I had an amazing dream last night.
I dreamed that both of the cats
we’ve lost in the last two years (Othello and Inigo) came to visit us in the
living room. It was one of those
hyper-real dreams, full of tactile sensation and emotional depth. I knew it was odd that they were back, and I knew they
couldn’t stay. I followed them around
the house giving them both pats until I sensed it was time for them to go, and
then I woke up. I felt both better and
worse at the same time.
H.P. Lovecraft had a lot of
strange notions about cats, and how they exist in other dream-like dimensions
that we are unaware of. It would be
great if he turns out to be right, but even if he’s wrong, it was a nice dream.
Disc 394 is…Summer Surf
Artist: Dick Dale and his
Del-Tones
Year of Release: 1964
What’s Up With The Cover?: In the days of records, they would often list all the
tracks on the front, so when you flipped through at the store you could see
everything without pulling it out. This
album does that. Below the titles, Dick Dale looks
ultra-cool standing amid a bunch of surfboards, one of which looks pretty
dinged up. When I first looked at this
cover I thought he was standing in a living room looking out the window, and
the surf board on the right was one sides of the drapes.
How I Came To Know It: I think I first
became dimly aware of Dick Dale from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack (reviewed way
back at Disc 102) but it has only been more recently I’ve gotten interested in
‘surf guitar.’ I read a little bit about
it, and went back and forth, but it was ultimately my renewed interest in
muscle cars that drove me to buy 1963’s “Checkered Flag” and from there I was
hooked. “Summer Surf” came very shortly thereafter, and more are on the way.
How It Stacks Up: I only have two Dick Dale albums, and if you’ve been
reading along, you’ll already know which two.
More will follow, but for now, I’m going to say the two I own are
equally good.
Rating: 4 stars
Ever wonder how we got from Chuck
Berry to the Ramones? At least one of
those paths goes through Dick Dale, and his surfer guitar sound.
“Summer Surf” has elements of that
early rock sound which makes sense, since in 1964 it is still relatively early
in the life of what we think of as modern rock and roll. At the same time, for music that is currently
48 years old it has a definite edge to it.
This is music for people who want
to party, regardless of the era. Unlike
modern rock, it doesn’t feel the need to overtly shock you with lyrics, or go
negative. It is upbeat music for cool
cats that just want to hang out at the beach with their girls and maybe a
cooler of beers.
His signature rolling, rapid-fire
reverb guitar sound is in strong evidence, with the momentum-laden “Banzai
Washout,” the western-inspired “Tidal Wave” and the swing-like “Thunder Wave,”
all brilliant instrumentals.
This is what is great about Dick Dale
that I didn’t notice on the first couple of listens. Yes, he has rightfully placed his star
brightly among rock and roll’s most famous axe-men for his own style, but he is
not content , and is constantly experimenting with rock and roll.
On “Summer Surf” he takes his sound
in yet another direction, melding it with traditional Spanish guitar on “Spanish
Kiss,” and works in inspirational gospel arrangements on “Glory Wave,” a song
that compares riding a big wave to an experience in religious ecstasy. Or maybe vice versa – it works either way.
In every case, he doesn’t just
noodle about trying new things at his listeners’ expense. He writes good songs that just get more
interesting the more you play them.
This album isn’t all about the
guitar, either. There is plenty of horn
section, piano and even a little harmonica to mix it up, all played with a
groovy playfulness. Dale’s guitar shows
off just enough to leave you wanting more.
Of course, through it all, he
remains loyal to the culture of surfing.
On the aforementioned “Glory Wave” he sings:
“I’m gonna ride that glory wave
today
I’m gonna walk on the water like
the good book say.”
The language of surfing is rampant
throughout, with references to ‘hocking your woody’, and ‘genuine hot doggers’
that ‘shoot that curl all day.’ Even his
Mom hangs ten on the playfully fun “Mama’s Gone Surfin’”.
The album closes with a couple of
bonus tracks, “Who Can He Be” and “Oh Marie” that are a lot more traditional fifties rock. I enjoyed having these as well. Even though I’m usually down on bonus tracks
on an album, these ones fit in nicely, and showed another side of Dale worth a
listen.
I was tempted to call this album a
concept album, but really it is just a sub-genre of music that the cool kids
dug back in 1964. Just listening to it made
me feel cool, 48 years after its release.
It is still cool, because good tunes don’t wipe out, man, they just keep
riding that wave.
Best tracks: Surfin’, Banzai Washout, Glory Wave, Mama’s Gone Surfin’,
Tidal Wave.
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