It’s summertime, and all the surfers and hodads are once again sharing that sandy divide between land and sea. No matter which side of the divide you’re on, there’s nothing like some reverb soaked surf-strumentals to make that grey cubicle feel more like a day at the beach.
You won’t find any Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, or beach blanket nonsense here, because if it isn’t instrumental and filtered through a reverb tank, then it really isn’t surf. I know that there are people out there who like the Beach Boys, but if you’re going to call them surf, then you might as well call Jimmy Buffet surf. And call Winger thrash. And maybe wear a tin foil crown and call yourself “Lord Behemoth Roboto”, because if you’re going to live in a giant delusion, you might as well be the undisputed ruler of all that you survey.
Whether you’re into surf or just a hodad looking for something more than the nightly weenie roast, you can unleash the tidal wave of surf instrumental goodness by clicking on the green button below. Ten points goes to anyone who can name all the surf artists listed on my fake Surf! album cover…
Enjoy!
All 90+ Surf Instrumental Tracks Available On The Playlist
- “36-24-36 (1995 Digital Remaster)”
by The Shadows
The Platinum Collection - “Adventures In Paradise (Album Version)”
by The Challengers
Surfing Around The World - “Apache”
by The Shadows
Final Tour - “Astrosurfin'”
by The Dillengers
Instro-Mania - “Attack Of Robot Atomico”
by The Ghastly Ones
A-Haunting We Will Go-Go - “Baja”
by The Astronauts
Rock Instrumental Classics, Vol. 5: Surf - “Beach Creep”
by Satan’s Pilgrims
Soul Pilgrim - “Beatnik Bandit”
by The Volcanos
Surf Quake - “Beyond The Sound Of Time”
by The Bomboras
Head Shrinkin’ Fun - “Big Surf (LP Version)”
by The Sentinals
Big Surf - “Big Surge”
by The Surfaris
Wipe Out!: The Best Of The Surfaris - “Blue Surf”
by The Impacts
Big Surf Hits - “Blunderbus”
by The Chantays
Two Sides Of The Chantays - “Bombora”
by Les Fradkin & Get Wet
Splash! - “Bring Me the Head of Geraldo Rivera”
by The Surf Trio
Forbidden Sounds - “Bulldog (Album Version)”
by The Challengers
Surfbeat - “Bullwinkle Pt. II (LP Version)”
by The Centurions
Bullwinkle Pt. II - “Bustin’ Surfboards”
by The Tornadoes
Pulp Fiction - “C’mon Do the Laika”
by Laika & The Cosmonauts
Zero Gravity - “Church Key”
by Dave Myers & The Surftones
Big Surf Hits - “Death Trap”
by The Surfdusters
Surf After Dark - “Diamond head”
by The Ventures
Walk Don’t Run – The Best Of The Ventures - “Echo Park”
by Blue Stingrays
Surf-N-Burn - “Esperanza”
by Dick Dale
Tribal Thunder - “Espionage”
by Los Straitjackets
Viva! - “Fathomized”
by The Fathoms
Overboard - “Fiberglass Jungle”
by The Crossfires
Rock Instrumental Classics, Vol. 5: Surf - “Frogman”
by The Plungers
Land of a Thousand Surf Guitars - “Fugitive”
by Laika & The Cosmonauts
Zero Gravity - “Galley Slave”
by Southern Culture On The Skids
Dirt Track Date - “Gargantua’s Last Stand”
by Man or Astro-Man?
Destroy All Astromen!! - “Goldfinger”
by Blue Stingrays
Surf-N-Burn - “Gone Surfing”
by The Stingrays
Don’t Fear The Reverb - “Goofy Foot (Surf Battle)”
by The Lively Ones
Hang Five!!! The Best Of The Lively Ones - “Guitarget (aka Hotdoggen aks Hotdoggin’) (LP Version)”
by The Lively Ones
Surf Rider - “Half-Pipe”
by Ralph Rebel
Surfin & Rockin - “Hammerhead”
by The Halibuts
Life On The Bottom - “Haulin’ Hearse”
by The Ghastly Ones
A-Haunting We Will Go-Go - “Hippo Hump”
by The Fathoms
Overboard - “Hornet’s Nest”
by Los Straitjackets
Velvet Touch of Los Straitjackets - “Intoxica (LP Version)”
by The Centurions
Bullwinkle Pt. II - “Joker’s Wild”
by Man or Astro-Man?
Destroy All Astromen!! - “Kon-Tiki (1995 Digital Remaster)”
by The Shadows
The Platinum Collection - “Little Death Coupe”
by The Surf Trio
Forbidden Sounds - “Make Mayan a Hawaiian”
by Southern Culture On The Skids
Dirt Track Date - “Misirlou”
by Dick Dale & His Deltones
King Of The Surf Guitar: The Best Of Dick Dale & His Del-Tones - “Moment of Truth”
by Dave Myers & The Surftones
Big Surf Hits - “Monsoon”
by Blue Stingrays
Surf-N-Burn - “Mr. Moto”
by The Lively Ones
Hang Five!!! The Best Of The Lively Ones - “Mr. Rebel”
by Eddie & The Showmen
Rock Instrumental Classics, Vol. 5: Surf - “Mystery Planet”
by The Bomboras
Head Shrinkin’ Fun - “Nuevo Durango”
by Longboard Ranch
Surfin’ Out West - “Oahu Luau”
by Laika & The Cosmonauts
Zero Gravity - “Out Of Limits”
by The Marketts
Billboard Top Rock’N’Roll Hits 1964 - “Penetration”
by The Pyramids
Rock Instrumental Classics, Vol. 5: Surf - “Perfidia”
by The Ventures
All-Time Greatest Hits - “Pipeline”
by Agent Orange
Living In Darkness - “Pipeline”
by The Chantays
Billboard Top Pop Hits of 1963 - “Playa De Los Muertos”
by The Bomboras
Head Shrinkin’ Fun - “Plymouth Rock”
by Satan’s Pilgrims
Soul Pilgrim - “Point Panic”
by The Surfaris
Wipe Out!: The Best Of The Surfaris - “Reverb 10,000”
by Man or Astro-Man?
Destroy All Astromen!! - “Riders In the Sky”
by Dick Dale & His Deltones
King Of The Surf Guitar: The Best Of Dick Dale & His Del-Tones - “Rockula”
by Los Straitjackets
Velvet Touch of Los Straitjackets - “Rumors of Surf”
by Southern Culture On The Skids
Ditch Diggin’ - “Satan’s Theme (LP Version)”
by The Challengers
Lloyd Thaxton Goes Surfing With The Challengers - “Seville”
by Teisco Del Rey
Surf Guitar Greats: One Dozen Surf-Rock Instrumentals - “Sharkskin”
by The Surfdusters
Surf After Dark - “Shit Sandwich”
by Satan’s Pilgrims
Soul Pilgrim - “Space Probe”
by The Chantays
Two Sides Of The Chantays - “Suicide Bay”
by The Halibuts
Life On The Bottom - “Sunnyside Up”
by The Stingrays
Don’t Fear The Reverb - “Surf Medley”
by Junior Brown
Semi Crazy - “Surfer Girl”
by The Sentinals
Surfer Girl - “Surfin’ With the Mountain King”
by The Surf Trio
Forbidden Sounds - “Surfin’ You Say”
by The Ziggens
Pomona Lisa - “Take Blya Moja”
by Black ‘N’ Whites
Surfbeat Behind the Iron Curtain: Vol.1 - “The Eliminator”
by Dick Dale
Tribal Thunder - “The Hearse”
by The Fathoms
Overboard - “The New Victor”
by Dick Dale
Tribal Thunder - “The Wedge”
by Dick Dale & His Deltones
King Of The Surf Guitar: The Best Of Dick Dale & His Del-Tones - “The Wetspot”
by The Halibuts
Chumming - “The lonely bull”
by Los Jets
Made In Spain - “Theme From Unfinished Symphony”
by T. Terauchi & Bunnys
Surfbeat Behind the Iron Curtain: Vol.1 - “Thunderhead”
by The Ghastly Ones
A-Haunting We Will Go-Go - “Tombsurfin'”
by Molly Maguires
Dirty Surf - “Torpedo”
by Singing Guitars
Surfbeat Behind the Iron Curtain: Vol2 - “Unfrozen Caveman Surfer”
by The Plungers
Land of a Thousand Surf Guitars - “Walk – Don’t Run”
by The Ventures
Walk Don’t Run – The Best Of The Ventures - “Whirlpool”
by The Volcanos
Surf Quake - “Wipe Out”
by The Surfaris
Billboard Top Pop Hits of 1963 - “Woody Wagon (2006 Remastered Album Version)”
by The Marketts
The Marketts Take To Wheels - “Wreck Beach”
by The Surfdusters
Surf After Dark
Ever heard of Dr. Gasser and the Weirdos, aka Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and his surf/hotrod band?
Is there an unspoken rule that surf bands have to have “The” or “&” in their band name?
I found myself having a little dance beach party while folding laundry.
@BonzoGal: You know, I’ve heard of Big Daddy Roth, but not Mr. Gasser and the Weirdos. They didn’t have it on Finetune, so I couldn’t add it. If I only still had a record player…
@Reese: I do believe that is a secret rule.
@JAK: What else is new?
This is damn near the perfect summer playlist! I love me some surf guitar!
From what I know on this list it’s billiant! I haven’t had time to hear entirely yet.
Nice one by the Ghastly Ones! Glad that they are heading the UK in July 2009!
http://www.blastoff-festival.co.uk
love it!, love it! great music!!!!!!
Dr. Gasser and the weirdos is a real surf band, it is said the Roth was the lead vocalist, some have there doubts. The band made several albums (Vinyl) all of which adorn Big daddys Rat Fink Art.
There was CD set withf all their albums (now discontinued) go to ebay and you can see the artwork.
I have some of there music on a compulation CDs One of there biggest hit was You know it “Finlksville USA” another is “Doin’ the Surfink” Great stuff.