''Surfbeat'' was the first

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

recorded by the Los Angeles-based

surf rock Surf music (also known as surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is inst ...

group The Challengers. They recorded the album in a 3½ hour session at the end of 1962. The album was released in early 1963 and became a huge hit, helping to propel the surf genre. It was sought by collectors for many years and gained great notoriety in the obscure surf market. In 1994, Sundazed records, a company with a lot of vintage surf at its disposal, released the album on CD with two

bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

s. The tracks are all old numbers that serve as the foundation for surf rock. Songs by

The Fireballs The Fireballs, sometimes billed as Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, were an American rock and roll group, particularly popular at the end of the 1950s and in the early 1960s. The original line-up consisted of George Tomsco (lead guitar), Chuck T ...

and

Duane Eddy Duane Eddy (April 26, 1938 – April 30, 2024) was an American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" guitar sound, including ...

are on the album. The

Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by thei ...

' debut ''

Surfin' Safari ''Surfin' Safari'' is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on October 1, 1962 by Capitol Records. The official production credit went to Nick Venet, though it was Brian Wilson with his father Murry who con ...

'' and ''Surfer's Choice'', the debut from

Dick Dale Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American Rock music, rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scale (music), scales and experimenting wit ...

& His Del-Tones had been released just a few months before ''Surfbeat'' was recorded. Tracks from both are on this album. Two tracks on the album, "Vampire" and "Kami-Kaze" are actually recordings by

The Bel-Airs The Bel-Airs were an early and influential surf music band from South Bay, Los Angeles, active in the early 1960s. They were best known for their 1961 hit "Mr. Moto", an instrumental surf tune that featured a flamenco-inspired intro and containe ...

, the band that the Challengers formed out of. The guitarists and saxophonist are the only differences in line-up. The two songs were written cowritten by Bel-Airs guitarist Paul Johnson,Paul Johnson's Guitar Heaven
(official site) who remained close to the band, later playing with them on other projects. The album also includes a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of c ...

of The Bel-Airs' "Mr. Moto", the short-lived group's only hit.

Track listing

#Bulldog (Tomsco) – 1:53 #Kami-Kaze (Johnson)– 2:19 #Let's Go Trippin' (Dale) – 1:48 #

Ramrod A ramrod (or scouring stick) is a metal or wooden device used with muzzleloader, muzzleloading firearms to push the projectile up against the propellant (mainly blackpowder). The ramrod was used with weapons such as muskets and cannons and was u ...

( Casey)– 1:34 #Mr. Moto (Delvy/Johnson) – 2:05 #Red River Rock (King/Mack/Mendleson) – 1:56 #Miserlou (Tauber/Rubanis/Leeds) – 2:44 #Latin'ia (Nunes/Miller)– 2:29 #

(Wilson/Love) – 2:20 #Movin' & Groovin' (Hazlewood/Eddy) – 2:08 #Vampire (Delvy/Johnson) – 3:03 #Torquay (Tomsco) – 2:41 Bonus Tracks: 13. Penetration (Leonard) 3:33 14. Surf Beat (Delvy's Drums) (Dale) 2:11

Personnel

*Glenn Grey: lead guitar (except on #2 and #11) *Don Landis: rhythm guitar (except on #2 and #11) *Jim Roberts: piano and organ *

Randy Nauert Randy Nauert (pronounced "Nort"; January 1, 1945 – February 7, 2019) was an American surf music and culture entrepreneur. He started in the music business as a bass player who played with The Bel-Airs and took his experience to broader appea ...

: bass guitar *

Richard Delvy Richard Delvy (April 20, 1942 – February 6, 2010) was an American music entrepreneur. He started in the music business as a drummer who played with The Bel-Airs and took his experience to broader appeal with The Challengers, who were in the ...

: drums *Nick Hefner: saxophone (on #9 only) * Paul Johnson: lead guitar (on #2 and #11) *Eddie Bertrand: rhythm guitar (on #2 and #11) *unknown: saxophone (on #2 and #11)

References

{{Authority control 1963 debut albums The Challengers (band) albums Vault Records albums