Editorial Reviews

An instantly recognizable bargain bin staple since the late '70s, thanks to their colorful comic book covers tracing the romantic life of an Everycouple named Peg and Eddie, the Cruisin' series of discs are built on a brilliant concept: each disc is devoted to a single year, with hit songs, local commercials, station jingles, and news headlines all presided over by a noted DJ from the era for a near-perfect re-creation of that year's AM radio experience. Cruisin' 1966 stars Pat O'Day at KJR in Seattle, even then a rock & roll city of some renown, based on the groups listed during an announcement of a local battle of the bands. Hewing largely to a light pop play list, including Bobby Hebb's "Sunny," Tommy Roe's "Sweet Pea," and the Happenings' "See You in September," the disc still makes room for garagey raveups like the Count Five's immortal "Psychotic Reaction" and Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs' leering "Lil Red Riding Hood." The commercials and audio ephemera are a similarly varied lot, with repeated promotional references to the now-obscure Frankie Avalon film The Big Kahuna mixing with a 50th anniversary salute to Seattle's main employer, Boeing Aircraft, and a commercial for a local poultry farm. This is a compilation nearly as varied as the year it documents. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

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