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THE HARD RIDE

Kevin FergusonWed. June 11
 

Davie Allan takes on Peter Fonda, fuzz guitar and Nazi bikers


ILLUSTRATION by JOE MCGARRY

Davie Allan comes from the era when bands wore uniforms and stood motionless on black and white TV, changing positions only when the camera did. Back then, he and his band were just “the Arrows” and America had the patience to watch a televised hour-long set from a singerless surf band. Now it’s Davie Allan and the Arrows—it’s been that way since 1967. And it’s not surf anymore, either; that also stopped in ‘67. That was when he started his career as the preeminent biker movie score composer: He recorded “Blues’ Theme” for The Wild Angels, a Peter Fonda Nazi-biker B-movie that predated—and inspired, according to Fonda—Easy Rider by three years.

“Blues’ Theme”—the first song Eddie Van Halen ever learned—shares elements with surf rock: the tempo is fast, a lead guitar drives the melody throughout, and the drums keep a steady simple beat in the background. But the real difference is the guitar: Dick Dale once said he hated his own early records because of his guitar’s screechy, tinny tone, which makes me wonder why he never borrowed Davie Allan’s rig. Davie’s 1965 Jazzmaster (which he still uses today) is deeply effected, sounding fat and dirty even on his earliest recordings. “Blues’ Theme” is a louder and more aggressive kind of instrumental, fit more for a knife fight than a bonfire.

Call it “biker rock” or “melodic grunge,” as Allan said in an interview a few years ago, but he hasn’t changed it very much. “Malfunction in Sector 9” was recorded in ‘96 but could easily slide into any one of his biker soundtracks, like The Devil’s Angel or Glory Stompers: guttural guitar, spooky minor-key melody, distorted bass. The songs are timeless because they’re period pieces for a period that never lost its relevance. The rebel, the road, and that particularly Western combination of freedom and violence are going to be with us for a long time, and alongside them will always be a place for the music of Davie Allan.

DAVIE ALLAN AND THE ARROWS WITH THE VOLCANICS AND THE VENGENTS THE JUKE JOINT | 735 N ANAHEIM BLVD | ANAHEIM 92805 | FRI 8PM | FREE | 21+

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Viewing 3 Comments

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    Yeah, lovely and unreal read...thanx. :) . Actually, few people speak about another song by the Arrows from that period called "Mind transferral".....a real psychedelic 'nugget' of all time....preceded 'stoner' songs by years. Regarding Wild Angels being a Nazi-biker movie, I have my doubts.....Iron Crosses and swastikas have always been rock icons but that doesn't mean the people who used them were right-wing.....the same controversy happened yrs later with the "SS" in KISS......history repeating :)

    Rob
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    The Wild Angels movie was a bit racy and shocking to me, upon first viewing. After that, it just became sort of camp. It is best viewed as an adolescent fantasy. The wild and crazy antics of the characters are not to be emulated.

    Davie Allan, in real life, is a very kind, gentle, polite fellow. Even though he wrote soundtracks for a lot of "biker hoodlum" movies, you couldn't meet a more personable, friendly, accessible and genuinely decent fellow. He is a great musician, keeps creating new music to this day. His web site is www DOT davieallan DOT com He'd love to hear from you.
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    I think I have already visited that site........or was it another one ??! :).
    Thanx and fuzz on !
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