Willard's Wormholes

Surf-N-Burn (1997)
Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Moonlighting & Hangin‘ 10

Outstanding bogus “early 60s” instrumental surf LP from a couple of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, guitarist Mike Campbell and bassist Ron Blair (as best as can be determined). Save for hardcore Heartbreakers‘ fans, this CD has been lingering pretty much under-the-radar since its 1997 recording & release. The artwork alone shows their attention to detail, and includes anecdotes about the Stingrays “inventing” surf-rock and releasing three obscure albums in the early 60s. Credit Campbell & Blair for not overselling the concept. The music is straight-faced and, except for the high production and performance quality, is nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. 15 tracks, highlighted by the Stingrays’ cover of James Bond’s Goldfinger theme. Who wrote the rest of the album? Good question, because finding verifiable details about the project is tough. Upon hearing, you’ll find the details don’t really matter that much. Under $5 new @ Amazon. Surf’s up!

Monsoon (3:04)
Echo Park (2:52)
Goldfinger (3:23)
Brave New World (4:30)
Russian Roulette (3:27)
Moon Over Catalina (2:37)
Malibu Babylon (3:48)
Blue Venus (2:53)
Land Of The Unknown (3:30)
Surfer’s Life (4:12)
Stingray Stomp (2:33)
Zuma Sunset (2:41)
Ju Ju Beads (2:29)
Green Sea (2:19)
Super Hero (3:26)