Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Collection: Wipeout: The Ultimate Surf Album
 | This is one gigantic load of rubbish - well, not so gigantic because there are only 10 tracks, but still... if you see this, run the other way!
Really dreadful covers done by someone who obviously has no clue at all. Aside from the cheesy artwork, your first tip-off is the misspelling of "Wipe Out" as one word in the title. The most telling feature is the obvious east coast accent on the vocals.
It's also quite obvious that all the different artist names are just a ruse for a solo project marketed unscrupulously as surf music.
Hold your nose and look the other way! |
Picks: none
Track by Track Review
The California Dreamers - Wipe Out Surf (Instrumental)
Low energy drums and guitar, with all the highs rolled off so it sounds even duller than it already is. The drums are just not right, and the bass is too intrusive, while the guitar is only reverbed by a load of studio verb. Pathetic. Oh yeah, the credits even get the name wrong, spelling wipe out as one word, which would be the other classic instro.
The Hurricanes - Let's Go Trippin' Surf (Instrumental)
these guys really don't get it! Minus every ounce of twang and spunk of Dick Dale and his Del-tones' original, or most of the many covers for that matter, The Hurricanes fake their way through. A fake band, I'd say.
The Waikikis - Perfidia Surf (Instrumental)
Brutal delayed and heavily effected guitar wants to be surf, but has no idea what that even means. Alberto Dominguez's "Perfidia" is arranged based on The Ventures' 1960 release, but has none of the charm or warmth. And with the highs gone, it's just dull!
The Waves - Rumble Surf (Instrumental)
this is a technically competent but low energy and low edge version of Link Wray and his Raymen's "Rumble." Where's the edge and the chemistry? Fake band?
The Waves - Surf Rider Surf (Instrumental)
Boy, does "Surf Rider" miss the point! remove all of the rich tone and savvy of The Lively Ones and you're left with so much ho-hum! Boring.