# Surf Music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 30, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868 "2005-03-30T01:50:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/1 "2005-03-30T01:50:41Z")
As a companion-piece to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=309354), who’s you favourite ‘surf band’? I don’t really have a favourite, since that kind of music is a bit ‘before my time’. But there are two songs I remember from when I was very, very young. I think my parents or sister must have had the records, or else they were still popular enough to be played on the radio: _Surfer Joe_ by The Surfaris, and _Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport_. (The latter isn’t a surf song, but it’s the other song I remember from ‘way back’.) Right now I’m listening to a band from Bellingham called Clambake. It has kind of a ‘surfy’ sound. I have The Surfaris on deck for when this CD is over. So how about it? Dick Dale? The Mermen? Jan & Dean? Santos & Johnny? The Beach Boys? Who do you like? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/2 "2005-03-30T02:00:53Z")
Heh. I just wanted to say that the Clambake CD is now playing _The Completely Unwarranted Attack of the Zombie Gravediggers_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/3 "2005-03-30T02:08:15Z")
Dick Dale. (The master) The Raybeats Los Straightjackets. Man or Astroman. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/4 "2005-03-30T02:09:39Z")
To me, the ultimate surf song has to be **“California Sun” by the Rivieras**. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/5 "2005-03-30T02:10:38Z")
My fav “original surf” bands are Dick dale and the Ventures, for modern surf I like the Looney Tunes and Lost Straightjackets. There is also a local band named Big Ray and the Futuras that I used to go see a lot. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/6 "2005-03-30T02:12:16Z")
I’ve never seen the ocean or a surfboard. But I own everything The Beach Boys have released (and everything that they haven’t released). I can only listen to the period after Brian sent the group on the road and hired The Wrecking Crew to be his band. For drummers, I’ll take Hal Blaine over Dennis Wilson anyday. I like some of Jan & Dean, too. Were Santo & Johnny considered a surf group? _Sleep Walk_ is beautiful, but I never thought of it as surf music. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/7 "2005-03-30T02:22:07Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > I’ve never seen the ocean or a surfboard. > > Were Santo & Johnny considered a surf group? _Sleep Walk_ is beautiful, but I never thought of it as surf music. You live in a state with water on three sides, and you’ve never seen the ocean? (I understand surfing isn’t great in Floridarrrrr. Sorry, Pirate accent.) I only know _Sleep Walk_ by Santo & Johnny, but it sounds ‘surfy’ to me. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/8 "2005-03-30T02:28:21Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > _Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport_. (The latter isn’t a surf song, but it’s the other song I remember from ‘way back’.) … by Rolf Harris. Not that you asked, but it’s so rare I get first crack at even an _implied_ trivia question on these boards! ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/9 "2005-03-30T02:28:41Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > You live in a state with water on three sides, and you’ve never seen the ocean? The first 39 years of my life were spent far, far from an ocean. I’ve seen the Atlantic from Jacksonville. No surfin’ there! There isn’t much wave action on the Gulf. What I meant was the _real_ ocean, where people surf as a way of life. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/10 "2005-03-30T02:28:57Z")
> [@](#): > > So how about it? Dick Dale? The Mermen? Jan & Dean? Santos & Johnny? The Beach Boys? Who do you like? Heh. I see The Mermen quite frequently. I saw them last Thursday, as a matter of fact. (Well, in the case of last Thursday it was the Shitones - Jim Thomas and Jennifer Burnes with a different drummer). ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/11 "2005-03-30T02:53:10Z")
Dick Dale rocks, but my all-time favorite surf tune in _Pipeline_ by the Chantays. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/12 "2005-03-30T03:32:57Z")
I do like Dick Dale and the Ventures and such, but I am also pretty young (relatively) and so like things like man or Astro-Man and Satan’s Pilgrims and a bunch out of Ghent called Fifty-Foot Combo. Oh, I heard a Pixies cover by a band called Luna Surf which sounded pretty sweet-- surf with a lot of distortion and synth machines. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/13 "2005-03-30T04:27:49Z")
Rhino Records put out an album about a decade ago that’s just about perfect. Called simply _Surfin’ Hits_, it has the following songs on it: Surfin’ Safari! / Beach Boys Ride the Wild Surf / Jan & Dean Wipe Out / Surfers Pipeline / Chantays Miserlou / Dick Dale & his Del-Tones Surfin’ Bird / Trashmen Out of Limits / Marketts Surf City / Jan & Dean Surfin’ USA / Beach Boys Penetration / Pyramids Let’s Go Trippin’ / Dick Dale & his Del-Tones Surfer Joe / Surfaris The Lonely Surfer / Jack Nitzsche New York’s a Lonely Town / Trade Winds. From a very good list, it’s hard to beat the wonderfulness of “Pipeline.” Cowabunga, **Labdad**. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/14 "2005-03-30T05:11:14Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Rhino Records put out an album about a decade ago that’s just about perfect. > > Called simply _Surfin’ Hits_, it has the following songs on it: > > Surfin’ Safari! / Beach Boys > Ride the Wild Surf / Jan & Dean > Wipe Out / Surfers > Pipeline / Chantays > Miserlou / Dick Dale & his Del-Tones > Surfin’ Bird / Trashmen > Out of Limits / Marketts > Surf City / Jan & Dean > Surfin’ USA / Beach Boys > Penetration / Pyramids > Let’s Go Trippin’ / Dick Dale & his Del-Tones > Surfer Joe / Surfaris > The Lonely Surfer / Jack Nitzsche > New York’s a Lonely Town / Trade Winds. > > From a very good list, it’s hard to beat the wonderfulness of “Pipeline.” Cowabunga, **Labdad**. I disagree. That comp may be OK for the casual listener (i.e., people that say “Is this, like, the music from, like, Pulp Fiction? That movie was, like, weird. I didn’t get it.”), but it has way too many vocal tracks and novelty records for a true surf music aficionado. IMHO A true surf comp has all/mostly all instro cuts. OTOH, the Rhino 4 disc surf box is a good effort. ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/15 "2005-03-30T05:23:39Z")
My favorite person in that ill-defined category is Link Wray. He wasn’t aligned with surf rock, though he did stuff like “run chicken run” and “harlem by the sea,” both of which would become perfunctory surf standards. He’s most famous for “rumble,” but his catalogue is just AMAZING to listen to. Totally insane, ridiculously heavy and twangy rocking about 10 years before Dick Dale or Duane Eddy or anyone else jumped onboard. Also, he had a fucking lung removed and is STILL out there rocking today at almost 70 years old. His 2CD [“Mr. Guitar” Compilation](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000001UFW/ref=m_art_li_14/102-4476441-2656944?v=glance&s=music) is essential. Oops - looks like it’s out of print. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/16 "2005-03-30T05:35:49Z")
I love the twang of surf guitar! “Miserlou” by Dick Dale is one of the perfect songs of all time, but give me Link Wray, Duane Eddy, the Ventures, the Lively Ones, Los Straitjackets, Man Or Astroman, Laika and the Cosmonauts, the Volcanos (amazing little-known Michigan surf band), and especially the King of the Surf Guitar, Mr. Dale and his Del-Tones. Hell, let Brian Setzer and Portishead’s Adrian Utley sit in with them–they can certainly capture the sound. I can’t get enough of that surf/spy sound. For those who are into the garage rock but still love their surfy twang, check out the Raveonettes, a Danish duo who specialize in short, fast, fuzzy, trashy reverb-drenched rock ‘n’ roll. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/17 "2005-03-30T05:49:32Z")
Dick Dale, absolutely!! Seen him many times, sheer bliss. The Ventures. Beach Boys and Jan and Dean aren’t surf. Beach music maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Hook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@Hook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hook)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/18 "2005-03-30T12:40:21Z")
My first real memory of surf music, and still one of my favorites, is **“Bombora”** by **The Atlantics**. Heavy on the drumming and amazing guitar work. ---
**Author:** ![TwoTrouts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@TwoTrouts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoTrouts)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/19 "2005-03-30T13:26:13Z")
For a modern, twisted surf band check out the **Reventlos**. The first CD, _Essential Reventlo_, is chock full of great surf instrumentals.If you live in the LA area, check out their live shows. They are fronted by two fabulous guitarists! ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868/20 "2005-03-30T14:16:43Z")
> [@jimpatro](#): > > Beach Boys and Jan and Dean aren’t surf. Beach music maybe? Not really. “Beach Music” was an east coast phenomenon - something I associate with Myrtle Beach, SC, but I guess it went all along the Atlantic seaboard. The Tams (“Be Young, Be Foolish”), the O’Kaysions ("I’m A Girl Watcher), the Swingin’ Medallions (“Double Shot of My Baby’s Love”), and General Johnson all are good examples of Beach Music. > [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > it’s hard to beat the wonderfulness of “Pipeline.” Cowabunga, **Labdad**. Cowabunga right back atcha! 🆒 Incidentally, while it doesn’t give me the warm fuzzies that the Chantays version does, you should definitely check out [_King of the Surf Guitar: The Best of Dick Dale_](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=ADFEAEE4781CDF49A97620C8852D1599E620D210DF4BF58150234558C0B73844810473FD0FBADACDAEF875B47CE3F624A45305D6C2FE2781&sql=10:mxfm961o3ep6). That disc contains the best thing to come out of the 1987 Frankie Avalon/Annette Funicello reunion film “Back to the Beach.” The film was a piece of dreck, but the soundtrack featured “Pipeline” as performed by **Dick Dale _and_ Stevie Ray Vaughan!!!** Listening to those two trade licks on my favorite surf tune definitely gives me shivers! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surf-music/296868.md?page=2)