Surf Instro Review: Swingin' Creepers! : A Tribute To The Ventures-Various Artists

At long last, the iconic Ventures receive the tribute they genuinely deserve. MuSick Recordings has masterfully crafted one of the most influential and impeccably produced tributes of the year, a testament to the Ventures' enduring legacy with Swingin' Creepers! : A Tribute To The Ventures.

The Ventures' legacy goes back 40 years now. The young and the restless pay homage to the Godfathers of the instrumental surf genre. The only artist who comes close to the Ventures' age group is Davie Allan; even Davie might have learned a few things from the magicians of the Northwest.

The Space Cossacks kick it off appropriately with "Journey To The Stars."  It's a rousing, reverb-filled jaunt that takes you to the farthest reaches of the instro universe. The Cossack's guitar man, Ivan Pongracic, is one of the best players in the world, and he proves it on that number. (Ever listen to Interstellar Stomp?).

After that tremendous intro, it never lets up. Every track is a sonic adventure with plenty of reverb-drenched guitar that would please any surf instro lover. Just look at all the great groups that contributed tracks! All the best today, giving their utmost best to the legends of instrumental music. 23 tracks of pure intro dynamite.

You will recognize the names-Jon and The Nightriders, Satan’s Pilgrims, The Hypnomen, The Boss Martians, The Bomboras, and the list goes on and on. Everyone involved does an outstanding job. 

I know the Ventures are thrilled and honored by this release. The contributing artists must be honored to participate in such a stellar project. Can you imagine the thrill of being in a surf or instrumental group and getting a call to contribute to a CD of this magnitude? What a highlight of a career.

Quality is the primary focus here. MuSick Recordings epitomizes quality projects, and this one is their crowning glory. Want to listen to the new breed and hear their interpretations of the classic instrumental sound? This is the one CD you cannot do without this Summer. 

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

April 1999

Tracks:

01. Journey To The Stars-The Space Cossacks   

02. Walk Don't Run-The Fathoms

03. Stop Action-Eddie Angel & The Omega Men 

04. Hot Line-The Quiets   

05. Ravin' Blue-The Volcanoes

06. Lonley Girl-The Exotics  

07. Mariner 4-The Penetrators  

08. Go-Go Slow-The Hypnomen  

09. Fuzzy & Wild-The Cave 4

10. Guitar Freakout-The Boss Martians 

11.Diamond Head-Jon & The Nightriders  

12. War Of The Satellites-The Sir Finks

13. The Ninth Wave-The Bomboras  

14. The Twomp-Fortune & Maltese and the Phabulous Pallbearers

15. Lullaby Of The Leaves-Davie Allen & The Arrows   

16. Yellow Jacket-The Saturn V    

17. Swingin' Creeper-The Tiki Tones

18. A Go-Go Dancer-The Looney Tunes   

19. Bird Rockers-The Mystery Action   

20. Eleventh Hour-The Vice Royals

21. Escape/Psychedelic Venture-Satan's Pilgrims   

22. Sha LA LA-The Huntington Cads

23. Moon Child-Ivan Pongracic featuring Ed Abolins and Eric Ebeling