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MASKED AND LIVE

Patrick Earley | Edmond, Oklahoma USA | 08/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Excellent live cd by the best surf instrumentalists playing today. This album really cooks from beginning to end. The band is blessed with two great guitar players in Danny Amis, from the legendary New York band the Raybeats. And the very impressive Eddie Angel, who does double duty with the excellent roots rock band the Planet Rockers. Two musicians with many years playing experience, and it shows on this live set. The entire band is so entertaining to see live. Drummer Jimmy Lester is hilarious with his Spanish banter he does between each song. Also the stage antics of bass player Pete Curry, a very talented musician, songwriter himself, who used to lead the excellent Calif. surf band the Halibuts. For already converted Straitjacket fans, there are several songs here that have never appeared on any of their previous albums. Two Link Wray songs: "BRANDED", and a fantastic version of "RAWHIDE" which ends the album. "SQUAD CAR", a hot rod tune that Eddie and the Showmen did in the early 60's. "DRIVING GUITARS" which is an old Ventures tune. "LAST DATE" an instrumental by country legend Floyd Cramer. Great version! And what live surf set would be complete without the instrumental standard by Farina and Farina called "SLEEPWALK". My favorites though, are the songs they do from their first album "The Utterly Fantastic And Totally Unbelievable Sound of Los Straitjackets". This album is a surf classic that was produced by the one and only Ben Vaughn. Every surf fan should have this one. Songs included off this are "TAILSPIN", a killer version of "ITCHY CHICKEN", and my alltime favorite Jacket tune "LYNXTAIL", a cool tune that is a combination of Duane Eddy and Link Wray, with a few neat blues licks thrown in for good measure by Eddie Angel. Another favorite here is "MY HEART WILL GO ON" (LOVE THEME FROM THE TITANIC). Yeah, that's right, the Titanic theme. The way it's done here though, they make it sound like it should have been a surf song all along. It's stuff like this that really seperate this band from all the surf band pretenders out there. Live surf albums don't come along very often. And as it goes, this is the best one I've ever heard. This is a must-have for any fan of tasty surf music, and it comes highly recommended. Catch the wave and hang ten with the masked ones. You'll be glad you did."

Inspiring!

Mike Sambuco | North Pole, Alaska | 11/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm sold. After having this album a week, I still can't believe what a great band these guys are! This is my first Los Straitjackets purchase. (I'm a "Pulp Fiction" surf convert. Up to this point, I've been listening to Rock Instrumental Classics Vol. 5 (Surf,) Best of the Ventures, Best of Dick Dale, Beyond the Beach compilation, Teisco Del Rey, Laika and the Cosmonauts, Best of Challengers, Astronauts. Listed roughly in order of preference.) These guys really get with it! Their transfer of energy, humour, and talent have made this an incredibly enjoyable album. They sound like they really enjoy themselves while playing, and listening to their guitar work is inspiring. Some of their blazing guitar work sounds Chuck Berry-esque. Blew me away...now I understand why people are recommending these guys as THE BEST contemporary Surf band. This sets a new standard for my surf band tastes. They proved with their covers of the classics, such as "Sleepwalk" and "Driving Guitars," that they can hold their own when compared against any of the classic '60's surf bands I've heard and enjoyed so far, but I thought they really shined doing their own high-energy material. (I started to list their tracks I liked, but found that there were no tracks I didn't like....) I will say, however, that you haven't lived until you experience "Itchy Chicken!"
I believe we'll be hearing bands in the future doing covers of Los Straitjackets songs, which will have become "classics." With that said, the other bands better have it together, because these songs won't be easy to do with equal quality. Every guitar player won't be able to duplicate Eddie Angel and Danny Amis' smoking licks. (But Dick Dale, perhaps there's some new material here for you...)
I will be buying the rest of the Los Straitjackets albums now, no question. I'm only wondering: How did I survive this long without them....?!!!"

Fast fingers and lots of fun

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 07/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been exercising to this and it's a blast...if "Itchy Chicken" doesn't make you pedal faster, nothing will ! These instrumentals, with few exceptions, are fast paced, fun, and make a terrific CD for workouts, or any activity that could use some extra energy from this exuberant surf music.The intros, in a rapid-fire Spanish, are hilarious, and the musicianship is superb...the sound of this live performance is also amazing...kudos to Mark Linett, who recorded, mixed, and mastered it.Favorites include (as the intro says..."ahorrrita...una canción misteriosa") "Casbah", a wonderful version of Louis Prima's "Sing Sing Sing", and best of all, "Tailspin". It's worth the price of admission for this track alone...the virtuoso guitar work in it is spectacular.This CD is extremely entertaining...so let these cool masked ones give you some of their own special brand of good time music !"