For their first installment in the ‘Beach Party’ film series, American International Pictures recruited two of surf music’s most prominent songwriters, producer Gary Usher and L.A. radio personality Roger Christian, to write a great deal of the music.

 

As far as the tracks go, six of the twelve tracks are lifted from the film. ‘Beach Party,’ ‘Secret Surfin’ Spot,’ and ‘Swingin’ and Surfin’’ are all strong surf compositions in their own right. The two ballads featured in the film, ‘Treat Him Nicely’ and ‘Promise Me Anything’ are pseudo-1950s  ballads.  The last soundtrack tune, ‘Don’t Stop Now,’ is a high-energy number with an early fuzz guitar solo in the style of most of the later films scores.

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Since the Beach Party movie didn’t have quite enough tunes to make up a full album, Disney opted to pull material from a few of Annette’s previous albums to pad out the record. ‘Date Night In Hawaii,’ ‘Pineapple Princess’ and ‘Song of the Islands’ were all taken directly from Annette's Hawaiiannette released three years earlier in their unaltered state. Interestingly, two other tracks from the aforementioned album appear on this release with fresh overdubs - ‘Surfin’ Luau’ and ‘Luau Cha Cha Cha.' It's presumed this was done in order to better fit in with the new surfing tracks. The two remaining tracks hadn't appeared in either the film or the Hawaiianette release. ‘The Battle of San Onofre’ depicts a curfuffle between surfers and skin-divers on the beach and a cover of the Rivieras’ recent hit ‘California Sun,’ benefits from Annette's coquettish charm.

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Annette's Beach Party is a fun album. A healthy mixture of styles, Disney engineering, and Annette’s irresistible magnetism make it a must-have for any surf music fan.