Surf Punks - My Beach

Name: Surf Punks
Album: My Beach
Year: 1980
Style: Punk, Rock
Similar Bands: Dead Milkmen, Surf MC's, Ramones
"One-Word" Review: Silly Juvenile Surf-Topical Tunes
Based Out Of: Malibu, CA
Label: Epic, CBS

Cover, Record

Back, Record

My Beach (1980)

1. My Beach 1:48
2. My Wave 2:27
3. Teenage Girls 3:06
4. Shoulder Hopper 2:42
5. The Dummies 2:32
6. Beer Can Beach 1:54
7. Surfer's Nightmare 1:43
8. I Live For the Sun 2:17 (Sunrays cover)
9. Meet me At the Beach 2:44 /
10. Big Top 2:46
11. Somebody Ripped My Stick 2:50
12. Letter From Hawaii 2:13
13. The Surfmen 3:27
14. Can't Get a Tan 2:44
15. The Surf Instructor 3:55
16. Punch Out at Malibu 1:58
17. Bird Bathroom 1:41

Album Rating (1-10): 6.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Dennis Dragon - Drums, Vox, Percussion, Producer, Engineer (Beach Boys, Byrds, Neil young, Rick Springfield, Captain & Tennille, Farm, Joyous Noise, Protein Bros, Dragons, Marc McClure, Ron Elliott, Heavenz, Scott Goddard, Eliminators, Royal Philharmonic Orch, DJ Food & DK, Apokaful, )
• Drew Steele - Guitars, Vox, Synth, Keys (Crowbar Salvation, Scott Goddard)
• Johnny Malibu - - Guitar, Vox
• Richard Arrindell - Photos
• Rat (Tommy Steele) - Art
• John Hunt - Bass
• Spino Urchin - Guitar
• Jeff Ray Ban Eyrich- Bass (Roadrunners)
• Jo Hansch - Mastering
• The Hulk - Harmonica, Guitar

Unknown-ness: Never heard of the Surf Punks. Just having listened to the Surf MC's, i can't help but feel this will be another terrible niche version of a particular musical genre. Where the MC's were bad hip hop, this, I fear will get bogged down at trying to fit all the surf vernacular into short punk songs...maybe it will be surprisingly good?

Album Review: As the music is, it is not very punk rock...it is silly, short, and eccentric at times, but it does not embody the sound or spirit of punk. It is kinda close to the Ramones at times, particularly on the power-pop-punk "Teenage Girl," and the song "My Wave" has a great punk bass line, but the majority is flawed. They also use a lot of surfing jargon like tubes for waves, stick for surf board, and they mention beaches and girls an awful lot...one song is all about a largely endowed woman walking on the beach. They also have a song about not being able to  get a tan- a trait shared with the other surf themed band, Surf MCs. 

It is a long album full of short songs, and most of the tracks were previously released before they got signed to CBS/Epic on Shelter Records. Dennis Dragon basically put the whole thing together being drummer, singer, engineer and producer. The two punk kids came from rather established entertainment families. Dragon's dad was a symphony conductor, and his brother was Captain in Captain & Tennille. Steele's step dad was Gavin MacLeod: McHale's Navy, Mary Tyler Moore, Love Boat. They apparently had a wild live show and were locally loved. They started in 76, and self released their first album, which was re-released with bonus tracks via Epic in 1980.

Stand Out Track: Teenage Girls, My Wave

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