Now And Then

The Tornadoes were one of the main proponents of the surf instrumental in the early 1960s. Inspired by The Fireballs, Dick Dale and loads of '50s rockers, The Tornadoes formed in Redlands, California. Their first single, "Bustin' Surfboards," was among the first surf instrumentals to receive nationwide attention and was a #1 local smash. "Bustin' Surfboards" was also featured in the film "PULP FICTION." In late 1962, The Tornadoes recorded at PAL Studios in Cucamonga with a young FRANK ZAPPA engineering. In fact, Zappa's first studio engineering work was with The Tornadoes. Some of their work together is on this CD. The Tornadoes received a bit of notoriety with the last song that they recorded with Zappa, entitled "Shootin' Beavers." In 1963, the title alone would have been racy, but when it featured such a powerful band performance, parents felt it necessary to stop the song from being played on the radio. Amazingly, The Tornadoes lasted until the end of the 1960s before disbanding. When "Bustin' Surfboards" was selected for "Pulp Fiction" and their only album (named after the single) was reissued in 1993, The Tornadoes got back together and they've been playing ever since. This CD features 13 unreleased tracks, of which two ("Bottom Feeder" and "The Cruncher") are completely new. Other unreleased goodies include tracks from their "Zappanale 15" festival appearance honoring Frank Zappa. There's even a live version of Zappa's "Grunion Run" included here. If you're a '60s surf fan, all of The Tornadoes' singles sides are included for the first time and they sound better than ever. Lots of other studio recordings are here, from '60s album cuts like "Vaquero" (a Fireballs song engineered by Zappa), to '90s album cuts and unreleased top-notch covers. Another Tornadoes compilation CD (with more Zappa-engineered tracks) is on the way in the first half of 2006!