Customer Reviews

Tribal Thunder

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4 star:		(0)
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2 star:		(2)
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OK--You've purchased the definitive Dick Dale compilation ("Better Shred Than Dead: The Dick Dale Anthology" of 1997) and love it. Where to go from there? In truth, EVERY Dale CD is worth having. There are two basic categories of Dale music: his classic 1960s material, and his "comeback" work since the early 1990s. This release is the best of the latter category, but there's more to know....

Two other compilations were issued before "Shred":

"The Best of Dick Dale and his Del-Tones" (Rhino, 1989). Only two cuts here are not included on "Shred," but one of them is the absolutely essential "The Victor." The tracking sequence is also quite different, so true fans will need to own this.

"Dick Dale and his Del-Tones: Greatest Hits, 1961-1976" (GNP Crescendo, 1992). This has 21 cuts, including many not on "Shred" or "Best of," such as "Surf Buggy," "Del-Tone Rock," "Death of a Gremmie," and "Peter Gunn." About half the cuts are Dale's original early 1960s versions, with the other half coming from a 1975 session. These later recordings have a distinctly different sound: they are looser, faster, and more "live" in feeling. They reveal Dale and the Del-Tones as the ultimate surf "garage" band of all time! Even less-than-successful songs like "Sloop John B" don't detract from the quality and energy of this compilation. Highly recommended.

Dale's work since the early 1990s:

"Tribal Thunder" (1993) is a masterpiece--simply perfect. Only two cuts are included on "Shred," but every one on this CD is a winner. To get a sense of both Dale's consistency and stylistic evolution, compare this CD's "The New Victor" with his earlier versions ("The Victor") on "The Best of" and "Greatest Hits." A must have.

"Unknown Territory" (1994) is slightly less consistent than "Tribal Thunder" but still great and very highly recommended. Only two cuts are included on "Shred."

"Calling Up Spirits" (1996) is nearly as perfect as "Tribal Thunder." Don't be put off by the weak cover art--this is a great release. Once again, only two cuts from this are included on "Shred."

"Spacial Disorientation" (2001). This post-"Shred" release is Dale's least cohesive yet, but still well worth owning. The first five cuts are in his best rip-roaring, high-energy tradition. Most of the rest, however, are in a very different bluesy, soulful, and acoustic vein. These are heartfelt and personal, but simply different from what most people would expect. Not the Dale release to start with, but certainly worth owning.

Dick Dale is a national musical treasure.

Way back when, TJ and I useta crank up Dick Dale on those long night drives back from the coast. The main problem then as now was keeping the speakers from rattlin. The definitive DD album up to the release of Tribal Thunder was Surfer's Choice. Surfer's Choice was the high-energy mysterioso fun beat. Hooray for the sound track of Pulp Fiction--the opening run of "Miserlou" brought to a more sophisticated `90s consciousness the power that was so foreign to the midwest farmer's daughter. Dick Dale is a true American original, and 30 years after Surfer's Choice, Tribal Thunder is a stunning expansion of his vision. DD finally found some drummers who understand, and the result is a celebration of intrigue, virtuosity and primitivism. Try to keep your amps below red line.

Curious about Dick Dale and confused over what album to buy? Maybe you don't want his entire discography, but you're a well rounded person musically, and would like some good surf rock for your collection? I'll tell you now that Tribal Thunder is the album you want. If you're a Dick Head(a hardcore Dick Dale fan), I'm not saying anything new, but someone interested in discovering this very talented man, who doesn't want to take a gamble with their pocketbook, will be 100% satisfied with this purchase. After getting Tribal Thunder, you will either love it so much you'll buy more Dale albums, or you'll keep it, enjoy it and play it once and awhile when the mood hits you. It's a winning purchase either way, and a very good introduction to Dick Dale. There are some very hard rockin' and speedy tunes here. It makes the simple act of driving in your car an epic experience. You can just feel the coolness and macheezmo ooze off of you. Dick Dale's got to be one of the fastest guitar players alive. Not so much fast in terms of the fretboard, but with picking. And we're talking about an older man who's music isn't even heavy metal! There are no vocals here, just instrumentals, which is a plus to me. I love you, Dick, but I'm not crazy about your singing. That's not totally fair, coz I have heard some songs Dick sings on that really are pretty good. All in all, if you need to get a Dick Dale cd, start here. Trust me, I 've never lied to you all, and I'm not about to start now.

This is a phenomenally good CD. There are no weak tracks at all, just great hard driving Dick Dale music. The amazing thing is that for all the energy Dale puts into his playing, he's never out of control. Even if you don't know where he's going, just hang on he'll take you there in a hurry.

This CD is a must if you have to drive a long distance. You will definitely get there sooner, if you're assisted by this music. But if you're stuck in traffic, turn it off; bottling up this kind of energy could be dangerous.

Last, put this CD on at a party. Everyone who doesn't know goes "Who...is that? It's great!!" ...

There is no namby pamby playing here, this is absolutely the best in surf guitar. the King is totally in control of his material, and this is my favorite DD album. This isn't some beach boys limp surf, this is the real deal and hot stuff. Can't recommend this album enough. Melodic and hot.

1. Nitro
2. The New Victor
3. Esperanza
4. Shredded Heat
5. Trail of Tears
6. Caravan (Duke Ellington / Juan Tizol)
7. The Eliminator
8. Speardance
9. Hot Links: Caterpillar Crawl/Rumble [medley]
10. The Long Ride
11. Tribal Thunder
12. Miserlou (Tauber / Wise / Leeds / Roubanis)

I believe this is one of the best instrumental albums that rock has ever produced. Dick Dale has a classic reverb drenched surf guitar tone and there are not a lot of surprises BUT the use of two drummers in kind of a tribal style and the subtle presence of quality production really set it off. If you like surf rock get this album. It doesn't have Miserlou on it but you won't miss it.

I bought this pretty much impulsively, having no knowledge of the so-called artist, and expecting a learning experience. I have rarely been more disappointed with an album. It appears that Mr. Dale knows a few guitar techniques and uses every one in every tune with the result being that every tune sounds far too much alike to suit me. While Mr. Dale does have skills, and his application of those skills is done very well, the repetition of those techniques becomes tedious and consequently listening to more than one tune at a time becomes annoying. I do regret the purchase.
Brian
I suppose that I might have liked the album more if it wasn't an attempt to duplicate Link Wray......

Timeless engaging music. Love this one and you will to.

This is the second Dick Dale CD I have purchased my first was "King of the surf guitar, The best of Dick Dale and the Del-tones". I was very impressed with that CD but did not know what to expect with this CD. I have purchased some mid 90's surf guitar music that sounds retro but the songs on this CD do not sound like surf music to me. The title cut is an acoustic version of Dick Dales big hit "Miserlou" but I wonder why he changed the title of the song? There were two other songs from the first CD I bought that carried over on to this alblum making 3 songs that were retreads so to speak and the original versions of the songs were better by far. I would have much prefered all new songs for the money I spent on the CD. If you are a hardcore Dick Dale fan this is a good CD to buy but if you are looking for a good representation of the 90's surf music scene look elsewhere.