Live Bird '65 - '67

by

The Trashmen

Edit

Having been a surf music fan and surf guitarist for over 30 years, I feel compelled to set the record straight on Live Bird 65-67. I don't think the other guy that reviewed this had any sense of context for his comments, so let me toss in my few dollars worth.

First....it's utterly amazing that these tapes were recorded, and exist in stereo, kind of like the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, which was recorded at the same time in history. The Beatles had kicked surf music in the gut as they muscled to the top of the charts (Did you know that "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and a few other Beatles songs in Feb 1964 were the reason that Surfin Bird failed to hit #1??). I simply have never come across any other CD of any 1960's surf act that parallels the quality of these tapes/CD. Without even rating the performance, these random performances are captured stunningly with clarity as if you were standing there at the end of the stage to hear it! Close your eyes and imagine it!

Now...the performances....The T-men were probably one of the top 5 talented surf bands in history...just because their main claim to fame was a novelty style song doesn't mean they were short on talent. This is a precision unit! The creative drumming style of Steve Wahrer led the group into the juiciest of surf vocal and instrumental songs. Tony Andreason....damn....listen to the man's guitar licks in songs like Bird Bath, Sleeper or other songs on the main Surfin Bird album... just hot hot hot, creative, and catchy. Bob Reed's bass playing..for the period, is creative and full...Dal Winslow aptly fills the spaces with precise rhythm guitar.

There is no doubt that their professionalism comes thru in these performances. In fact, I recall in the late 80's when Sundazed first released them that a 2nd Live album was being prepared, but apparently that project died on the table. A real loss......but listen to this 65-67 as though you were right there watching the performace, at the very end of the original surf era. It's flawless..... The Trashmen always had a bit softer and more polished edge to their sound than Dick Dale, and do a great job on Let's Go Trippin.....Baja is reverb soaked to perfection. Some gems like Green Onion and Rumble add tons of early 60's flavor. The boys are on fire with Maleguena and King of the Surf.....and a delightful Surfin Bird can't but warm your heart.

Yes, I could live without the radio snippets and wish another song had been added....but they make sure you realize this is a slice of history from over 45 years ago. Savor it....a rare slice of music history by one of the best surf bands ever....in stereo, at the close of the surf era. You WILL be so glad you bought this, trust me~!~!

This is a live album by the greatest surf band ever to come out of Minnesota. It was recorded at various gigs between 1965 and 1967. Somewhat surprisingly, it is in stereo. The sound quality is pretty good, considering the time period it was recorded in. The Trashmen were a pretty good live act, judging by the evidence here. They played a mix of instrumentals and vocal songs. Live versions of the group's two hits, "Surfin' Bird" and "Bird Dance Beat", are the most exciting things here. Most of the rest of the material is decent covers of other people's songs. There are three radio interviews included here, which are not in stereo. I don't know why these were included. They are interesting to hear maybe once, but most people wouldn't want to hear then more than once. There is also an unlisted bonus track after the last song listed. It is Trashman Steve Wahrer being interviewed by Dick Clark, presumably for American Bandstand. If you are already a fan of the Trashmen, you might want to get this CD.