Album Review:

Dick Dale and the Del-Tones were the forerunners of surf rock, predating the Surfaris and even the Beach Boys. Being both a lover of surfing and rock and roll, Dale sought to bring the same energy he experienced on the waves into his music. In 1960 he wrote what is generally regarded as the first surf-rock song, ‘Let’s Go Trippin’’ and released the single a year later to moderate success. In addition to his favorite sport, Dick’s Lebanese roots also had a profound influence on his compositions. His most popular song, the updated traditional Egyptian tune, ‘Misirlou,' was also a success, spawning many covers over the next few decades. Having been on the Southern California circuit for a few years prior, the group managed to convince officials to reopen the famous Rendezvous Ballroom after overfilling a local ice cream parlor, which had been closed since 1957. It was there that the Del-Tones really took the west by storm with their new type of music. Their first album, Surfers' Choice, is a testament to their energetic performances and the proficient musicianship which made the group such a hit with audiences every night.

The album opens up with ‘Surf Beat,’ a high-energy surf rocker with pounding drums and Dale’s iconic double picking over a reverb-laden echo. The mellow ‘Sloop John B,’ which predated Beach Boys’ version by four years, receives some lush string overdubs and is one of the album’s more subdued moments, while ‘Take it Off’ again shows off Dale’s expert picking. A cover of Tony Allen’s 1955 hit, ‘Night Owl’ features some backing vocals in a doo-wop style, and like Buster Brown’s original, ‘Fanny Mae’ features a prominent harmonica riff which, like ‘Night Owl’ has nothing to do with surfing, though is a nice pastiche of a fading genre. The rumble of the surf is back with the string-laden ‘Misirlou Twist,’ a re-working of the single that had been released a year earlier, while the odd ‘Peppermint Man’ would later be covered by the Terry Melcher-Bruce Johnston group, the Hot Doggers. An extremely long intro begins, ‘Surfin’ Drums’, a surf-tinged rocker featuring a prominent sax and, of course, drums. Another Dale original, ‘Shake ‘N Stomp,’ follows much in the same pattern and displays surf music at its purest. The album’s final cover, the Clover’s ‘Lovey Dovey’, again features some backing vocals and some 1950s sensibilities mixed with some surf rock influences. The final two numbers venture back into surfing territory as ‘Death of A Gremmie’ and the hit, ‘Let’s Go Trippin’’ are both firmly planted in their beach roots.

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As the first surf rock album, Surfers' Choice is a snapshot of surf rock in its infancy. From the heavy double picking to the hard smashes on the drums to the wailing saxophones, the sounds on this album are the closest thing we have to the original Friday night concerts where the genre originated.