DISClosure
CD Reviews Of A National Scale
The Perfect Day
by Lisa Hummel
 “Some
people spend their entire lives waiting for nothing but waves… That’s
okay, most people spend their entire lives waiting for nothing at all.”
Those words perfectly surmise the methodology of a surfer. A lifetime of
waiting for one perfect wave is nothing compared to the rush in actually
riding it, in taking it wherever it goes. And while it’s obvious that not
everyone can be beach blonde and buff, spending “endless summers” on the
coast in search for a lunar motion that may or may not come, we can try —
and we can toil in landlocked jealousy. For 40 years, Surfer Magazine
has been extolling the individuals, waves, and beaches of the
international surf scene and, with The Perfect Day, they are
honoring the music that has served as its soundtrack.
A 17-track disc, The Perfect Day features tunes from every decade,
from the surf music heyday of the 1960s with music from the California
sound creators, The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean to Bodyjar and the Groove
Terminator, two of today’s hottest acts in Australia. More than just the
music, however, Day highlights the impact that the sport and the
sound have had on one another — no sport is linked quite so definitively
with a musical style, and, likewise, no musical style — namely the reverb
known as “surf guitar” — has tied in so implicitly with a lifestyle.
Within the first few bars of The Ventures’ “Hawaii Five-O” theme or the
first few guitar licks from the legendary Dick Dale on “Misirlou”
(resurrected in 1994 with Quentin Tarantino’s film, Pulp Fiction)
images of surfers, surfboards, and wipe-outs are immediately evoked. And
that tie-in is precisely what The Perfect Day celebrates.
Other well-known songs on the album include “Rock Lobster” from The
B-52’s, the instrumental “Theme from Endless Summer” by The
Sandals, and, of course, “Surfin’ USA.” The Perfect Day also
features songs from artists known more for their contributions outside the
surfing circles, like “Beautiful World” by ’80s synth-pop masters Devo,
“Wild Mountain Honey” from the Steve Miller Band, and “Ride My See-Saw” by
The Moody Blues.
Regardless of artist or title, however, the songs on The Perfect Day
are connected by one thing: the oft-indescribable sound that makes you
want to grab your board and surf. Landlocked or not, this is a perfect
mid-summer CD to add to your collection. (The Right Stuff)
Sharin’ in the Groove — Celebrating the
Music of Phish
by Benjy Eisen
 Phish
have covered, quite literally, hundreds of songs by hundreds of bands in
their two-decade career. They constantly collaborate with other musicians
and they’ve always been quick to point out to their fans the bands that
they themselves are fans of. Sharin’ In The Groove turns the needle
counter-clockwise, giving those bands a chance to Marco Polo.
Musicians that have had a stated influence on Phish’s music are
represented here: Bob Marley’s Wailers, The Tom Tom Club (featuring two
members of The Talking Heads), and Pavement’s Scott Kannberg’s new band,
Preston School Of Industry.
Then there’s the one-degree-of-separations, the friends and relatives who
have shared either stage or studio with Phish: Dave Matthews, The Gordon
Stone Band (featuring Russ Lawton), Merl Saunders, and Michael Ray and the
Cosmic Krewe. Phish’s own lyricist, Tom Marshall (with his band Amfibian)
covers “The Wedge” — a song he originally co-wrote. Jimmy Buffet, with
fully intended irony, covers a song about a gun-slinging parrot.
Sharin’ In The Groove also gives bands that Phish have covered a
chance to cover Phish. Little Feat do “Sample In A Jar,” Los Lobos
personnel (in Los Villains) take on “Chalkdust Torture” and the legendary
Son Seals reinterprets “Suzy Greenberg.”
What makes this two-disc set so damn interesting is that rarely is a song
covered at face value. Not all of the songs are as drastically rearranged
as Lake Trout’s drum-n-bass take on “Faht->Catapult->Tweezer Reprise” or
FRED’s barbershop quartet rendering of “Poor Heart,” but each one of the
artists put their own, undeniable spin on the songs, with surprising
results.
The compilation’s masterpiece is the epic 12-minute orchestrated version
of “Guyute,” as co-arranged by Phish’s own Trey Anastasio with conductor
Troy Peters and performed by the Vermont Youth Orchestra.
All profits from Sharin’ In The Groove will be directed to
charities promoting music education, which means each of the artists,
studios and others involved all donated their time and creativity to this
truly inventive, and entirely impressive, album. (The Mockingbird
Foundation)
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