Zero to 180 – Three Minute Magic

Discoveries of a Pop Music Archaeologist

Tag: Surf music

"The Wobble"
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King Cash-In Surf LP #2

Zero to 180’s sprawling history trawl “Rare & Unreleased King” made passing reference to another surf-ploitation LP issued by King Records – 1963’s Surfin’ on Wave Nine – and even threatened to make that album the focus of a future history piece … whose time has come today. Compared to Look Who’s

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"Joggin' Along"
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King Cash-In Surf LP #1

In the course of sleuthing, I stumbled upon a King surf cash-in compilation from 1964 that, upon closer inspection, revealed a trio of “mystery bands” — The Surf Jumpers, The Wild Kats and The King Surfers — that are mysteriously absent from Ruppli’s otherwise fairly comprehensive 2-volume discography of King

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"Zanzie"
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Mickey Baker on a King Surf LP

Session guitarist Mickey (“Love Is Strange“) Baker — whose work would grace dozens of releases by King Records and its subsidiaries — ended up being allotted exactly one solo album by the label as an artist in his own right:  1963’s But Wild. Recorded in Paris in June of 1962,

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"Seat Belts Please"
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King Records: Safety Conscious

King Records, as noted in last year’s piece about The Impacs, was not known for its twangin’ surf sounds.  “Seat Belts Please” by The Exports, intriguingly, would straddle the same line between garage and surf as The Impacs and include a secondary riff [beginning at the 0:34 mark] that would

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"Batmobile"
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“Batmobile”: Ohio Surf

Once upon a time, American automobile designs were the envy of the world.  Today’s piece is a tribute to the creative genius who not only designed Batman and Robin’s iconic mode of transport but also the Munster Koach, and the unbelievably spectacular Voxmobile that guitarist extraordinaire, Jimmy Bryant, once befriended. 

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"Competition Coupe"
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“Competition Coupe”: The Many Faces of Gary Usher

My friend — the gifted record collector, Tom Avazian — found this fairly obscure hot rod album, 1963’s Hot Rod City on the Vault label – for sale on the streets of Washington, DC: “Competition Coupe” by The Customs was one track that particularly tickled my ear: Gary Usher —

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"Take a Run at the Sun"
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J Mascis Takes a Run at the Sun

Allison Anders‘ 1996 fictional film, Grace of My Heart – a clever and heartfelt tribute to the great sounds of the 1960s and early 70s – features original songs that take their inspiration from Brill Building and girl group pop, as well as Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound,” British Invasion

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"Last Wave of the Day"
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“Last Wave of the Day”: Lights Out for Surf?

Along with “Hit the Surf” by The Sea Shells (previously celebrated here), “Last Wave of the Day” by The Riptides – from the Mondo Hollywood soundtrack album – is another late surf-era track from 1967 that begs the question:  who recorded the last original era surf tune and when? Important

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"Hit the Surf"
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“Hit the Surf”: Sunset on Surf Era?

Sonically speaking, “Hit the Surf” by The Sea Shells is one of the more interesting productions from the original surf era: From Rhino’s surf music box set, one learns that this tune was recorded very late in the game for surf’s first wave – June 1967 – the musical landscape

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