When this album came out back in 1966, I was six months old and I don't remember it making much of an impression on me. I must admit, I wasn't very open minded back then and I was a bit fixated on things like patty cake, keeping my pacifier in my mouth and playing with my father's car keys. But through the years, this album has grown on me and I am quite fond of it now.
The Challengers never broke out nationally, like The Ventures, but they were superstars in southern California. Their first album, Surfbeat, is still one of the best selling surf instrumental albums of all-time and they even hosted their own local television show.
"California Kicks" has some great instrumental rock n roll tunes including, "Balboa", "One Track Mind" and "North Shore" and includes some cool cover versions of "Louie, Louie", The Raiders' "Kicks" and "Shakin All Over".
The album also has one of the grooviest album covers of the mid-sixties. Every time I look at the smiling young people in their pre-hippie mod clothes standing in front of the painted sunset under the banner, "California Kicks", I am ready to hop the first plane to So-Cal and hang out in a malt shop near the beach. The only problem:
the young people are probably Grandparents now, the Challengers' television show was cancelled a long long time ago and nobody hangs out in malt shops anymore.
Take a listen below.
Shangri-La, Ohio
No comments:
Post a Comment