Arguably the strangest moment in surf music, the release of ‘Surfin’ Bird’ was the Trashmen’s sole claim to fame.  Patterned after the Rivingtons’ ‘Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow,’ the single peaked at number 4 on the Billboard charts in November of 1963. Due to the unexpected success of the song, the Garret label quickly released an Lp in January of 1963 to coincide in January of 1964.

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The album opens up with the hit single, 'Surfin' Bird' in all its glory, followed by a weak cover of ‘Misirlou’ that flails way off the shoreline of the original. ‘Money‘ is an uninspired cover of Barrett Strongs’ popular 1959 recording. ‘Tube City’ is a passable effort to create feelings of the sand and sun by four guys from Minnesota, while the vocal ‘Kuk’ mimics the sound of another landlocked surf group, the Astronauts. ‘It’s So Easy’ is a cover of the Buddy Holly song, and  ‘King of the Surf’ is sung with gusto in unison by the group. The rockabilly, ‘Henrietta’ is a standard 12-bar blues number with a solid stomp beat, while a cover of Ernesto Lacuona’s Spanish-flavored ‘Malaguena’ is an interesting addition to the rep; perhaps as a homage to the late composer who had passed away the same month the ‘Surfin’ Bird’ single was released. ‘My Woodie’ is a fair vocal tune but doesn’t get far on such little gas, and ‘Bird Bath’ is essentially a rewrite of 'Church Key' with high-pitched squeaks and gargling between instrumental breaks. The closing song, ‘The Sleeper’ (a reference to a souped-up car with a rough exterior), is perhaps the best vocal number on the album, with some harmony in the backing voices.

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For those who enjoyed the strange sounds of 'Surfin’ Bird,' the Trashmen’s first and only album will likely not disappoint. Oddly though, with the exception of ‘Bird Bath,’ none of the songs included here have much of the same zaniness as the breakthrough hit. Conversely, those who are looking for something a little more substantial in the way of surf and hot rod music may find these land-locked tunes enjoyable enough to track it down. Original pressings are almost always trashed (no pun intended), and those in a desirable condition almost always go for high dollars, so the casual collector may want to seek out a repress.