Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA The Champs - The Champs Collection
 | This is a pretty good cross section of the Champs material, without too much of the sappy MOR. As with the other Champs CD's, I only reviewed the surfable instros. |
Picks: Tequila, Sombrero, Jumping Bean, The Caterpillar, Too Much Tequila, Bandito
Track by Track Review
Latin R&B Rock (Instrumental)
This is their BIG HIT!. It is a sax based number that was probably the frat house standard, long before "Louie Louie" was. The spoken "Tequila" at the end of the lines has become a standard of Latin party rock. Very infectious.
Surf (Instrumental)
A lot like "Tequila," this song uses bongos and is very infectious. I could easily see a surf band making this into a real surf party favorite. Melodic, and totally fun.
Latin R&B Rock (Instrumental)
This guitar number uses a very simple progression for the melody, an infectious backtrack, and grodie sounds. The guitar is in a very low-E range and the whole thing seems to work well.
Surf (Instrumental)
Low grodie minimal note guitar behind a sad sax doing a very slow plinky sock hop thing that could be surfed up with some imagination.
Latin R&B Rock (Instrumental)
This is one of several follow ups to their "Tequila." It is a sax based number, slower than it's inspiration, and with more of an "El Rancho Grande" sound to it. The guitar break is acoustic and quite nice.
Surf (Instrumental)
This is the original of the tune the Pastel Six did with the twisted guitar tones as the B-side to "Cinnamon Cinder." This original version has all the earmarks of a surf number in waiting. The guitar is infectious, and the sax is not too irritating. maybe some hybrid between what the Pastel Six did and this track would be a good starting point.