Moon Dawg
The new comp of old
Apemen singles, "7 Inches of Love", is great high-octane
punksurf. Anybody who hasn't heard their cover of the '60s oz-surf-monster
tune "Bajjad" (previously available only on vinyl)
should get it for that alone.
Jim 9th WAVE www.9thwavesurf.com
Has anyone procured the recently unleashed Apemen disc "7
Inches of Love" and pray tell, what is the verdict? I did.
Buy It. I just received it yesterday and have been listening
to it virtually nonstop since. The liner notes say it best: "no
more need to search for those damn hard to find seven inch wonders
of the world." After I bought "Surfvival of the Onbeschofste"
a few years ago, I
desperately wanted more..and now I have it. So, if you like the
Apemen (even if you already own these 7"s and their CDs),
buy this disc, 'cause there's some unreleased stuff on here,
too, including 2 songs recorded with Phil Dirt at KFJC.
Jim 9th WAVE #2
Thought I would echo a few sentiments recently posted about two
of the latest & greatest surf
albums to hit the streets in recent weeks, The Apemen' s "7
Inches of Love," and the Space
Cossacks' much-anticipated sophmore effort, "Tsar Wars."
Since I received the Apemen two days before the Cossacks, I'll
mention them first. Until now, I was among the many Apemen aficionados
that owned but a small portion of their catalog. My initial introduction
to the band was with "Pogo A Go-Go" on the Estrus Cocktail
Companion cd, after which I felt I must have more. Fortunately,
I was able to get "Surfvival of..." & revelled
in its distorted, double-picking glory. So, when Sean announced
to the world that he was releasing a collection of Apemen material
comprising the bulk of their 7" career, I was stoked to
say the least. The disc is really good, including manic versions
of "Intoxica" & "Squad Car" as well as
many hits from "Surfvival..." (although different versions).
For those of you, like me, that don't own any of their 7"s,
this disc is perfect- for those of you that do have their vinyl,
its still great for the unreleased stuff. I highly recommend
it.
StratoCossack
I must second Dr. Dawg
on this one. I've been really enjoying the CD, and it's a Godsend
for all of the people that have been having a hard time finding
any of the Apemen CDs. 16 tracks, 3 previously unavailable (an
OK version of Squad Car, and two live tracks, Miserlou and Surf
Party, from KFJC), 5 previously unavailable on CD (though of
the five, three appear in
different recordings on their two CDs). All in all, you get four
songs from the "Are You Being Surfed" CD, and six tracks
from the "Surfvival of de..." CD, which is a really
nice overview. But be forewarned that once you hear these tracks
you may decide that you've gotta have the other two CDs! And
for anybody that isn't familiar with these surfin' simians, let's
just say that this is about as raucous as surf music gets. Hardcore
drumming, a roughly distorted guitars in full double-picking
mode 90% of the time, and eerie, dissonant songs. Not for the
purely trad of heart, but nonetheless high-energy, fun music.
For the fans, this is a must-have you get nine tracks that are
not on their two CDs. It's a winner all the way around!
Sent in by mail
I received my copy via my DoubleCrown subscription and have been
remiss in not writing about it sooner. It has been in and out
of my CD player at work, rotating through with Tsar Wars, The
Surf Kings (up from the depths), a Cocktail Preachers CDR, and
the new Sir Finks (...Boss!!!). All of them great, great albums.
But I can say one thing about 7 inches that sets it
apart. The day it came I ran into a non-Cowabunga surf/instro
friend in a bar and shouted across the room: "Hey Tim, do
you have 7 inches of love, yet? No? Well, I've got 7 inches of
love I want to lend you!" I mean really? What other album
lets you do that?
KFJC's Phil Dirt
THE APEMEN "24
Hours From Tulsa" ****
The revitalized Apemen are less reverbed and more go-go oriented
on this track. Their thick guitar driven sound and intense organ
churn give this a whole new meaning. Still melodic and fluid,
it leaves the syrupy elevators of Bacharachia to blast in the
garages of suburbia. very cool. Miserable Without It!
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