★★

On the Move (Surfing Around the World)
The Challengers
// 1963 on Vault Records (LPV 102 / LP 102)
4.0
Foot Tapper / On Broadway / Happy Cowboy / The Breeze And I/ Hava Nagila / Dance On / Apache / Guitar Tango / Adventures In Paradise / On The Move
Album Review:
The Challengers concluded 1963 by straying away from the surfing theme of their previous albums in order to incorporate some new rep into their canon.
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The bouncy "Foot Tapper" is enjoyable enough, while the sleepy "On Broadway" is accentuated by a male chorus and some brass. Billy Vaughn's "Happy Cowboy" get's a surfy makeover with some Latin trumpets to boot. Possibly the album's surfiest note, "The Breeze and I," is also a nice addition. The Israeli folksong "Hava Nagila' also fits nicely in among the other tracks. "Dance On" is a fine number, while the Shadows' "Apache" gets a solid
readthrough. "Adventures in Paradise" is instantly forgettable. "On the Move" closes out its brief 10-track excursion.
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Filled with reverby "ahhs" and prominent organs, On the Move is a departure from the exciting surfing sounds that characterize the rest of the band's catalog. Thankfully, the Challengers would return to their surfing roots with their next release, making Move a curiosity in the group's output.

CHOICE CUTS:
THE BREEZE AND I