Surfin' With The Astronauts/Everything Is A-OK! [2-on-1 CD]
If surf music's all-time heavyweight champions the Trashmen can hail from Minneapolis (where the lake swell wouldn't wipe out a canary), why shouldn't a landlocked cowabunga powerhouse emerge from Boulder, Colorado? That would be the Astronauts, whose lead guitarist, Rich Fifield (with the aid of legendary L.A. producer David Hassinger) wrung from his axe the wettest reverb known to humanity. Workmanlike vocals are split between Fifield and bassist Stormy Patterson, but stellar versions of "Misirlou" and "Pipeline" onSurfin'that are what set the group apart from the pack. The second record included on this CD,A-OK, attempts a little genre splicing, surfing up versions of Trini Lopez's hit "If I Had a Hammer" and Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy." Surprisingly, the concept holds water.--Jud Cost