Johnny and the Hurricanes: The Psychedelic Worm/Red River Rock '67 (Atilla A 216)

Those masters of psych, Johnny & the Hurricanes
In the mid 60s, Johnny and the Hurricanes were just one of many acts still toughing it out after their hitmaking days had past. Not that that's a bad thing. In fact, this here item shows that they still had a lot of swing in 'em. Fittingly enough, the B-side is an update of their 1959 hit of the same name. There were a lot of updates of this kind in the mid 60s, mainly by folks still trying to get mileage out of their biggest chart success. There was "Raunchy '65," "Topsy 65," even "I See The Light '69" and "Gloria '69," to name just a few. I don't know if this trend started with the Ventures success with "Walk Don't Run '64," but it was quite common in those days. Well, except for some slight rearrangements in the guitar riffs, "Red River Rock '67" isn't much different from its predecessor. It's still pretty good though as these things go. "The Psychedelic Worm," though, is the real gem here. There's nothing psychedelic about it, though, except for the title. But it is a prime example of the Johnny and the Hurricanes sound at its finest. It's got it all: bleeping organ, wild drums, blaring sax and a soaring guitar solo, all for 2:17 glorious minutes of rock 'n' roll instrumental bliss. And at a time when the dreaded "Sgt. Pooper" was on everyone's lips, it must have been nice to know that some things never change. Thus it was with Johnny and the Hurricanes and if you're a fan, I'd suggest you scoop this one out.