Search - Various Artists :: Wax Board & Woodie

Another great & rare surf cd(surf ,wax, & woodie)

Jag814 | 11/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"(various artists) wax, board & woodie (out of print) A must have for any surf fan or collector of rare cds. all tracks are winners , my favs are (El Gato- by The Chandells) (Lone survivor- by the beachcombers) Grab a copy of this title. A+"

3.5 Stars- Fun, obscure surf-pop.

Laszlo Matyas | 07/03/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Wax, Board, and Woodie is a collection of 14 obscure surf and hot rod songs from the 60s. The disc includes forgotten recordings from fairly well-known artists (two of these tracks, for example, are by the Surfaris), as well as performances by virtually unknown groups. The music is on the poppier side of the surf spectrum; there are no deranged tunes in the "Surfin' Bird" vein. The vocal numbers are standard, Beach Boys/Jan & Dean style beachside fodder: The Surfaris' "Wax, Board, and Woodie" sums up the surf-rock archetype pretty well, with its sun-drenched vocal harmonies, joyfully naive lyrics, and its evocative, dance-inducing musicianship. It may be a completely unspectacular song, but it's still a whole lot of fun. The Surfaris also do an excellent rendition of "Route 66" that rocks with as much catchy abandon as the Rolling Stones' version. Phil Sloan & The Fantastic Baggys' "Dragon Lady" is infectious, fun, and a little weird (in a good way), and Johnny Cymbal's "(Surfin' At) Tia Juana" is about as close as anyone ever got to combinig surf and country. It's actually a bit annoying in places, but never overwhelmingly so. Willie & The Wheels "Skateboard Craze" is probably the most curious thing on this album: It's a complete rip-off of the Beach Boys' "Surfin' U.S.A." (which is itself a ripoff of Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen"), but with lyrics about the joys of skateboarding. It's well played, but in the end it has more novelty value than anything else.



The other nine tracks are all instrumentals. A lot of them are pretty good: The Chandelles' "El Gato" is a stomping, juicy tune with an ultra-cool guitar part, and Kenny & the Fiends' "Moon Shot" is a spacey groover that sounds like a restrained Joe Meek production. Kay Bell & the Tuffs' "(The Original) Surfer's Stomp" is a great dance number with some (of course) stomping rhythms and a fiery saxophone. The Galaxies' "Tremble" is a greasy, hyperactive, and fun, while the Beach Combers' "Lone Survivor" is a quieter number that really is quite atmospheric. Still, even the best of the instrumentals are fairly middle-of-the-road, without much to distinguish them from the rest of the surf music cannon.



The result is a fun, breezy collection of enjoyable but unspectacular surf tunes. Fans of the genre should certainly pick this up."

Some great stuff, some not so great

COMPUTERJAZZMAN | Cliffside Park, New Jersey United States | 10/19/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"a lot of rare recordings on this CD. My favorites are El Gato (The Chandells), MoonShot(Kenny & The Fiends), Door Banger (The King Pins), and my absolute favorite one of them all, (Surfin' At) Tia Juana, by Johnny Cymbal (the guy who did Mr. Bass Man). Some of the other songs, tho', are pretty weak and I could live without."