It Came From The Beach (Surf, Drag And Rockin' Instros From Downey)

Downey Records has a place in surf music history for releasing the Chantays' hit "Pipeline" alone, though that single didn't become a smash until it and the group were sold to Dot Records. This compilation has 26 instrumental sides recorded by Downey from about 1961-1965, much of which was issued on obscure singles on Downey and affiliated labels of the time, though some of it was unissued until many years later (and three cuts make their first appearance anywhere on this CD). Even surf/early-'60s instrumental music lovers will likely approach this compilation without unrealistic expectations of hearing classics along the lines of "Pipeline" or the Pyramids' "Penetration," or for that matter the Rumblers' small 1963 hit "Boss," which was recorded for Downey. Instead it's a disc for genre specialists, the attitude and energy that fired Californian instrumental surf and hot rod music also present, but a good share of the tunes themselves being rather basic and dull. There are nonetheless a good number of tracks that make things more interesting by adding the haunting, occasionally Latin-Eastern-tinged riffs that distinguished much of the better music in the style, like the Blazers' rather Dick Dale-ish "Bangalore." The Surftones' "Cecilia Ann" couldn't fail to remind many listeners of the kind of spooky ambience the Chantays created in "Pipeline"; Sir Frog & the Toads' "Mustang" wins points not only for the engagingly silly band name, but also the mighty speedy guitar picking; and the Chevells' moody "Let There Be Surf," deservedly anthologized on some of the best surf compilations, was a significant regional hit, selling 50,000 copies (though, oddly, it was the only single the group released). The Rumblers' previously unissued "Oblique" is about as avant-garde as this kind of music gets, a jazzy sax bumping incongruously against a scraping horror-movie like riff as bongos obliviously patter away. ~ Richie Unterberger