Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Monsters From Mars - Play Some Originals And Some Surf Classics and Obscurities
 | Color this CD-R frustrating. Marginal ambient sound minimizes mostly pretty good songs and aggressive performances. The live tracks sound like they were recorded from the back of a gym. It's been a long time since I've heard anything this bad sounding, especially with a pretty solid band with good songs. I hope Monsters From Mars record in a decent studio, 'cuz there's a few nuggets hiding among the caves of this release. 'A' for potential, 'F' for delivery. |
Picks: Well Trained To Play Catch, It Came From Red Alert, Boris Biohazard, Happy In A Cage, Voodoo Juice, My Barometer Collection, Our Favorite Martian, Surfari, Popcorn, Shake It Down, Avanti, Coated In Oil, Coca-Cola Death Squad, Pollution In The Ocean, Happy In A Cage, Miserlou, Fillibuster On The Dance Floor, It Came From Red Alert, Coca-Cola Death Squad
Track by Track Review
Well Trained To Play Catch Riff Rock (Instrumental)
"Well Trained To Play Catch" is a riff rocker with aggression and a lack of melody.
Surf (Instrumental)
Angular and eerie, double picked, thick and thrashy, and semi melodic. "It Came From Red Alert" is dangerous and attractive in a doomsday kinda way.
Surf (Instrumental)
This is a dark and splashy number with danger around every curve. "Boris Biohazard" expresses storm surf danger and future shock gloom. Cool song.
Surf (Instrumental)
Monsters From Mars launch into a thick riff rocker of angry proportions where fast double picked doom abounds. Not very melodic, perhaps like some Man or Astro-Man? instros.
Surf (Instrumental)
The Ghouls' "Voodoo Juice" is rocked and splashed and into-the-rocks surfed out. Thunder and evil edge, with a fine melody line and punk edge.
Surf (Instrumental)
"My Barometer Collection" sports a nifty melody line with a touch of gloom and a tad of optimism. This may be their most interesting original.
Surf (Instrumental)
Bobby Fuller and the Fanatics' most familiar instro "Our Favorite Martian" is thrashed and reverbed out, with lots of energy and pounce. Mean and cool!
Surf (Instrumental)
Ultra murky sound dampens the power of a well played cover of the Original Surfaris' "Surfari." Fast and grumbly, powerful and dark.
Surf (Instrumental)
This is really cool. Ultra reverb totally trashes Gershon Kinglsey's poppy epic "Popcorn" for a magnetic juxtaposition of surf and early disco trash. There are a few other surf covers of this, but I can't think of one more reverby and dark. Excellent!
Shake It Down Frat (Instrumental)
"Shake It Down" is a trashy frat rocker with no melody. With enough beer, it would be way fun.
Avanti Surf (Instrumental)
The Supertones' "Avanti" is ultra trashy, like the sound of a frat party down a long harsh hallway. Dark frat thrashy lo-fi ambient surf with more power than sound quality. A cool melody line and an amateur mix that strangles off the power of the track. The raw sax is very vintage surf, but buried in dreadful sound, it's of little help.
Surf (Instrumental)
Really fast dark picking and a Dick dale-ish rhythm mark "Coated In Oil." Very powerful and aggressive, with danger and the sound of '62 chunk a la "Surf Beat."
Surf (Instrumental)
"Coca-Cola Death Squad" is a cool and brooding number that's looking for a fight. Not somber, but mean drunk on the docks at three am. maybe a touch of the Saints chordage.
Pollution In The Ocean Surf (Instrumental)
Aside from the nasty darkness of the double picked lead, "Pollution In The Ocean" is just a riff rocker with reverb.
Surf (Instrumental)
Monsters From Mars launch into a thick riff rocker of angry proportions where fast double picked doom abounds. Not very melodic, perhaps like some Man or Astro-Man? instros.
Miserlou Surf (Instrumental)
Beneath the dreadful sound lies a fiery "Miserlou." Hard rockin'.
Fillibuster On The Dance Floor Riff Rock (Instrumental)
It's hard ti hear through the muck if this is more than just reverbed riff rock...
It Came From Red Alert Surf (Instrumental)
More horrid sound hiding a fiery performance. dark and menacing down a long echoing hall.
Surf (Instrumental)
"Coca-Cola Death Squad" is a cool and brooding number that's looking for a fight. Not somber, but mean drunk on the docks at three am. maybe a touch of the Saints chordage.