Surf
rock was one of the most popular forms of American rock & roll of the early
'60s. Distinguished by reverb-drenched guitar, rolling instrumentals that were
designed to sound like crashing waves, and simple, three-chord songs, the music
may sound similar on the surface, but it was revolutionary music for its time,
exploring sonic territories previously unheard in rock music. The first wave
of surf rock was kicked off by Dick Dale and his single "Let's Go Trippin."
The single was a local hit in California, but it inspired countless bands to
form -- groups like the Chantays and Surfaris, who had national hits ("Pipeline"
and "Wipe Out," respectively). Nearly all of these groups were one-hit wonders
that struggled to produce a second hit single. The second wave of surf rock
was led by the Beach Boys, who added Four Freshmen-style pop harmonies to the
basic Chuck Berry rhythms of surf rock. Groups like Jan & Dean and Ronny & the
Daytonas followed, but the Beach Boys remained the ultimate surf band for many
listeners, simply because they put the appeal of the beach and surfing into
words instead of conveying it with impressionistic music. Nevertheless, the
sounds of the instrumental surf rock echoed throughout the sonic experimentations
of '60s guitarists, and the genre remained popular into the '90s, thanks to
the efforts of several generations of surf-rock revivalists.
Surf
