The Sensational Guitars of Dan & Dale – Batman and Robin [1966; Tifton]

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Performed by a side-project of Sun Ra’s Arkestra, this album opens with a cover of the Batman TV series theme before moving on into interpretations of various elements from the Batman universe (e.g., “Penguin’s Umbrella”, “Batmobile Wheels”, and “The Bat Cave”).  The songs are performed in a blues rock style, with faint touches of jazz to the looseness of playing and riff treatments, and are generally kept quick, with most in the two-to-three-minute range (the ~7-minute “Batman and Robin Over the Roofs” being the exception).

Though the guitar-work gets the spotlight, the rest of the instruments put in strong showings, with the occasional use of ‘guest’ instruments (like a harmonica for “Joker is Wild”) lending some extra spice to the mix.  Some minor reuse of lead melodies, along with the main stable of the instruments not changing up too much throughout the album, does lead to some redundant flavoring, but for the most part, the quality of the playing helps lift the otherwise fairly insubstantial nature of the tribute.