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Post new topic Alvino Rey - The Surfmen?
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Author Topic:  Alvino Rey - The Surfmen?
b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 15 Sep 2009 10:09 pm    
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Surfing the internet, I came across this page about an exotica group called The Surfmen, including Alvino Rey on "console guitar".
http://www.spaceagepop.com/surfmen.htm

Does anyone still have any of their records? Were they any good?
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 16 Sep 2009 1:21 am    
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Yes, I have their album. It's big orchestra stuff, very similar to some others I have ("Hugo Winterhalter Goes Hawaiian", and "Exotica", by Martin Denny.) There's very little steel guitar, but if you like lush arrangements of Hawaiian songs, you may like it.

(In my early years of playing, I bought anything that hinted of steel guitar.)
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Bill Hatcher

 

From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
Post  Posted 16 Sep 2009 6:03 am    
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Donny Hinson wrote:
Yes, I have their album. It's big orchestra stuff, very similar to some others I have ("Hugo Winterhalter Goes Hawaiian", and "Exotica", by Martin Denny.) There's very little steel guitar, but if you like lush arrangements of Hawaiian songs, you may like it.



You left out the Esquivel records which are marvels of sonicness and musical virtuosity even today.

These recordings were never meant to be steel guitar records or trumpet records or sax records or any of the instruments that were used. They were concept recording featuring all sorts of stereo effects, arrangements and easy listening stuff to fill a huge market that purchased them. If you just listen to them to hear some steel, you have missed the entire picture. You listen to these to hear some of the greatest recording musicians playing and the skills of some great recording engineers in some cases recording the entire orchestra together straight to two or at most three tracks and the skill of the arrangers that were hired.

In regards to Alvino Rey, he is one of the best musicians every to play the steel. There is a difference between being a great player and a great musician "playing". As a musician he was able to arrange, write, conduct, fit in with any kind of session, read music, etc. His knowledge of everything music comes through in his playing so much.
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 16 Sep 2009 7:18 am    
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Of course I love Alvino Rey's "punctuations" on Esquivel's records. If The Surfmen are comparable to Esquivel, I gotta find their record!
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Donny Hinson

 

From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
Post  Posted 16 Sep 2009 7:59 am    
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Bobby, their stuff is all still in print and easily available (Amazon has the "Studio 102" stuff for under $9). As Bill said, it's all top notch players and inventive recording techniques, but precious little steel guitar. (Think: The steel work in Patsy Cline's "Crazy".) Fans of orchestral and mood music (the types that went on to be "World Music") will love it. But I don't think steel fans will give it a second listen.

A similar, modern, type of stuff is done by Andreas Vollenweider. (He's also in my collection.)
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 16 Sep 2009 8:08 am    
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Thanks Donny. I went to Amazon, and apparently this is a new feature for seriously out of print music:

Quote:
Product Description
The Surfmen: Studio 102 Essentials The Surfmen

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

I will order it.
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