TOTAL CREDITS FOR LANCE RECORDS
(Including King Richard and the Knights and Ritchie and Jason Stewart)
"Retrophonic 2 - The Home Demos" Davie Allan
(Autographed by the Fuzz King himself)
Duly recognized as the “King of Fuzz Guitar,” Davie Allan scored big time in the sixties with a series of sizzling instrumentals, most notably “Blues Theme,” which invaded the national top forty charts, that deftly bridged the gap between surf rock and psychedelic innovation. Considering Davie’s greatest commercial success was due to such sounds, it’s only expected that that’s the genre with which he’s associated. However, there’s another side to the universally lauded string bender that has seldom been revealed. Those who purchased Davie’s previous release, “Retrophonic,” which features his legendary band, the Arrows on select cuts, don’t need to be told he’s no one-trick pony, as the disc exposed what a superb singer he is.
Arriving as a fine companion to the package is “Retrophonic 2 - The Home Demos,” a twenty-eight track collection covering the sixties until now. Sporting an extremely tuneful set of pipes, blooming with clarity and feeling, Davie lets his pop sensibilities run wild, and what smart and stunning pop sensibilities they are. Although snatches of fabled folks like Buddy Holly, Del Shannon and various Merseybeat bands are regularly referenced, Davie truly has a voice all his own. Stacks of songs on “Retrophonic 2 - The Home Demos,” particularly “Dead End Town,” “World of Yesterday,” “Do You See What You’re Doing To Me,” “It’s Right on the Tip of My Tongue,” “You’re Gonna Cry,” and his phenomenally catchy tribute to Buddy Holly, “Oh Buddy, We Miss You So,” contain all the proper ingredients required to produce solid gold hit singles.
Juicy and memorable melodies, fused with sparkling arrangements and tugging harmonies are delivered in spades. Sprinkled across these scrumptious pop confections is Davie’s distinctive guitar work, which adds an even tastier flavor to the infectious stuff. Muscular riffs and unique chording lend a splash of gritty garage-band rock stylings to some of the material as well, not to mention a couple of servings of country-fried cuisine. Powered by tight and hooky pop songs, played straight from the heart and soul, “Retrophonic 2 - The Home Demos” is highly listenable through and through. Davie is a man of multiple talents, and the proof is right here.
Beverly Paterson – TLM Chief Staff Writer
Tracks:
| 1960’s
1970’s
1990’s
2000’s
2010
|
50s Rockabilly,
'60s Garage Band Music, Surf and Modern Guitar Instrumentals.
- Have a question about RV Stewart Productions?
Can you tell me more about RV Stewart Productions?
Welcome to RvStewartProductions, home of Record collectibles, the Lance Monthly, Cool Links Publishing, and Lance Music Publishing. Lance Record's focus is on early rock and roll from its official birth in 1954 throughout the ‘60s with a special emphasis on early ‘60s guitar-rock instrumental styles by King Richard and the Knights and modern guitar-rock offerings by Ritch Stewart, his brother, the late Jason Stewart who sadly passed on April 15, 2021, and their father, Dick Stewart. RvStewartProductions (Record collectibles) is not a new company.
The spark for Record collectibles came when Albuquerque-native, Dick Stewart was bitten by the rock-and-roll bug in 1954 and wanted to do more than just listen and dance to its infectious beaHe wanted to be a contributor.
Guitar-rock instrumentals became his passion after listening to the late ‘50s and early ‘60s hits by George Tomsco and the Fireballs from Raton, New Mexico, and the Ventures from the Pacific Northwest. As a result, in 1961, Stewart formed the Knights that later became known as King Richard and the Knights. A few years later, Stewart composed and released a guitar instrumental titled “Precision” with his band, and it earned a number-one spot on KQEO, the leading rock-and-roll, top-40 A.M. radio station in New Mexico at the time.
L.A.’s Dot Records was so impressed with the instrumental’s classical piano hook that the major record label made an offer to release it nationally but sadly changed its mind when the Beatles came to the United States. Not only the Knights, but many aspiring rock-and-roll bands suffered the same fate. It was the coming of the British Invasion and the 45-vinyl record-buying teens turned their undivided attention toward the Beatles, including a slew of newly formed British bands that immediately followed. But Stewart didn’t throw in the towel. In 1965, he published the Lance Newsletter (today the Lance Monthly) in Albuquerque to help put some of the local bands, including his own, on the map. It was during this time that Stewart formed Record collectibles which immediately signed many of these local bands which showed promise. In the late ‘60s, Stewart turned his attention toward another genre of music: Mexican/America Rancheras and formed Casanova Records. He released several vinyl record albums and singles by the popular New Mexico Mexican/American bands, and he and the Knights contributed four of their own instrumental offerings.
One of them was their version of “El Rancho Grande” which became an instant hit in the Mexican/American market of the Southwest and continues to this day to do well with downloads and listens on the Internet. RvStewartProductions (Record collectibles) is very active today. Record collectibles continues to release CD albums, most of them instrumental with King Richard and the Knights with Dick Stewart and Ritch Stewart at the helm. Dick Stewart has also been busy writing books on the history of early rock and roll, his latest being Fourteen Unsung Pioneers Who Didn’t Get Their Due. In addition, the Lance Monthly will once again post new issues. There’s a lot to see and much to take in at Record collectibles. So, take your time while enjoying the rest of the recently released King Richard and the Knights’ instrumental, “Phantom Riders.” When you give Record collectibles a call, you will be directly connected, so don't wait, call now!
How can I get in contact with someone from RV Stewart Productions (Record collectibles)?
You can get in touch with Record collectibles through three methods:
Phone for Record collectibles: 505-286-0623
Email for Record collectibles: rvstewartproductions@yahoo.com
Contact form: Use the contact form on our website to get in touch with Record collectibles.
Who were The Knights?
The Knights (a.k.a. King Richard and the Knights) had its beginnings in 1961 in Albuquerque, New Mexico (U.S.A.), during a time when instrumental rock ruled the world with The Ventures and The Fireballs leading the way. Thus, the band (or combo as it was called back then) became a Ventures/Fireballs-style band, playing 40 to 50 instrumental guitar songs per gig with no vocals other than a Chuck Berry tune here and there to break the monotony. By 1964, the band finally developed an identity and released "Precision" on a little label called Red Feather Records. This guitar instrumental with a classical piano accompaniment performed by the studio engineer, Dave Bonham, became a regional hit (chiefly due to the unique combination of these two music genres) and set the record for the most time at number one for a local release on the then ruling Albuquerque, New Mexico rock-and-roll AM radio station, KQEO. But when the Beatles invaded the U.S. in Feb. of 1964, it was a bad omen for The Knights. The Knights just couldn't give up their beloved rock instrumental efforts. After a few notable vocals on John Wagner Studios' Delta Records, the band disbanded in 1967.
When you give Record collectibles a call, you will be directly connected from someone from Record collectibles, so don't wait- call now!
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