Album Review:

The final album by guitar duo Tom and Jerry, Surfin' Hootenanny was released on Mercury Records in 1963. While Tommy Tomlinson and Jerry Kennedy were both talented guitarists, their contributions are underwhelming here as most melodies are hijacked by a group of country singers. Compositionally, there are some nice surf tunes here, though most are marred by the terrible chorus of singers. Most songs consist of one sung chorus and then a stretched-out instrumental break. 

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'Surfin' Hootenanny' pretty much sets the stage for what's to come; a twangy country The song had appeared on Surfin' Hootenanny by Al Casey the same year. 'Hootenanny' is unlistenably bad and has no connection to surfing. Jerry Kennedy's melodic 'Moonlight Surfer' is passable for a surf tune though it's marred by the vocal group "oohs" and "ahhs." 'Surfin' Around the Clock' again falls squarely in the banjo-plucking front-porch drivel that has not aged particularly well. An ultra surfy guitar opens up 'Surfside Park' before it briefly descends back into rockabilly territory for one chorus before relaunching into a mediocre surf tune. 'Green Bay Surf' is notable for missing any vocals, which means it's about the best execution on the album. 'Surfenanny' is too folksongy to merit a listen. 'Mama Don't Allow No Surfin' Around Here' is painful to listen to. The understated 'Exotic Sea' is undoubtedly the best moment on the album. 'Ko Ko Beach' begins sweet enough before the dreadful vocal group joins in again for a single chorus. Seriously, did no one realize that the vocals add nothing to these tunes and detract from the listening experience? 'Stranded on the Surfboard' breaks things up a bit with its bass voice but isn't much of a song. The less said about 'Shoutin' Hootenanny, ' the better. 

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Time hasn't been kind to the down-home aesthetic of the Surfin' Hootenanny. Unlike Mr. Gasser & the Weirdos' Hot Rod Hootenanny, which balanced the hootenanny and hot rod aspects in a party atmosphere to its advantage, this is more of a country record than anything else.

CHOICE CUTS:

Green Bay Surf / MOONLIGHT SURFER / Ko Ko Beach / Surfside Park