The Fireballs were formed in New Mexico around 1957 and had a few hits such as 'Torquay,' 'Bulldog' and ' Sugar Shack.' Although their biggest successes predated the surf craze by a few years, their tunes were destined to become bona fide surf rock standards as hundreds of homegrown surf bands latched onto anything resembling the style between 1962 and 1965. 'Sugar Shack' would be the impetus of Jan and Dean's 'Surf Route 101' from Drag City and would be covered by many groups, including the Surfaris on Hit City 64.

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The title track is objectively a solid track with an infectious beat, and instantly recognizable bass line. 'Let's Talk' has more in common with early rockabilly, while Ray Sharpe's 1959 hit 'Linda Lu' gets a surfy makeover, though Jimmy's voice is no comparison to Ray's. 'Lonesome Tears' is squarely in the 50s. The old jump tune classic 'Let the Good Times Roll' isn't of much interest, and 'Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache' is a pretty lame cover of Warren Smith's 1960 song. 'Won't Be Long' and 'Little Baby' are best skipped. 'I Wonder Why' is again stuck in the 1950s while Dale Hawkins' 'Suzie Q' features a unique tremolo guitar solo. Aside from that, I'd recommend the Astronaut's rendition. 'Pretend' is similar in style to what the Shadows were putting out at the time. 'Almost Eighteen' closes us out on a low note.

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Despite the impact the band had on the creation of the genre, Sugar Shack isn't of much interest to surf music collectors. In fact, as an album, it's not actually that strong either. Laying the great title tune aside, there are far too many weak tracks to warrant a recommendation here.