Beach blanket blunder No. 1: You spent most of the morning rounding up your friends and driving to the water`s edge, but now, at last, your toes are planted in the sand, and–all right!–it`s beach party time! You spread out the blankets, slap on the old suntan lotion, check the contents of the cooler. Everybody`s going to have a great time today. Hey, how about a little music to enhance the mood? You pop a cassette into the portable player.
And everybody turns to look at you as the sounds of ”Suddenly There`s a Valley,” by Julius LaRosa, waft across the sands. . .
Beach blanket blunder No. 2: After a shaky start, the day went great. Now the night looks like it might be even better. The sun is down. The stars are out. You and your sweetheart have moved your belongings down the beach to a quiet spot away from the crowd. Gee, it`s funny, even though you`re out in wide, open spaces, there`s a kind of intimate feeling here. Hey, how about a little music to enhance the mood?
And, in just a twinkling, you are alone under the stars as the theme song from ”Revenge of the Nerds” echoes down the shoreline. . .
Yes, the right music can be vital to the success of a seaside soiree. Somehow, Brahms just doesn`t make it as accompaniment to volleyball in the sand. And a selection from Blue Oyster Cult`s ”Tyranny and Mutation” is guaranteed to be fatal to your end-of-the-day romance.
But what music do you play at a beach party? Well, we have our favorites
–”Underwater,” by the Frogmen, among them–but we thought we`d ask some performers in the music business what they`d recommend. Who better, after all, to concoct a menu of mood-enhancing songs?
Most of the performers` answers, you`ll see, have to do with daytime fun at the beach, although some did suggest music for those wee, intimate hours, and Beach Boy Bruce Johnston carefully orchestrated the day from start to finish.
We also asked these performers what items, beyond the right music, are necessary for a good day near the surf. The answers–somehow we expected this –tended to be on the goofy side, with ”Weird Al” Yankovic recommending Twinkies, Eddie Rabbitt saying a Christmas tree and Dave Murray of Iron Maiden voting for topless waitresses. C`mon, guys.
Anyway, on the first official day of summer, here we go–advice from the stars on music and more for a party at the beach:
Frankie Avalon
If there`s any performer you connect with the beach, it`s Frankie Avalon. Thanks to his roles in films such as ”Beach Blanket Bingo,” ”Beach Party” and ”Bikini Beach,” Avalon is as much a part of American surfside lore as lifeguards and lost combs.
Avalon, it turned out, was at first a little reluctant to recommend any beach-party music, explaining that, yes, he had been in all those films but he doesn`t really listen to the radio very often these days and he has never been much of a record buyer.
Nevertheless, after some coaxing, Avalon good-naturedly went along and named five songs he`d enjoy hearing during a day at the beach. The first two remind him of the beach. The others are simply favorite songs:
— ”Ramblin` Rose,” Nat King Cole
— ”Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer,” Nat King Cole
— ”Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare),” Domenico Modugno
— ”Venus,” Frankie Avalon
— ”Little Things Mean a Lot,” Kitty Kallen
Other necessities for a day at the beach: ”Some real good hot dogs and hamburgers.”
The Elvis Brothers
Brad Elvis was born and raised in Pekin, Ill., where, he explains, there is no lake and no beach. There is, however, a place in Pekin Park commonly called The Lagoon, and it was there, Brad remembers, that he used to ”hang out, go wild, and fish.” He did come a little closer to a real beach when he frequented a place called Twin Lakes outside Pekin. While there might not be much beachgoing in his background, he knows what he likes when it comes to beach-party music:
— ”Summertime Blues,” Eddie Cochran
— ”Remember (Walkin` in the Sand),” Shangri-Las
— ”Rockaway Beach,” Ramones
— ”California Sun,” Rivieras
— ”Rock-a-Hula Baby,” Elvis Presley
— ”Wooly Bully,” Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs
— ”Let`s Go,” Routers
— ”Nameless,” Rockin R`s
— ”Surfin` U.S.A.,” Beach Boys
— (In all fairness, we should note that Brad, at the urging of fellow band member Graham Elvis, included another song in this list. However, the rapscallions came up with one of those sexual double-entendre titles that`s just a shade too much for this G-rated publication. We`ll just say it involved something you conceivably could do on the beach if you had a lot of privacy.) Other necessities: ”Let`s see,” said Brad, displaying an approach to beach life unfettered by convention, ”scuba gear and a badminton set. You play badminton in your scuba gear in case the sharks come out. And a snow shovel. So you can scoop up dead whales.”
The Gap Band
The Gap Band`s mainstays, the Wilson brothers–Ronnie, Charlie and Robert
–taped a terrific video for their song ”Party Train” at the beach in Venice, Cal., so we thought we`d bring them into this survey. While we limited other performers to a maximum of 10 entries, there are three of the Wilsons, and each of them had his favorite songs–a fact revealed in a session that went something like: ”This one.” ”No, this one.” ”No, no, no, this one.” So we let them exceed the limit a bit, and they came up with:
— ”In My House,” Mary Jane Girls
— ”Rhythm of the Night,” Debarge
— ”I`m Sorry,” Will King
— ”Hangin` on a String,” Loose Ends
— ”19,” Paul Hardcastle
— ”Dangerous,” Pennye Ford
— ”I Found My Baby,” Gap Band
— ”Everything She Wants,” Wham
— ”Baby Come and Get It,” Pointer Sisters
— ”Meeting in the Ladies Room,” Klymaxx
— ”Sussudio,” Phil Collins
— ”Innocent,” Alexander O`Neal
— ”One Night in Bangkok,” Murray Head
— ”Feel So Real,” Steve Arrington
— ”You Should Have Known Better,” T.C. Curtis
— ”Big Mouth,” Whodini
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”Weird Al” Yankovic
Al had one thing he wanted us to communicate: ”I don`t get invited to many beach parties.” Saddened by this poignant revelation, we nonetheless took down his selections (Al is obviously an album listener) for a day on the sand: — ”Weird Planet,” B-52s
— ”Oh, No! It`s Devo!” Devo
— ”Life in the Foodchain,” Tonio K
— ”Apostrophe,” Frank Zappa
— ”Tadpoles,” Bonzo Dog Band
— ”Thank You, Music Lovers,” Spike Jones
— ”More Songs About Buildings and Food,” Talking Heads
— ”Schoolboys in Disgrace,” Kinks
— ”Born Again,” Randy Newman
— ”Marshall Crenshaw,” Marshall Crenshaw
Other necessities: Helium tanks, Twinkies, a blender, a cheese grater, a lead shield, a box of tongue depressors, more Twinkies, dribble glasses, a bowling ball and a fork.
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REO Speedwagon
Well, this didn`t occur to us until now, but there are people who don`t particularly like to listen to music at the beach, and among them is REO Speedwagon lead vocalist Kevin Cronin, who says he prefers to listen to the sound of the waves. However, there are some things other than music he would bring along to the seaside, including a cooler filled with light beers and Hansen soda. He also recommends two apples, two bagels and a beautiful girl with a suntan.
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The Blasters
Blaster Phil Alvin, like his brother and fellow Blaster Dave Alvin, has a voluminous knowledge of American ”roots” music, from blues and R&B to jazz and country. To engage Phil in conversation is to be certain of hearing the names of not only well-known ”oldies” artists but also obscure barrelhouse piano players you never knew existed. All of which elucidates Phil`s choices for a day at the beach:
— ”Hot Dog,” Blind Lemon Jefferson
— ”Hot Nuts,” Lil Johnson
— ”Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer,” Bessie Smith
— ”Sixty Minute Man,” Dominoes
— ”Wine, Women and Whiskey,” Papa Lightfoot
— ”Too Tired,” Johnny ”Guitar” Watson
— ”Bustin` Surfboards,” Tornadoes
— ”Don`t You Let Me Go,” Jimmy Reed
— ”Deep Sea Blues,” Clyde McPhatter
— ”Red Sails in the Sunset,” Five Keys
Other necessities: Phil, who believes it is wise to travel light in case you have to make a hasty exit, chose the basic ”a bucket and a shovel.”
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Bangles
Based in Los Angeles, the Bangles certainly should be familiar with beaches. And when it comes to a beach party, Bangles guitarist Vicki Peterson would like to hear the following:
— ”Summer in the City,” Lovin` Spoonful
— ”Keeper of the Fire,” Buffy Sainte-Marie
— ”God Only Knows,” Beach Boys
— ”Hair,” Cowsills
— ”Paint It Black,” Rolling Stones
— ”She`s a Woman,” Beatles
— ”Gimme Some Money,” Thamesmen
— ”If Only You Were Lonely,” Replacements
— ”Puss `n` Boots,” Redd Kross
— ”Bitchen Summer,” Bangs (Dedicated pop watchers might remember that, until about three years ago, the Bangles were known as the Bangs.)
Other necessities: ”My guitar,” says Peterson, ”and all of Russ Meyer`s films on video.”
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Eddie Rabbitt
Eddie Rabbitt was born in Brooklyn and raised in East Orange, N.J., which is certainly in the general vicinity of the Atlantic Ocean and several beaches. Contacted for this survey while in the midst of writing a song, Rabbitt was in a fairly loose frame of mind and, between singing snippets of song lyrics, delivered his choices:
— ”Love Letters in the Sand,” Pat Boone
— ”Surfin` Bird,” Trashmen
— ”You`re So Vain,” Carly Simon
— ”Stairway to Heaven,” Led Zeppelin
— ”California Girls,” Beach Boys
— ”Good Time Charlie`s Got the Blues,” Danny O`Keefe
— ”Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” Jim Croce
— ”Vincent,” Don McLean
— ”Could You Love a Poor Boy, Dolly?” (a song Rabbitt sang on his first album, released in 1975, that had nothing to do with Dolly Parton and in fact was originally titled ”Could You Love a Poor Boy, Ruby?” Now you know.) — ”Red Sails In the Sunset,” Platters (a choice specifically made for those romantic, end-of-the-day moments)
Other necessities: Roller skates, in case the sand is hard (Rabbitt believes in being prepared). A fully decorated, small-to-medium-sized Christmas tree because ”One never knows where Santa may be vacationing, and one wants to be prepared.” A pair of binoculars to scout for reindeer. A metal detector to look for treasure on the beach.
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Iron Maiden
Dave Murray, guitarist for Iron Maiden, recently was married in Hawaii and recently bought a home there, about half a mile from the ocean. He says he has ”yet to christen the local beach,” but plans to do so during some R&R time sandwiched between Iron Maiden tour dates. Murray declined to select specific songs or albums, but rather nominated artists for their entire body of work (except in the case of Genesis):
— Santana
— ”Later” Genesis
— Any Jethro Tull material, but particularly the latest album
— Beach Boys
— Stevie Ray Vaughan
— Deep Purple
Other necessities: ”Definitely some barbecue,” said Murray, ”and spare ribs and lots of beer on ice. . .topless waitresses. . .plenty of surfboards. . .come to think of it, with all that beer, you`d better have some lifeguards. . .and a couple false shark fins you can strap on your back.”
Beach Boys
As we said at the beginning of this rundown, if there`s anyone you connect with the beach, it`s the Beach Boys. Just a mention of some of their songs
–”Surfin` U.S.A.,” ”Surfin` Safari,” ”Surfer Girl”–is enough to make you kick off your shoes and start dog-paddling.
Born in Chicago, Beach Boy Bruce Johnston has lived near the golden beaches of California most of his life. We contacted Johnston while he was in Hawaii rehearsing for the band`s summer tour. He not only gave us some perfect-party songs but orchestrated an entire day at the beach, tossing in a reminiscence about watching a Russian satellite near Malibu. Here`s his recipe for the well-done beach get-together:
”I`d have a Beach Boys `menu` of songs during the day,” says Johnston,
”including `Barbara Ann` and `Fun, Fun, Fun.` The light stuff. I wouldn`t include `Good Vibrations.` It`s a complicated pop record musically.
”I`d have music that would keep people moving, but I`d throw in a couple ballads now and then, a `Surfer Girl,` an `In My Room,` particularly when it started getting dark. I`d also throw in the 1985 English Beach Boys who think that they`re a Motown act; a couple of Wham tracks. Whatever the current single at the time would be, plus `Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.`
”Wham looks like we would look if we were 21 now, having our hits. Besides our music–you gotta have our music because it`s the beach–I would sneak in some Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding records. Probably `The Midnight Hour` and probably three or four cuts from the `Otis Redding Live in Europe`
album.
”The whole point is, I would keep everybody moving. Then later in the day I would probably put in `Lazy Summer Night,` by the Four Preps. Having been around long enough on the planet, I kind of heard rock `n` roll start. So I can be very eclectic.
”Later I`d play `I Only Have Eyes for You,` by the Flamingos (recorded in 1959). That is the record that made me realize you can have a great song and some really fantastic production–even though the record`s 26 years old
–and beautiful chord changes and still go to the bank.
”Late in the night, I would probably play `In the Wee Small Hours,`
Frank Sinatra`s album that was made in the mid-`50s, and Sinatra`s `Only For the Lonely.` I`d wind it down. The last hour, maybe around midnight, I`d keep it really slow.
”Anyway, you keep the people moving, but as you get into the ballads, you can really orchestrate some romances, if you do it right, by what you pick.
”Oh, we have to have some Chuck Berry at the beach. I think `No Particular Place to Go` and `Johnny B. Goode.` I`d probably have Etta James`
recording of `At Last.` That would be great. Not everybody`s gonna be the same age at my beach party, so it might be great to get `em in the mood, then start mixing the new records with the old ones, to share some of my early summers`
worth of music with them.
”I`d have a 500-year beach party if I could.”
Other necessities: ”Whole wheat buns for the hamburgers. And some vege-burgers for people who don`t eat meat. The two things I wouldn`t have at a beach party would be drugs and liquor. I would probably plan it so we ran out of wine, and all that would be left would be beer, and girls don`t really like to drink beer. I`d hate to have anyone be there and miss the party.”
