Surf Jangle
tagStarted 1960Peak 1961-1965Last big hit still active
Located in 2 routes
Bright, reverb-drenched instrumental rock where clean treble guitars ring and chime over crashing spring-reverb wash. Twangy single-note leads, glassy tremolo, tight rhythm guitar, and driving backbeats evoke surf and sun. Melodic and shimmering rather than gritty, it foregrounds the wet, sparkling Fender guitar tone above all.
History
Pioneered around 1960 by the Ventures and Britain's Shadows, instrumental surf married clean chiming guitars to Fender's wet spring reverb. The Chantays' 1963 'Pipeline' and the Astronauts spread the reverbed jangle nationwide. Though the British Invasion eclipsed it by 1965, its bright guitar tone seeded jangle's later treble shimmer.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_music
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipeline_(instrumental)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ventures
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadows