Surf MC's - Surf of Die

Name: Surf MC's
Album: Surf of Die
Year: 1987
Style: Hip Hop/Rap-Rock
Similar Bands: Beastie Boys, Run DMC, MC Hammer
"One-Word" Review: Embarrassing Surf Centric Rhymers
Based Out Of: LA, CA
Label: Profile

Cover & Record

Back & Record

Surf or Die (1987)

1. Surf or Die 5:15 (single)
2. Gotta Get Air 4:45
3. Big Wednesday 4:44
4. Rock That Beach 4:50/
5. That's Cali For Ya 4:09
6. Ths Surf is Live 3:13
7. Boomin' It 4:26
8. Can't Get a Tan 3:22
9. You Will Be Served 3:46

Album Rating (1-10): 4.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Paul "Sidewalk" Rodriguez
• Ivan "MC IVE" Mumm
• Tony "Kool G" Gilmour
• Phil Kettner (Laaz Rockit)
• Norman Kerner - Producer, Mixing, Surf Guitar (Paul Collins, The Grassy Knoll, Suzanne Little, Tara MacLean)
• Scott Roberts - Co-Producer, Backing Vox (Bill Summers, Con Funk Shun, Kevin Toney, Pete Escovedo, Wayne Shorter, Zero, Charlie Hunter, 3X Krazy, Demolition Men, Headhunters)
• Carl Herlofsson - Engineer, Mixing
• Jacob Hellner - Co-Engineer, Mixing
• Howie Weinberg - Mastering
• Tom Sherry - Brilliant Crew Cheif
• Mark Holzinger - Surf Guitar (Steve Carr, brent Brace, Groove.Org, Victoria Blyth)
• Tierney Muscatelli - Surf Guitar
• M Bomb - Surf Guitar, Sax
• Chris Atchison - Rock Guitar, Backing Vox (Ruffians)
• E-Rock - Bass
• Joel Smith - Bass
• "King James" Cassimus - Photos
• Paul Randolph Haven - Art Direction

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band. I'm guessing their name says it all: Hip Hop MCs that love to surf. I guess it could be really ok or really bad. It's probably terrible.

Album Review: The album is quite embarrassing, like a lower, bottom shelf Beastie Boys. Their songs are about catching air, scoping girls out on the beach, not getting a tan, Wednesdays, and one classic line about one man's "monster in his shorts, stood up like a sword" when seeing a huge wave. The beats are simple, the guitars and bass are minimal, and the vocals follow a pre-set Beastie Boys template of styles and pitches. At the very least, the music will employ elements of surf rock, perhaps most obviously in This Surf's Live. But I wouldn't say they are like the Ventures, the Raybeats or Man or Astroman? at all. Also the single, Surf of Die (reached #90), uses samples from The Peter Gunn Theme and Sugar Hill Gang's Apache amongst others. They also sample the B-52's, and were in the right place at the right time to open shows for the Red Hot Chili Peppers with Faith No More.

Stand Out Track: This Surf's Live

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