Just because it's "rare" doesn't mean you want it
downtown | Brighton, MA USA | 01/20/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The original vinyl pressing of this album is supposedly one of the rarest surf albums of all time. If you happen to come across it at a garage sale, buy it! It's worth hundreds of dollars as a collectible.Now they've taken the original master tapes out of the vault and released this album on CD. Skip it. While the musicians seem to know what they're doing from a technical point of view - the actual playing is almost flawless - this album just doesn't have any character. It's dull and boring. Just turning the reverb up on the guitar doesn't make it surf. Good surf guitar makes you feel like grabbing a board and running out into the water, even if you've never surfed in your life and you live in Iowa. This album doesn't do that.The best thing this reviewer can say about "Real Cool Hits" is that the quality of the recording is excellent for 60s surf. Too bad there's no reason to listen to it."
Awsome Avengers!!!
A. Deyoung | 03/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is a surf music classic! A friend recommended this rare album years ago and I recently found out that it was re-released in 2001. The original vinyl is a collectable and is worth a couple of hundred dollars but the real value is the music. The album consists of cover and original songs with great organ/piano riffs and surf guitars. If you're a surf music buff then this album is for you!"
Hangs 10 dudes
John G. Tubbs | 04/06/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is by far the most enjoyable surf album to listen to for me - just the Avengers VI version of Downtown is worth it's weight in gold - it's well recorded and the band definelty had all the insrumental guitar method's down - If you like the Surf Guitar type instrumentals you'll love this CD - it's short only one album - most surf band CD's have two album's on them - but like I said it's good - When JFK was killed Surf Music began it's decline to about 1966 when this album came out that's for sure - when the Beatles came over they wiped out surf and instrumental bands from England too like the Toronado's who came over a whole year before the Beatles in 1962 etc... It's not the Beach Boy's Pet Sounds (1966) which I would put at the top of any surf list but this is a fun album to play it has energy - there are a lot of covers on here like Pipeline, Peter Gunn and Slaughter on 10th Ave. - but this is common for this era of surf and instrumental guitar bands who were copying The Ventures method of redoing other bands hits and putting their stamp on it and having a hit with it again - a lot of bands did that too because they played the songs live at parties - schools - clubs etc..and had their own style or versions of classic surf hits - this one was no different etc.. If you have all the Surf Guitar Legend's CD's you will reconise the first song Heartbeat found on the second track of Surf Guitar Legend's IV Shockwave! along with two others from this album Time Bomb and The Avenger's Stomp - If you have that CD you will know how good this band really is - I would say the other 8 songs are better or just as good as those - like I said Just Downtown is real cool as a surf guitar instrumental"
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1