Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA
Jerry MacNeish - Quite A Surf Partydotdotdot
artworkJerry Mac Neish has been doing Fireballs material for a millennium. His Fireballs album was even recorded at Norman Petty's place exactly as if it were 1962, on the original reel recorders. This is quite a good set. All studio sessions, with Jerry playing most instruments. Extremely reverent performance and sound.
Picks: Surf Party, Stringer, Mr. Rebel, Surf Beat, Walk, Don't Run, Almost Paradise, Mr. Moto, Pipeline, Our Favorite Martian, Misirlou, Wipe Out, Bulldog, Baja, Las Vegas Scene, Penetration / Outer Limits (Out Of Limits), Pipeline, Quite A Party

Track by Track Review


Surf Party dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

A very clean and accurate rendering of the Astronauts' tune used as the main title theme from the Surf Party motion picture. The guitar sound is a bit less powerful than the original, but the textures and rhythms are great. A good track.

Stringer dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This is the Bobby Fuller track. It doesn't have the energy or chunk required to carry it off, probably due to the lead being mixed too low and amped with too little chunk. A solid performance, well played.

Mr. Rebel dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

A pristine rendering of the Eddie & the Showmen classic. Highly precise and infectious.

Surf Beat dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

This song requires major chunk to work. None have adequately covered it, except the Thrusters, until now. This is a solid cover, even keeping the sax in the background as required.

Walk, Don't Run dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Yup, another cover of the Ventures hit version of theJohnny Smith tune. The performance is as if the Fireballs were doing it. Good, rhythmic, clean, and chunky.

Almost Paradise dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Written in the Adventures In Paradise mold by Norman Petty, this is a pretty true to the source nod to the Fireballs. Very pretty, melodic, islandic, and flowing. This is not quite as interesting as Splashback's version, but is a good listen.

Mr. Moto dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

A very pure deliverance of Paul Johnson's original surf classic. It has little of the flair of the original, and the keys seem inappropriate compared to the Jim Roberts original. Tepid.

Pipeline dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Smooth glissandoes, smooth playing, piano free (except for the bridge). It's a modest cover, not special or infectious.

Our Favorite Martian dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Another Bobby Fuller & the Fanatics tune, played with way less chunk than the original. It's clean, authentic, and solid, just not gutsy.

Misirlou dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Now, this song requires major guts on the lead, if you are expecting to hold up to Dick Dale or the Lively Ones. It's quite nice, well played, but lighter than you would expect.

Wipe Out dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

With an almost original sounding "Wipe Out" laugh and cry, this does what all covers of this song do, miss the mark on the drums and the guitar, both being too tame, and in the case of the drums, not matching Ron Wilson's incredibly artistic sloppiness. This is among the best covers around, if only because it is among the truest to the original in sound and arrangement, but when you are mimicking, you need to get that last little edge or it sounds like a copy effort.

Bulldog dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

The Fireballs issued this and had a minor hit with it. It's from the pen of George Tomsco. It depends on the chunky rhythm to carry it off. It's not as chunky as the original, but it does the trick none the less. A solid nod to the Norman Petty sound.

Baja dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Jerry MacNeish has captured the essence of the Astronauts' sound, minus the intensity delivered at the hands of Al Schmitt at RCA Hollywood. Otherwise, if you don't have the original, this will do.

Las Vegas Scene dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Another George Tomsco - Fireballs tune, infectious, fun, and melodic. I think I like this better than the original.

Penetration / Outer Limits (Out Of Limits) dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

There's no getting around the charm of the original Pyramids "Penetration," and this not only doesn't have that, it is a cover of theVentures' substandardization of it. It is interrupted by a full stop, drag racer engine noises, and then proceeds into a tepid rendition of theMar-Ketts' "Out Of Limits." I'll pass.

Pipeline dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Smooth glissandoes, smooth playing, piano free (except for the bridge). It's a modest cover, not special or infectious.

Quite A Party dotdotdot
Surf (Instrumental)

Another George Tomsco - Fireballs tune, built around a rhythm and a bit of an Indian melody. The tribal toms are great, and it works really well. It has a fifties boogie feel with adequate reverb. Nice track.