Surf Novelty Rock
tagStarted 1962Peak 1962-1966Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
Reverb-drenched surf rock turned into gimmick and gag records: novelty premises, comic spoken intros, drum-solo showpieces, and goofy hooks riding twangy, wet-sounding guitars. Built on the same tremolo picking and crashing toms as straight surf, but bent toward fun, hot-rod culture, and one-off radio gimmicks.
History
Surf's early-1960s instrumental boom, led by Dick Dale's reverb attack, quickly spawned gimmick and novelty cuts. The Surfaris' 1963 "Wipe Out" turned a maniacal drum solo and cackling intro into a global hit, and the Trashmen's manic 1963 "Surfin' Bird" pushed surf into pure novelty, cementing the playful, hook-first strain of the genre.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wipe_Out_(instrumental)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfin%27_Bird
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_music