Intoxica! Strange and Sleazy Instrumental Sounds from the Socal Suburbs

by N/A

Overview

Downey Records was a small label run out of the back room of Wenzel's Music Town, a fabled record shop in the sleepy Los Angeles suburb of Downey, CA. While the folks who ran Downey recorded a little bit of everything, the label's heyday came during the glory days of instrumental rock, and this compilation features 26 wordless wonders from their vaults. While "instrumental rock of the early '60s" equals "surf music" to most folks, Brian Nevill's liner notes take great pains to point out that most instrumental bands were inspired by R&B rather than the crashing waves, and some of the stuff here goes in other directions altogether. Give your attention to the Latin jump of "Se Acabo" by the Del Rio Brothers, the slick cover of "Third Man Theme" from Las Vegas lounge outfit Ginny & the Gallions (they also tackle "Hava Nagila" and interpolate the theme from Exodus!), the faux-exotica of "Sound of Mecca" by the Blazers, and the Joe Meek-influenced electronic manipulations of "Space Battle" by Stories in Sound. The best-known cut here is "Comanche" by the Revels, which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Pulp Fiction, and its twanging guitars, honking sax, and vivid atmosphere are in the same league as the other tracks, most of which sound like odd little movies for the mind that you can dance to if you please. Most of these songs are genuine obscurities and six have never been released before, so folks who dig vintage instrumental sounds can add some new wrinkles to their collections with Intoxica!, and pretty much everything included is solid and satisfying. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	04/25/2006
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667019620
Rank:	79079

Tracks

1. Intoxica  - Robert J. Hafner  -  Revels
2. Night Scene  - Greg Crowner  - John Kirkland  - Wayne Matteson  -  Rumblers
3. Se Acab¿¿  -  Del Rio Brothers
4. Eight Ball  -  Hustlers
5. Night Rider  - Ed Burkey
6. Bandido  -  Pastel Six  - Bob Toten
7. Here Comes the Bug  -  Rumblers
8. Sound of Mecca  - Vern Acree  -  Blazers
9. Hava Nagila  -  Ginny & the Gallions  -  Traditional
10. Migraine  -  Hustlers
11. Night Scene  - Chuck Higgins
12. A Week from Tuesday  -  Pastel Six
13. Inertia  -  Hustlers
14. Comanche  - Robert J. Hafner  -  Revels
15. Theme of Etiquette  -  Hindus
16. Blockade (aka That's It)  -  Rumblers
17. Dreams of Downey  - Ed Burkey
18. Ghost of Mary Meade, Pt. 2  - David Block  -  Little Caesar & the Ark Angels  - Jack Stern
19. Third Man Theme  -  Ginny & the Gallions  - Anton Karas
20. Water Wheel  - Chuck Higgins  - Paul Houston
21. Hot Licks  -  Rendells
22. Frenzy  -  Hindus
23. Rosemary's Baby (aka Apache Ghost)  - Ed Burkey
24. Maid 'n Japan  - John Kirkland  - George Lloyd  - Wayne Matteson  -  Nylons
25. Russian Roulette  -  Nevegans
26. Space Battle  -  Stories in Sound

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Nylons   Primary Artist
The Blazers   Primary Artist
The Hustlers   Primary Artist
Chuck Higgins   Primary Artist
Nevegans   Primary Artist
The Rumblers   Primary Artist
The Revels   Primary Artist
Pastel Six   Primary Artist
The Rendells   Primary Artist
The Hindus   Primary Artist
The Del Rio Brothers   Primary Artist
Ed Burkey   Primary Artist
Stories in Sound   Primary Artist
Little Caesar & the Ark Angels   Primary Artist
Ginny & the Gallions   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

David Block   Composer
Vern Acree   Composer
Anton Karas   Composer
Paul Houston   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Wayne Matteson   Composer
Robert J. Hafner   Composer
Greg Crowner   Composer
George Lloyd   Composer
Bob Toten   Composer
John Kirkland   Composer
Jack Stern   Composer