Surfmania is the second album by the American band the Aqua Velvets, released in 1995.[2][3] The band supported the album with a North American tour.[4]
| Surfmania | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Genre | Surf rock | |||
| Label | Mesa[1] Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Michael Lindner | |||
| The Aqua Velvets chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editThe album was recorded at the home studio of bass player Michael Lindner.[5] It was produced by Lindner, who aimed for a smoother instrumental sound.[4][6] Many of the tracks were inspired by the band's love of garage rock and lounge music.[7]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [6] |
| Oakland Tribune |  [7] |
| Orange County Register | [9] |
Trouser Press thought that "the faux Latin of 'Mexican Rooftop Afternoon', the faux Polynesia of 'Martin Denny, Esq.' and the faux noir of 'Raymond Chandler Evening' continue the winning combination of hot licks and cool irony."[10] Guitar Player wrote that "engaging melodies draw the listener into the Velvets' domain, where the music's buoyant and highly visual nature immediately begins to satiate any hodad cravings for vocal cues."[11] The Richmond Times-Dispatch described the album as "soaked with reverb, slinky guitars, ocean deep-bass and great drum work."[12]
Miami New Times opined that "this is from the more mannered, winking school of retro-surf music, with some nods to the equally mannered school of cocktail-jazz revivalism."[13] The Boston Herald noted that the band "cannily put the 'wet' surf sound of reverb-drenched Fender guitars to diverse uses, including tributes to Led Zeppelin, mystery writer Raymond Chandler and the exotic kitsch of Martin Denny."[14]
AllMusic wrote that the album "finds a timewarped niche in the guitar-rock culture that's right up alongside the master himself, Dick Dale, and the 12 cuts herein find the band members racing through all the intersections on the surf guitar highway, whether it's nodding to Mancini's 'Peter Gunn' theme or shaking a finger in the twitchy vibrato of every fast-gun surf-twang number you've ever heard."[8]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Surfmania" | 2:58 |
| 2. | "Mexican Rooftop Afternoon" | 3:45 |
| 3. | "Martini Time" | 4:22 |
| 4. | "Zamora" | 4:12 |
| 5. | "Mastering the Art of Falling Down" | 3:11 |
| 6. | "Martin Denny, Esq." | 4:32 |
| 7. | "Surf Samba" | 3:15 |
| 8. | "A Raymond Chandler Evening" | 3:05 |
| 9. | "Cabaña Del Gringo" | 3:08 |
| 10. | "Hawaiian Blue" | 4:40 |
| 11. | "Green Sunshine" | 6:23 |
| 12. | "Kashmir Sweater" | 3:10 |
| Total length: | 46:41 | |
References
edit- ^ Warshaw, Matt (September 19, 2005). The Encyclopedia of Surfing. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0156032511 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Aqua Velvets Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2016-07-26. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
- ^ Poet, J. (Nov 1995). "Music — Surfmania by the Aqua Velvets". Utne Reader. No. 72. p. 118.
- ^ a b De Blasi, Mary Lou (1 Oct 1995). "Spotlight: Michael Linder". Asbury Park Press. p. E3.
- ^ Snyder, Michael (July 9, 1995). "Sweet Two-CD Deal for Aqua Velvets". SFGate. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 37.
- ^ a b Becker, Dave (5 Nov 1995). "Album reviews". Cue. Oakland Tribune. p. 2.
- ^ a b "Surfmania". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2016-08-01. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
- ^ Wener, Ben (November 3, 1995). "Sound Check". Orange County Register. p. P52.
- ^ "Aqua Velvets". Trouser Press. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
- ^ Thompson, Art (Nov 1995). "Audio — Surfmania by The Aqua Velvets". Guitar Player. Vol. 29, no. 11. p. 114.
- ^ McCarty, Patrick (September 7, 1995). "You Don't Even Have to Get Up Early to Catch These Great Performances". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. D23.
- ^ Dudley, David (February 29, 1996). "Rotations". Music. Miami New Times.
- ^ Katz, Larry (January 12, 1996). "The New Wave – Surf music is cresting once again with an instrumental set of beach boys". Scene. Boston Herald.