Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA The Routers - 1963 Great Instrumental Hits
 | Producer Joe Saraceno employed the Hollywood usuals for his Routers projects. They were most famous for their only hit, the cheerleader anthem "Let's Go!."
Fans of genre (studio hits) will be glad to finally see these sessions out, but surf fans will surely be sickened by the utter lack of chemistry and imagination. |
Picks: Washington Square, Guitar Man, Marie Elena, Hot Pastrami, Wild Weekend, Telstar, Martian Hop, Watermelon Man, Memphis, Tennessee, Wipe Out, Pipeline, Sting Ray
Track by Track Review
Washington Square Rock (Instrumental)
Perfectly competent and incredibly boring, like virtually all of the studio "project" of the day, "Washington Square" is only slightly transmuted from the Am hit to fit the sax and cheerleader stomp sound of the Routers.
Guitar Man Rock (Instrumental)
This is a pallid version of Duane Eddy's hit. With the guts removed, "Guitar Man" is just riff rock.
Marie Elena Rock (Instrumental)
Verging on cheese, "Marie Elena" is little more than pleasant. A backwash for a mindless afternoon with a bag of Oreos.
Hot Pastrami Rock (Instrumental)
Lacking even the slightest hint of the Dartells or Joey Dee and the Starlights, the Routers do thee most tepid treatment of "Hot Pastrami" on disc.
Rock (Instrumental)
While this is a long ways from the gutty Rockin' Rebels original, it's among the more credible tracks on this album. Thin uninteresting guitar work and no real spunk.
Telstar Rock (Instrumental)
There are few interesting covers of the Tornados' "Telstar," and this doesn't buck the trend. Thin and very non-sci-fi.
Martian Hop Rock (Instrumental)
Take a silly (fun) bit of doo-wop fluff, remove the decade of its birth, and... lo and behold, you have a boring progression that never arrives.
Watermelon Man Rock (Instrumental)
Mongo Santamaria's "Watermelon Man" was in many band sets of the day. Like some inverted Mar-Kets track, it is free of the burden of soul or coolness... free to wander the library aisles in search of shakes not to be found.
Memphis, Tennessee Rock (Instrumental)
This version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis" is slow and fairly lifeless. Not what you'd call groovy or exciting.
Wipe Out Rock (Instrumental)
Hal Blaine does a credible job of getting the drums right without getting the drums right... meaning he's technically right on the mark, but lacks the fluidity and power of Ron Wilson. Next!
Pipeline Rock (Instrumental)
Tommy Tedesco provides one of the worst glissandoes on record to open the Chantays' classic "Pipeline." Quite unremarkable.
Sting Ray Rock (Instrumental)
Aside from the car horn basis of this gimmicky track, there's little to attract the fan of real rock 'n' roll instros or surf here. This was also issued as "Ah-OO-Ga" or some such.