V.A.—More Long-Lost Honkers & Twangers (Ace, UK), CD

1 Les Jaguars– Guitare Jet 2:30
2 The Mus-Twangs– Wolf Pack 1:54
3 The Road Runners– Road Runnah 1:58
4 Cecil Moore & The Notes– Diamond Back 1:40
5 The Night Caps– Mirage 2:37
6 The Ventures– Blue Tail Fly (Alternate Version) 1:54
7 The Marksmen – Sunny River 1:54
8 The Ventures– Louisiana 2:55
9 The Ramrods– Zombie Surfer 2:02
10 The Carnations– Red Wing 1:50
11 The Marksmen– Peace Pipe 2:20
12 Billy Strange– Moon Walking 2:02
13 The Lemon Drops – Canadian Capers 1:51
14 The Marksmen– Nokie’s Fenokey 1:50
15 The Chancellors – Mach 1 2:10
16 The Zanies– Claire De Looney 2:33
17 Music City Swingers– Harlem Nocturne 2:24
18 The Ventures– Blue Money 3:17
19 The Mus-Twangs– Zanzibar 2:00
20 The Velvetones– Jericho 1:59
21 The Ventures– Downtown (Alternate Version) 2:56
22 Ed Burkey– Whitewater Wipe Out 2:16
23 Mike Gordon And The Agates– Swing The Mess Around 1:55
24 The Zanies– Russian Roulette 2:00

V.A.—More Long-Lost Honkers & Twangers (Ace, UK), CD

      After a mere seven-year wait comes the second volume of Ace’s Honkers & Twangers series, and it’s a diverse 24-tracker of obscure (well, mostly—”Diamond Head” by Cecil Moore has been reissued multiple times) instrumental rock and roll, largely guitar-based, from the early 60’s (with the exception of two 1970-71 Ventures tracks).

     Speaking of The Ventures, seven tracks here are Ventures-related, four by the boys themselves, and three by guitarist Nokie Edwards’ band The Marksmen, while the other tracks are by lesser-known bands who have a variety of models: The Ventures (of course), Duane Eddy, The Chantays, The Champs, Dick Dale, Chet Atkins, even The Shadows and The Spotnicks, though all the artists are North American (the opening band, Les Jaguars, are from Quebec).

     Besides Nokie Edwards, two other greats of West Coast instrumentals are represented here with rarities, guitarist and Wrecking Crew/Lee Hazlewood mainstay Billy Strange, and Marketts/Routers mainman Michael Z. Gordon, both with unreleased tracks from the vaults of Dore Records.

     The bands here named The Ramrods and The Night Caps are not related to the better-known units with the same names, and I’m happy to hear the 1962 Felsted label single “Road Runnah” by The Road Runners (from my hometown of Golden, Colorado—the single was recorded in Denver), who later went to California for three weeks and recorded an album produced by Gary Paxton. There’s even an atmospheric version of “Harlem Nocturne” here, from the Bay Area band The Music City Swingers, since a version of what later became the theme for detective Mike Hammer improves any instrumental compilation.

     The net is cast rather wide on this album, so even a 1971 Ventures run-through of Van Morrison’s “Blue Money,” though clearly not a 60’s recording, fits in well (and one can never get enough of guitarist Gerry McGee). Some will no doubt feel that this is not as essential as the first volume, but any serious 60’s instrumental fan with eclectic tastes (say, someone who still plays their Al Caiola and Challengers and Billy Strange albums regularly) will just turn up the volume and enjoy this well-programmed and exhaustively-documented set full of unfamiliar material. Let’s hope it’s not another seven years until volume three!

BILL SHUTE, originally published in Ugly Things magazine in 2020

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and….Be sure to pick up a copy of my newest poetry book…

STATIC STRUT by Bill Shute

KSE #421, 125 pages, 6″ x 9″ perfect bound, softcover, $6.95 cover price

published 2 January 2024

available for immediate order in the USA from https://amzn.to/48GeYC5