Gary Usher
(Sundazed)
Sundazed is to be congratulated for this meticulously assembled and annotated two-disc collection of songs that Southern California surf-and-hot-rod-music maestro Gary Usher wrote for the L.A. publishing firm 4 Star Music in the early 1960s. Usher primarily was a studio guy who recorded both vocal tracks and instrumentals under his own name (sometimes as demos) or various aliases like The Four Speeds, the Sunsets, the Competitors - that made it easier to release more material quickly, perfect for a local music scene infatuated with singles about the youth lifestyle of the times.
Usher, who died in 1990 at age 51, was an especially hot commodity because he was collaborating with Brian Wilson on the Beach Boys' earliest hits, like "409" and "In My Room." The history of early surf and hot rod music is taught in colleges now, so important is it to understanding the evolution of youth culture, so this is an important addition to the public record. How much you like it as music will depend on how deep your love is for that sound.
The 36 songs become derivative pretty quickly, since Usher was trying to write to a formula ("409") that Wilson's Beach Boys were quickly moving past. "Four on the Floor" melds into "Mag Wheels" into "Draggin' Deuce" into "My Little Surfin' Woodie" and damn if I can tell them apart. The ones that sound different - like the neo-psychedelic "Tied Down" featuring the gritty-voiced Chuck Girard - stand out the best. Toward the end of the second disc, there are two upbeat Phil Spectorish songs by the Honeys, featuring Ginger Blake (Usher's girlfriend) on vocals. Usher introduced another Honey - Marilyn Rovell - to his friend Brian Wilson, who soon married her. Sundazed has included snippets from a 1989 interview with Usher, who went on from this period to do some excellent and adventurous production work for the Byrds, Chad & Jeremy and one of L.A.'s most mysterious studio bands, Sagittarius. Fascinating guy.
Standout Tracks: "Barefoot Adventure," "Tied Down" STEVEN ROSEN
