Considerably Further Beyond the Sea cd Cordelia Records CD057.
Far-flung collection of surf instrumentals collected by Alan Jenkins that spans some 60 years of bands with a definitive tilt towards guitar virtuosity, electronic creativity, and re-working of some classic rock tunes. It’s easy to talk about the great covers on this album, because they are so great, but the original tunes are just as good. These recordings add a great deal to the genre, and without this recording, so many of them might have been lost in the avalanche of dreck emanating from the music industry. Highlights: Smoke on the Water, Wonk Vision; Bass Cheese String, The Time Bats; Born to Run, The Pterodactyls; My Generation, French; and Good Vibrations, by The Melamine Division Plates, which threatens to de-throne Nina Hagen as best version. It’s almost like the best parts of Esquivel joined with the best parts of The Residents. What more could anyone ask for?