Surf rock
Surf rock is a style of music that originated in the
USA that mixes elements of
surf music and
rock music. While in the
1960s surf music and
rock n' roll were distinct styles, associated with competing dance styles and representing distinct and competing
youth cultures, the development of rock music since then has built upon both styles. Many authorities now retrospectively classify all surf bands as rock bands, and surf music therefore as a subgenre of rock music.
A typical surf
amplifier setup consists of a
Fender Reverb spring reverberation unit used with a Fender blackface Twin Reverb amplifier. For a guitar, a
Fender Jazzmaster,
Mosrite,
Teisco, or
Danelectro are standard choices. Fender, Danelectro, Mosrite
bass guitars are common as well. Surf drum kits tend to be
Rogers,
Ludwig, or
Slingerland.
Duane Eddy's instrumental "Movin' and Groovin" is thought by many to be the main contender for laying the groundwork as the first surf rock record, while others claim the genre was invented by
Dick Dale on
Let's Go Trippin', an instrumental which became a hit throughout
California.
Dale's influence on the surf genre was profound. He was a surfer himself and sought to transfer the excitement and adrenaline of the sport through his guitar playing. He often drew on his
Lebanese heritage, incorporating
modal tonalities and instruments such as
finger cymbals and
reeds. Many surf bands that followed him incorporated Eastern influences, as well as Dale's generous use of reverb. His fast staccato playing was also very influential and an important part of the early surf sound, perhaps even more so than the reverb, which was only introduced years after Dale had already released his first albums. In Australia, which has always had a strong beach culture, the genre was strongly embraced in the 1960's, although Australian surf rock bands such as
The Atlantics took their influences more from the famed British instrumental band
The Shadows.
Instrumental rock band
The Ventures also had a number of surf hits, their most widely known being "Walk Don't Run".
The Chantays recorded a top single with "Pipeline". Probably the most widely known surf melody, however, is from a song "Wipe Out" by
The Surfaris.
During the mid- to late
1990s, surf rock experienced a revival in the works of such artists as
The Blue Stingrays,
Bomboras,
Man... or Astro-Man?, and
The Aqua Velvets. The popularity of the movie "Pulp Fiction" which featured surf music fuelled the revival well into this century.
Spy Rock is a subgenre of surf rock featuring similarly complex melodies, usually set in minor keys, evocative of
film noir. Examples include the bands Double Naught Spy Car and the Twenty-Twos.
Surfabilly is a subgenre often featuring traditional surf melodies played over
rockabilly chord structures. Examples include the bands The
Red Elvises,
Southern Culture on the Skids, and
The Young Werewolves.
Hot Rod Rock (also called Drag Rock) is also a subgenre of surf rock. Traditional surf rock sounds are applied to lyrics about the also rising hot rod culture. For a few years it gained mass popularity. The Rip-Chords, Ronny and the Daytonas, and The Hondells are good examples of this subgenre. The Beach Boys and Dick Dale produced songs in this subgenre such as "Little Deuce Coupe" and "Mag Wheels".
Space Rock is a subgenre of surf rock. It contains many of the characteristics of the "true" surf rock sound, but it also contains many elements from pop and rockabilly. Rather than surfing, the titles of the songs are associated with outer space travel and technology, and feature more other-worldly sounds. The album
The Ventures in Space is a good example.
Surf Punk is a highly inclusive subgenre of surf rock that incorporates many of the styles and attitudes of punk music with traditional vocal and instrumental surf. The Ramones experimented with surf and numerous small bands of the midwest currently perform this style. Satan's Pilgrims is an amazing Surf Punk band that incorporates drumming, distortion coupled with reverb, fast chord changes, and intense vocal stylings are the trademark.
The Amino Acids of Detroit, Michigan and
The Deformities of Omaha, Nebraska, and others like
Estrume'n'tal, build on this genre, while bringing in other influences such as heavy metal and/or psychobilly.
Eleki could be considered a catch-all phrase for the style of guitar-based music developed in
Japan following the Ventures 1962 tour. Important Japanese surf guitar players include Yuzo Kayama and Takeshi Terauchi. The 'Eleki boom' guitar craze sparked by the Ventures tour had a profound and long lasting effect on Japanese rock music; when the Ventures returned to Japan in 1965 they were greeted with Beatlemania-like crowds. The Ventures are still very popular in Japan and continue to tour the country annually. The Surf Coasters are probably the most popular contemporary Japanese surf rock band.
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Surf music*
Surf popSee also list of surf rock musicians*
The 5.6.7.8's*
The 9th Wave*
Agent Orange*
The Atlantics*
The Astroglides*
The Bambi Molesters*
The Beach Boys (in 1962-63)
*
The Blue Hawaiians*
The Blue Stingrays*
Bobby Fuller (Our Favorite Martian)*
The Bomboras*
The Born Losers*
The Boss Martians*
The Breakers*
Bruce & Terry*
Al Casey*
Jackie & The Cedrics*
The Centurions*
The Challengers*
The Chandeliers*
The Chantays*
Chum*
Daikaiju*
The Deoras*
The Detonators*
Dick Dale*
Duane Eddy*
The Eliminators*
Estrume'n'tal*
The Evasions*
The Fantastic Baggys*
They're Gonna Get You*
Tom Starr & The Galaxies*
Gein & The Graverobbers*
The Ghastly Ones*
Greasy Valentine*
The Halibuts*
The Hollywoods*
The Honeys*
The Howlin' Thurstons*
The Impacts (Merrell Fankhauser)*
The Insect Surfers*
Jan & Dean*
Jetpack*
Jim Messina & The Jesters*
Mister Neutron*
Bruce Johnston*
Jon & The Nightriders*
The Kilaueas*
Laika & The Cosmonauts*
Langhorns*
The Lava Rats*
Lightning War*
The Lively Ones*
Longboard Ranch*
Lost Acapulco*
The Madeira*
Malibooz*
Man or Astro-man?*
David Marx & The Marksmen*
The Mel-Tones*
The Mermen*
Monsters from Mars*
The Nebulas*
The Nematoads*
The Neptunas*
Neptune Society*
Ninth Wave*
The Nocturnes*
The Penetrators*
Phono-Comb*
The Fabulous Planktones*
Pollo Del Mar*
The Pyramids*
The Reluctant Aquanauts*
Bob Vaught & The Renegades*
The Reventlos*
The Revels*
The Rip-Chords*
The Royal Fingers*
Satellites of Robot World*
The Sandals*
The Sentinals*
The Shadows*
Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet*
The Side Effects*
Slacktone*
The Space Cossacks*
Squid Vicious*
Super Stereo Surf*
Los Straitjackets*
The Surfalicious Dudes*
The Surfaris*
The Surf Coasters*
The Surf Kings*
Surf Punks*
The Surf Raiders*
Surf Report*
Dave Myers & The Surftones*
Tape Man and the Tape Men*
The Thurston Lava Tube*
Tiki Tiki Bamboooos*
The Tornadoes*
The Torquays*
The Trashmen*
3 Balls of Fire*
Gary Usher*
The Ventures*
The 'Verb*
The Vivisectors*
The Wedge*
The Wipeouters*
The Woodies*
The Young Werewolves*
The Ziggens
