The Marketts
Encyclopedia
The Marketts were an American
instrumental
pop
group
, formed in Hollywood, California
. They are best known for their 1963 million-seller, "Out of Limits".
area. The group's direction was spearheaded by producer
Joe Saraceno
, although Saraceno did not arrange
or play on any of the group's material. They are best remembered for their surf rock hits
, though not all of their material has this sound; Saraceno took the group's style in whatever direction he thought would catch the record-buying public's ear. In the U.S.
, the group had three Top 40 hits and had two popular album
s.
The Marketts surfer sound was actually members of The Wrecking Crew
in disguise. In the rockumentary The Wrecking Crew, Saraceno admitted that "Surfer's Stomp" was done by the Crew, and it wasn't until after it hit big, that he assembled The Marketts from kids off the street. In January 1962, the British
music magazine NME
noted that "Surfer's Stomp" was doing well stateside
.
The Marketts' biggest hit was originally entitled "Outer Limits", named after the television program
of the same name; however, Rod Serling sued the Marketts for quoting the 4 note motif from his television show "The Twilight Zone
" without his approval, which resulted in the change of the title to "Out of Limits". (Source: "Dick Clark's 25 Years of Rock and Roll".) It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart
in 1964. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. The band name was used as late as 1977 for further releases, though their last hit came in 1966.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, formed in Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. They are best known for their 1963 million-seller, "Out of Limits".
Biography
The Marketts' line-up constantly changed, being made up of various session musicians from the Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
area. The group's direction was spearheaded by producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Joe Saraceno
Joe Saraceno
Joe Saraceno is an American record producer. He was the producer of The Ventures and The Marketts, as well as other notable musical artists....
, although Saraceno did not arrange
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
or play on any of the group's material. They are best remembered for their surf rock hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, though not all of their material has this sound; Saraceno took the group's style in whatever direction he thought would catch the record-buying public's ear. In the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the group had three Top 40 hits and had two popular album
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...
s.
The Marketts surfer sound was actually members of The Wrecking Crew
The Wrecking Crew (music)
The Wrecking Crew was a nickname coined by the drummer Hal Blaine after the fact for a group of session musicians in Los Angeles, California, who earned wide acclaim in the 1960s. They backed dozens of popular singers, and were one of the most successful "groups" of studio musicians in music history...
in disguise. In the rockumentary The Wrecking Crew, Saraceno admitted that "Surfer's Stomp" was done by the Crew, and it wasn't until after it hit big, that he assembled The Marketts from kids off the street. In January 1962, the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
music magazine NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
noted that "Surfer's Stomp" was doing well stateside
Stateside
Stateside may refer to:* stateside, a slang term for the United States, usually used concerning an American currently outside the country, particularly in a military context* Stateside Records, the British record label...
.
The Marketts' biggest hit was originally entitled "Outer Limits", named after the television program
The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that aired on ABC from 1963 to 1965. The series is similar in style to the earlier The Twilight Zone, but with a greater emphasis on science fiction, rather than fantasy stories...
of the same name; however, Rod Serling sued the Marketts for quoting the 4 note motif from his television show "The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
" without his approval, which resulted in the change of the title to "Out of Limits". (Source: "Dick Clark's 25 Years of Rock and Roll".) It reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1964. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. The band name was used as late as 1977 for further releases, though their last hit came in 1966.
Albums
- Surfer's Stomp (Liberty RecordsLiberty RecordsLiberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
, 1962) - Marketts Take to Wheels (Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, 1963) - The Surfing Scene (Liberty, 1963)
- Out of Limits! (Warner, 1964) U.S. #37
- The Batman Theme (Warner, 1966) U.S. #82 (1. "Batman Theme" 2. "Bat Cave" 3. "Robin the Boy Wonder" 4. "Bat Signal" 5. "Batmobile" 6. "The Joker" 7. "The Penguin" 8. "The Bat" 9. "Dr. Death" 10. "The Riddler" 11. "Bat Cape" 12. "The Cat Woman")
- Sun Power (World Pacific, 1967)
- AM, FM, Etc. (Mercury RecordsMercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, 1973) Stereo SRM 1-679 (featured new versions of "Balboa Blue" and "Surfer's Stomp" and a coverCover versionIn 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 Mystery Movie theme) - Tryin' to Get That Feeling (Arista RecordsArista RecordsArista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
, 1975)
Singles
- "Balboa Blue" (1962) U.S. #48
- "Surfer's Stomp" (1962) U.S. #31
- "Out of Limits" (1964) U.S. #3
- "Vanishing Point" (1964) U.S. #90
- "Batman ThemeBatman Theme"Batman Theme", the title song of the 1966 Batman TV series, was composed by Neal Hefti. The song is built around a guitar hook reminiscent of spy film scores and surf music. It has a twelve bar blues progression, using only three chords until the coda...
" (Neal HeftiNeal HeftiNeal Hefti was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, tune writer, and arranger. He was perhaps best known for composing the theme music for the Batman television series of the 1960s, and for scoring the 1968 film The Odd Couple and the subsequent TV series of the same name.He began arranging...
) / "Ritchie's Theme" (produced by Dick GlasserDick GlasserRichard Eugene "Dick" Glasser was a singer, songwriter, and record producer....
, WB 5696, 1966) U.S. #17