Beach Party: Garpax Surf 'N' Drag Various Artists (Gary Paxton)

£11.50

Genre:
Surf
Label:
Ace Records
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDCHD 998

Cliche it may be to say so, but they really don't make 'em like Gary S Paxton anymore.

At least, they don't as far as record men go. Today's A&R representative has it positively cushy by comparison with 60s guys like Gary, who had to spot the trend (or, in some cases, actually start the trend!), then write the songs, find the talent to perform them, hire the musicians, supervise the session, shop the masters and - more often than not - put the tracks out themselves when unanimously turned down by the major labels. And more than most, Paxton was the master of all trades, jack of none where the music business was concerned - he could do all that and more.

In a music biz career than now spans five decades, Gary Paxton has been a performer, musician, producer, songwriter, trend and talent spotter. Literally hundreds of recordings have featured him in at least one of these capacities, including several bona fide Hall Of Fame classics. Let's just check a few off for you now - Cherry Pie, It Was I, Alley-Oop, Monster Mash. You get the picture?

He's been responsible for everything from the novelty of Bobby Boris Pickett to the serious hardcore country of the Gosdin Brothers, so it should come as no surprise - even to those who have heard none of the records - that Paxton had many fingers in the musical pie of surf and car music. Well, based in Los Angeles it was inevitable somehow that he would have.

Although not a surfer himself, Gary knew several men who did surf, and among them was Bruce Johnston, former Hollywood Argyle, future Beach Boy and something of a one-man surf music industry from the early 60s onwards. With friends like Johnston, Gary was there at the epicentre of the surf music explosion, and thus it was only natural that he would start running sessions aimed at the California crowd.

The best sides from these sessions can be found in Beach Party: Garpax Surf 'n' Drag. Compiled by Ace's own (land-locked!) man on the West Coast, Alec Palao, with the usual amount of passionate expertise that Alec brings to all his projects, Beach Party" hangs ten on all counts and will wipe out even the most ardent Surf collector with its mixture of astonishing rarities and unissued masters. Every kind of surf style is here, from Dick Dale-style instros by the Torquays and Kenny & The Sultans, to solid black girl vocal group records, by the Fashions, masquerading as hymns to bronzed beach types. And then there are the novelties, of course. The less enlightened might argue that surf 'n' drag music is itself a 'novelty' but, of all the major producers affiliated with the genre, only Gary Paxton managed to combine all the genres successfully - and if you don't believe be, check out the man's own Two Hump Dual Bump Camel Named Robert E. Lee where Gary manages to reference his own classic Alley-Oop and its close cousin Ahab The Arab and yet still sound like he's on his way to the nearest Ford dealership to drool over the new line in Mustangs!

You don't have to be a surfer or racer to enjoy these 26 tracks of top-quality early 60s American Pop, Heck, you don't even have to like water or grease. At Gary Paxton's "Beach Party" anyone can get on board without actually getting on a board.

Welcome to the Village Of The Tanned!

by Tony Rounce
Your Boy On The Board!"

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Track listing

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Side 1

  • 01 Preview Beach Party (All Summer Long) - Dave Kinzie

  • 02 Preview The Wipe Out - Kenny & the Sultans

  • 03 Preview Red Hot Scrambler-Go! - The Captivations

  • 04 Preview Waikiki Rumble - Vince & the Waikiki Rumblers

  • 05 Preview Summertime Is Surfin' Time - The Surf Bunnies

  • 06 Preview Escondido - The Torquays

  • 07 Preview Let's Go To The Beach - Sandford & the Sandies

  • 08 Preview Kaha Huna (Goddess Of Surfing) - Gene Moles and the Softwinds

  • 09 Preview Little Bitty King Of The Road - The Captivations

  • 10 Preview Surf Dance - Kenny & the Ho-Daddies

  • 11 Preview Surfin' With Jimmy - Judy Russell

  • 12 Preview Countdown - The Rockets Band

  • 13 Preview Big Bad Ho Dad - Lord Douglas Byron

  • 14 Preview The Scavenger - Gary Paxton

  • 15 Preview Firewater - Bucky & the Dales

  • 16 Preview Surfin' Back To School - The Fashions

  • 17 Preview Speedshift - The Captivations

  • 18 Preview With Vigor - Kenny & the Sultans

  • 19 Preview Surfer's Memories - The Fashions

  • 20 Preview War Path - Lonnie McLaughlin & the Premiers

  • 21 Preview Wild Wild Mustang - The Captivations

  • 22 Preview Surfer's Cry - The Torquays

  • 23 Preview Warrior - The Rockets Band

  • 24 Preview Two Hump Dual Bump Camel Named Robert E Lee - Gary Paxton & the ?s

  • 25 Preview Goofy Guitar - Kenny & the Ho-Daddies

  • 26 Preview Dear Henry Ford - The Zip-Codes

Delivery & Returns

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We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.

We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

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You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

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