Artist: Davie Allan & The Arrows
Titles: Apache '65-Blues Theme-Cycle Delic Sounds
Genre: Instrumental Rock-Psychedelic
Label: Sundazed
Davie Allan & The Arrows Website

It is about time that this happened! Davie Allan & The Arrows made some classic instrumental music in the 60s and it has stood the test of time very well. Sundazed has reissued three of their albums, Apache '65, Blues Theme and Cycle Delic Sounds. They are all the recipients of the marvelous reissue treatment that Sundazed has built their reputation on.

All three albums sound wonderful; each one comes with detailed liner notes surrounding the recording of each session, reliving all that transpired during and after the albums release dates. Some great archival photos are included with previously unreleased bonus tracks, which are all solid.

Davie Allan, known as The King of Fuzz, was light years ahead of his contemporaries, his style was unique and it spawned an entirely new genre of music and a generation of inspired bikers and wild teenagers with attitudes. When you sit down and listen to the three CDs, you will be captivated at the simplicity of his approach and the original sound he created via a six-string command unrivaled for its time. Allan's famous fuzz instrumental sound is definitive and fully realized in a variety of ways during the course of each recording. During a three-year span (1965-1968), he managed to produce a groundbreaking reverberation that found its way into soundtracks of films as quickly as each album came out.

"Apache '65," taken from the classic instrumental hit originated by The Shadows in 1960, is probably the most covered tune in the history of idiom. This song helped The Arrows to take off and they never looked back. The Arrows lineup has changed many times over the years but the one constant cornerstone of the band, Allan, has remained to keep the music alive while continuously creating new instrumental gems for his audience to enjoy.

In the wake of Apache '65 came the break Allan and his band was waiting for to dig into the movie soundtrack business. Blues Theme, which also was the single from the album, recorded specifically for the Peter Fonda movie Wild Angels, was the shot in the arm the band needed to take their sound to a wider audience. It combined the traditional surf elements with a grungy fuzz tone while appealed to an interesting cross section of listeners.

What Blues Theme did was start a trend and one that would continue with the most significant release to date for Allan, Cycle Delic Sounds. This release would take everything Allan had accomplished thus far and kick it up a few more notches. The album was an innovative and experimental extravaganza with some of the more far out (excuse the period expression) guitar licks that anyone had ever heard before. This was 1967 mind you, and there were not too many bands with the exception of the Electric Prunes ("I Had Too Much Too Dream Last Night"), that were making music that sounded so different and futuristic. Allan was certainly blazing a trail and becoming a true pioneer.

Looking back on each one of these albums, you can hear a pattern of growth and a distinguishable change with each subsequent release. Allan really took a chance and spread his wings creatively, the result was three of the most influential, and stunning instrumental albums ever recorded. I was not thinking in these terms upon first listen, however after more reflection and several more listens, the music revealed an artist in his element. With intelligence and enough balls to put out what he felt to the public, Allan proved that what he was doing no other artist of the day could duplicate. It worked beautifully and here is your testament.