Almost no information is available for the Rangers, a Japanese Group Sounds band that released three albums between 1965 and 1968. Members included Akira Mine, Hiroshi Miyagi, Masami Tsumura, Takeshi Nakaya, Tamiya Koga, and Tomoaki Morimoto, though the actual position breakdown is unknown. Group Sounds was a 1960s Japanese rock movement influenced by Western bands. While the initial groundswell of interest had been laid during the early 60s, the real upsurge in Japanese beat combos was a response to the Beatles' visit to Japan in June 1966. 

​

'Ride the Wild Surf' is not the Jan Berry composition, but the obscure "Main Title" version written by Stu Phillips and recorded by the Astronauts initially as a B-side in the U.S. to their ill-fated 'Around and Around' single. After this when nowhere, RCA released it in Canada, Egypt, and you guessed it ... Japan! Pulled from the Elvis film of the same name, 'Girl Happy' is a great song with some iconic guitar slides. 'Goldfinger' is a strong surf guitar cover of the Bond Theme. The Roger and Hammerstein composition 'Slaughter on 10th Avenue' is a less-aggressive cover of the Ventures' version from their Knock-Out album. Another Ventures tune, 'Diamond Head' from Walk, Don't Run Vol. 2, is an album highlight. Del Shannon's final Top Ten hit from 1964, 'Keep Searchin' (We'll Follow the Sun)' gets a worthwhile (albeit slightly slower) surf makeover. 'Summer Means Fun' is a surprisingly laid-back cover. The non-LP Ventures track 'Bird Rockers' appears to be an original tune. 'House of the Rising Sun' is a rather straightforward cover, while the Beatles' 'Ticket to Ride' merges surf and British beat music quite nicely. Gary Lewis & the Playboys' 'This Diamond Ring' also benefits from such a reimagining. Undoubtedly, the strangest inclusion here is the Go-Go's 'Chicken of the Sea', which had been released as a single b/w 'Lonely Girl' in Japan in 1965. The result is a pleasant rendition with improves on the original.

​

What's most interesting about this release is the eclectic choice of cover material here. On one hand, you have familiar titles such as 'Ticket to Ride', 'This Diamond Ring', and 'Goldfinger'. Yet amidst these are obscure Ventures singles and album tracks, the first song off the Swim with the Go-Go's album, a random Elvis film score tune, a Fantastic Baggys song, and Maon Title Astronauts' b-side. One could attribute this to a wide musical taste or, more likely, the result of the relative scarcity of Western music sources in Japan at the time. Either way, there wasn't much cross-pollination as North Americans never got to experience these surfed-out covers of the hits, which is a shame because there's a lot to like here.