Charge Of The Tornadoes

The Tornadoes were inspired by Dick Dale in late 1961 to get into the world of surf instrumentals. Their first single, the original "Bustin' Surfboards," was a local smash in California before interest throughout the country took place. After the follow-up "The Gremmie," the band went to PAL Studios in Cucamonga, California to work with novice engineer Frank Zappa. Some of the tracks that The Tornadoes recorded with Zappa are on the CD "Now And Then," and the rest are on this disc. The earliest of these recordings are from December 1962 - covers of Link Wray's "Raw-Hide" and "The Swag." In fact, The Tornadoes completed their only '60s album with Zappa, and it was released in July 1963. The band weathered the British Invasion and continued on until the end of the '60s, at which time they became The Gross Prophet. That group lasted until 1993, when The Tornadoes were asked to reform for a concert that was so successful that they have been together ever since! Tracks from The Tornadoes' two regular albums ("Bustin' Surfboards" and "Bustin' Surfboards '97") are here along with some of their most recent material. Among the five unreleased tracks on "Charge Of The Tornadoes" are the complete mix of "The Gremmie - Part I," live versions of "Vaquero," "My Girl" and "That's All Right" from the Zappanale festival honoring Frank Zappa's music and a new recording of "Bumble Bee Stomp" (the original version of that song recorded with Zappa is also included). The original recordings have been remastered and have never sounded better. If you're a Frank Zappa fan and want to know what he was up to before The Mothers Of Invention, this CD (along with "Now And Then") is a great place to start.