The Ventures - Super Psychedelics (2012)

By the time Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band came out, it seemed no pop act was immune to the paisley ways of the high '60s. Even Sinatra and the like were looking to stay hip with at least one or two Beatles covers. Informed by their own early surf and psychedelia sound, the Ventures' Super Psychedelics brings the West Coast instrumental style to bear on the Fab Four's "Strawberry Fields Forever" and the Turtles' "Happy Together." Without much in the way of overtly trippy sonic accents, the band especially impress with a slew of originals like "Endless Dream," "Vibrations," "Psychedelic Venture." Throughout, the Ventures' classic surf sound gets nicely augmented with the occasional sitar mimicking guitar line, some harpsichord phrases, and extra amounts of reverb and echo. Maybe not an essential Ventures release, Super Psychedelics will no doubt please kitsch-friendly fans of surf music.