A companion piece to the same label's
Now and Then compilation of
Tornadoes career highlights,
Charge of the Tornadoes is a frenetic mixture of old and new, kicking off with a triumphant overture from
Bustin' Surfboards '98 before peeling seamlessly into the album of almost the same name that the band recorded 34 years earlier. Bustin' Surfboards is represented here by nine tracks, plus one session outtake, but unless you spend the day studying the accompanying booklet, try peeling them apart from the more recent cuts with which they're interspersed. The companion album's chronological caveat remains the same, but this time it scarcely seems to matter. No less than 26 tracks tell the story, including an unheard "Complete LP Mix" of the showstopping "The Gremmie" and the original band's signature takes on "Johnny B. Goode" and "Raw-Hide." All of which adds up to one hell of a good time for everyone in the room.