This CD update of a classic GNP Crescendo compilation has a lot to recommend it. Be warned, though, it also has some strange moments -- a poofy
Ventures medley being one of them, and some of
Neil Norman's better moments being others, with the capstone to the oddities being
the Rhythm Kings' live rendition of "Watermelon Man," the leader of the pack in lounge-jazz outings for this set. When you take the 29 cuts presented here and shake them together in a blender, the result is more space-age bachelor-pad surf music than it is pure surf music lunacy, but it does the trick, and may even generate happy thoughts (if it's possible) about '60s teenage beach movies.