Surfer's Choice

by Dick Dale, Dick Dale & His Del-Tones

Overview

Very few early rock & roll albums were true groundbreakers, but this is one: not only did it single-handedly establish the surf music genre (and Dick Dale's hegemony over it), but also sold the entire concept to mass America, where surfing in landlocked regions was only a state of mind. Largely recorded at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach -- Dale's ruling home turf, where one can clearly hear the kids screaming in anticipation at the start of "Surf Beat" -- this lays out the vocal highlights from Dick's set list ("Peppermint Man," "Lovey Dovey," "Night Owl," "Fanny Mae," and "Sloop John B.," sounding very odd here with overdubbed strings) up against the instrumentals that truly forged the style. "Miserlou Twist" -- a different version than the original Del-Tone single -- and the original, pre-reverb single version of "Let's Go Trippin'" appear to be the only studio tracks aboard. But the live takes on "Surfing Drums" (later retitled "Tribal Thunder" on one of Dale's comeback albums), "Take It Off," "Shake 'n' Stomp," and the lowdown stomp of "Death of a Gremmie" just as clearly delineate the wild, reverbed excitement of the new style in its native habitat. Without a doubt, surf guitar's finest hour, the genre's equivalent to Charlie Parker's Dial recordings. ~ Cub Koda

Product Details

Release Date:	09/09/2014
Label:	Wax Time
UPC:	8436542016315
Rank:	5433

Tracks

1. Surf Beat
2. Sloop John B.
3. Take It Off
4. Night Owl
5. Fanny Mae
6. Misirlou Twist
7. Jessie Pearl
8. Del-Tone Rock
9. Peppermint Man
10. Surfing Drums
11. Shake ¿¿¿N¿¿¿ Stomp
12. Lovey Dovey
13. Death of a Gremmie
14. Let's Go Trippin¿¿¿
15. Jungle Fever
16. Misirlou

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dick Dale   Primary Artist
Dick Dale & His Del-Tones   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Traditional   Composer
Bob Russell   Composer
Fred Wise   Composer
Nicholas Roubanis   Composer
Jim Monsour   Producer
Alonzo Willis   Composer
Carl Sandburg   Composer
Eddie Curtis   Composer
Dick Dale   Composer
Milton Leeds   Composer