Surfbeat
Encyclopedia
Surfbeat was the first album
recorded by the Los Angeles-based surf rock group The Challengers
. They recorded the album in a 3½ hour session at the end of 1962. The album was released in early 1963 and became a huge hit, helping to propel the surf genre. It was sought by collectors for many years and gained great notoriety in the obscure surf market. In 1994, Sundazed records, a company with a lot of vintage surf at its disposal, released the album on CD
with two bonus track
s.
The tracks are all old numbers that serve as the foundation for surf rock. Songs by The Fireballs
and Duane Eddy
are on the album. The Beach Boys' debut Surfin' Safari and Surfer's Choice, the debut from Dick Dale
& His Del-Tones had been released just a few months before Surfbeat was recorded. Tracks from both are on this album.
Two tracks on the album, "Vampire" and "Kami-Kaze" are actually recordings by The Bel-Airs
, the band that the Challengers formed out of. The guitarists and saxophonist are the only differences in line-up. The two songs were written cowritten by Bel-Airs guitarist Paul Johnson, who remained close to the band, later playing with them on other projects. The album also includes a cover
of The Bel-Airs' "Mr. Moto", the short-lived group's only hit.
Bonus Tracks:
13. Penetration (Leonard) 3:33
14. Surf Beat (Delvy's Drums) (Dale) 2:11
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
recorded by the Los Angeles-based surf rock group The Challengers
The Challengers (band)
The Challengers were an instrumental surf music band started in late 1962. They were located in Los Angeles. They represented a growing love for surf music and helped make the genre popular...
. They recorded the album in a 3½ hour session at the end of 1962. The album was released in early 1963 and became a huge hit, helping to propel the surf genre. It was sought by collectors for many years and gained great notoriety in the obscure surf market. In 1994, Sundazed records, a company with a lot of vintage surf at its disposal, released the album on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
with two bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
s.
The tracks are all old numbers that serve as the foundation for surf rock. Songs by The Fireballs
The Fireballs
The Fireballs, sometimes billed as Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, is an American rock and roll group, particularly popular at the end of the 1950s and in the early 1960s...
and Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy
Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...
are on the album. The Beach Boys' debut Surfin' Safari and Surfer's Choice, the debut from Dick Dale
Dick Dale
Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
& His Del-Tones had been released just a few months before Surfbeat was recorded. Tracks from both are on this album.
Two tracks on the album, "Vampire" and "Kami-Kaze" are actually recordings by The Bel-Airs
The Bel-Airs
The Bel-Airs were an early and influential surf rock band from Southern California, active in the early 1960s.They were best known for their 1961 hit "Mr. Moto", an instrumental surf rock song that featured a flamenco inspired intro and contained a melodic piano interlude...
, the band that the Challengers formed out of. The guitarists and saxophonist are the only differences in line-up. The two songs were written cowritten by Bel-Airs guitarist Paul Johnson, who remained close to the band, later playing with them on other projects. The album also includes a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Bel-Airs' "Mr. Moto", the short-lived group's only hit.
Track listing
- Bulldog (Tomsco) – 1:53
- Kami-Kaze (Johnson)– 2:19
- Let's Go Trippin' (Dale) – 1:48
- Ramrod (Case– 1:34
- Mr. Moto (Delvy/Johnson) – 2:05
- Red River Rock (King/Mack/Mendleson) – 1:56
- Miserlou (Tauber/Rubanis/Leeds) – 2:44
- Latin'ia (Nunes/Miller)– 2:29
- Surfin' Safari (Wilson/Love) – 2:20
- Movin' & Groovin' (Hazlewood/Eddy) – 2:08
- Vampire (Delvy/Johnson) – 3:03
- Torquay (Tomsco) – 2:41
Bonus Tracks:
13. Penetration (Leonard) 3:33
14. Surf Beat (Delvy's Drums) (Dale) 2:11
Personnel
- Glenn Grey: lead guitar (except on #2 and #11)
- Don Landis: rhythm guitar (except on #2 and #11)
- Jim Roberts: piano and organ
- Randy Nauert: bass guitar
- Richard Delvy: drums
- Nick Hefner: saxophone (on #9 only)
- Paul Johnson: lead guitar (on #2 and #11)
- unknown: rhythm guitar (on #2 and #11)
- unknown: saxophone (on #2 and #11)