Get me started with surf music

[huffyboy]

I like it The Blue Stingrays - "Surf-N-Burn"

I believe this is Mike Campbell's (from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) band.

[Ursa Minor]

I like it The Blue Stingrays - "Surf-N-Burn"

I believe this is Mike Campbell's (from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) band.

True!

[kdanie]

I just stumbled into the Music section so I'll add my favorites, I never knew there was a whole new generation of great surf bands until a couple years ago. I had been really missing out:

Torquays
Supertones
Aquavelvets
Varatones
The Atlantics
The Plungers
The Rick Lawndale Band
Dan Rumor & the Drift

And then there are the classics:
Surfaris
Ventures
Shadows
Chantays

ken

[whitewatersky]

Messer chups -- "THE MUNSTERS' THEME"

https://youtu.be/Or-5yArJ4DM

[DeathJag]

https://surfguitar101.com/

[s_mcsleazy]

honestly, as cool as i find a lot of the 60's and 70's surf stuff, i didn't really get into it until i heard man or astroman? and the trashwomen. i think it's easier for me to work back through a genre than forward.

if there is one older surf band i would have to recommend, it would be takeshi terauchi. it's really cool japanese surf music.
https://youtu.be/UbSJ0HVwpzc

[Dan Human]

Omar Khorshid ' The king of Arabic guitarists.'

Rakset el Fadaa nearly makes me pee my pants with excitement when they let loose the percussion half way through.

It's a homage and a bit of apastiche but I love Trentemøller: Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider Go!!!

Weatherall remix is boss too but it's more a twangy slo mo glam hokeycokey twist

D

Seconding Omar Khorshid. He did brilliant guitar versions of classic Middle Eastern pop and folk songs. His stuff sounds very similar to surf music because surf itself was influenced by Middle Eastern music (Dick Dale was of Lebanese origins) and because Khorshid seems to have had access to similar gear the surf guys were using, namely spring reverb.

One of my favorite Khorshid records is this live version of al-Halwa di, recorded shortly before his death in 1981.

[PorkyPrimeCut]

The Heaters are clearly influenced by surf. Their album, Holy Water Pool, is brilliant.

This track is actually a B-side & probably my favourite out of the lot.

If it's something you're into I strongly recommend Holy Wave too.

[DeathJag]

Omar Khorshid ' The king of Arabic guitarists.'

Rakset el Fadaa nearly makes me pee my pants with excitement when they let loose the percussion half way through.

It's a homage and a bit of apastiche but I love Trentemøller: Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider Go!!!

Weatherall remix is boss too but it's more a twangy slo mo glam hokeycokey twist

D

Seconding Omar Khorshid. He did brilliant guitar versions of classic Middle Eastern pop and folk songs. His stuff sounds very similar to surf music because surf itself was influenced by Middle Eastern music (Dick Dale was of Lebanese origins) and because Khorshid seems to have had access to similar gear the surf guys were using, namely spring reverb.

One of my favorite Khorshid records is this live version of al-Halwa di, recorded shortly before his death in 1981.

Whoa dude, lotta assumptions in that! The sound of a proper surf guitar is my favorite tone, no contest. But dang if I really can’t get into 95% of classic or modern surf because it’s predominantly 1-4-5 formulas. AKA “I just found a cool riff and now I have a surf song.” (In my opinion, Miserlou is not a typical surf song!)

I had many wrong preconceived notions about what surf was and where it came from. When I started to deep dive
https://surfguitar101.com/ is when I learned the truths. The members are legend, and the stories... put me on another world. And motivated me to acquire a 1962 Twin and a 1962 Double Showman, a ‘63 tank, and of course a jag and JM...

This thread has links to other threads with those amazing stories:

https://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/31632/

As far as going backwards - sure! Whatever works! It’s a great style. I maintain that surf is not a genre but rather a style.

Dan

[MechaBulletBill]

honestly, as cool as i find a lot of the 60's and 70's surf stuff, i didn't really get into it until i heard man or astroman? and the trashwomen. i think it's easier for me to work back through a genre than forward.

if there is one older surf band i would have to recommend, it would be takeshi terauchi. it's really cool japanese surf music.
https://youtu.be/UbSJ0HVwpzc

can't believe the thread got to page 3 before anyone mentioned TRASHWOMEN, the actual best surf rock band

also need to mention Johnny Barakat & The Vestells, who do the best version of the wedge, the best surf song.

[DeathJag]

honestly, as cool as i find a lot of the 60's and 70's surf stuff, i didn't really get into it until i heard man or astroman? and the trashwomen. i think it's easier for me to work back through a genre than forward.

if there is one older surf band i would have to recommend, it would be takeshi terauchi. it's really cool japanese surf music.
https://youtu.be/UbSJ0HVwpzc

can't believe the thread got to page 3 before anyone mentioned TRASHWOMEN, the actual best surf rock band

also need to mention Johnny Barakat & The Vestells, who do the best version of the wedge, the best surf song.

Trashwomen are up there for sure, but The Phantom Surfers smoke em any day of the week for me. Plus they have too many vocal songs... I will have to check out that other band!

And, many folks just prefer the term “surf.” Not surf rock, or even surf music. Do we say jazz music when talking about Jazz? And many surf songs aren’t remotely rock based.

Did I mention I’m a Huge Music Snob?

[MechaBulletBill]

i thought "surf" was the softer poppy stuff - beach boys to the clean ventures stuff - whereas "surf rock" was the heavier stuff, like the spectrum of dick dale to instrumental garage rock. these aren't terms i invented, it's all based on observation!

[MechaBulletBill]

if there is one older surf band i would have to recommend, it would be takeshi terauchi. it's really cool japanese surf music.
https://youtu.be/UbSJ0HVwpzc

this is fucking sick! i love it so much! fuck!

[MayTheFuzzBeWithYou]

There are already a lot of good bands here! I didn't know about Takeshi Terauchi and the Bunnies and I must say - I love that!

From the more modern ones - make sure you also check out Langhorns (from Sweden).

I got that album on CD - couldn't get the "Club Gabardino" as a CD back then in 2008 - but got both as Mp3s (just in case you can't find them yourselves)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIAOaZga0E0

Not strictly surf - but in that exact 60s Spy Beat vibe - I really do love Retrofoguetes (from Brazil)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wO-WHLLRGo

The Razorblades (from Germany)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhTCinFYszA - Martin Schmidt is also a guitar teacher and recently released a Surf Guitar book - I have his old Book from the early 2000s about Surf Music and all its Subgenres... and yes MechaBulletBill there theoretically is a strict distinction between them.

i thought "surf" was the softer poppy stuff - beach boys to the clean ventures stuff - whereas "surf rock" was the heavier stuff, like the spectrum of dick dale to instrumental garage rock. these aren't terms i invented, it's all based on observation!

Dave & The Pussies (from Austria)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s5ii1mED9o - just a cover here - but I just wanted to show you their live outfits! :-)



and an old one: Gene & The Esquires: Space Race - besides Dick Dale that's my favorite song of the 60s stuff - except that transposed part at around 1:30
:-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv4wO0WDkjA

[Nudger]

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