Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

The Shadows' version of Pipeline is quite different from the original.

I would have named this version "Pipeline at Rush Hour." Very creative, but somehow it takes away from the simplicity of the original and the basic theme gets lost in all the traffic.

It is interesting that Hank decided to record it, however, and one might speculate that it had a significant impact on his instrumental style at some point.

Thanks for sending this along, Roy. Regardless of who Hank might have teamed up with, I am wondering if he has any other instrumentals in which he used more effects?

Interesting version of Pipeline...Duane was my first guitar influence (followed quickly by Chuck Berry) I have a copy of "Have Twangy Guitar Will Travel" on my desk imbedded. Regarding Roy's observations of why Surf music didn't make as big a "splash" in the UK as here. Valid points..I think though a lot has to do with timing. The roots of California instrumental surf was quite a local thing for a time. Dick Dale's Miserlou, The Chantays'Pipeline and likely most of all The Surfaris Wipe Out, moved the music out to a wider audience. When the Beach Boys hit, vocals and all the "surf craze" was everywhere. All the landlocked regions of the US caught the swell and the fantasy of sun, surf, bikini girls etc was huge. The time for something different musicwise was a part of it...it's been said that instrumental surf music was the first "punk era" music that was loud, simple (in it's most basic form) to learn and again got the hormones movin'...and groovin. The alternative at the time was either deep soul/blues much of which did not get played on the radio or the endless stream of teen idol middle of the road pop...when the Beatles hit it was a shot heard coast to coast (and around the world for that matter). Now all those mid-west kids 900 miles away from the ocean driving a woodie with a surfboard attached to the roof, traded it all in for Beatle boots, Nehru jackets...put the peroxide away (used to give a sunbleached look to the hair of a landlocked wannabe) and got Beatles haircuts instead..a digression..in the late 60's if a guy had hair past his collar, Disneyland would not let him in unless he could show a musicians union card! The Calif surf was a long long way from Liverpool and visc versa...

Hi George !!!!

I think most surfers have had an "experience" at some stage. Mine was at Bells a few years ago; it was around four times overhead and I missed the first wave of the set and managed to take the next four directly on the head in the impact zone. My ears had popped with the pressure and I didn't really know which way was up after the fourth. One more wave in the set and I really would have been in trouble. But I did have some of the best waves of my life that day !!!!

How do you explain the exhilaration at take-off: the sensation of being shot out of a cannon and seeing 15 or 20 feet of fresh air beneath you, quickly followed by despair when you look up and see a few hundred tonnes of water about to land on you head !!!! To me surf music does it beautifully.

I've never come across basketball music, cricket music or football music.

Surfing is the only sport I am aware of that has its own music genre.

Roy, it may surprise you but surfing is popular in England with many good quality breaks to choose from. Its just the water is so cold for most of the year. Maybe you could hire a DVD ( just make sure you pick one of the Classic movies ) to see what we are on about.

Hey Shane!
Just watched a really good surf film called Liquid Stage. Really got my stoke up

Don't think it's that popular Shane, I believe in places like Newquay a bit goes on but about only place I know.

There has in UK been a number of football music or related.

Quite recently we had Three Lions which made number 1 (most know it has Football's coming home) a rather xenophobic ditty which implied we once again ready to take on the world and once again we failed.Various clubs have recorded tracks all forgettable, back in 1970 England squad had a hit with Back Home quite a catchy ditty.

Even Scotland got in on the act, in 74, with I Had A Dream less said about that though the better.

I think that there is definitely a connection between the experience and the music regarding the surf genre. I have read that Dick Dale was trying to replicate musically what he felt and heard when on his board. A funny thing also is that "Pipeline" was originally to be titled as "Liberty's Whip", presumably in response to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (That's the logical connection for me, but it may be wrong). Was "Pipeline" supposed to be surf or just an instrumental that came out surf? Another band, the Pyramids, according to legend, shaved their heads in response to the Beatles' hair. Just some fun facts and such for the discussion.

We have discussed instrumental music before, as well as the fact that it is rarely produced for radio airplay anymore. I miss it.

But a different question: why did surf music usually exclude vocals? (I am aware of the existence of groups like the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, yes, even Frankie Avalon...but they are nothing like the true surf music of Dale, Eddy, Ventures, et al.)

I wouldn't include Eddy in surf music at all. I think that he influenced the sound but that's it. Same with the Ventures. The Ventures did one surf album and some songs that pulled in elements of surf music, but they were an instrumental band, not surf. I think that the lack of vocals made it a more accessible music for many bands and furthermore, I think that it does begin at the idea that surf music was in part meant to capture the thrill of surfing sonically. Vocals then become unnecessary.

The first wave of instrumental surf music was an offshoot of the current instrumental rock of the time. With the exception of Dick Dale who introduced a certain picking style and from his 2nd Lp on the outboard reverb unit, the earliest groups were vocal and instrumental bands to start with. They/we did covers of Johnny and The Hurricanes, Duane Eddy, Link Wray etc. The main guitar effect was tremolo at that point. It was basicly the audience that at first decided it was "surf music" after the reverb units were added. Dick held court on Balboa Island in Newport Beach and was a surfer which helped to meld the sound and the title for it. After a short time the bands began to write in a like style but gave the songs surf related names. This was at the very start of the swell and most of the players did not surf.

Speaking of vocals, George. Did Dick Dale do most of the vocals as well?

Dick did more vocals then many surf bands (though not all The Astronauts did more for one). Dick did not like the sound of his voice..to thin. From what I understand, Dick pulled a reverb unit out of a Hammond and asked Leo if he could make it work for adding some fullness to his voice...didn't help much for his voice, but when he plugged his Strat into it...!