The Bel Airs – The Origins Of Surf Music (Crossfire)
This disc of 28 recordings comes from the same era as the Sundazed Volcanic Action CD, but this one digs a little deeper into the vaults, delivering a bunch of raw demos (sans bass and drums) and a few more polished recordings. It’s kinda like peeking into a practice session from 45 years ago. There is some killer stuff here – especially the “Liberty” sessions and the raw, demo version of “Squad Car”. The latter doesn’t better the version we all know and love, but it’s very interesting to hear how the song got its start. The CD booklet is nice n’ thick, with a detailed history provided by Bel Airs guitarist Paul Johnson.Tracks: The Crawler - Stung - Peter Gunn - It Was - Mr. Moto - Mr. Moto - Little Brown Jug - The Three Blind Mixe Make It To Santa's Village - Vampire - Kamikaze - Volcanic Action - Runaway - Bedlam - Volcanic Action - Rockin' Pants (with The Initals) - Giggling Girl (with The Initials) - Squirt - On Top Of Old Smokey - (Un Clase de) Chiflado - Davy Crockett Meets Mickey Mouse - Volcanic Action - Rampage - Flip Top Box - The Wayward Wind - (Un Clase de) Chiflado - Duck Waddle - Squad Car - The Shimmy.