'66 Sunset Strip: The Revels and the birth of Surf Music, 1960-1961
07.28.25
Take a trip to ’66 Sunset Strip as dublab steps into the wayback machine and revisits 1960s Hollywood nightclubs like The Trip, Hullabaloo, Whisky a Go Go and Pandora’s Box.
Tracklist:
The Sorensen Brothers – They’ve Landed (Revels guitar players, solo 45) The Sorensen Brothers – Stowaway 1960 The Revels – Six Pack The Revels – Good Grief The Revels – Church Key The Revels – Vesuvius The Revels – Comanche The Revels – Rampage Bonnie Wagner & The Revels – Luau The Revels – Monkey Bird The Revels – Tough Soul The Revels – (Like) Tequila The Revels – It’s Party Time The Revels – Intoxica The Revels – Revellion The Revels – Sano The Revels – Soft Top The Revels – Longboard The Gamblers – Moon Dawg The Gamblers – L.S.D.-25 The Gamblers – Teen Machine The Gamblers – Tonky 1961 The Frogmen – Underwater The Frogmen – Beware Below The Frogmen – Tioga (Swift Waters) The Frogmen – Seahorse Flats The Belairs – Mr. Moto The Belairs – Little Brown Jug The Belairs – Kami Kaze The Belairs – Vampire Dick Dale & his Del-Tones – Let’s Go Trippin’ Dick Dale & his Del-Tones – Del-Tone Rock Dick Dale & his Del-Tones – Shake & Stomp Dick Dale & his Del-Tones – Jungle Fever The Beach Boys – Surfin’ The Beach Boys – Luau The Beach Boys – Surfin’ Safari The Beach Boys – Moon Dawg The Marketts – Surfer’s Stomp The Marketts – Balboa Blue All songs played are from 45 r.p.m. singles, except “Surfin’ Safari” and “Moon Dawg” by The Beach Boys, which were culled from their first Capitol Records LP, The Marketts’ “Surfers Stomp,” from their Liberty LP and all of The Revels’ “On a Rampage” LP tracks, including “Monkey Bird,” “Tough Soul,” “(Like) Tequila,” “It’s Party Time,” “Intoxica,” “Revellion,” “Sano” and “Soft Top.”The Revels were: Norman Knowles (tenor sax), Jim Macrae (drums), Sam Eddy (piano), Dean Sorenson (lead guitar), Paul Sorenson (rhythm guitar). LP recorded at Stereo Masters on Melrose Avenue in L.A., across from Paramount Studios
The Sorenson Brothers were: Dean Sorenson (lead guitar), Paul Sorenson (bass), Dick Sorenson (rhythm guitar), Alan Sorenson (drums)
The Gamblers were: Derry Weaver (lead guitar), Elliot Ingber (rhythm guitar, later on “Freak Out” by The Mothers of Invention), Bruce Johnston (piano, joined The Beach Boys in 1965), Larry Taylor (bass, later joined Canned Heat), Rod Schaffer (drums)
The Frogmen were: Dennis Farley (lead guitar), Jim Young (rhythm guitar), Larry Wnuk (piano), Michael Anderson (drums), Ray Sullivan (alto sax), Larry Bartone (tenor sax), Frank DeLuna (guiro).
The Belairs were: Eddie Bertrand (lead guitar), Paul Johnson (rhythm guitar), Jim Roberts (piano), Richard Delvy (drums), Chaz Stuart (tenor sax)
Dick Dale & his Del-Tones were: Dick Dale (lead guitar), Nick O’Malley (rhythm guitar), Bill Barber (piano), Ray Samara (bass), Jack Lake (drums), Armon Frank & Barry Rillera (sax)
Players on The Mar-Kets singles were: Rene Hall, Bill Pitman & Tommy Tedesco (guitars), Ray Johnson (piano), Bud Gilbert (bass), Ed “Sharky” Hall (drums), Plas Johnson (tenor sax)
Some of the Dick Dale, Beach Boys and Marketts numbers may have been recorded as late as 1962. “Surfin’ Safari” was first written and recorded in 1961, a different version done at Stereo Masters on Melrose; this was released only in Germany, on Ariola in 1962, licensed under the table by the guys who had previously run Candix Records.
The “National Breakout” hits for (definitive) Surf Instrumental music on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963-1964 were “Wipe Out” by The Surfaris, “Pipeline” by The Chantays,” “Baja” by The Astronauts and “Penetration” by The Pyramids. “Let’s Go Trippin'” was the only Surf Instrumental by Dick Dale & his Del-Tones to hit the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #60 in November of 1961… due mostly through sales in Southern California. But that’s like calling Jimi Hendrix a “one hit wonder” because his only big Billboard chart hit was “All Along the Watchtower” (#20 in 1968).
The Revels
The Gamblers “Moon Dawg”
The Revels’ “Church Key”
The Frogmen’s “Underwater’
The Belairs’ “Mr. Moto”
Dick Dale & his Del-Tones’ “Let’s Go Trippin’
The Beach Boys’ “Surfin’
The Mar-Kets’ “Surfer’s Stomp”
Eddie Ugata of The El Caminos (Japan) with Domenic Priore, making a trade for The Revels “On a Rampage” LP
The trade bait was The Sorensen Brothers 45 that opens up the show; I was lucky enough to have found it in The Revels’ home town of San Luis Obispo in 2019, at Boo Boo Records.
One last Revels appreciation mention: This is the Intoxica record store on Portobello Road, London… named after The Revels’ tune. In 2007, I had a book event there for the debut of my book “Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Last Stand in Hollywood,” part of what was mostly a radio tour of London, Brighton, Liverpool and York, along with a DJ appearance at the Dirty Water club in London.
Thanks to Eddie Ugata and Paul Johnson for helping to inspire this episode.
Brian Wilson, you will be missed. Thanks also go to Dennis Wilson, who suggested to his older brother that he write a song about surfing, “it’s what all the kids are doin’ now…”
Tune in to Next Month’s (August, 2005) episode of ’66 SUNSET STRIP on the archive, where we will pay further tribute to The Revels with six of their songs in a row, as performed by Dave Myers & the Surf-Tones, The Sentinels, The Impacts, The Centurions and The New Dimensions… plus The Biscaynes for another two. All that, plus other Surf music oddities.
