The Sand Dollars - Bluish Bag b/w Moon Goddess (7" - Black Vinyl)

With The Sand Dollars’ fuzzy, psych versions of “Waterloo Bossa” (originally “Waterloo Sunset”) by the Kinks and Donovan’s “Get Thy Bearings” a few years back, they were some of the first offerings on F-Spots’ subsidiary label Pangea International Recording Co. This most triumphant return offering delves back into late 60’s vibrations once again with Producer Dan Ubick choosing two deep cuts from legendary film composers Henry Mancini & Don Ralke to re-imagine and give that psych edge. Joining The Sand Dollars this time around is friend and ace studio musician Mario Calire (Ozomatli, Nikka Costa, etc.) on drums.

First up is Mancini’s “Bluish Bag” from the Peter Gunn soundtrack. The version from the score is a beautiful, driving horn heavy tip of the cap to Miles Davis’ Kind Of Blue period (covered a few years later by Stanley Turrentine) but The Sand Dollars give it a funky, cinematic psych makeover with exotic percussion & vibes from Connie Price, screaming Hammond organ, fatback style drums courtesy of Calire and fuzzed out guitar by Ubick adding some welcome grit. 

Don Ralke’s “Moon Goddess” (originally from his Exotica classic The Savage & The Sensuous Bongos LP) get a shot of Fat Albert Rotunda-era Herbie fuzzy electric piano from Richard Donovan, tropical chicken scratch guitar, a hypnotic ostinato bass pattern from Julius Augustus and Calire’s slinky, flam heavy beat that echoes Morris Jennings Jr. on Afro-Harping by Dorothy Ashby.