El Palmas, El Dragón Criollo - Sabor Surf (Compiled By El Palmas y El Drágon Criollo) (2021)

SURF IN VENEZUELA:

History tells us that dance is the oldest of the arts and that Terpsicore is the muse of dance. If this is completely true, the first half of the sixties must have been the happiest for this sacred presence, because it is during this period that an unusual amount of dances arises that make the world jump - in a good way. of the world-from one side to the other. The thing begins with a nice chubby man who under the Chubby Checker moniker convinced half humanity that to be happy you had to dance as if you were drying your back after a shower while you put out, with your feet, a lit butt. And that simple recipe was enough to reach number one of the best-selling and most listened to albums on September 18, 1960. The twist fever apparently passed, but a late-night radio DJ rescued him at the end of 1961 to take her back to the post of honor on January 13, 1962, and this was enough to unleash an almost infinite succession of rhythms and dances: Hullly Gully, Locomotion, The Fly, The Jerk, the Pony, The Limbo, the elegant Madison and so on, until we get to what concerns us: The Surf. Surf is a rhythm based on the movements of a surfer on a surfboard, worth the description (but I can´t think of another) and it was popularized by a timeless group like The Beach Boys. And Venezuela could not be left out of its influence. The country had already succumbed to the temptation of the twist but not to the extent that it would shortly after with this new rhythm: the few music programs on the radio dedicated to youth gave ample space and the television Ritmo y Juventud (Kind of Venezuelan American Bandstand) would soon join El Club del Clan and especially El Club Musical. This program, originally designed to showcase Renato Salani's combo, had the idea of ​​inviting the group Los Supersonicos one day. ! Big mistake! Well, from that day on the boys kept the space, also occasionally inviting groups from Caracas and the interior of the country. And among those groups from the interior, the Impala arrived from Maracaibo, on their second visit and with a different formation than that of their first presentation in the capital. And as if that weren´t enough, at the beginning of 1964 The Trashmen appeared in person, at the height of El Pájaro Bañista. The boys - among whom he was counting me at the time - we could not believe we were witnessing live Steve Wahrer's strange disjoints on the even weirder subject. And as a culmination of all those wonders, the most important show on Venezuelan television (The Renny Ottolina s Show) gave ample space to youth demonstrations and as if that were not enough, lots of entertainment venues dedicated to youth opened their doors every day. How to forget the legendary Mi Vaca y Yo on the outskirts of Caracas, a place where countless youth groups performed weekly. Los Supersónicos and the Impala stood out in terms of popularity among the large number of existing groups, even reaching international successes, especially Los Impala, who would establish themselves as true stars in Spain. A good number of artists belonging to these groups made important artistic careers and some of them continue to shine with their own light. In short, a beautiful time remembered with nostalgia, where surfing had a stellar participation. A time faithfully reflected in this album that is now in your hands.

SURF COMPILATION:

The album that you now enjoy has been compiled by El Palmas & El Drágon Criollo an begins with the theme that every afternoon, starting at 6 O´clock, all the youth of Caracas waited anxiously: “Introduction Theme” by Los Supersónicos was the wake-up call to introduce the charge of surfing that that later it would explode in El Club Musical. And from the same group, another of their greatest hits is included, such as “Rosas Rojas para una Dama Triste”. The Dangers were in charge of entertaining many youth parties in Venezuelan society. Their great success was Congratulation´S an obscure Ricky Nelson song, of which they made an excellent cover. And to demonstrate the great influence of the British group The Shadows - present in all the youth bands of the time - here they shine with their recreation of the song González. The Blonders were by far the possessors of the purest and most crystalline sound among the surf groups in Venezuela. A bold and highly imaginative arrangement of the classic “Lamento Borincano” is enough to justify its inclusion in this compilation. And although The Impala came to have the most aggressive and rock-and-roll sound, here they show another facet of their music with the songs Triste and Desafinado.

Tracklist:
1 01. Los Supersónicos - Introducción (03:08)
1 02. Los Dangers - Felicitaciones (02:49)
1 03. Los Blonder - Lamento Borincano (02:18)
1 04. Los Impala - Desafinado (01:59)
1 05. Los Blonder - En la Playa (02:37)
1 06. Los Dangers - Gonzalez (01:59)
1 07. Los Blonder - Solo una Vez (02:45)
1 08. Los Supersónicos - Rosas para una Dama Triste (02:45)
1 09. Los Dangers - No Te Quiero Más (02:14)
1 10. Los Blonder - Sabes Porqué (03:08)
1 11. Los Impala - Triste (02:11)