Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Ron Wilson and the Surfaris - Live At O. T. Price's Again
 | Ron Wilson was the sound of the Surfaris in many ways. While Decca abused that fact as major labels always do, it's nonetheless a fundamental fact. It was his voice on their vocals, on their signature "Surfer Joe." It was his drumming that set the bar for decades to come, his drumming that made "Wipe Out" a national chart hit.
As the band lost favor at Decca after they failed to gel in the public's mind as they transformed into a folkrock band, the band fell apart. Ron kept on with the name and found new sidemen. He eventually paired it down to a power trio of sorts, with Dale Beckner - guitar, and Andy Lagomarsino, bass fronting his very fluid drums and singing.
In 1984, I had the opportunity to record Ron Wilson and the Surfaris at OT Price's in Soquel. It was a difficult job for several reasons, among which were my reliance on an engineer that didn't verify signals and a house sound guy who didn't bother to tell my engineer that he had not mic'd anything except the drums and the vocals. So, when they opened with the most wonderful medley, it was suddenly apparent that we had a problem. By the time my guy got mics placed, the medley was nearly done. All I could do was utter "Argh!"
Fast-forward to 2005, and a solution of sorts has surfaced. Dale and Andy took the tapes and overdubbed their parts, with wonderful results. This CD-R includes their rough work, a labor of love rebirthing this great show's opener more than 20 years later. Ron Wilson died in 1989. |
Picks: Tequila, Surf Medley, Wipe Out, Surf Medley
Track by Track Review
Surf (Instrumental)
Dale Beckner adds exotica bird calls, Mexican cries, and attitude to this Chuck Rio standard. This is so much more fun than the Champs' version, and flows like wine through a party. It is infectious, rhythmic, and completely fun.
Surf (Instrumental)
Full bodied and featuring Ron Wilson's magical drums, this remix and overdub sounds much like I recall it. It's leisurely, un-rushed, and a fluid reminder of the songs of the day - a veritable who's-who of the instrumentals. Reduced to 11 minutes for this test, the medley nonetheless stands up very well. There's too much room reverb, but otherwise this is a stellar track. The songs include "Miserlou," "Walk Don't Run," "Out Of Limits," "Surfer Joe" (sans words), "Wipe Out," "Let's Go Trippin'" with a great sax break, "Apache," "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky," "Baja," "Rebel Rouser," and "Pipeline."
Surf (Instrumental)
This little gem is not from the 1984 show. It's liberated from a 1992 bootleg of a show from about the same period. While it's pretty ambient, it's also great. The audience is clearly having a blast. Lots of shouting and screaming gong on.
Surf (Instrumental)
Full bodied and featuring Ron Wilson's magical drums, this remix and overdub sounds much like I recall it. It's leisurely, un-rushed, and a fluid reminder of the songs of the day - a veritable who's-who of the instrumentals. Reduced to 11 minutes for this test, the medley nonetheless stands up very well. There's too much room reverb, but otherwise this is a stellar track. The songs include "Miserlou," "Walk Don't Run," "Out Of Limits," "Surfer Joe" (sans words), "Wipe Out," "Let's Go Trippin'" with a great sax break, "Apache," "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky," "Baja," "Rebel Rouser," and "Pipeline."