April Birthdays 
On the subject of Beach Boys and the surf guitar sound, here is a review of the new Marksmen release by author Jon Stebbins. The CD is available on Amazon, CD Baby, Ebay and DavidMarksAndTheMarksmen.com
David Marks & the Marksmen: The Ultimate Collectors Edition 1963 65
In late 1963 David Marks walked away from The Beach Boys. His Fender Stratocaster rhythm guitar sound remains an indelible element of the surf and hot rod style that permeated the groups early records. Unfortunately Marks has received little credit from historians who regularly seem to forget that he performed on all of those iconic hits. The latest example is the Fender Guitar Hall of Fame inducting the Beach Boys without mentioning his name, while spotlighting the Wilson brothers and Al Jardine. Fender should recognize that it was specifically Carl Wilson and David Marks who integrated the signature Fender texture into the Beach Boys vocabulary on classics like Surfin Safari, 409, Surfin U.S.A., Shut Down, In My Room, Surfer Girl and Catch A Wave. If the early Beach Boys guitar sound is virtually a copyrighted brand, then David Marks owns a piece of that copyright and his name should be an automatic part of any Fender guitar roll call.
At 15 years of age David Marks decided he had more to say than his position as the fifth Beach Boy allowed. He rolled the dice and turned his side project, The Marksmen, into his main focus. As the Beach Boys continued to make bigger hits and bigger money, David had no such commercial success. But dont let anyone tell you its because he lacked talent. The proof is crystal clear on the new David Marks & The Marksmen The Ultimate Collectors Edition 1963 65. The 17 track compilation is available from Reverse Falcon Music and can be ordered at Amazon and CDBaby or on DavidLeeMarks.com. The immediate revelation of this new package is the vastly improved mastering given to the material. This is the way everyone should hear the Marksmen-era tracks which conclusively demonstrate that the 15 year old Marks was not only gifted for his age, but clearly ahead of his time.
The set opens with the 1963 surf-metal of Sheriff of Noddingham which by itself crushes any notion that David was an inferior guitarist to Carl Wilson. If this track had been on any of the early Beach Boys LPs it would have stood out for its edge and toughness. The same can be said for Kustom Kar Show another Marks original that apparently was turned down by the Beach Boys for their Little Deuce Coupe LP. In my opinion it not only would have fit in on that car-themed album, but with a few Brian Wilson harmonies added it could have been a stand out track. Davids own early 1964 production of the track is a smoker with the newly mastered sound intensifying his hot Fender wail
its really leaving a trail! Another highlight is the completely off the wall Food Fair, co-written with wacky drummer Mark Groseclose, which beats Brians Vegetables into the bizarre grub song genre by more than two years.
David hit his pop stride in late 1964 with a pair of songs that should have given him back to back radio hits. I Wanna Cry and I Could Make You Mine find Marks transitioning to a rich Rickenbacker 12-string guitar sound, and these hugely underrated tracks wonderfully evoke the fresh British Invasion style while still retaining a progressive California sheen. Remember that David not only sang and played the lead guitar on these tunes, but he also wrote, arranged and produced them. With a minimum of luck either song could have easily gone Top 40, but instead they disappeared faster than you could say Murry Wilson blackball.
Still, with the Marksmen glow somewhat fading, David came back with more great music as 1965 approached. Particularly Dont Cry For Me, which went unreleased in its day, was something of a pioneering production complete with a string arrangement and fuzz guitar solo. This track among others proves the 16 year old Marks made a habit of challenging convention with his musical ideas. Perhaps strumming away for the Beach Boys was best left to someone like Al Jardine who was better suited than Marks for a support role. However one cant help but imagining the mid-sixties Beach Boys with Marks guitar and attitude added to their arsenal
he would have undoubtedly made them cooler.
The new David Marks & The Marksmen The Ultimate Collectors Edition 1963 65 shows that the Beach Boy who walked away was truly going somewhere. Maybe it was into a dream that didnt quite come true but at least he dreamed.
