| features in: Album Chart of 1962 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s |
Dick Dale’s debut was a bit of an unbefitting mutation, recorded live in 1961 at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, California, and later enhanced with studio overdubs. His appearances at the Rendezvous drew capacity crowds of over 4,000 screaming, dancing fans every weekend. They were thirsty for an LP – it was eventually released in November 1962 and sold over 88,000 copies locally. “Surf Beat” gets thing off to a flyer with Dick’s groundbreaking staccato playing accompanied by some neat saxophone sweeps and excited yelps. It’s immediately followed by a version of “Sloop John B” – as much as the producers desperately try to save it with studio strings, it’s a lame duck. Such is the problem with this ill-conceived concept. “Take It Off” gets things back on track right away, with Dick’s dynamic guitar abilities at the forefront – at least, as well as they can be, given the limited nature of the recording source. The cover of Buster Brown’s “Fannie Mae” reveals the Del-Tones as fine R n B players, whilst the album version of “Miserlou” (retitled as “Misirlou Twist”) was a fair bit different, with added Greek strings, but was always just a shade less dynamic than the single. Still an all-time classic mind. As good as it undoubtedly is, Dick Dale’s debut could’ve, and should’ve, been an excellent 8 – he had the power. Pity about the hash-bash package…
The Jukebox Rebel
01–Mar–2012
| Tracklist |
| A1 | [03:00]  Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Surf Beat [live ’61] (Dick Dale) Rock n Roll / Rockabilly |
| A2 | [02:19]  Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Sloop John B [live ’61] (Traditional, Lee Hays, Carl Sandburg) Pop Ballad |
| A3 | [02:10]  Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Take It Off [live ’61] (Dick Dale) Rock n Roll / Rockabilly |
| A4 | [02:36]  Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Night Owl [live ’61] (Tony Allen) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A5 | [02:37]  Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Fanny Mae [live ’61] (Buster Brown, Clarence Lewis, Bobby Robinson) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| A6 | [04:07]  Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Misirlou Twist [live ’61] (Michalis Patrinos, Nick Roubanis) Rock n Roll / Rockabilly |
| B1 | [02:24]  Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Peppermint Man [live ’61] (Alonzo Willis) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B2 | [04:53]  Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Surfing Drums [live ’61] (Dick Dale) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B3 | [02:11] Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Shake ‘n’ Stomp [live ’61] (Dick Dale) Rock n Roll / Rockabilly |
| B4 | [03:33]  Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Lovey Dovey [live ’61] (Eddy Curtis, Ahmet Ertegün) Pop |
| B5 | [02:47] Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Death Of A Gremmie [live ’61] (Dick Dale) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B6 | [02:11]  Dick Dale and his Del-Tones - Let’s Go Trippin’ [live ’61] (Dick Dale) Rock n Roll / Rockabilly |
