Reverb Central .:. Review .:.

This is a superb album, although it's all in mono and a bit murky. These songs are virtually all great, with exceptional writing and playing. I sure would like to hear these in well mixed stereo, but the intent here was reproducing a vintage sound. Vintage tracks were brighter, but with all that said, I like this album a great deal. The Surfites are the logical successor to the Super Stocks, with melodies and a sound that remind me a lot of that Richie Podolor outfit. That is intended as quite a compliment.

Picks: Bump Day, Spinning Boards, Tail Slide, Cleopatra, Surf Encounter, Tortuga, Thou Shalt Drag, Surfville, Dana Point, Jack-The-Bear, Ding In My Board, For Surfers Only, Fleabag, Pioneer Trail Surf, Big Pounder, Single Seater

Surf (Instrumental)

Bump day sports great surf guitar playing a fine melody that's optimistic and quite vintage sounding. This excellent track moves right along in large part because the melody develops as it goes. Excellent!

Surf (Instrumental)

"Spinning Boards" features some well placed piano, and illustrates the power of reverb. Rhythmic and infectious, with fine whammy, a period melody line, and a couple of well placed glissandos.

Surf (Instrumental)

Wonderful muted reverb, superb electric piano, and a very catchy melody. "Tail Slide" is a superb track that's evocative of everything attractive about the lighter side of vintage surf. Totally cool!

Surf (Instrumental)

A Middle Eastern riff, heavy low-E double picked guitar, and a solid pace. "Cleopatra" is friendly, powerful, mysterious, and very surf! Quite amazing.

Surf (Instrumental)

The sound of shore break brings on the heavily reverb damped guitars in a rhythmically enticing number with cool piano and solid bass. This is a little like Al Casey, but not so dark. Used as the title track during the album's prerelease stage, "Surf Encounter" is a fine surf instro with great muted reverb and piano. It's a bit dark, while retaining the classic optimism of surf. Very good!

Surf (Instrumental)

Lovely muted reverb plays a sad song about turtles, or a place named after them. Dramatic drums and a moody sound, accented by fine electric piano, make "Tortuga" an enjoyable and slightly ominous track.

Surf (Instrumental)

Big drag guitar, surf whammy chords, and a simple melody line. The string slap verse starts add a sense of Dick Dale to this hot rod track. Pretty fun.

Surf (Instrumental)

A riff born of the first era runs with excellent muted reverb and an infectious rhythm. "Surfville" is a real vintage retrograde with a very friendly sound.

Surf (Instrumental)

This final version of "Dana Point" is just wonderful. Structured a lot like Super Stocks' song, with bell-like keys and surf guitar. This is a pretty unusual and cool song with a sound that hints at the Richie Podolor studio sessions of old.

Surf (Instrumental)

Living the vintage dream, "Jack-The-Bear" employs a very period melody riff, and the rhythm track is solid and well developed.

Surf (Instrumental)

"Ding In My Board" is a moody and dark track, a little like Al Casey's surf output, but with much cooler drums. This is so very period sounding, and yet quite modern. Excellent.

Surf (Instrumental)

A brilliantly moody double picked guitar plays a plaintiff melody. The piano verse is very nice, and the whammy chords finish it off. Excellent!

Surf (Instrumental)

A wild melody line plays against barking dogs for a very cool track. The melody and structure are very vintage.

Surf (Instrumental)

A bit of cowboy and a bit of the Super Stocks combine for a very cool track. Gun fight sounds are interspersed, which I could have done without. The piano is fine, as is the melody.

Surf (Instrumental)

"Big Pounder" features a very nice melody with a deep rich vintage sound, backed by piano and bass and drums for a way-back experience. Moody and reverby and very cool!

Surf (Instrumental)

Screaming engines fly by as "Single Seater" plays a sullen tune. The piano here is very nicely done.