CRITICAL REVIEWS

Phil Dirt - Reverb Central

PO Box 7240, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-7240 USA
http://www.spies.com/~reverb/
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Longboard Ranch Surfin' Out West
Label: Surf City Records

Surf Instrumental Stereo

"SURFIN' OUT WEST AWARDED FOUR STARS BY THIS REVIEWER."

This is the first release from Longboard Ranch. It must have been a long time in the making because
Its 22 tracks are very good. If you're a fan of the trad surf style, this CD is worth seeking out.
Lloyd Davis, ex-Surf Raiders guitar player, has quite a fine band here.

Picks: Undercrushed, Sinbad The Surfer, Scuba, Crystal Cove, Ranch Retreat, Expedition To Saturn,
Behind The Wall, Re-Entry, Wave Walkin', Reef Shadows, County Line, Badland's Rider, Toucan,
Rumble At Trestles, Boneyard Brawl, Black Bikini, Surf Cruiser, Treasure Cove,
Nuevo Durango, One Leg, Todos Los Santos

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"Undercrushed"
Crisp traditional sound underpins "Undercrushed," which sports
a very simple and very effective melody riff.

It's quite infectious, with great rhythm and a tuff surf beat.
A little menacing, but mostly powerfully optimistic.
The glissandos are just too cool.

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"Sinbad The Surfer"
Middle Eastern scenes unusually implemented, with a mysterious melody line
and a sense that something is about to happen.
It's a great adventure at the Oasis, with rich whammy chords and fine drums.

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"Scuba"
Tuff and rhythmic, with exotic haunted organ and damped surf guitar.
It has quite an allure about it. "Scuba" sounds more like horror surf than aqua-lung adventure.
Maybe I'm just expecting that Surf Piranhas' "Skin Diver" sound from the title.

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"Crystal Cove"
This is a pretty nice track, with a catchy riff and dribbling double picked guitar.
Fine reverb sound and a sense of adventure, with whammy chords and island mystery.

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"Ranch Retreat"
Playfully meandering the neck, open notes play call and response with damped reverb picking,
and the break is dark and powerful. The structure and melody ideas are unique and very cool.

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"Expedition To Saturn"
With a sight nod to "Out Of Limits," the intro/bridge riff divides somewhat moody melody lines
from one another.  A little guarded emotionally, yet pretty cool.

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"Behind The Wall"
A little James Bondish in the intro, spyish throughout, "Behind The Wall" is a nicely done surf track.
The use of double picked couplets is kinda cool.

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"Re-Entry"
"Re-Entry" is sparkling and playful, with nods to the Surf Raiders sense of play. It captures the sun
dancing on the water an hour or so before sunset. Bright and invigorating.

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"Wave Walkin'"
The Surf Raiders' magnificent "Wave Walk'n" comes back to life with Lloyd Davis' guitar.
This is a fine recording of this second wave instro. It's full of sparkle and bounce
as it should be. Excellent!

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"Dave's Wave"
Reverb riff rockin' fun here. Grumbly surf crunch in the mold of retro rock-a-billy reinvention.
It's the sort of song the Cadillac Angels might do.

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"Reef Shadows"
This is a soft and suave instro projecting the soft light of dusk on a rippling lagoon as viewed
from the sands of a black sand beach. Quite pretty.

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"County Line"
"County Line" rises very slowly from the surf, with an infectious semi-guarded melody line.
It captures the spirit of the early morning search for surf. Excellent!

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"Badland's Rider"
A bit of the cactus ramrod rides the waves on a black saddle.
Twang and surf, reverb and leather. Nice track.

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"Toucan"
"Toucan" is a moderately paced surf instro with a very cool bridge and a Spanish exotic feel.
Bright feathers and reverb.

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"Rumble At Trestles"
Optimism and subtle danger cohabit "Rumble At Trestles" like brother and sister. A little menace,
a touch of fight-or-flight, rumbling drums, and survival of the fittest. Yup, it's kinda like that.

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"Boneyard Brawl"
Grumbly circular rumbling, double picked adventure, smooth delivery, and drama.
"Boneyard Brawl" is a fine example of why surf is so cool - a simple melody line
pristinely reverbed and very rhythmic.

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"Black Bikini"
Worship the curves, clung to by the "Black Bikini." Where there's surf, there are bikinis.
It's not just a good idea, it's the law! A fine instro, with a dribbling
double picked homage to the fairer sex.

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"Surf Cruiser"
"Surf Cruiser" uses damped reverb rhythm very well, and sports an excellent melody riff,
particularly when damped.  Excellent guitar and drums glissandos. Fine stuff!

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"Treasure Cove"
A delicate and fluid melody from Reverb Island takes you on a warm afternoon journey along
the Kona Coast. Totally cool.

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"Nuevo Durango"
Wow, "Nuevo Durango" has a really suave melody line. The restrained and delicate delivery
is too cool.  Surf and liquid sun along a lonely stretch of beach. Excellent!

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"One Leg"
Damped reverb plucks out an unusual song with a slightly demented feel under its
sinewy Fender tone. Quite a fine track.

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"Todos Los Santos"
"Todos Los Santos" is a very intriguing track. Bass and drum thunder gently grumble under
a really cool melody line played with surf-perfect tone. Glissandos and whammy,
and tribal thunder.