Sadies – Tales Of The Rat Fink soundtrack

Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, king of the ’60s car customizers, is the subject of a new documentary with a soundtrack that combines contemporaneous west coast surf ‘n’ rod with ’50s rock, jet-age lounge, ’60s southern twang, and ’80s instrumental revivalism. Like Dick Dale and Gary Usher before them, the Sadies tour both beach and drag strip, juicing up Sandals-styled instrumentals with the sounds of Link Wray’s primordial rumble, Duane Eddy’s low-string twang, and Joe Maphis’ flatpicking. At 31 minutes, the disc feels short, with sub-minute transitional pieces kicking out before finishing their ride. Echoes of the Marketts, Sandy Nelson, Billy Mure, Lonnie Mack and many others fly by in a spray that’s half saltwater, half gasoline. Most of these tunes could have slipped easily into a Bruce Brown surf film or an AIP biker flick, neatly reiterating the form and power of California’s original teenquake.