ALBUMS REVIEWS : S,T,U

Note : Due to regular updating these reviews are not in strict alphabetical order

OK, let's get it straight here ... these guys are not rock'n'roll by any stretch of the imagination - they are pure 100% East Coast folkies who clearly jumped onto the

hot-rod bandwagon when the tyres got hot and figured a few extra kudos amongst the rodders may well drag 'em in in a few more sales. Fair enough, but did it work ?

Well, in all honesty, despite being the merry little bunch that gave us "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" back in '62, this is actually an enjoyable, if rather saccharine offering, with all but four of the tracks being from the groups own pens - but it just ain't rock'n'roll. Right from the opening number, the upbeat "Let's Go To The Drag Strip" it becomes apparent that the village clubs are their home. The harmonies are tight, the backing vocals are precise ... it's all too nice.

"Two Cars" has them closely harmonising once again, fingers pressed against the ears, both eyes closed, banjos a-pluckin' ... and the similar sounding "Candy Apple Vette" is equally as enchanting, handled with beauty and precision - but rock'n'roll they simply ain't. "Little Hot-Rod Suzie", "Dirt Track Twister" and "My Friend's Car" are all thoroughly good tunes, full of drive and beat, and the cover versions of "Little Deuce Coupe", "Shut Down" and "409" also kick some folk-butt (although "My First Set Of Wheels" is a poor-man's "Schlock Rod", and "Little Snow White Coupe" is simply nauseating) but guess what ? Rock'n'roll they ain't ...

But hey, wait a minute ... what's this ? This is a damn fine version of "Drag City" playing now. This is more like it ! THIS is what I call rock'n'ro ...

Oh damn, the album's finshed ...

When the Surfaris reached the Billboard #2 spot during the early summer of 1963, with their self-composed instrumental anthem “Wipe Out”, they undoubtedly introduced much of the slumbering American public to the new musical genre of ‘surf music’, for whilst The Beach Boys were beginning to take off on a national scale with their popular vocal interpretations the real backbone of surf music lay in the driving, passionate west coast rhythms of the guitar-based instrumentals. The forerunner of the genre, Dick Dale, had never broken nationally and so when this five-piece band from Glendora CA cracked the whip the nation stood up and took notice.

The first time the band appeared on an album was on the Dot Records album “Wipe Out”, and whilst this release was credited to the group they actually only appeared on two of the tracks – and so the first ‘official’ Surfaris album lies with Decca’s “The Surfaris Play”, released during the late fall of 1963. This 13-track offering is possibly the closest that came to the original Surfaris sound – the inspiration being the raw instrumental music they perfected so early on. However, it must be noted that in drummer Ron Wilson they also possessed one of the finest vocalists on the L.A. scene and his vocal contributions are often, and unfairly overlooked, and none more so than on the amusing tale of “Surfer Joe”, notably the very first track the band actually recorded. Much of the remainder of this debut album follows the pattern set out by “Wipe Out”, with the equally dynamic “Point Panic” and “Waikiki Run”, the former also going as far as to include a similar screeching laugh before Wilson’s pummelling drum break kicks in.

Unfortunately, from then onwards, with the guidance of Decca Records behind them, the group appeared to lose direction and impact, caught in between the instrumental sound that had given them their initial rise to fame, and the more widely accessible vocal ‘pop’ sound that the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean purveyed so successfully. There then followed three mildly enjoyable album releases that combined the two differing aspects of ‘surf music’. On one hand they retained their loyalty to the original sounds, as heard on “Scatter Shield” and “Hiawatha” (both on “Hit City 64”), and “Big Surge” (from “Fun City USA”) – and opposing that sound came the commercialised songs and cover versions that ran throughout the remainder of the releases - “Little Deuce Coupe”, “Be True To Your School”, “Sugar Shack” , “Louie Louie” and “I Wanna Take A Trip To The Islands”. However, from a group perspective, the big change in their sound came about when studio wizard Gary Usher began to take a more creative role in their recordings. He had initially assisted in the studio during the sessions for the second album, “Hit City 64”, offering background support on a few of the vocal numbers, and contributing with the Usher/Christian number “Wax, Board & Woodie”, and for the follow-up release the group became the first act to record the classic Usher/Christian composition, “Hot Rod High”. Yet by the time “Hit City 65” appeared, Usher and regular team of studio musicians had all but removed the familiar Surfaris sound, and had replaced it with the more comfortable ‘Hondells’ pattern. The original five group members still contributed to the recording duties, but with the backing of Decca Records, and under the full production of Gary Usher, the tracks were now ‘filled out’ with the familiar team of Tommy Tedesco, Bill Cooper, Richie Podolor and Dick Burns, with Burns, Usher, Joe Kelly and Chuck Girard providing the majority of the vocals behind Ron Wilson. Needless to say, this change of events didn’t sit comfortably with Wilson, Pash, Berryhill, Fuller and Connolly, who all felt that their individuality was being taken away from them – but Decca believed in what Gary Usher could offer, regardless of simmering group tensions. Shortly after the sessions for the fourth album Pat Connolly quit the group … and the group struggled on for one further folk-orientated release before fading away.

Looking back at the succession of ‘surf-related’ albums issued under the name of The Surfaris, there are without doubt a number of excellent recordings – from the previously mentioned surf instrumentals of the debut album, through to the excellent versions of Usher’s own compositions, “My Little Bike” and “My Buddy Seat” - but throughout the forty-nine tracks within one can almost hear the lifeblood of what was once an innocent band, thriving on the sounds surrounding them, being sucked away … The Surfaris themselves were being clinically “wiped out” …

This one’s a bit of a strange one ! Appearing right at the pinnacle of the surf-era, mid 1964, this was initially conceived as a response to the success that the Revell model and toy company had been receiving via their connection with a number of surf/hot-rod related releases. The Chicago-based Hawk Model Company, owned by one Reuben Klamer (who also took production credits for this album) were eager to capitalise in the achievements of their rivals, and they linked up with producer, composer and arranger Jimmie Haskell, who in turn lined up Gary Usher and his seasoned recording crew to produce an album to assist promoting their products. They quickly churned out a dozen tunes, all built around the various model kits marketed by Hawk, six of which focussed on the surf sound (and credited to The Silly Surfers), whilst the remaining six were aimed at the hot-rod market (and ‘performed’ by The Weird-Ohs). Such shrewd marketing strategy actually proved to be quite successful and, like Revell, the Hawk Model Company bathed in a revitalised exposure …

And yet … some forty years later, the tunes don’t really hold up that well. They were never to be taken too seriously. Pseudo-comical vocals, weird sound effects, and with such knock-off titles as “Hodad Makin’ The Scene With A 6-Pack”, “Cowabunga ! Surf’s Up !” “Daddy The Swingin’ Suburbanite” and “Davy The Psycho Cyclist” … how could they be ? Yes, they’re fun to listen to … once or twice, but it’s only the clever catchy melody that runs through “Beach Bunny Catchin’ Rays” that will make you give it a spin on a more regular basis. The remaining tunes sound like a bunch of cheap TV ads … which is ultimately what they were composed for in the first place !

Note: Interestingly, the concept was taken one step further shortly afterwards, with the two individual 'acts' featured here being afforded a full LP release each, under their own names (see elsewhere) ...

Hmmm – when I put this vinyl oldie down onto the turntable I expected at least some kind of relevance to the original rock’n’roll rhythms of surf music. Just a tiny bit would have been nice. But alas, no, for what we have here is a bunch of instantly forgettable lightweight, jazz/swing instrumentals, cleverly titled to dupe the purchaser (myself included) to parting with the bucks.

The Sunsets apparently (according to the sleeve notes) consist of “Little Jam” Jelly and his group, but whoah … hold on there, for later in the very same notes he’s called “Little Jam” JOLLY !!

OK, so even the record company execs themselves don’t even know who the actual damn performers are, but apparently Jelly/Jolly “is a surfer, and a good friend … loving the sport of surfing as he does, he has dedicated his creative efforts to songs about surfing … this music really rocks hard and has a great beat … blah, blah,blah …

Zero stars of recommendation. Zilch. Nada …