Al Casey - Surfin Hootenanny

Here's an album containing 35 tracks of the best of session guitarist extraordinaire Al Casey.

Al Casey was one fine studio musician. He worked as rhythm guitarist on many of Duane Eddy's biggest hits. It was the big guitar style he developed that Duane adopted. He also worked with Jody Reynolds, whose guitar instros were similar to Eddy's. His work with Duane was via producer/writer Lee Hazelwood, who also contracted him for this, his first solo album. Al was almost totally unfamiliar with surf when he agreed to do this album. There are some rough spots that demonstrate that, and a few numbers that are really outside the envelope if you subtract the reverb on his guitar. Sundazed has captured a couple of alternate takes, probably nineties remixes from session multi-tracks [3 or 4 tracks at best]. If you get past the Blossoms aka the K-C-Ettes ghastly vocalizing and the blues numbers, there are some real gems here. This is also the first time in stereo from the master tapes. The Stacy CD is from vinyl, or at least it sure sounds like it. (Phil Dirt Reverb Central).