Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA
Collection: GNP Crescendo Sampler - 40th Anniversary 1954-1994dotdotdot
artworkThis rare label sampler includes nine surf tracks, with the rest of the CD coming from various Neil Norman sessions that are unrelated to surf. Most of this is available on the Bustin' Surfboards comp.
Picks: The Good Guys - Happy Guitars, Duck Waddle, Surf-Ari, Sidewalk Surfer (R. J. Mike), The Surf Raiders - The Curl Rider, The Tornadoes - Bustin' Surfboards

Track by Track Review


The Good Guys - Happy Guitars dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Thom Starr (Galaxies) wrote this. It's a very nice tune. This version is quite happy, spirited, and very cool. It's another Good Guys session.

The Good Guys - Duck Waddle dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This silly tune is one of those numbers that recalls the grin on Paul Johnson's face when I saw him do this with the Belairs. He relished the silliness of both the song and the title. Happy is the operative term. This is from the Good Guys album, or very similar.

The Good Guys - Surf-Ari dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Another Good Guys track. "Surf-Ari" has a decent melody that's upbeat and infectious. Paul Johnson's guitar and Hal Blaine's drums are the focal point.

The Good Guys - Roller Derby dotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

"Roller Derby" is a slowish number that wanders through a not-very memorable melody. The lead guitar is modulated, and the track seems to have no direction. The Good Guys slowly pour out this Paul Johnson tune. later reissued issued as by The Challengers, as well as alternately titled "Igor's Theme."

The Good Guys - Sidewalk Surfer (R. J. Mike) dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This is one of the great lost tracks. It's not terribly surfy (except as covered by the Eliminators), but it is a fine piece of writing, and a really fine track. The melody is strong, and the rhythm is quite infectious.

Neil Norman - The Perfect Wave
Surf (Instrumental)

This is a stellar track! "The Perfect Wave" shreds mightily, double picked excellently, powering it's way through a fine melody and dramatic arrangement. It's a monster of an eighties surf recording. Completely out of character for Neil Norman, and an essential part of the history of surf's second coming.

Billy Strange - Run Spy Run dotdotdot
Orchestral (Instrumental)

"Run Spy Run" is an orchestral track with drums and minimal guitar. More cinematic than anything else, it's well crafted, but not really memorable.

The Surf Raiders - The Curl Rider dotdotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This classic revival track is a fine, melodic, rhythmic pure surf tune with plenty of power and oodles of surfisms. The excellent writing alone makes this a really important track to the reemergence of surf instros.

The Tornadoes - Bustin' Surfboards dotdotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

"Bustin' Surfboards" is one of the most recognizable of the tribal surf instros from the sixties. It's drum dominated raw sound was nothing short of magical when I first heard it on KRLA. This is one of the essential surf instros, a desert island must-have.