Posted on 10/13/2014 9:03:15 AM PDT by rktman
It is commonly understood that the period of the mid-1950s was a time of enormous change in American music. Even one of the mildest of Elvis Presley’s early hits — 1956’s “Hound Dog” — is obviously a very different thing than Patti Page’s 1953 hit “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window.” It is also commonly understood that the mid-to-late sixties was also a time of change, with almost as large a difference between the Beatles’ 1964 hit “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and Hendrix’s 1967 recording of “Purple Haze.”
But to many the in-between period appears to be rather bland and blank. In fact it was anything but. In the very early sixties, for instance, several musical styles were vying for attention and some of them were very inventive and exciting. One of these styles was called “surf music,” and arguments about it — which recordings, artists and styles are “best” — still continue to this day.
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I know there will be plenty of other choices. The one that got me interested in playing (attempting) to play guitar was the Jorgen Ingmann version of Apache that I first heard in '61 on some AM station in Mechanicsberg PA.
Bogus list.
They didn’t include ‘Wild Weekend’.
Not enough Beachboy tunes either, IMHO.
Glad to see Dick Dale mentioned. Dale was certainly not a great vocalist, but his guitar work is probably the best of all surf guitarists. Not just Misirlou but also his work on standards like Ghost Riders is amazing.
Roger that. If the list was honest it would be 9 Beach Boys songs plus Jan & Dean's "Surf City".
‘Night Owl’?
Maybe his best.
He was Lebanese and so the middle-east flavor to a lot of his music.
It can be argued by aficionados and players of the genre (like me) that proper surf music is instrumental.
If the point of the music is to evoke the sensation of riding a wave, the anticipation, elation and aftermath of same, then lyrics and vocal parts can be viewed as surplus to requirements, even distracting. Surf’s simplicity - two guitars, bass, Fender amplifiers and a basic drumkit, along with mostly novice musicians - is its calling card.
I suppose it’s an insider/outsider debate but surf compilations (from Guitar Player Magazine, Rhino Records, et al) usually restrict themselves to instrumentals.
"SURF CITY" by Jan and Dean is #9 on the list.
I’m with you. Dick Dale is the ‘benchmark’ for all surf music.
I am glad to see that he not only made the list, but made the top of the list.
He is usually forgotten, but not today.
I see Jan and Dean, Dick Dale mentioned, I guess the list is "okay", probably need a real "local" though to tell us what it's about.
I saw that there were dozens if not more of surf groups back then (the way there became a lot of "garage bands" too a little later on), this one fellow pointed me out to some sort of multi-CD release of some of the more obscure Surf bands. In fact here it is titled "Surf Age Nuggets":
Brian Wilson was greatly influenced by Dick Dale. In the early 60s, Brian would go and listen to Dick Dale when he played around the So Cal area. I really think the fact that Mr. Dale didn’t use vocals prevented him from being as widely known as the Beach Boys.
Love his music. On Miserlou, Dick Dale is the one playing the trumpet.
There are quite a few I remember - pipeline, wipe out, walk don’t run, telstar, surfin bird, surf city, surfin usa, out of limits, etc. However a special mention to “surf rider” by the Lively Ones that closed the movie Pulp Fiction.
The Trashmen: Kuk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klyljBc24G0
The Trashmen: Surfin Bird
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gc4QTqslN4
The Scramblers: Go, Gilera, Go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzGU764S5OM
The Tradewinds: New York’s a Lonely Town
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wvoMVeaVuc
We have a large backyard with pool that is set up for parties with a nice sound system. One day I was out back puttering and had stuck in a Best of the Beach Boys cd. I came around one corner of the house and heard my neighbor, working in his back yard, singing loudly along with Surfer Girl. lol
I was getting worried, going through the list, that he was going to be left out. Finding him at #1 made it ok by me.
Changing subjects slightly, I had a 45 of Wipe Out as a little kid in the 60s. I was glad to see that on the list.
I agree with that although Dale does tend to stay 'close to home' in terms of the style he developed.
On the other hand, it can be argued that surf music evolved from Chuck Berry (in the case of the Beach Boys) and especially the Ventures (in the case of most others), who hit #2 with Walk Don't Run in '60 and made the top 10 again with an updated version in '64 as well as many instrumental hits, covers, and millions of records sold here and abroad, particularly in Japan thanks to the absence of a language barrier.
Thanks for that bit of info. I thought Misirlou had more of a middle-eastern sound to it rather than surfer style.
You mean 'Spudnik' written by the Ventures? ;)
The Lively Ones' version is obviously more well known especially after its inclusion in Pulp Fiction.
Where’s WIPEOUT!
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