Arpegio Licks

Dan Hicks was an American Treasure. Since the early 1960’s, Hicks deftly blended elements of Swing, Jazz, Folk and Country music to create a truly unique sound. His lyrics range from the simply sublime to the sublimely ridiculous, all presented with his uniquely skewed and inscrutable touch. Dan’s irresistible sense of rhythm, hip lyrical styling, laid back vocalizing, and infamous on-stage wit lasted well through his final recordings with us at Surfdog Records. So, in celebration of his life and legacy, we pay tribute to Dan with this album (marking the 1-year anniversary of his passing), humbled and proud that we had him in the Surfdog family. Here’s to the music, the laughs, and the wild ride…these are Dan’s GREATEST LICKS!!

Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks - Original Recordings (1969) {Epic–Sony Music WK 75053 rel 1991}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 261 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 99 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 45 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1969, 1991 Epic / CBS / Sony Music Special Products | WK 75053
Rock / Jazz Blues / Western Swing Revival / Contry Rock / Country Folk

Original Recordings was Dan Hicks' initial solo effort as well as the debut of his "Hot Licks." Unlike the overamplified electric jug band music that the Charlatans had been creating during Hicks' stint as their drummer and occasional vocalist, this new band performed a refreshing blend of jazz swing with country & western. Their understated performance style stood in stark contrast to the burgeoning heavy metal and acid rock that were en vogue as the '60s became the '70s. Featured on this album is a seminal version of the "Hot Licks" that were only together briefly.

Colin Towns + NDR Big Band - Frank Zappa's Hot Licks (And Funny Smells) (2005) {Rent A Dog}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 442 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 156 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 170 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2005 Rent A Dog / Provocateur Records / NDR | rad 2007-2
Jazz / Jazz Rock / Experimental Big Band

If this scorching live set is anything to go by, the November tour by Germany's NDR Big Band playing Colin Towns' arrangements of Frank Zappa classics will be unmissable. One-time rock keyboardist Towns (who worked for Deep Purple star Ian Gillan) became a film and TV composer, then a jazz bandleader, and the founder and funder of creative indie label Provocateur Records. His writing for big jazz ensembles mixes rock, improv, postbop and a slashing Stravinskyesque melodic wildness - but the result often comes at you with a visceral energy of such heat that it melts the edges.