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This 1997 CD reissue of SURFIN' ROUND THE WORLD includes alternate versions of three songs from the original LP. Personnel includes: Bruce Johnston; Terry Melcher (background vocals). Producer: Terry Melcher. Reissue Producer: Bob Irwin. Originally released on Columbia (LP CS 8857) in 1963. Includes original liner notes and an interview with Bruce Johnston by Al Quaglieri. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Personnel: Bruce Johnston (piano, electric piano, background vocals); Bruce Johnston; Michael Anthony , Michael Anthony (acoustic guitar); Joe Chemay (bass guitar, background vocals); California Boys Choir (background vocals); Chad Stuart (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Ed Carter (acoustic guitar); Richie Zito, Caleb Quaye (electric guitar); Jon Joyce (cello, background vocals); Igor Horoshevsky (cello); Kathy Dragon (flute); John Hobbs (piano, electric piano); Gary Mallaber (drums); Jim Haas, Brent Nelson, Diana Lee, Gary Puckett, Curt Becher, Cidny Bullens (background vocals). Audio Remasterer: Andrew Thompson . Liner Note Author: John Tobler. Photographers: Dean Torrence; Harriet Johnston. Bruce Johnston was a member of the early 1960s pop/rock/surf duo Bruce and Terry (Terry being Doris Day's son Terry Melcher) and an on-and-off member of the Beach Boys. But back in 1963, he decided to strike while the iron was hot and recorded this strange surf-inspired "cash-in" album. (His timing was good--a year or so later, the first British Invasion would, sadly, bury surf music.) SURFIN' is mostly instrumental, featuring some cool surf-y guitar, drenched in reverb, and, unusual for the genre, interesting horn and keyboard parts. The tracks with vocals are truly hilarious. The song "Hot Pastrami, Mashed Potatoes, Come On To Rincon--Yeah!!!" (it's not only the title; it's virtually all the lyrics, too!) features call-and-response vocals that make The Carpenters sound like Ray Charles and The Raylettes. The lyrics generally concern surfing and the search for the Perfect Wave, and they sound like they were written in 20 minutes. With this album, hard-core surf-music collectors will think they've died and gone to Wakiki.
