Customer Reviews

Twist Party

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first thing I noticed about this release is that the drummer is gone. Jimmy Lester was a fabulous percussionist. He is now the second band member to depart (Pete Curry was not the original bassist).

The artwork is great, right down to the packaging. A DVD comes with the CD so there are two discs. What is different, also, is that the singer/sax player, George "Kaiser" Miller and the Pontani Sisters are playing a more prominent role in the act. If you have never seen LS live, they are entertainers first and musicians second. The Sisters are not musicians; they dance at the live shows.

The music on this CD is much simpler than the arrangements on previous releases. I like it because it uses shtick from the sixties and some of it just cracks me up. The offkey organ on track 15 is really funny.

There are 16 tracks and they are very short; averaging about two minutes. There are some instrumentals but nothing like their earlier material in length or complexity. If you have never heard Los Straitjackets you might want to listen to the first two or three releases to get their history.

I'm always amazed that some people dislike this band. They have such a great sense of humor. But I will caution that this latest effort is for fun and does not display the guitar heroics of the earlier recordings.

Nicely collected tracks from the 2006 Los Straitjackets/Pontani Sisters and Kaiser George travelling show will rock you! One of the coolest shows on the road this year combines three acts into one great experience. I'm sure that this was created for sale at the shows: that's where I grabbed my copy. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what rock and roll looks like: showy, loud and memorable.

Accompanying DVD of the Pontanis at play is cute stuff; would've enjoyed seeing them live, as at the Abbey in Chicago where they melted the room with the best a-go-go moves since Joey Heatherton and the Ikettes, except the Pontanis really do it all better... honest.

Let's face it, radio right now sucks; there's nothing that you can dance to or want to play for another few decades. But for the cats with hi-fi goggles on, rev this CD up and have a blast. Add another CD to it if you can: Kaiser George and the Hi-Risers put this Scottish mod at the top of my Mersey Beat playlist. Whatever they're doin, please keep it playin'!

Viva Los Straitjackets!

Los Straitjackets, one of the leading modern proponents of 60's inspired surf music, team with Scottish vocalist Kaiser George of The Kaisers, and burlesque artists the Pontani Sisters, for a raucous trip down memory lane in Twist Party (2006), an album that captures nicely the style and spirit of the early 60's.

Chubby Checker's version of The Twist was a smash Number 1 hit in 1960, and Checker popularized the dance craze of the same name. Living up to its billing, Twist Party is about having a good time grooving to danceable tunes. It's a rocking dance party that features variations of the twist, and other popular dance steps, as well as tapping into such popular 60's fads like the space race, and goofy horror themes.

Surf rock masters Los Straitjackets, keep their sound pretty basic. If not for the modern production, you might think that this music was really created in the 1960's. The band is definitely having fun, and also contributes vocals. Kaiser George, who patterns his attire after The Shadow's Hank B. Marvin, is clearly an aficionado of music from the 60's English invasion era. His singing seems to capture the vibe of those times, and is one of the key elements in creating an authentic atmosphere. On the included DVD, the Pontani Sisters provide dance instruction, and are also featured performing live, and in music videos.

Everything is lighthearted, but for pure camp it's hard to top the goofy lyrics and monkey calls of "Twistin' Gorilla". For more innocent silliness, there's the "Kitty Kat", with its chorus of "meow, meow". Diabolically groovy, is "All Back To Drac's", where everyone is invited to a party at the Count's place. "Twisting Out in Space", celebrates astronaut John Glen, the first American to orbit the Earth. The melodic, "Isn't Love Grand" is a tune that Los Straitjackets had already covered as an instrumental. This vocal version is sugary sweet, and quite catchy.

Known for instrumentals, Los Straitjackets oblige with a few, and some other tunes with minimal singing. "The Mad Scientwist" is a bouncy number, which features the bubbling sounds of something being cooked up in the laboratory. "On Top" is a country favored tune, done in the tradition of the Ventures. The "Hypno-Twist" plays in a minor key, propelled by some groovy horns. "Prelude To A Twist" is a light fun instrumental romp, again done in the style of the Ventures.

The sixteen tracks, total just over 36 minutes. If you are not into the twist, or music from the late fifties and early sixties, this album is definitely not for you. With its fun, goofy themes, and simplistic musical approach, it may even be too much for fans of Los Straitjackets' instrumental work. If you don't mind a trip back to a simpler, more innocent time, then "everyone, can have some fun, at the twist party".

2006 meets the 60's. This album is beyond fun - it's catchy, sly, and chock-full of tongue-in-cheek kitsch. Strap on your dancing shoes and prepare to start twisting!

The Masked Marvels are back and still batting a 1000!!! Considering the totally depressing state of rock n roll these days, this CD is a true tonic for the troops (to borrow from the BTRs!). I've listened to this CD so many times since I picked it up, and smiled each and everytime I hear it, that I'm beginning to turn into a foot stompin Transylvanian gorilla a go go in grand love orbit (or something like that...). What a great combination --- Los Straitjackets, The Pontanis, and good ol' Kaiser George. Link and Dale meet the Mersey Beat! What more could one ask for? Music is alive again --- and FUN! Muchas gracias amigos! Muy caliente! In summary: if you don't like this one, then, well, you're really twisted.

MOVE THE FURNITURE BACK AND ROLL UP THE CARPET, WE ARE GONNA HAVE A TWIST PARTY! THIS IS A GREAT CD OF RETRO 60'S TWIST MUSIC (WITH A COUPLE OF SURF TUNES AND SOME MERSEY BEAT, AS WELL), COMPLETE WITH A DVD OF PSEUDO SCIENCE FICTION/DANCE LESSONS FROM THE WORLD FAMOUS PONTANI SISTERS. HILARIOUS! FUN CD, AND GREAT MUSIC.

I am a fan of Los Straitjackets, and love the Pontani Sisters. Somehow they managed to make a fantastic band into something very blah. This sounds like the music played by a fake band in a movie. Just boring, going through the motions, spiritless music. It is mixed awfully and all you hear is George singing. This record is no fun. The DVD is pretty amusing. The cameraman obviously liked Angie's breasts!