The Raybeats were Don Christensen, Jody Harris, Pat Irwin and the late George Scott. The music they focus on were sounds of The Shadows and The Tornados, but with the aesthetic of the No Wave era. Since all the musicians were members of James Chance's The Contortions, or James White & The Blacks, there is a crossover of New York sophistication that reminds me a bit of The Lounge Lizards as well. All is a very good thing because The Raybeats are terrific.
The guitar work of Harris and Irwin are twangy, but with distortion effects that brings the picture of the sounds to another level. For me, I adore The Shadows as well as The Tornados and there is equal respect for the guitarist Hank Marvin as well as a nod by the "Guitar Beat's producer, Martin Rushent to the outer space sounds of Joe Meek. There have been revival bands devoted to surf/instrumental, but The Raybeats' attitude is different. They are not here to imitate but to add their own sense of adventure with sound and vision. If James White & The Blacks commented on the Disco medium, then The Raybeats play with the genre that is surf instrumental. The Raybeats music is sharp, sophisticated, fun, and an eye out for the avant-garde. Their music is a heady mixture.
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