“Surf Finger,” such an obvious candidate for the A-side of a 45, alas, was never issued on wax and seems only to have surfaced with the release of Ace’s 2006 CD anthology, Hard Workin’ Man – The Jack Nitzsche Story Volume 2:
“Surf Finger“
Jack Nitzsche (1966)
Video above features “Surf Finger” paired with vintage 60s footage of the Sunset Strip
Spectropop‘s detailed Jack Nitzsche discography affirms that this track was recorded in 1966, thus forty years consigned to the can. Thanks to Scene of Screen 13 cinema blog, I learned that this instrumental served as part of the soundtrack for “documentary” film, Mondo Bizarro —– to hear the “Surf Finger” segment in the documentary, click on the triangle (media player) below.
Could this possibly be Jack Nitzsche’s abstract response to the classic Bar Kays near-instrumental, “Soul Finger,” I wondered. Highly unlikely, I had to conclude, since that Stax/Volt 45 did not come into being until the following year, 1967. “Surf Finger” can also be found on 2021 Jack Nitzsche anthology LP, The Reprise Singles 1963-1965, compiled by Hanky Panky Records (of Spain).
Jack Nitzsche
T.A.M.I. Show arranger/conductor + Jan Berry (1964)
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LINK to Surf on Zero to 180
