Impala - Play R&B Favorites - Estrus Records EP - ES793.

So, who was to know that Mad Mummies March would be followed by Apathetic April? Not me. Anyhow, many things conspired to keep me away from this blog, (none of them worth mentioning), but I'm now back in the saddle and raring to go.
Impala are one of the very few bands I never saw live who I dearly would have loved to. Right from back in the day when they shared a split cassette release with The Oblivians (Come on, somebody out there must have made a digital copy of that. I know The Oblivians side had a limited release on Goner, but radio silence on the Impala front) they've been quality. If you've not heard them before they play great, non-surf instrumentals. The type of swinging beat favoured by 'groovy' teens in early, garishly-coloured US sitcoms. Actually, that makes them sound more cliched than they actually are. They're a great listen. Enjoy.

Impala - Play R&B Favorites - Estrus Records EP - ES793.

estrus impala instrumental memphis oblivians

The Silencers - Cyclerific Sounds - Total Energy Records LP NER 3002

Here’s a fuzz-heavy instrumental beast which sounds like the grinding of teeth fed through a fuzz box and speeded up. It’s so buzzy it verges on parody. It’s Napalm Death to Davie Allan’s Black Sabbath. The same kind of thing but twisted, stretched and morphed into something substantially different.

It’s produced by fellow Detroiter Mick Collins, who cranks up the treble and kicks in the bass bins. It’s precisely That Kind Of Thing. No surprises, no shocks, just good solid instrumental mush. Enjoy.

The Silencers - Cyclerific Sounds - Total Energy Records LP NER 3002.

Detroit fuzz instrumental mick collins silencers

The Phantom Surfers - Istanbul. Lookout Records 7". Lookout 156.

I don't know who made the decision to sign The Phantom Surfers (and, indeed, The Go-Nuts) to Lookout, but it was a fairly strange one. I suppose there was all that filthy sell-out lucre they'd earned on the backs of Green Day or The Offspring to get through. I can't imagine they sold that many records despite seeming to spend quite a bit on the releases (their first Lookout LP had a Jack Davis cover!). Anyhow, Larry Livermore's losses are our gain. Here's the cover of a track by The Renegades (Istanbul) and a Phantom Surfers original (Tokyo Twist). Enjoy.

The Phantom Surfers - Istanbul. Lookout Records 7". Lookout 156.

instrumental lookout records phantom surfers surf

The Royal Pendletons - Goner Records 7" EP. 4-GONE

This early Goner release features New Orleans' finest frat act, The Royal Pendletons. The four tracks on this seven could easily have been lost in the vaults since the 60s. Smokin' is a rocking instrumental that nearly runs away from the bass player (keep your ears, er, peeled towards the end), Sheep Suit is an excellent companion piece to Sam the Sham and The Pharoahs' Lil' Red Riding Hood, Losing Hand is a stomping frat rocker and instrumental Royal Blood Part II would grace the back catalogue of any 60s instro band. The pressing isn't great, so there are a number of crackles (it used to jump, but I managed to eke one straight play out of it). Play it loud. Enjoy.

The Royal Pendletons - Goner Records 7" EP. 4-GONE.

frat rock garage goner instrumental king louie new orleans

Man... Or Astro-man? - In Orbit EP. Shake It Records 709.

Mo mo mo Man... Or Astro-Man? I've had this one in draft form for months so it felt right that I release it ahead of a bunch of other stuff. According to the Astro-Man? Ad Nauseum blog there were 900 copies of this Cincinatti-sourced release. It's also one of the very few MOA? releases which plays at 45rpm. Tracks are Complex 34, Space Helmet, Alpha Surfari and Manta Ray. The latter two are covers; the first of a Surfaris track, the second a faithful rendition of a Pixies original.

Enjoy.

Man... Or Astro-man? - In Orbit EP. Shake It Records 709.

instrumental man or astroman? shake it surf

Los Marauders - You Make Me Cum In My Pants - Teenbeat 7" No. 82.

Wild, wild rock'n'roll from Los Marauders. With a tempo and rhythm that makes it sound like they're running away from a posse of jealous husbands as they play, this shit is frantic! Best known for the sleazy title track, which features the saxophone stylings of the unknown beatnik, there's also a Twist (vocal) track and the almost out-of-control Wicked Beat. For more of this crazy, crazy band pop over to speak to Mr. Noon at the Nothing But Trash blog where he's posted the band's Teen Beat Long Player and has threatened to up their Estrus release. Do it, Mr. Noon, do it!

Los Marauders - You Make Me Cum In My Pants - Teenbeat 7" No. 82.

instrumental los marauders rock and roll teenbeat

Don Caballero - AndAndAnd... Third Gear Records 7". Third Gear 3G-04.

Some call it Post-Rock. Whatever that is or was, this is, fundamentally, full-on instrumental rock and roll. And that chimes with my hatred of smarty-pant lyrics and posey-arsed singers. Give me silence or give me stupid, Mr or Ms. Show-off vocalist. Then fuck off. Enjoy.

Don Caballero - AndAndAnd... Third Gear Records 7". Third Gear 3G-04.

don caballero instrumental post-rock

Impala - Power Of Bob Records EP. POB 01.

File under I Wish I'd Seen 'Em. Impala were/are a Memphis, Tennessee, instrumental band. This 7" on Power of Bob was, based on the label number, their first release. Received wisdom is that their first release was a split-cassette with The Oblivians, but that has a later label number. As far as I am aware, The Oblivians set was later issued by Goner as a limited edition LP. If, and I know this is a long shot, anybody has and would care to share the cassette... Kisses all round. Anyhow, here are Impala. They're not a surf band. Enjoy.

Impala - Power Of Bob Records EP. POB 01.

goner impala instrumental memphis oblivians

The James Taylor Quartet - Blow Up. Re-Elect The President Records 7". FORD1.

Some super-wiggly organ pseudo jazz for you all. One of my favourite memories of my time in Brighton was seeing this lot at The Concorde Bar on the beach. A total invasion by 80s mods and skins that could have gone either way ended up with people recreating one of those typically bonkers swinging party scenes from a 60s movie. This was by far their best release. Enjoy.

The James Taylor Quartet - Blow Up. Re-Elect The President Records 7". FORD1.

instrumental james taylor quartet mod

The Mono Men - Shut The Fuck Up. Estrus Records 10". ES101.

Those who bought the CD version of this 10" found a bra crudely drawn onto the chest of the young lady pictured and the title changed to the much more sedate Shut Up! You get what you pay for, I guess. Here are Bellingham's finest smashing their way through a mix of original and cover version instrumentals. Enjoy.

The Mono Men - Shut The Fuck Up. Estrus Records 10". ES101.

estrus garage instrumental mono men

Man... Or Astro-Man? - The Sounds of Tomorrow. Estrus 7". ES783.

We've not had any Man... Or Astro-Man? for a little while, so here's a 1996 offering from the ever-reliable Estrus records. Track three, Green-blooded Love, is by Thee Shatners, a bunch of Star Trek-loving chancers who had connections with The Ne'er'Do'Wells and The Dukes of Hamburg, and whose only release was an LP on Planet Pimp Records. Enjoy.

Man... Or Astro-Man? - The Sounds of Tomorrow. Estrus 7". ES783.

estrus instrumental man or astroman? star trek surf

The Galaxy Trio - Saucers Over Vegas. Estrus 10". Estrus Arts ES105.

One of two 10" EPs I own by this band. Both are on Estrus. Beyond that I don't really know much about them at all. Despite the name, I'd argue that they are an instrumental band, rather than a surf band. Maybe they started out as a straightforward surf band and evolved, similar to the journey undertaken by Man ...Or Astro-Man?. Or maybe they're just bad at being 'surf'. Either way, it's good stuff uncluttered by crap lyrics. Enjoy.


The Galaxy Trio - Saucers Over Vegas. Estrus 10".  Estrus Arts ES105.

estrus instrumental surf the galaxy trio

Man ... Or Astro-Man? - Welcome To The Sonic Space Age. Clawfist 7".

The previous releases have dropped off the front page, so it's time to upload yet another treat from Man ...Or Astro-Man? The final release from UK singles club label, Clawfist, it's one of a handful of MOA? records that plays at 45 rpm so there are only two tracks. There's some excellent 'theremining' on flipside, Bird's Stuff. Enjoy.

Tracks:
King Of The Monsters (120 BPM).
Bird's Stuff (157 BPM).

Man ... Or Astro-Man? - Welcome To The Sonic Space Age. Clawfist 7".

clawfist instrumental man or astroman? theremin

The Makers - The Devil's Nine Questions. Estrus Records 10" ES104.

I've been wanting to upload more from my collection of 10" singles and EPs but have held back for lack of cover material. That is, my scanner is smaller than 10" so it's impossible to scan the sleeves like I do for the 7"ers. Yesterday, though I had the idea to mount the camera on its tripod and shoot the sleeves. Due to the angle of the lens the pictures are slightly skewed, so the cropping is a bit messy. I hope it's an acceptable 'work around' until I decide to invest in an A3 scanner.

So. The Makers. They seemed to come out of nowhere to release a bunch of stuff on The Right Labels, driving to their gigs in a Mummiesesque hearse and championed by their manager, the charismatic Vic Mostly, who would have not been out of place managing a WWE wrestler. This is one of two ten inch EPs by the group that survived The Great Garage Punk Sort Out a few years back. It's all instrumental and is good and all. It's more rocky than surfy, but with only 10" of vinyl to fill they don't outstay their welcome. Enjoy.

The Makers - The Devil's Nine Questions. Estrus Records 10" ES104.

estrus instrumental the makers

Cee Bee Beaumont - Chef Do The Business - Hangman's Daughter 7".

What a lovely object, eh? After Hangman Records went west following distributor problems Billy Childish started Hangman's Daughter. This instrumental gem from Cee Bee Beaumont was an early release. C.B. Beaumont was a character in Ray Dennis Steckler's movie Rat Fink A Boo Boo. And that's it. Enjoy.


Cee Bee Beaumont - Chef Do The Business - Hangman's Daughter 7".

billy childish cee bee beaumont instrumental

Man ... Or Astroman? - Amazing Thrills in 3D. Estrus Promo EP ESP7.

Some more Man ... Or Astroman? for you all. My copy of this came free with a pre-ordered from Estrus blue vinyl copy of Is it...? A limited amount were also sold in record stores. The reverse of the sleeve is blank. Enjoy.

Man ... Or Astroman? - Amazing Thrills in 3D. Estrus Promo EP ESP7.

estrus instrumental man or astroman? surf

The Roofdogs - Havin' A Rave Up With The Roofdogs. Estrus 7". ES714.

The Roofdogs was an earlier incarnation of The Mono Men. From what I remember, the tracks on this EP and on the split single with The Phantom Surfers (available here) were from a cassette-only release. The Mono Men returned to this sound later on with the release of ten-inch all-instrumental EP, Shut The Fuck Up. Enjoy.

The Roofdogs - Havin' A Rave Up With The Roofdogs. Estrus 7". ES714.

estrus instrumental mono men roofdogs

Various Artists - Unreleased Instrumentals from the Northwest! Hillsdale Records EP. HR005.

Some vintage tracks this time. Unreleased instrumentals finally unleashed on vinyl via Johnny 'Big Hands' Bartlett's Hillsdale label. I won't say much as there are sleeve notes to read. It must be noted, however, that the 'crackle' on 'Plastic Coat' is on the original. Taking the phrase 'slightly worn' to new limits. Enjoy.

Various Artists - Unreleased Instrumentals from the Northwest! Hillsdale Records EP. HR005.

1959 1960 1961 Hillsdale Records instrumental

Various Artists - Get A Board! 16 Surf and Hot Rod Ho-Downs! Satan Records LP. Satan 1007.

More great 60s surf tracks from the ever-excellent Satan Records. When released on CD this was combined with tracks from Wail On The Beach!, which will be on here soon enough. This release has a good balance of vocal and instrumental tracks. The Shut Downs' Four On The Floor alone makes it worth the download. Enjoy.

Various Artists - Get A Board! 16 Surf and Hot Rod Ho-Downs!  Satan Records LP. Satan 1007.

60s instrumental satan surf

Man Or Astro-Man? - Creature Feature Flexi-disc. Kronophonic Records SEXI FLEXI 002.

No image for this one as flexi-discs don't scan very well. Instead, here's a picture of last night's 'Super Moon' emerging from behind the trees. This flexi came free with a split issue of Highball Magazine and Monsters International. I no longer own the magazine. At least one of the tracks on here has, as far as I know, never been reissued - the cover of Joe South's Creature In The Surfers Lagoon.

While I was trying to find out more about this release I found this tremendous blog cataloguing all the vinyl output of Man Or Astro-Man? More importantly, I found out that current Man Or Astro-Man? operative Victor Vector fell ill with pneumonia and was hospitalised, very seriously ill, at the end of the band's last tour. Like most musicians working at grass roots level, Victor does not have health insurance so an appeal has been set up to raise funds for him. I would ask that if you have been enjoying this blog, the Man Or Astro-Man? stuff in particular (and there is plenty more to come), you go to the band's Facebook page and follow the link to donate towards his medical fees via Paypal.

Man Or Astro-Man? - Creatue Feature Flexi-disc. Kronophonic Records SEXI FLEXI 002.

Flexi-Disc instrumental man or astroman? monsters victor vector