This is quite simply the best surf album I've heard in a long, long time. Two guitars, bass and drums with plenty of reverb and a third guitar part when necessary, 30 songs averaging 2½ minutes each, a great feel for that mid-sixties sound and style - it's heaven, sheer heaven.

So how can a band come up with an album comprising 30 such fantastic new numbers? Well of course they can't, and this set is built around a selection of vintage material picked jointly by the Bitch Boys and Golly Gee label boss Mel Spinella. By avoiding the obvious titles they have helped maintain the air of freshness about the album created by the band's vibrant playing, sounds and arrangements. They add that reverb magic to numbers which pre-date its invention, tracks from 1959 like Sandstorm (The Sportsmen), Twenty Thousand Leagues (The Champs) plus Caterpillar Crawl / Rockin' Rebel (The Strangers) all brush up very nicely in their hands. 1962's Ghost Hop (The Surfmen) benefits similarly to make a sparkling opener and Big Noise From Makaha (The Majestics) gets the full Astronauts treatment. Also saucily surfed up are that old Euro fave Dark Eyes and the Tony Hatch single Out Of This World - which works a treat.

There are so many great tracks it's one great surf blast after another, the opening run of six being as perfect a sequence as you could ever wish for. This is followed by a successful melding of Borodin and Lloyd Webber in the shape of Stranger In Paradise and Phantom Of The Opera - yes, really, and it works. Surf Rider is invigorated in part by being sped up, and Richie Podolor's spooky Dracula's Theme (The Ghouls) gets a superb arrangement which fully justifies its extended stay - this is a one brilliant track which still manages to stand out amongst so many others.

Another great sequence from Shockwave onwards takes us up to a very welcome full version of Rat Pfink Theme. Also very welcome to CD is a version of the stunning 4th Dimension (a.k.a. The Outer Limits) from The Centuries. After a little run of trad European pieces the album closes with the surprisingly successful slow surf drama of the Snowman - yes, that one.

What a great album, I highly recommended it.