“Surfer Girl”  The Sentinals  “12 Swingin’ Tunes for the Tuffest of Bunnies”  Del-Fi Records  (1963)   The second Sentinals long-player, Surfer Girl (1963), followed their debut Big Surf! (1963) by only a few scant months. The five-member unit featured future Turtles and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young percussionist Johnny Barbata (drums), alongside Tommy Nunes (guitar), Bobby Holmquist (sax), Harry Sackrider (guitar), and Kenny Hinkle (vocals/bass). Their sound is comparable to that of their first collection, blending a handful of originals — primarily by Hinkle this time rather than Nunes — with some adeptly chosen covers. The platter kicks off on the upbeat and clap-happy “Surf ‘n Soul,” sporting a built-in party atmosphere and the occasional whistle and shout thrown in for maximum effect. Although the Holmquist-penned “Sentinal” is presumably the band’s theme song, it bears an uncanny resemblance to the Royaltones’ second-tier hit “Flamingo Express,” while Hinkle’s “Nite Shuffle” is based on “Night Theme” by the Preps, according to Bryan Thomas’ liner notes in the 2004 Big Surf!/Surfer Girl CD reissue. Other standouts of note are the redux of Jessie Hill’s Crescent City R&B classic “Ooh Poh Pa Doo” and Freddie King’s “Sensation,” both of which are admittedly lightweight but thoroughly enjoyable. One of the more fascinating remakes is the comparatively up-tempo rendering of the Beach Boys’ title track “Surfer Girl.” Should keen-eared listeners detect something slightly different about the performance, it may well be because the combo in question is actually the Lively Ones rather than the Sentinals — again, based on Thomas’ essay. This brings up the inevitable conclusion that even though they are undeniably accomplished, the arguably ersatz West Coast style could have easily been mistaken for any number of similar groups such as the Routers, Centurians, Challengers, or Impacts.

Good eye Steve!

(48 votes, average: 3.81 out of 5)

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Plas Johnson on Tampa Records (1956)   This red vinyl LP was reissued as “Bop Me, Daddy”.  The accompanying musicians are: Ray Johnson (piano), Duke Harris (bass) and Sharky Hall (drums).   The songs are:   Makin’ Whoopee/Last Call/Dungaree Hop/Drum Magic/Blue Jean Shuffle/Plasma/Jackpot/Red Cider.

Plas Johnson can be heard on dozens of R&B recordings made in Los Angeles in the late 1950s, including ones by Don and Dewey, Larry Williams, the Cadets, Richard Berry, and many others. Perhaps his first noteworthy solo was the short piccolo figure that stands for the eponymous bird’s call on Bobby Day’s hit, “Rockin’ Robin.”    He was a favorite featured saxman of Lex Baxter who wrote solos specially for him on African Jazz and Tamboo!  And at Capitol he recorded with Nat “King” Cole, Peggy Lee, and Frank Sinatra.  Plas even sat in on most of the early Beach Boys classics and was an integral part of a number of rock groups that existed in name only, such as B. Bumble and the Stingers and the Mar-Ketts.

While he may not be known by name outside music and collector’s circles, his sax intro to the “Pink Panther Theme” and his playing (with Harry “Sweets” Edison) on the soundtrack to “The Odd Couple” have made his playing part of our collective cultural consciousness.

(34 votes, average: 3.21 out of 5)

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(Though it’s not on this record) I’ve been thinking about Eddie Cochran (October 2, 1938 – April 17, 1960) and Summertime Blues (1958).   Here’s “Remember Me…” a cool FRENCH Lp on Liberty Records from Uncle Gil’s Rockin’ Archives!     Summertime Blues is ranked number 73 in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.     It’s been covered tons.   From The Who (on Live at Leeds, 1970) to the Beach Boys to Blue Cheer and Bruce Springsteen.   Cochran was just 21 when he died in April 1960, in a road accident during his British tour.     In 1987, Cochran was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

(49 votes, average: 3.86 out of 5)

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Illustrator, graphic designer Andrew Kolb reinturprets The Beach Boys “Pet Sounds” cover art.   One of a collection of artists included in the 33 1/3 Art Show.

(60 votes, average: 3.68 out of 5)

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“I Get Around”   TeeVee Records   Released in 1978, this is actually a cheesey, exploito compilation of early 1960’s AM hits from the first wave of skate boarding (or “sidewalk surfing” as they used to say).   Willie & The Wheels “Skateboard Craze” is probably the most curious thing on this album: It’s a complete rip-off of the Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ U.S.A.” (which is itself a ripoff of Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen”), but with lyrics about the joys of skateboarding.   Listen Up:  

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Check out the glossary terms!   Priceless.   (Courtesy of lp cover lover, Kilwag at SkateAndAnnoy.com)

(38 votes, average: 3.05 out of 5)

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“The Monkey’s Uncle” (1965) Disney movie with Annette Funicello.   The Beach Boys perform the title track in this bad sequel to “The Misadventures of Merlin Jones”.

(20 votes, average: 3.75 out of 5)

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