★★
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.
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.
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