax lead.
Joy Ride Guitar Sax (Instrumental)
Boogie woogie rolling guitar lines and sax howls.
Organ Sax Guitar (Instrumental)
A lot like their earlier work, with the whistling organ and sax bridge, plus that trademark Dave Yorko guitar break. The tune is another public domain standard morphed into their standard format.
Catnip Sax Organ (Instrumental)
A sax rant over an oscillating organ.
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.
The Kid Sax-Trumpet (Instrumental)
A trad fifties jammin' tune with a sax-trumpet duet supported by a pumping organ. Too dance party for me.
Corn Pone Hickoid Folk (Instrumental)
A hickoidal rendition of "She'll Be Comin' 'Round The Mountain When She Comes."
Cyclone Sax Guitar (Instrumental)
The sax howls a repetitious but ominous lead line over the pumping guitar chords.
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.
Mister Irving Horn (Instrumental)
The horn section is doing the Broadway thing while the band plays without much spirit. Ho-hum.
Hot Fudge Euro Plucky Sax (Instrumental)
Euro plucky with a growling sax.
The Hungry Eye Beatnik Sax (Instrumental)
Beatnik chunk under a fifties beat sax line.
Corn Bread Jimmy Smith Horns (Instrumental)
Jimmy Smith organ with horns... very derivative.
The Hep Canary Organ (Instrumental)
A chirpy organ and a rolling backtrack.
Organ Spy (Instrumental)
The organ leads where you'd expect the guitar, except for the classic hooks.
Rock (Instrumental)
With the rhythm from "Little Brown Jug" and a melody line from "Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight" a.k.a. "Camp Town Races.".. cool.
It's A Mad Mad Mad World Sax Pop (Instrumental)
A wailing sax over a very poppy backtrack.
Sax Guitar Organ (Instrumental)
The guitar lays down an intricate line with the organ rolling under a choppy sax. Quite cool.
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.
That's All Fifties Sax (Instrumental)
A mellow fifties sax slow dance number. Like an Ace Cannon thing with slightly more bite.
Tom's Tune Organ Elevator Strings (Instrumental)
It didn't merit much of a name, and now I know why. Take a slow variation on "Crossfire," play a whistling organ over the top, and add strings... elevator mung.
Oh Du Lieber Augustin Organ (Instrumental)
The German standard rockin' with an organ lead.
Rock (Instrumental)
A sax tune with a Bo Diddley feel and an harmonica accented choppy backtrack. Choppy organ and sax R&B riff rock, with a pulsing organ and lots of edge. The organ whistles in the break over tribal drums. There's quite a bit in common between "Beanbag" and "Brontosaurus Stomp."
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.
Organ Guitar Rockabilly (Instrumental)
Indian tom-toms and spacy organ plus near-surf guitar sounds. The organ carries the lead on this cool rockabilly guitar classic originally eked out by Hank Williams or someone.