Search - The Supertones :: Surf Fever 2000

For my money, of all the modern bands it?s The Supertones who best represent the spirit of The Ventures. They have that knack of treating cover versions in just the right way, retaining the essential ingredients and adding their own touches to develop an original performance. Just over half of these tracks are covers and they are distributed in twos and threes throughout the album. Lonely Bull is great, as ever. Stranger in Paradise sparkles with energy, A Taste Of Honey is taken fairly straight but Perfidia, in The Ventures version here, has a kind of stripped down feel whilst being delivered with all four instruments sounding rich and upfront in the mix. Morgan is another from The Ventures? early songbook and again it?s great to hear it taken so seriously, the added piano bringing a welcome diversion. Scrambler is the first of two Sandals covers, Endless Summer is the other, and they are both exquisite in their own way. Whilst Scrambler races off moodily into the distance, Endless Summer is the ultimate in evocative teen beach romance. Parked between them are two Lee Hazelwood numbers written for The Astronauts? Surfin? album. The Supertones take Movin?s pace down a notch which allows them to add a good deal more feel, a major success guys! It?s all guitars blazing for Baja, variety coming with the addition of a few keyboard fills. So how do the originals match up? Very well actually. Surf Fever 2000 itself has the feel of a speeded up Besame Mucho, an impression no doubt enhanced by the tasty 6-string bass lead. There?s a hint of Kon-Tiki about the melody of Playa Del Rey, its rich summer sound contrasted by the slightly distorted bite of Moonshot Part 1. A bright ringing lead decorates the mid-tempo Side Slippin? until a reverbed guitar cascade introduces the surfer Sweet Ride with its Gary Usher styled piano-tapping support. Media Noche is an upbeat surf ballad and another winner. Moonshot Part 2 is altogether much better, this time the theme taken by a richly echoed guitar accompanied by organ. Surf Fever 2000 is another winner from The Supertones -- Alan Taylor, Pipeline #44, Surrey, UK