Review - Various Artists: American Graffiti Revisited

VARIOUS ARTISTS
American Graffiti Revisited (Mom Music)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

The premise is simple, really. You take a famous soundtrack that has an influence factor of +1000, disregard the fact that all the music was 50s doo-wop or rock and get a bunch of modern-day punk, surf and "misc" artists together to recreate that soundtrack in their own special ways. The soundtrack in question is American Graffiti, and all 41 songs are covered here in the original running order and in varying degrees of quality. Some would say that the out of key "harmony vocals" on "She's So Fine," by Bully, give it the DIY points needed to make it truly cool. There are a handful of similar situations here, and to be honest, they effect me like fingernails on a blackboard.
On the other hand, it's the DIY elements of many of these songs that immediately endeared them to me. (To be fair, out of key vocals, especially when "harmony" is attempted, drives me to drink no matter who I'm listening to.) The Buzzards' kinky take on "The Stroll" has to be heard to be believed, as they employ everything from bubbling drain pipes to chirping birds as instruments, and Richie Venus' quintessential garage band version of "Sixteen Candles" is so achingly bad it's good. (When I say garage band here I mean the bass amp is sitting on the trunk of the Dodge, and the singer is croaking through its second input.) All of this is in sharp contrast to the professionalism of bands like Big Fat Combo and Susan & The Surftones, survivors of the mostly ebbed 3rd wave of surf, who stand head and shoulders above most of the others on the musicianship level. There's some real creativity going on here, as well. Noseriders & Greg give us a dreamy, slow and salty reading of Johnny B. Goode, with a swampy vocal that raises goose bumps and a spooky whammy-bar hook you're gonna fall in love with on first listen. This one's my pick for most awe-inspiring tune of the set.
To top it all off, there's royalty present. Paul Johnson, a true pioneer, legend... nay, god of the first wave of instrumental surf lends his exquisite and instantly identifiable guitar tone to "A Thousand Miles Away," another highlight on a set that, by the time this song arrives, is becoming an addiction. The volume knob seems to turn on its own. The DIY moments are sounding better and better, making more and more sense in the grand scheme. In the end it doesn't much matter if a band is perfect or slop central. The point is to have fun, and everybody seems to have had a ball. Me too, except... you know... those horrific harmonies from hell. The rest of the time, I was often amused and occasionally delighted by this 2 disc set that turned out to be a pretty cool idea on someone's part.
Track List - Disc One:
01) (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock - Moto Litas (USA)
02) Sixteen Candles - Richie Venus (New Zealand)
03) Runaway - Recorded by Susan & the surftones (USA)
04) Why Do Fools Fall In Love - Voodoo Court (USA)
05) That'll be the Day - Rogers Sisters (USA)
06) Fanny Mae - B.C. & 5 Speeds (Canada)
07) At The Hop - Capacitors (Canada)
08) She's So Fine - Bully (USA)
09) The Stroll - Buzzards (USA)
10) See You In September - Kahuna Kawentzmann (Germany)
11) Surfin' Safari - Waistcoats (Netherlands)
12) He's The Great Imposter - Cosmonauti (Italy)
13) Almost Grown - Creatures of the Golden Dawn (USA)
14) Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - Surfones (Spain)
15) Little Darlin' - Daikaiju (USA)
16) Peppermint Twist - Sit 'n Spin (USA)
17) Barbara Ann - Aqualads (USA)
18) Book Of Love - Fabulous Planktones (USA)
19) Maybe Baby - Bikini Men (France)
20) Ya Ya - Strangemen (USA)
21) The Great Pretender - Big Fat Combo (USA)

Disc Two:

01) Ain't That A Shame - Dipsomaniacs (USA)
02) Johnny B. Goode - Noseriders & Greg (Italy)
03) I Only Have Eyes For You - Big Ray & The Futuras (USA)
04) Get A Job - Wrong Corpses (New Zealand)
05) To The Aisle - Bluejays (USA)
06) Do You Wanna Dance - Petty Booka (Japan)
07) Party Doll - X-impossibles (USA)
08) Come Go With Me - Recorded and produced by Bradipos Four (Italy)
09) You're Sixteen-You're Beautiful - Recorded and produced by Squid Vicious (USA)
10) Love Potion NO. 9 - HiFi Ramblers (Canada)
11) Since I Don't Have You - Deoras (USA)
12) Chantilly Lace - Atlantics (Australia)
13) Teen Angel - Jem Crossland & Hypertonics (USA)
14) Crying In The Chapel - Mel Previte & the Gangsters of Love (Italy)
15) A Thousand Miles Awy - Paul Johnson (USA)
16) Heart And Soul - Mookie Brill (USA)
17) Green Onions - Fifty Foot Combo (Belgium)
18) Only You (And You Alone) - Urban Surf Kings (USA)
19) Goodnight, Well It's Time To Go - CandyEyeSlugger (Japan)
20) All Summer Long - Drifting sand (USA)

© 2002 - DJ Johnson