LOS DAYTONAS “Twang or Die” (LP) (REVIEWS)
Los Daytons “Twang Or Die / En El Salvaje Oeste” (CD, Sharawaji)
Great, traditional surf and hot rod music is what you’ll find on this disc. It’s not overly original – each of these tunes sound like they could have been pulled off any number of early 60’s surf records. However, sometimes originality isn’t what you need – you simply need a steady surf beat, heavy reverb on the guitars, occasional organ, reverb tank crashes and audio snippets pulled from the speedway. The topper here is that you not only get GREAT music – you get LOTS of it – in addition to the Twang Or Die full-length album, you get six bonus tracks (four from their En El Salvaje Oeste EP, and two additional bonus tracks). In total, that’s seventeen songs on one CD – great artwork as well! — Reviewed by Double Crown (May 2019).
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Los Daytonas “Twang Or Die” (LP, Green Cookie records, GC058LP, 2018).
Green Cookie is a Greek surf label, Los Daytonas are a Spanish band that was founded in 1997. Based on this album (at least their fifth release), I would not describe it as a surf but as an all-round instrumental group.
Yes, Impostor is blubbersurf and Latinia is a surf cover of The Sentinels from 1962, but the other nine tracks are different: Abd El-Krim is a twangy version of The Shadows with a lot of percussion and Borracho is reminiscent of The Fireballs but turns out to be the Spanish group Los Brincos from 1964, and the short notes and the percussion that characterize those two songs prove to be the keywords of this record that combines many influences.
Spaghetti western! Spy! hot rod! El Loner and Mátalos Y Vuelve are western inspired, La Tapadera could have been in a James Bond movie (which reminds us: Sean Connery is the real James Bond, the others are actors!) and Kona Lei pulls with even more percussion (on on this album, castanets, vibraphone and marimba pass through) an unadulterated can of Tabou exotica. Even more variation: Big Rod (a cover of Big Cock by the Spanish rock band Sex Museum from 1987) couples that short twang with a guest organ and racing sounds from the Capitol LP The Big Sounds Of The Drags from 1963, and the guest -tenor sax and the voices in Oh Gregoria give a frolic dinner effect.
The album was recorded in the vintage Big Cheff Recording Service studio in their hometown Madrid and mastered by Axel Praefcke at Lightning Recorders in Berlin, resulting in an album with a very nice clear sound whose calm character is a breath of fresh air. Bravo and keep going, that’s how our schoolmaster used to write on our tasks. Remarkable: this is not out on CD but only on vinyl LP in a limited edition of only 300 pieces! — Reviewed by Frantic Franky, Boppin Around (18 October 2018)