Truck “Surprise! Surprise!”
Despite turning in one of the best forgotten pop records of the psych era, not much information can be found on the Malaysian band Truck. This may be due to their somewhat generic name, though I suspect it was their incredibly short lived existence as a side project from the group “The October Cherries” that relegated them to obscurity.
Comprised of a fellow named Diaz and two brothers named Shotam, Truck released only one album, 1974’s Surprise, Surprise. The songs are solid throughout and certainly wouldn’t have been out of place on American radio of the time. On first listen, “Surprise, Surprise” certainly recalls “Odessy and Oracle”, but a few spins will reveal a strong Paul McCartney influence, especially the Wings-like use of the moog.
The vocals are reminiscent of Graham Nash, although I actually prefer Truck’s vocalist better. His doubletracked voice expertly navigates the songs, from the confident recitation of “Earth Song” to the soulful emoting of “Broken Chair”.
The most surprising aspect of this record is how consistent the songs are. There really isn’t a dud here- even the goofiness of “Take me Ohio” dissappears after multiple listens and becomes one of the more enjoyable tunes .
Surprise Surprise is a superbly crafted record, and it’s a shame not much more was ever heard of Truck. Luckily it has been reissued on Spanish label Guerssen, so it is relatively easy to find.
“Surprise, Surprise”
CD Reissue | 2004 | Guerssen | buy here ]
Orig Vinyl | 1972 | search ebay ]
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Agree. I absolutely love this record. It reminds me a lot of the best Merry-Go-Round or Emitt Rhoads tracks.
Never heard of this one but it sounds very good – gotta have this one….excellent review Frank…
Thank you. This album absolutely floored me the first time I heard it. It’s hard to imagine that something so good could be buried for so long, but that’s what The Rising Storm is here for.
If anyone ever finds any music by Truck’s parent group “The October Cherries”, please drop me a line here. I’m still searching…
yes surprise surprise, surprised myself too by being born that year – this music reminds me of We All Together, band from Peru, good tunes
I am surprised that their 2nd lp under the name Col Truck “one fine day” 1976 Baal, is so cheap when it contains some really great tracks including 4 overlapping tracks found on their 1st from 1974 which sells for $500 to $1000. What gives with the difference in price? Yes, surprise surprise is fantastic front to back however this one not only includes 4 great overlapping tracks done a bit differently which makes this essential on its own but there are several other tracks unique to this release that are fantastic like the McCartney esque ramblin broom & all these geese plus The Bee Gees/tin tin like hello people & all things work for good. An album that was out of its time and place for 1976 but has aged really really well. By the way, the main difference between the two albums is this newer one removed the cheesy synth parts that the 1974 had and some felt marred it. Highest recommendation to get this lp along with jade and peppers only lp.