CD 192632 LET'S GO!

Tracks: Driving Guitars (instr.) / Devil In Your Deep Blue Eyes / Al Capone (instr.) / Rockabilly Fever / Lady Of Spain (instr.) / Oh Boy / Panhandle Rag (instr.) / Take Your Memory With You / Guitar Boogie (instr.) / Lipstick On Your Collar / Opus Twist (instr.) / Gandy Dancer (instr.) / This Little Girl's Gone Rockin' / Wipe Out-Let's Go! (instr.) / I Only Want To Be With You / Gringo (instr.) / Diddle I / Bulldog (instr.) / Baby, What You Want Me To Do / Mr. Moto (instr.) / Queen For Tonight / Adventure Theme (instr.)

(from PIPELINE #53 - Autumn 2001)

I saw a video of Adventure recently and they were amazing! Basically they concentrate on The Ventures' Fender years of 1960 to '63 and they have it down perfectly. Whereas we are quite used to hearing and seeing bands that mould themselves exclusively on The Shadows, a band performing the same compliment for The Venture, particularly when narrowed down to just the band's early years, is virtually unique. So if your own personal liking is for The Ventures sound before they went heavy, then this is a must have. However, there are just a couple of drawbacks. Firstly that Adventure do tend to concentrate a little too much on fairly exact covers, so of the twelve instrumentals nine are pretty much as you have heard them before with only one original to hint at what the band might be able to achieve on their own account. Secondly, and this is not necessarily a drawback, ten of the tracks are vocal. In fact vocalist Lia van Prehn is excellent, a raunchy voiced female with a country twang, she does a splendid job coming somewhere between Wanda Jackson, Brenda Lee and Patsy Cline, which can't be bad. As for the band, they are superb. You should already be familiar with drummer Harry Spies who played with Pipeline' 61 at our 2000 Convention - a great stickman, young and powerful with all the energy necessary to drive such a band. Bart Braat is excellent on rhythm guitar as is bassist Hans Stevens, although I did feel that the latter's instrument was not cleanly defined on some tracks. Star of the show though is unquestionably lead guitarist Albert van Prehn in his Nokie Edwards role. He is an absolute wow and can handle material as demanding as Panhandle Rag and Gandy Dancer with nonchalant ease. Together, Adventure offer a unique opportunity to Ventures fans to witness what their heroes would have sounded like circa 1961. With the sadly continuing absence of the real thing to these shores I shall be doing my damnedest to get Adventure over for one of our Conventions. Meanwhile take a listen to this, it's a fine calling card and announces Adventure as a potent force that all Ventures fans should be aware of. (Dave Burke)

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CD 192685 VOL. 2

Tracks: Rock Your Baby / Adventure (instr.) / Tell Him / The Ventures Medley (instr.) / Dance With Me Tonight / Red Top (instr.) / Walking Dream / Bumble Bee Twist (instr.) / Just Call Me Lonesome / Hernando's Hideaway - Surf Rider (instr.) / Linda Lu / Caravan (instr.) / Let's Dance / Bluebird (instr.) / Hang Up My Rock & Roll Shoes / Ram-Bunk-Shush - The Shuck (instr.) / I Love You Too Much / Meet Mr. Callaghan (instr.) / I Need Your Love Tonight / San Antonio Rose (instr.) / Tell Me Why

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CD 192502 INSTRUMENTAL (fully instrumental CD)

Tracks: Cricket Bat Boogie, Johnny Guitar, Riders In The Sky, Bouddha, This Ole House, Gonzales, Shadoogie, Merlin, Temptation, Amapola, The Frightened City, The Boys, Sleepwalk, Peace Pipe, FBI, Kon-Tiki, Spring Is Nearly Here, The Rise & Fall Of Flingel Bunt, I Just Called To Say I Love You, Atlantis

(from PIPELINE #27 - Summer 1995)

I guess the tracks need little explanation so first a word or two about Atlantis. They came together in April 1993, resurrected from the ashes of 1980s DSR label group Vox. Francis van Keer (bass) and Richard Fievewz (drums) from Vox teamed up with Jean-Paul Buyle (rhythm, ex R&R group The Angels) and Marc Vanderoorst (lead, ex 60s Shads/Spotnicks band Les Jivaros). I have to say that, even to these tired old ears, Atlantis perform this well known set absolotely superbly. Faithful to the sound and spirit of the originals, they manage to make the whole CD a delight to listen to. I was so caught up in it that I even found myself humming along to the saccharine overdose that is I Just Called To Say I Love You! Of the two tracks that may be new to you, Merlin is a fine ballad and The Cousins' great Boudha is rendered quite superbly. Marc's impressive technique allows him room to build in plenty of expression beyond merely hitting the right notes. Allied to the skilful and sympathetic rhythm supplied by his fellow members, Marc's magical touch makes this set a most unusual phenomenom, a CD chock full of obvious rock instrumentals covers that is worth $ 15 of anyone's money. (Alan Taylor)

CD 192523 MORE GREAT GUITAR INSTRUMENTALS! (fully instrumental CD)

Tracks: Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Beyond The Shadows, Albatross, Pipeline, Memory, Eyes Of The Tiger, Idylle, Zambesi, Time Is Tight, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me, Walk Don't Run, Apache, Crying, Turn Around And Touch Me, Jessica, Little Princess, Shazam, Wonderful Land, California Express, Man Of Mystery, Cosy, Geronimo, Main Theme, The Savage

CD 192555 MORE AND MORE GREAT GUITAR INSTRUMENTALS ! (fully instrumental CD)

Tracks: Tandoorie Boogie, Achy Breaky Heart, Sultans Of Swing, The Miracle, Steel Wheel, Wonderful Landscapes, How Do I Love Thee, The High And The Mighty, The Young Ones, Brazil, Outdigo, Nivram, Alentejo, Round And Round, I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Arthur, Midnight, Heartbeat, We Don't Talk Anymore, Theme From Shane, Nights In White Satin, Telstar, Another Night, Cavatina, Shindig, Wired For Sound

(from PIPELINE #40 - Summer 1998)

Atlantis present their third volume of Shadows style instrumentals on the Dutch Rarity label. The Sheer volume of such releases indicates their popularity, it seems that people simply cannot get enough of them. So what can I tell about this one ? You know the titles, the line-up is the traditional two guitars, bass and drums, the arrangements traditional too, the production is fine, the playing good, and the sound is just that little bit different: a touche edgier than the norm to give it a slighty tougher image. I guess the most unusual thing about this CD is the inclusion of the two Shadows pastiches from Tangent, Tandoorie Boogie and Wonderful Landscapes. Otherwise, you know what you'll get - and you know you'll enjoy it. (Alan Taylor)

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CD 192671 MORE ... ALWAYS MORE (fully instrumental CD)

Tracks: Equinoxe / Moonlight Shadow / Chariots Of Fire / Diamonds / Black Is Black / You're The One That I Want / The Power Of Love / Rivers Of Babylon / Peggy Sue / The Magic Doll / Bossa Roo / Blue Sky, Blue Sea, Blue Me / Guitar Boogie / Mrs. Robinson / Breakthru / Going Home / More Than I Can Say / The Lost City / Chattanooga Choo Choo / Valencia / The Sound Of Silence / Sacha / Trains And Boats And Plains / Love Change Everything

(from PIPELINE #55 - Spring 2002)

And more, and more…. There seems to be no end to the demand for albums of Shadows covers and collectors of the genre now have another to add to their shopping list. Atlantis play it simple, sticking to their two guitars, bass and drums line-up and only relying on the occasional extra guitar track to beef things up. This at least means there's something a little different in the arrangement of some titles, and it's something many guitar fans will find an attractive proposition. The first few titles are '80s Shads pieces then a few earlier numbers appear.
What more is there to say about such an album? You probably made your mind up about it after scanning the track list, so I'll simply add that these are competent performances and emphasise the absence of keyboards and orchestration. Alan Taylor

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CD 192540 HERE WE ARE (fully instrumental CD)

Tracks: The Wheel, National Provincial Samba, The Lonely Beach, Mexican Bodega, The Cruel Sea, Twilight Time, Theme From A Filleted Place, Stagecoach, San Antonio Rose, Dream Of Glory, Shadoogie, Little B, Beautiful Heart, Darktown Strutter's Ball, Theme From Something Really Important, Jumping Can Can, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Diamonds, Tennessee Waltz, Second Street

(from PIPELINE #36 - Summer 1997)

The flow of shadows-inspired groups making it onto CD continues unabated and here is another Fender and Vox four-piece woith their roots in the 60s. Fortunately we can read all about them as Piet Muys' notes are printed in English. Their rock & roll roots go right back to 1959 and developed instrumentally in 1960/61 in a group called The Strangers under the influence of The Shadows. In the late 702 they began to think about returning to those instrumental influences and the early 802 found them performing live and on TV and also recording demos. They had tracks released by the DSR label and in 1989 and 1990 performed with Jet Harris. with more live work and radio appearances, things accelerated in the 90s so tyhat we now have their first CD. To guarantee the quality of their material they have opted not to include any originals, to ensure variety they have selected titles from a range of sources. There are 6 Shadows covers and it is great to hear the two guitarists duet on Theme From A Filleted Place. These are live recordings with no overdubbing so there's no twin lead cheating here! The drumming is impressive on Little B too (isn't it amazing how influential even the shadows drum solos are!) and I prefer the softer touch that The Arrows bring to Tennessee Waltz. They look to Australia for The Wheel, a free rolling number recorded by The Breakaways in 1964. Also from down-under comes The Lonely Beach which is an expressive ballad sweetly delivered by The Arrows. The original was by The Cahrades, again in 1964 - also the date for The (Australian) Strangers' Stagecoach. This is a melodic medium-pacer that would sit comfortably on the Out Of The Shadows album. There are 4 Lenny Clerwall composiotions including the pretty Mexican Bodega and a very tasty Dream Of Glory full of expression and style. The Cruel Sea has some extra embellishments on the lead guitar and a slighty different arrangement that more than justifies its place on the CD. Theme From Something Really Important was written by Jeff Lynne for Duane Eddy's excellent Capitol album and The Arrows' lighter twang turns it into an enjoyable 60s style instrumental. The Platters' Twilight Time works well as a guitar ballad too. With such a "live" studio recording there are bound to be occacional monor fluffs, and I understand it is Rarity's practice to lay down the tracks for an album in a single weekend. This puts even more pressure on the performers than was the case in the 602. It does give the resultant album an immediacy that can be lost in search for perfection, however, and anyone looking for another album Out Of or in The Sound Of The Shadows will enjoy this one by The Arrows (Alan Taylor)

Tracks: Custom Made, Outa In Die Langpad, Moonlight Shadow, The Subject Is S.L., Twangy Strat, The Flight To Paradise, The Pipeline Convention Theme, Wild Geese, El Mundo, Midnight Lover, Step Out, Istanbul, Exodus, Afrika, Sleepless, The Haggard, Reilly's Theme, Round And Round, Zambesi, The Old Spinning Wheel.

(from PIPELINE #42 - New Year 1999)

With Cor Vielvoye playing lead Strat, Jan de Koning on rhythm, Arie de Bruijne bass and Henk Kelfkens on drums, The Arrows are back with another set of 20 red Fender delights. Their first CD Here We Are was well received in Pipeline 36 and Step Out maintains the standard. The big problem for all such Shadowy bands is finding the right material. Fortunately for The Arrows they have instro whiz Piet Muys guiding them away from the troughs of over-familiar covers towards a path of less obvious but classy melodies, with the odd rarity scattered around to improve the view. Only two of these tracks have been recorded by The Shadows: Zambesi on Dance With The Shadows and Exodus from The Shadows Live In Japan. Moonlight Shadow is not the Mike Oldfield piece but a Hans van Eijk composition based on a Midnight structure. Similarly Round And Round is another van Eijk creation, this time using Quartermaster's Stores for inspiration. Lenny Clerwall is well known for his skilful Shadows pastiches and The Flight To Paradise is one of the many classy ones created for 1961's debut album. Midnight Lover is another strongly rhythmic number with the same pedigree. It's van Eijk who is the biggest influence here, however, because his aptly titled Twangy Strat and Custom Made are further evidence of his sixties instrumental roots. Hans was lead guitarist with top Dutch group The Jumping Jewels who recorded Zambesi before The Shadows. The classic Wild Geese was another in their repertoire which is also raided here for Istanbul and Afrika. The Haggard is better known as Joe Meek's Rodeo (recorded by The Outlaws) and the final track, The Old Spinning Wheel, was popularised as an instrumental by The Spotnicks. This one is rocked up by The Arrows with great success. The sole original is Sleepless, a flowing mid-paced beater from the pen of Cor Vielvoye, the rest of te set being drawn from a wide variety of sources. Outa In Die Langpad comes from '60s South Africa, The Subject Is S.L. is from the more recent Hungarian CD Dance Floor by The Hundows, whilst Pipeline Convention Theme is the first cover of The Silhouets' theme for our 5th convention. El Mundo is a '60s Spanish ballad, Step Out is of similar vintage but from South Africa and Reilly's Theme is out of Shostakovich via the tv series Reilly: Ace Of Spies. This may be seen as yet another Shads style CD, but the choice of material raises it above most of its rivals. As before, the no-overdubs 20-tracks-in-2-days approach to recording gives the set a vibrancy that can be lost in the search for perfection. The pace and sequencing of the album together with the quality of the tunes makes for a satisfying listen. I recommend it it to all fans of '60s UK and European guitar instrumentals. (Alan Taylor) (Thanks to Piet Muys)

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CD 192592 THE ASTRONAUTS

Tracks: Brozem Rock (instr.) / Hot Dog / Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star / Strings (instr.) / Under The Boardwalk / Fighting Side Of Me / Pacific (instr.) / His Latest Flame / Blue Jungle / The Storm (instr.) / Laura / China Rock (instr.) / Mama Tried / Burning Love / Guitar Samba (instr.) / Big City / Such A Night / Buckaroo (instr.) / Desperately / When It Rains It Pours / Ragtime Baby (instr.)

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