Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA The Lively Ones - Surf Drums
 | Another solid package from the best damn surf band ever - almost. Plenty of cool covers and some really fun old time standards surfed up. |
Picks: Forty Miles Of Bad Road, Surfer Boogie, Wild Weekend, Stoked, Surf Drums, Shootin' The Pier, Rumble, Hillbilly Surf, Mr. Moto, Rik-A-Tik, Bustin' Surfboards, Tuff Surf
Track by Track Review
Duane Eddy Surf (Instrumental)
Pre-surf guitar hero Duane Eddy's classic, surfed up for maximum enjoyment.
Surf (Instrumental)
A spirited surfization of Frank Virtue and the Virtues' "Guitar Boogie Shuffle," fast furious, and way happy fun.
Surf (Instrumental)
A credible surf cover of the DJ theme turned hit single from the Rockin' Rebels.
Stoked Surf (Instrumental)
A sax number in the Bill Black vein. Bluesy and OK. Not the Beach Boys' tune.
Surf (Instrumental)
In the beginning, there were eleven guitar heroes: Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Link Wray, Dave Yorko, Al Casey, Duane Eddy, James Burton, Jody Reynolds, Santo Farina, Johnny Farina, and George Tomsco. In the early formative days of surf, these guys influenced more surf bands than anyone else. Naturally, the Lively Ones included their work in their sets too. Here, they honor Link with a grand cover of his classic. It's cool, and quite different than Link Wray's original "Rawhide."
Surf (Instrumental)
A great surfization of Freddie King's "San Jose," infectious and totally natural. Great.
Surf (Instrumental)
A faster lighter variation on the Link Wray definition of ominous rock instro. Cool, but no where near as great as the Linkster.
Surf (Instrumental)
A rousing surf treatment to the western folk standard. It must have been a hoot to watch the surf kids slamming to this. Fast and furious, and wailing sax lines.
Surf (Instrumental)
Among the first bands labeled as a Surf Band, the Belairs first single (recorded in May 1961, three months before Dick Dale's first surf single) became a fixture of the set lists of nearly every surf band in the world. The Lively Ones took it a step further, playing with more speed and fire than anyone at the time. Great version. Quite intense.
Surf (Instrumental)
The Fireballs's were closer to the surf sound than any other pre-surf instro band. This tune was quite dry and much less interesting than what these guys did with it. It's just about the happiest surf rave anywhere. An absolute must have classic track.
Surf (Instrumental)
The (Hollywood) Tornadoes had a national hit with this tune. Here, the Lively Ones perform it with a quite different feel than the gutty ominous original. Great track.
Surf (Instrumental)
A sax rant with great surf guitar backtrack. It has a quirky melody line, and a sax feel like Ace Cannon's "Tuff.." I usually dislike sax lead instros, but this is damn fine.