We can never become one with our mother sea as we can never reunify with our birth mother. We have been hurled ashore by the sea as we have been expelled from the watery cocoon of the womb. We spend the rest of our lives longing for this total caress. An instrumental can touch these deep recesses within us.
The mid-'60s surf instrumentals were most popular in coastal communities like Southern California, Japan and Australia. People in those lands know the allure of the sea and sensed kindred emotions in these songs. Surf music, like surfing itself, is a reaction to this attraction.
When surfing, one literally mounts the sea. The great instrumentals do so metaphorically. "Pipeline" is probably the greatest surf instrumental because it is most akin to the rhythms and fluidity of the sea itself. The sea seems to have no depth once it is over our heads, and neither does "Pipeline." Most of surfing is waiting. "Pipeline" contains great space. "Pipeline" waits for the wave, catches it, buries us in the wash and paddles us back out, giving each action its due.
An excellent surf collection (instrumental and vocal) is Surfin' Sixties, which contains instrumental greats "Out of Limits" by the Marketts, "Theme from Endless Summer" by the Sandals, the original "Wipe Out" by the Surfaris, "Pipeline," "Let's Go" by the Routers (a near instrumental) and the poignant and orchestral "The Lonely Surfer" by Jack Nitzsche. For you vocal fans: "California Sun" by The Rivieras, "GTO" by Ronny and the Daytonas, and "Surfer Joe" by the Surfaris. Cowabunga.
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