Blues Theme CD

"Blues Theme" is arguably the most famous track by Davie Allan & the Arrows. It was recorded quickly on Mike Curb's Tower label for the soundtrack to the move Wild Angels -- Peter Fonda's first biker flick and just before Easy Rider. With wild, screaming fuzz guitar and a surf beat, it signifies the sound of the L.A. Strip in 1967 and embodies -- in its two-minutes-and-ten-seconds -- all the cultural elements of its soundtrack -- the waning surf scene that traveled it, the muscle cars that roared through its lanes, the dawn of acid-crazed hippies floating down it, and the speed-drenched outlaw biker tribes who haunted it. The rest of the album is a literal pastiche of tracks that were issued under other names, slightly doctored for and from other soundtracks -- there were seven between the Arrows' first album, Apache '65, and Blues Theme -- or simply renamed. These include "King Fuzz," an instrumental remake of "The Twirl" by Harley Hatcher; "Theme from the Unknown," which had several names in earlier releases on 45 rpm's, and "Fuzz Theme," that was later re-titled "The Young World," for the soundtrack to Teen Rebellion. ~ Thom Jurek

"Blues Theme" is arguably the most famous track by Davie Allan & the Arrows. It was recorded quickly on Mike Curb's Tower label for the soundtrack to the move Wild Angels -- Peter Fonda's first biker flick and just before Easy Rider. With wild, screaming fuzz guitar and a surf beat, it signifies the sound of the L.A. Strip in 1967 and embodies -- in its two-minutes-and-ten-seconds -- all the cultural elements of its soundtrack -- the waning surf scene that traveled it, the muscle cars that roared through its lanes, the dawn of acid-crazed hippies floating down it, and the speed-drenched outlaw biker tribes who haunted it. The rest of the album is a literal pastiche of tracks that were issued under other names, slightly doctored for and from other soundtracks -- there were seven between the Arrows' first album, Apache '65, and Blues Theme -- or simply renamed. These include "King Fuzz," an instrumental remake of "The Twirl" by Harley Hatcher; "Theme From the Unknown," which had several names in earlier releases on 45 rpm's, and "Fuzz Theme," that was later re-titled "The Young World," for the soundtrack to Teen Rebellion. The CD reissue contains the album's original ten cuts, plus three bonus tracks, all of which are previously unissued -- with a smoking read of Del Shannon's "Runaway." The set is brief, but it is all killer, no filler. Sundazed does it again. [The CD was also released with bonus tracks.] ~ Thom Jurek

Original Soundtrack/Davie Allan & The Arrows: Davie Allan; Paul Johnson (guitar); Steve Pugh (bass instrument); Larry Brown (drums).

Liner Note Authors: Mike Curb; Deke Dickerson.

Photographers: Davie Allan; George Sherlock.

Personnel: Davie Allan (guitar).

Uncut (p.118) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[B]y 1967's BLUES THEME, Allan had discovered his mean-outlaw formula and scored a Top 40 hit..."