Let's go surfin' now, everybody's learning how
CORKY CARROLL
CORKY CARROLL
Register columnist
SURF'S UP
corkysurf@aol.com

The columns last week and the week before on surf movies seem to have been popular because I am having a hard time answering all the e-mails.

There were so many surf movies that I just listed the ones that I thought to be important or exceptionally well done for that time period. Naturally, I could not list them all.

But I was reminded about each and every one via the e-mails, starting out with the always popular, "Hey, what about … (insert movie name of your choice)?" I only got up to about 1,966 and already I am swimming in controversy.

Just another day in paradise, I guess.

I am planning on continuing the movie list soon so stay tuned so you too can write me to let me know about the big one I forgot about or left out because I am a know-nothing geek with no functioning brain cells left, as has been suggested a few times.

It was also suggested that I do a list of favorite surf tunes. Oh yeah, this is a real can of the wormiest of worms for sure.

Taking that into consideration and against my better judgment, I nonetheless am gonna go with the idea and offer up what I consider a short list of my own personal favorite surf tunes ever. This is a hard one because there are the classic surf instrumentals and then there are vocal surf songs such as the Beach Boys stuff.

But, hard or not, here goes.

1. "Misirlou" by Dick Dale. My personal choice for the best surf tune ever written and performed. Dick Dale's signature work. When this came out as a 45 rpm single, I wore out about 30 copies playing it over and over and over. When it was used as the main song for the movie "Pulp Fiction," it gave Dick Dale a huge rebirth in the music business and garnered him a fan base that he never had before. He is the "King of the Surf Guitar."
   

2. "Pipeline Sequence" by Honk. This was part of the fantastic soundtrack done by the best band to ever come out of Laguna Beach. Also, in my opinion, one of the best bands ever in the history of the universe. The drum solo by Tris Imboyden is historical and the whole piece is perfect. If you ever get a chance to see one of the reunion concerts, do it. You will not be sorry.
   

3. "Walk Don't Run"by the Ventures. The Ventures were the state-of-the-art electric guitar surf band of the early '60s and still tour today. I got to do a few shows as their opening act a few years ago on a tour of Texas and it was a privilege to hear the classics of surf tunes up close and personal. "Walk Don't Run" was their "biggie."
   

4. "Pipeline" by the Chantays. What can I say about this one? It is the all-time cool surf instrumental. More mellow than most of the real edgy surf instrumentals, yet solid and powerful. I have heard many versions of this song, including an acoustic version done by a couple members of the Chantays and it is a tune that seems to survive just about any approach very well.
   

5. "Surfin' U.S.A."by the Beach Boys. This wasn't their surf tune, but it was the first one that really set the tone for their future bulk of amazing music. Taken from a Chuck Berry song and filled with classic vocal harmonies and counterpoint, it would have to list as the classic Beach Boys surf song. It almost made me forget their first song, which was titled "Surfin'." I, and I think just about everybody that surfed, gagged when that one came out. But they did redeem themselves big time and obviously became one of the biggest and most important bands of those times.
   

6. "Oceania" by Chris Darrow. Probably most of you have not heard this one, but nonetheless I am putting it here because it is one instrumental that I feel really captures the feeling of paddling out on a beautiful sunny afternoon and dropping into that first smooth, glassy wave. I once had a conversation with Jackson Browne about surf music and his take was that surf music was "anything that makes you feel like surfing." Well, this one makes me feel like surfing and if you don't know about Chris Darrow, you should.
   

7. Theme from "Peter Gunn"by Henry Mancini. What would the old surf films have been without this one? Simply a classic.
   

That's all I have room for. I know there are zillions of others, but these are some of my faves.

Check out Corky's "Ask the Expert" feature at www.ocregister.com/sports/surfing/. The three-time international and five-time U.S. surfing champion also writes in Thursday's Huntington Beach Wave. E-mail him at corkysurf@aol.com.

Has anyone ever heard this sequence? Is it really that good? I'm skeptical.

I grew up in Laguna and know the Honk folks well. They're an eclectic funky outfit of excellent singers and songwriters. They did a good job of scoring "5 Summer Stories", which is still a great surf flick. The soundtrack album is by far their greatest commercial success, but it is NOT a surf album by any stretch (no reverb in sight anywhere---it was recorded in the early 70's). Typically, they kind of view the album with disdain, as they're more the sensitive singer-songwriter types. "Pipeline Sequence" is a fun song with some good Richard Stekol guitar, but I'm pretty sure the band views it as a throwaway number. Decent mostly instro album, but no surf content.