Inside the Music: Surf's Up (2001)

by Various Artists

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Among the first wave of DVD-audio compilations, this ten-song disc constitutes roughly the equivalent of a mid-line surf music CD compilation, though its retail price seems to range from 19 dollars (the low-end of DVD audio prices) to 28 dollars (the high-end). The 25-minute running time is a little skimpy, but it also doesn't waste any of the selections, which are drawn from Capitol-EMI's vaults. Most of what's here is on the obvious side, for reasons that are plain: Jan & Dean's "Surf City," "Ride the Wild Surf," and "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena"; the Fantastic Baggys' "Summer Means Fun"; the Sandals' "Theme From 'Endless Summer'"; the T-Bones' "No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In)"; the Sunrays' "I Live for the Sun"; "Pipeline" as done by the Ventures; and the Beach Boys doing "Dance, Dance, Dance." And then, in an unexpected twist, we get a track cut during the '70s by guys who were clearly trying to say something more profound than celebrate the next wave: "Sail on, Sailor" by the Beach Boys; the only thing cooler would have been if the producers had actually had the Beach Boys' "Surf's Up" here. The six-channel surround audio (in compatible Dolby Digital and DTS) does, indeed, put you "inside the music" and is a total immersion experience that is never less than impressive and sometimes downright surreal, as with the massed voices of Jan & Dean (and the uncredited Brian Wilson) on "Surf's Up." "I Live for the Sun" in the remix here also reveals some pleasing details to the rhythm guitars and jangly 12-string in the original song, and all of the underscoring on each of these cuts is nicely exposed in the same manner. Incidentally, the Beach Boys evidently rated a completely separate remix session from everything else on this disc. The visual accompaniment, for those with DVD video players, consists of black-and-white photo-still montages devoted to each act and the song at hand; in the case of the T-Bones, the Fantastic Baggys, and the Sandals, that means just a generic beach or surf shot, and for the Sunrays, that means one still and the art from this CD's cover, but most of the other acts have a little variety. The disc is also programmed to serve as audio wallpaper, starting over automatically after it reaches the last song. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi Read Less

Among the first wave of DVD-audio compilations, this ten-song disc constitutes roughly the equivalent of a mid-line surf music CD compilation, though its retail price seems to range from 19 dollars (the low-end of DVD audio prices) to 28 dollars (the high-end). The 25-minute running time is a little skimpy, but it also doesn't waste any of the selections, which are drawn from Capitol-EMI's vaults. Most of what's here is on the obvious side, for reasons that are plain: Jan & Dean's "Surf City," "Ride the Wild Surf," and "The ... Read More