Surfers' Choice

by Dick Dale and His Del-Tones

Surfers' Choice cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: November 1962
  • Label: Deltone
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 48:42
  • Community rating: 4.04/5 from 5 ratings

Artists on this release: Barry Rillera, Bryan Dietz, Jack Lake, Art Munson, Nick O'Malley, Armon Frank, Dick Dale

Album Notes & Community Reviews

'Surfers' Choice' established the sonic template for surf rock, defined by Dick Dale's rapid, percussive staccato picking, heavy reverb, and the thunderous energy of his custom-built Fender amplifiers. Primarily recorded live at the Rendezvous Ballroom to capture the band's raw concert dynamics, the album blends genre-defining instrumentals like "Let's Go Trippin'" and "Misirlou Twist" with a handful of rhythm and blues vocal covers. Studio overdubs were used to complete the production, solidifying the record as a landmark that introduced surf music to a national audience.

Genres

Descriptors: instrumental, reverb-heavy, fast, beach, old-school

Tracklist

  1. Surf Beat (03:00)
  2. Sloop John B (02:19)
  3. Take It Off (02:10)
  4. Night Owl (02:36)
  5. Fanny Mae (02:37)
  6. Miserlou Twist (04:07)
  7. Peppermint Man (02:24)
  8. Surfing Drums (04:53)
  9. Shake 'n' Stomp (02:11)
  10. Lovey Dovey (03:33)
  11. Death of a Gremmie (02:47)
  12. Let's Go Trippin' (02:11)
  13. Del-Tone Rock (02:42)
  14. Jungle Fever (02:16)
  15. Miserlou (02:17)
  16. Eight Till Midnight (02:08)
  17. Lovin' On My Brain (02:23)
  18. A Run for Life (02:08)

Credits

More from Dick Dale and His Del-Tones: full discography