Album Review:

The Lively Ones' first album, Surf Rider, did well to establish the group as not only one of the leading surf bands of the time but also as one of the premier songwriters. Surprisingly, the group's original contributions take a bit of a backseat with their second release as the band overhauls a few popular tunes.

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The album kicks off with a Duane Eddy-styled version of "40 Miles of Bad Road" before leaping into their own "Surfer's Boogie," a twangy upbeat number. Following a rather cookie-cutter cover of the Rebels' "Wild Weekend," the band regains some momentum with their own "Stoked." Like their previous album, the band retooled another Venture's melody, "Rawhide," and dubbed it "Surf Drums,"; a drum-heavy take on the original material. Probably the album's best moment is the original "Shooton' the Pier" as Jim Masoner (lead guitar) and Joel Willenbring (saxophone) trade-off solos. A moody cover of Link Wray's 1958 hit "Rumble" is a nice addition though considering the number of other covers, feels a little underwhelming. "Hillbillie Surf," a lighthearted interpretation of "On Top of Old Smokey," features a good assortment of new and old while the Bel-Aires' "Mr. Moto" gets sped up a few clicks. Another original, "Ric-A-Tic", was a local hit around the L.A. area and featured a nice supply of reverb. A nice cover of the Tornadoes' "Bustin' Surfboards" cleans up the original a bit, and "Tuff Surf" acts as a nice album closer.

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Comprising mostly of covers, Surf Drums may seem at first glance like merely a retread of tired material as so many similar albums turned out to be. A closer look, however, will reveal that the band's selections, although familiar, are extremely well-crafted and executed.