Surf and Destroy

BEFORE THE RELEASE OF Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, Dick Dale was simply "the man who invented surf music" and his craft remained generally unknown outside of its freak beat. Right now, though, every time that ‘Miserlou’ kicks its sonic cleansing blast into a packed cinema audience, it's odds on that a handful of those present will go to score the soundtrack. There are tons of beat-instrumental CD compilations around now, much of the material reproduced complete with hiss and crackle for that authentic Dansette ambience.