The Lively Ones are Surfin' again

One of the best of the many instrumental surf bands working the Southern California region in 1963, the Lively Ones made recordings built around storming, reverb-drenched Fender guitars embellished by occasional raunchy sax breaks. Originality was not the Lively Ones' forte; over a period of about 12 months, they ground out about five albums, filled out with many covers or retitled numbers based on other rock and R&B compositions. They had a couple of hits in the L.A. area in 1963 ("Surf Rider" and "Rik-A-Tik"), but their best moment was probably "Goofy Foot," whose staccato gunfire of riffs deservedly propelled the track onto several modern best-of-surf anthologies. They ranged far and wide for source material, giving the surf treatment to "Telstar," "Exodus," "Rawhide," and Cole Porter's "Night and Day." Even the overdone standards are arranged and executed with panache. One best-of compilation is all you need, but anyone who likes Dick Dale will dig the Lively Ones' similar sleek arrangements and prototypically twangy, classy surf guitar leads.

1963 LP Surf Rider (US Del-Fi DFLP-1226)

By the time their debut LP, Surf Rider! made it to store shelves in 1963, they had already issued a handful of singles, the most successful being a reworking of the Ventures' deep LP cut "Spudnik," rechristened as "Surf Rider." Although it made little impact nationally, the catchy tune and beguiling beat became a local smash, prompting Del-Fi to compile an album's worth of material with previously available sides, a few new originals, as well as some songs that would have been familiar to the audience. During an era marked by a plethora of nominally talented and ersatz sound-alike cover bands, in retrospect the Lively Ones' music remains noteworthy for their strong self-penned numbers. Among those highlights are the bouncy mid-tempo "Happy Gremmie," the driving rhythm behind "Walkin' the Board," and above all the gritty "Goofy Foot." As was customary, they also retooled and personalized concurrently popular melodies, including obligatory interpretations of Dick Dale's "Misirlou," "Let's Go Trippin'," and the solid opener "Surf Beat." Buoyed by incisive interplay between Masoner and Willenbring, other standouts are "Guitar Man" -- a Top 20 hit for Duane Eddy -- and the darkly brooding "Caterpillar Crawl."

01. The Lively Ones - Surf Beat
02. The Lively Ones - Let's Go Trippin'
03. The Lively Ones - Misirlou
04. The Lively Ones - (Dance With The) Guitar Man
05. The Lively Ones - The Caterpillar Crawl
06. The Lively Ones - Walkin' The Board
07. The Lively Ones - Paradise Cove
08. The Lively Ones - Goofy Foot
09. The Lively Ones - Surf Rider
10. The Lively Ones - Happy Gremmie
11. The Lively Ones - Hotdoggen
12. The Lively Ones - Surfer's Lament

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1963 LP Surf Drums (US Del-Fi DFLP-1231)

The second Lively Ones long-player, Surf Drums (1963), was compiled in much the same way their debut had been created, comparable to the vast majority of rush-released platters of the era. Del-Fi Records owner Bob Keane collected a few of the band's previous singles alongside a variety of already established covers, many of which were concurrent hits for other artists. The instrumental quintet had gained a sizable name for themselves in and around the Orange County, CA, scene, scoring regionally on covers of the Ventures' dynamic "Spudnik" and the Fireballs' effervescent "Rik-A-Tic." The album opens up with a remake of Duane Eddy's mid-tempo, ambling "40 Miles Bad Road." The track is the perfect vehicle for Jim Masoner (guitar) and Joel Willenbring (sax), whose collaborations became an integral ingredient not only in the Lively Ones' sound, but helped to separate them from the plethora of similar units. Providing support for the soloists and rounding out the personnel are solid contributions from Ed Chiaverini (guitar), Ron Griffith (bass), and Tim Fitzpatrick (drums). Despite the dearth of original compositions, the aggregate muscle through some choice overhauls of genre favorites, most notably the soulful strut of the Rockin' Rebels' "Wild Weekend," the high-energy yakety sax on the Belairs' "Mr. Moto" and the analogous rearrangement of "Tuff Surf," an R&B entry from the relatively obscure Nobel Watts.

01. The Lively Ones - Surf Beat
02. The Lively Ones - Let's Go Trippin'
03. The Lively Ones - Misirlou
04. The Lively Ones - (Dance With The) Guitar Man
05. The Lively Ones - The Caterpillar Crawl
06. The Lively Ones - Walkin' The Board
07. The Lively Ones - Paradise Cove
08. The Lively Ones - Goofy Foot
09. The Lively Ones - Surf Rider
10. The Lively Ones - Happy Gremmie
11. The Lively Ones - Hotdoggen
12. The Lively Ones - Surfer's Lament

If you want to listen to the music... Look up in the right column.
Als je naar de muziek wilt luisteren... Kijk boven in de rechter kolom.

1963 LP Surf City (US Del-Fi DFLP-1237)

Following in much the same format as preceding releases, the platter consisted primarily of cuts that had been previously issued as singles or were initially left off previous LPs -- perhaps the most egregious example being "Surf Rider" (the title track from their 1963 debut album) -- in addition to a handful of "new" sides. As was fairly common practice at the time, there are several high-profile cover versions of well-established hits, which is how Surf City commences. The instrumental reworking of Jan & Dean's June 1963 chart-topper was undoubtedly a recent supplement to the Lively Ones' repertoire, as the original had only been around for a few months. Conversely, their carbon copy of Dick Dale's anthemic "Miserlou" -- another repeat from Surf Rider -- and the subdued interpretation of Santo & Johnny's "Sleepwalk" had already become surf rock staples. "Head's Up," a lesser-known entry from R&B guitarist Freddie King, is given a punchy reading that motors along with some tasty interplay between saxophonist Joel Willenbring and lead guitarist Jim Masoner. Speaking of King, they close with a spirited translation of his "Butterscotch," cleverly rechristened as "Forty Miles of Bad Surf." The languid and moody "Malibu Run" is one of two group-penned numbers, proving that while not as prolific as their record company might have desired, the Lively Ones easily made up for it with quality.

01. The Lively Ones - Surf City
02. The Lively Ones - Telstar Surf
03. The Lively Ones - Heads Up
04. The Lively Ones - Malibu Run
05. The Lively Ones - Miserlou
06. The Lively Ones - Surf Rider
07. The Lively Ones - Soul Surfer
08. The Lively Ones - Sleep Walk
09. The Lively Ones - Crazy Surf
10. The Lively Ones - Livin'
11. The Lively Ones - Tranquilizer
12. The Lively Ones - Forty Miles Of Bad Surf

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1964 LP Surfin' South Of The Border (US Del-Fi DFLP-1240)

The dozen cuts on 1964's Surfin' South of the Border are split among the Lively Ones and the Surf Mariachis -- the latter consisting of five renowned West Coast studio session instrumentalists under the direction of Del-Fi Records owner Bob Keane. The results yielded what was arguably one of the first "concept albums" of the surf rock subgenre. The project was unabashedly designed as a vehicle to release the remnants of the the Lively Ones' previous endeavors. The remaining time was filled with new Latin-flavored versions of tunes already well known by the targeted teen audience. Regardless of how opportunistic those terms might seem, give credit where credit is due, as Keane pulls off yet another inspired collection. Truth be told, it is curious why Lively Ones tracks such as the spirited opener, "Torquay," and the echoplex-happy reading of Ernest Gold's 1960 Oscar-winning composition "Exodus" were initially left on the editing room floor. The personnel of the Surf Mariachis boasted Conte Candoli (trumpet), Tom Scott (sax), Jay Migliori (sax), Billy Strange (guitar), and Frankie Capp (percussion), so it isn't that difficult to understand why they sound comparatively polished. "Watermelon Man" is a particularly tasty groove, as is Lalo Schifrin's frenetic "Undertow" and Lee Hazlewood's "Baja Surf," all of which strike a perfect balance between cool and kitsch.

01. The Lively Ones - Torquay
02. The Surf Mariachis - Baja Surf
03. The Lively Ones - Mexico
04. The Surf Mariachis - Limbo Rock
05. The Surf Mariachis - More
06. The Lively Ones - Exodus
07. The Lively Ones - Tequila
08. The Surf Mariachis - Watermelon Man
09. The Surf Mariachis - Undertow
10. The Lively Ones - Walking Memories (aka Surfing Mem
11. The Lively Ones - Latinia
12. The Surf Mariachis - Surf Fiesta

If you want to listen to the music... Look up in the right column.
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