Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Mr. Gasser and the Weirdos - The Rat Fink Collection
 | This two-CD set collects all three albums from one of those ultra trashy studio projects aimed at kids that's mostly dismissible. There are 8 instros here, mostly on the so-what side of the ledger, but there are also a couple of cool tracks, including two from the Super Stocks. |
Picks: Hey, Ratfink, Waltz Of The Ratfinks, Fink Rod 409, Little Fink Surf's Again, Phantom Surfer, Surfink Blues, Santa Barbara, Midnight Run
Track by Track Review
Hey, Ratfink Fuzz (Instrumental)
Fuzzy riff rock, with Hal Blaine drums and a jammin' guitar. Not melodic, just studio stuff.
Weird Waltz (Instrumental)
Yup, its' a waltz, a polka for the disturbed. Strange tones, hokey pomp, and fun strangitude.
Hot Rod (Instrumental)
This almost cross into cool territory. Delicate damped guitar, excellent drums, and lots of changes. It just lacks melody.
TV Music (Instrumental)
This is a strange track. It sounds like a TV theme, but it's not. Deliberate and tentative, yet somehow catchy. The melody sure could be surfed up in the right hands.
Surf (Instrumental)
Totally studio... weirdness, dry energy-free drums and bass, and useless guitar noodling... hot sax. From the sound, I'd guess the musicians are Plas Johnson or Steve Douglas on sax and Hal Blaine on drums. Jus so so.
Surfink Blues Sock Hop (Instrumental)
A slow and meaningless last dance slow mover with a decent melody and a bit of sadness. The sax drives the song.
Surf (Instrumental)
A rhythmic and chunky track from the pen of Gary Usher, with the lead and rhythm linked in time. The overall effect is an interesting and infectious song with great drums.
Surf (Instrumental)
This is THEE defining Super Stocks track. It is melodic, dramatic, emotional, powerful, dynamic, and highly melodic. It was written by Gary Usher, Richard Burns, and Roger Christian. It has one of the most infectious sounds of any of the more layered less assaultive surf instros. Totally great.