# Help me build a surf music collection **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 25, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871 "2011-01-25T02:44:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/21 "2011-01-25T16:27:52Z")
[Surfin’ Bird](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZThquH5t0ow)! And other songs by The Trashmen. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/22 "2011-01-25T16:54:39Z")
Davie Allan & the Arrows did some good surf-style stuff. Trivia: The Turtles started out as a surf-rock group called the Crossfires (or the Crossfires from the Planet Mars). An LP of old Crossfires tracks was released back around 1980; it was pretty good. Also check out [“Chiquita”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCtNeJSfEKg) by the Dave Clark Five. I have a 45 called “Blue Bell Bounce” by the Blue Echoes that is a great surf tune; Google tells me it’s available on a couple of CD anthologies. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/23 "2011-01-25T17:14:29Z")
Popped in to mention the [Blue Stingrays](http://www.amazon.com/Surf-N-Burn-Blue-Stingrays/dp/B000001INM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295974931&sr=8-1), although it doesn’t look like their sole album is available on MP3 (I don’t have iTunes on this computer to see if it’s available from Apple). _Surf-N-Burn_ is a ton o’ fun (and word on the beach is that the Blue Stingrays were actually Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, \*sans \*Tom Petty). I’ll also second/third/fourth the recommendations of The Mermen and Los Straitjackets for newer sounds. Jan and Dean, also mentioned earlier, created my favorite surf song with vocals, _[Ride the Wild Surf](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JKHzx5L_3g)_. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/24 "2011-01-25T18:30:13Z")
From the '80s garage, [the Surf Trio](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH_dTgHFPGE&feature=related)! This thread’s gonna make me dig out a bunch of vinyl. ---
**Author:** ![Shadowfyre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfyre/32/9972_2.png) [@Shadowfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadowfyre)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/25 "2011-01-25T19:44:44Z")
You might want to listen to [Gary Hoey](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=gary+hoey&x=0&y=0) as well. He’s of a more recent breed of surf guitarists. I really like his covers, but some of his originals are kinda boring. He’s mostly known for his “Ho Ho Hoey” albums where he does guitar covers of Christmas songs. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/26 "2011-01-25T19:52:36Z")
> [@yanceylebeef](#): > > Nah, Neo-Surf was a named my friend coined to talk about the new bands putting out great surf music. You are totally safe there;) [The Blue Hawaiians](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3297ar0qUw), for example. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/27 "2011-01-25T20:09:20Z")
[Duane Eddy can do surf-like](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldcPMecWA4k). I don’t see [The Belairs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAWiVTwJG9k&feature=fvw) mentioned yet. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/28 "2011-01-25T22:26:06Z")
From _The Book of Rock Lists_ by Dave Marsh and Kevin Stein, c. 1981: **10 GREAT SURF BANDS Not Including the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, or Even Jack Nitzsche:** 1. THE CHANTAYS, “Pipeline” 2. DICK DALE AND THE DEL-TONES, “Misilou [sic],” “Let’s Go Trippin’” 3. THE SURFARIS, “Wipe Out,” “Surfer Joe” 4. THE TRASHMEN,\* “Surfin’ Bird” 5. THE PYRAMIDS, “Penetration” 6. THE WAILERS, "Tall Cool One’ 7. THE SENTINALS, “Latinia” 8. THE MARKETTS, “Surfer’s Stomp” 9. THE TRADE WINDS,\*\* “New York’s a Lonely Town” 10. THE REVELS, “Church Key” \*Okay, so they were from Minnesota. They still played real surf music, reverb guitars and all. \*\*Okay, so they were from Providence, Rhode Island, and mostly a vocal group, when the great surf bands were all-instrumental. But Narragansett Beach is the hottest surf spot on the East Coast, so at least they know what they were talking about. And every landlocked Midwesterner who heard “New York’s a Lonely Town” finally knew the truth about the music and himself. So how could we omit it? 11. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vYdRz-EOFk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vYdRz-EOFk) 12. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dKrVQ8QvXA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dKrVQ8QvXA) 13. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at7N2jIvTnE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at7N2jIvTnE) 14. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_GdHfd1-XOA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GdHfd1-XOA) 15. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USzKI23v1ig](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USzKI23v1ig) 16. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fusj7QxEXTg](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fusj7QxEXTg) ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/29 "2011-01-25T22:32:07Z")
I’d nominate Sublime - Paddle Out (of course) but most of that album is quite surf-y In a totally other direction - maybe some super chill electronica? Like “Eple” by Royksopp ? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/30 "2011-01-25T22:42:43Z")
Thanks so much folks. Tonight I’m gonna do some shopping. Since I’m unemployed, I’m gonna be really cheap and picky. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/31 "2011-01-26T02:17:13Z")
The Bambi Molesters are a modern band with a sort of hip version of surf: > **[The Bambi Molesters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bambi_Molesters)** > > The Bambi Molesters were a surf rock band from Sisak, Croatia, founded in 1995. > They performed regularly in Croatia and all over Europe, often opening for the US rock band R.E.M. They released five studio albums from 1997 until 2013. In collaboration with Chris Eckman, leader of the gothic-americana band The Walkabouts, the project "The Strange" was born. In 2018, after 23 years, they announced on Facebook that they would disband 'It's time for a new era' but did not reveal any reasons.\[1 The t... [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxanY3pb11g) ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/32 "2011-01-26T02:27:06Z")
The video leaves me underwhelmed but I think the [Drums’ “Let’s Go Surfin”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OsTUnkqSi4) is a great modern example of surf rock that manages to stake out a little original territory in a genre that has a pretty narrow focus. It has this energy that manages to feel both zestful and mellow at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/33 "2011-01-26T12:51:36Z")
Don’t forget the North Coast lament: _There’s No Surf in Cleveland_ by the entirely bogus Euclid Beach Band. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4diS3khW-5k/hqdefault.jpg "The Euclid Beach Band-No Surf In Cleveland") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4diS3khW-5k) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/34 "2011-01-26T18:24:05Z")
Some other “modern” surf groups that’ve turned out good music: Pollo del Mar, The Torquays, Rudy and the Surf Kings and The Halibuts. _Rudy and the Surf Kings Do Christmas_ has a great rocking version of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies” that would be a staple of my Xmas favorites list, if I had one. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/35 "2011-01-26T18:34:51Z")
My car radio is switched off from before Halloween through New Year to avoid any and all Christmassy music crap. I’m sure you mean well but that is one tune I won’t be checking out. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/36 "2011-01-26T20:12:19Z")
The Beach Boys’s best surf tune wasn’t one of their hits, it was a song entitled “Don’t Back Down”. Pure gold, I’m tellin’ ya…I promise it’s worth the $0.99 if you can find it. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/38 "2011-02-03T08:18:19Z")
I made a first round of purchasing. I need to shop slowly on unemployment income. I figure I can pick up a few each month. Here’s what I got: Mystery Planet – The Bomboras Bikini Drag – The Pyramids Killer Dana – The Chantays Stormtail – The Aquamarines Phoebe’s Got a New Bikini – Severine Devereaux Super Rocket Rumble - Man or Astro-man? C’mon Do the Laika! – Laika & The Cosmonauts Son of Daikaiju – Daikaiju Wrong Turn – Bambi Molesters El Niño – Red Elvises Thanks for all the ideas and I’m not done with them yet! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/39 "2011-02-07T19:12:08Z")
[Eddie & the Showmen](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLujo3BEU7E) [The Fireballs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XphILtdWqk) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/40 "2011-02-07T19:18:54Z")
[The Duals](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CNcehcJayc&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871/41 "2011-09-05T03:01:27Z")
I picked up a few more surf songs with my first paycheck from the new job. Most were based on suggestions from this thread, though sometimes a picked a different cover version that I liked better. Stick Shift - The Duals Squad Car - Los Straitjackets Tall Cool One - The Ventures Neptunes Revenge - The Mermen The Whales - The Mermen Soul Surfin’ - The Mermen Pipeline - Chantay’s So, thanks again folks. I will build the collection slowly and steadily. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-build-a-surf-music-collection/568871.md?page=3)