Hi-Fi Stereo is the first album from Reverend Organdrum, a side project of guitarist Jim Heath, better known as The Reverend Horton Heat. The album trades in the psychobilly sounds of Heath’s alter-ego for famous roots, blues, and lounge tunes, reconstructed with guitar, Hammond organ, and drums.
For the release, Heath arranged a trio with keyboardist/collaborator Tim Alexander and drummer Todd Soesbe. The three spend the disc paying homage to composer Henry Mancini, blues legend Ray Charles, jazz greats Roland Kirk and Duke Ellington, and a dozen others.
The album opens with the buoyant surf riff of “Moovin’ and Groovin’,” a Lee Hazlewood and Duane Eddy track, which is taken over by the Hammond and a raging guitar solo. The Hammond typically handles the bass lines, and though the bass’ tonality is missed, the songs never lack substance.
Hi-Fi Stereo also doesn’t lack panache or fun. Vocals are few, but appear with interspersed gibberish in a cover of Sammy Mysels’ “Bim Bam Baby.” A segment of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” randomly appears in “Can’t Be Still,” a Booker T and the MGs tune.
The album’s soundtrack covers are particularly notable. Mancini’s creepy accompaniment to Experiment in Terror takes a sunnier tone, and the rendition of Dominic Frontiere’s Hang ‘Em High score maintains the original’s feel while substituting Hammond for guitar and string work.
– Scott Morrow
Reverend Organdrum: www.reverendorgandrum.com
Yep Roc Records: www.yeproc.com