THE BELAIRS - MR. MOTO - 1961

[stratoreverb]

I never get tired of listening to this tune. Surf music still rocks.

[MindMyLost]

Mr. Moto was a bad ass. I watched him every week in L.A. wrestling on TV. I saw him kick Freddy Blassie's ass.

[KevinDean001]

Love this song! One of the best Surf tunes of all time!!!

[theTVchannel1000]

192 people have taste

[colindominy]

What can one say about this tune that hasn't already been said !! An absolute, timeless classic in its genre. Peerless. Timeless. Says it all. An unadulterated gem !!

[titostacos]

Wasn't Mr. Moto a wrestler? Which came first, this song or him?

[elfhermie]

@titostacos Mr. Moto was a fictional detective like Charlie Chan. He was played by Peter Lorre in the movies. He's the guy who's voice is always imitated by hunchback cartoons..."Yes, master." The movies rock! They were made in the late 30s. If you like Sherlock Holmes, you should get a kick out of them. He does do some jujitsu/judo in the films too. The wrestler of that name wrestled in the mid 60s, but I don't think the song refers to the wrestler.

[the804punk]

anyone heard the agent orange cover of this? its pretty good, but of course this is classic

[binglehoser]

@the804punk

yea thats how i found out this song existed.....sublime through in a small cover too in "Seed" which was pretty good

[whatupmaaan]

@the804punk yeeeah its awesome.

[Macroheart1]

Great music, but most of them learned their licks from old Link Ray guitar tunes from the late 50's...check it out...that's where surf music really started...wasn't surf then...but Terrintino uses Rumble and other music in his movies...pre surf music.

[sunwarrior88]

AH ha...let's not forget the Deltones Let's Go Trippin!

[RonaldVaughan]

ALL-TIME CLASSIC RIFF. First heard this in the early Eighties on KRUISIN' KLASSICS (now-defunct Oldies show run by Keven Hirabara in Hawaii).

[Frontierblues]

Damn good stuff!!!!!!!!! New music,if ya wanna call it that, cant touch any of this stuff!!!

[MrMuddyBleach]

Omg The Belairs are so amazing.

[reydelacosa]

holy shazbot, sublime totally jacked this!

[ernestaguirre]

It's funny to refer to The Fireballs as a surf band, since they were as far from the ocean as you can get (the New Mexico Highlands). But they were one of the originators of what would become surf music.

[ronshalita]

I got to see this performed at the revelair club , later called the belaire club

[nuclearjanitors]

this is great, and i appreciate surf rock in its purest form but the agent orange cover of this song is blindingly good.

[thepepsquad]

@nuclearjanitors

it's even better when slacktone plays it.

[88Sublime96]

Remind you of sublime anyone?

[shanepesanka]

@88Sublime96

Ya they use a quick riff in here on seed. Almost every song they wrote has a sample of another tune.

[88Sublime96]

@shanepesanka Yea I know. Still badass though.

[RoaChc0acH]

@88Sublime96 yeah and Agent Orange too

[supernoob17]

I HOPE HER PARENTS LOVE HER SO.... wait wrong song.

[ThePlusam90]

What fucking happened to music like this?

[alcina5]

@ThePlusam90

Pretty good q ! i guess one explanation is : They would never have a chance on American Idol, or X-Factor or the other silly, stupid " talent contests " the media is so full of these days.

You got to be like an music archealogist to find gems like this. that`s what i do.

so keep on diggin`

[clarkewi]

@ThePlusam90 Listen to what Jimi said on "Third Stone From the Sun" - "And may we never hear surf music again". This was directed at Dick Dale another great guitarist - "The King" of the Surf Guitars.

[colocoug]

@ThePlusam90

My band still plays it!  Long live surf music!

[colocoug]

@ThePlusam90

My band still plays it - long live surf music!

[ecnalubma696969]

@ThePlusam90 It got drafted.

[the804punk]

@ThePlusam90 it still exists, just harder to come by, check out the surf guitar 101 forum they have a podcast with all the new surf bands

[stvntdiaz]

@ThePlusam90 the British invasion happen :/

[AtariMan76]

@ThePlusam90 It's still around, but corporations make the crap you hear on the airwaves like Justin Bieber popular. Mostly why I now go for Indie Rock of today

[InjectingNumbskull]

@ThePlusam90 It's still around, you just don't bother to look for it.

[aspiniou]

@ThePlusam90 sorry, justin bieber and lil wayne are 'cool' now. -_-

[AaronBaker12345]

@ThePlusam90 type the band spindrift into youtube, their a new spaghetti western psych rock style band. great music.

[hxo20292]

I don't think "walk Don't Run " and "Bulldog " or "Moondawg" could be classified as surf instrumentals. This or " Underwater" were probably the first surfing tunes.

[FallenObscenities]

@hxo20292 My Grandpa, Paul Johnson (My name is Zane Johnson maybe you'll believe me i promise he is my grandfather) wrote this song, alot of people believe dick dales's lets go tripping was the first surfing tune, but mr moto was release 6 months before...

[mrpjmoto]

i just happened to be checking out this post and reading the comments, when I was surprised and delighted to see that my grandson, Zane Zohnson, had entered the discussion. Hi Zane—very cool to come across your post! (I am Paul Johnson, writer of "Mr. Moto." Maybe you will believe me; I promise Zane is my grandson.)

btw Zane — your uncle Mikey says "hi!"

[qe2luvr]

@mrpjmoto Great to see you play at the HB surf shows Paul hope to see you there next summper!

[stupullen]

@hxo20292 look at your history, and my comment... CONSIDERED to be the first, no one can say what the first was and underwater came out way after surf was born.

[surfrider1962]

Really great !!!

[Koureas]

Top draw! There is even something Greek in one of the riffs!

[UMfan]

RIP Richard.

[PhillyWings]

RIP, Richard Delvy!

[DwarkFarkward]

Paul Johnson is the real KING of surf guitar. He's also an awesome all-around player, composer and wonderful person.

[SuesDaytona]

That's cool. Do you play the drums?

[longboardssurf]

Paul WE LOVE IU.....

[ADAMAS13]

just 5*

[colindominy]

One of the very best bands around the v.early 60s L.A. embryonic surf-music & surf-intrumental scene. Classy driving, guitar-led instrumental music like this was the foundation-piece of the more 'commercialised ' surf / hotrod sound which soon followed. Great posting !!

[hollies65]

Top of the heap.

[stupullen]

Disputable...

The Ventures Walk-don't run & The Fireballs Bull Dog Were also considered the first surfing tunes.

A runner-up The Gamblers Moon Dawg (1958) is a runner-up.

[Fendervana]

Yeah, Walk Don't Run was/is the foundation of surf...

[lemonite1]

@stupullen Duane Eddy Rebel Rouser, Dick Dale Let's Go Trippin',Link Wray Rumble,The Shadows Apache......the beginning of surf is kinda murky.

[stupullen]

@lemonite1 okay, Duane Eddy was not a surf guitar man, nor was link Wray(they were rock), The Shadows did not dabble in surf music until the mid-1960's and Dick Dale was indeed a Surf guitar player,let's go trippin' was in the beginning of surf, however was not THE FIRST, the belairs did Mr moto in 61, hardly THE FIRST...I stick to my first comment...incidently' I have hundreds of surfing tunes(been collecting since 1968)...do not try to one-up on me.

[lemonite1]

@stupullen Whoa! Easy buddy.I wasn't trying to one up you, I was merely adding to the list. Many don't consider Walk Don't Run a surf tune. YES! You will be challenged if you set yourself up like this as I was merely(kindly) stating influences. Many don't consider Walk Don't Run a surf song.If that makes you cry well, too bad.If you are THE surf music guru where you are exempt from being one-upped, what is your name? WHO are you? What makes you a expert?

[stupullen]

@lemonite1 okay, for your information, I believe you have mistaken me for someone who cares , however speaking with members of The Ventures, Walk-don't run is a likely pioneer of surf music that was not intended that way.

as far as me crying...not here, you seem to be in charge of that helm, i am actually laughing my ass off at you, exempt, no! Guru,no! my name...nunoya Business, and I am the guy that made you look like crap, my expertise speaks for it's self...have a nice day!

[lemonite1]

@stupullen Oh gimme a break.I live in Brooklyn, everyday I hear worse things said in my face by better trash talkers than you.You haven't answered the question. Expertise at what?Do you play guitar?Are you a (hack hack) music critic?Industry mogul?Producer?What gives you the right to be the end all for what the pioneers of surf are?You wrote,"Do not try to one up me."Sounds like you are crying, not threatening.

[bst8035]

@lemonite1 Maybe not the 1960 version but Walk Don't Run '64 is full of reverb sound.

[clarkewi]

@stupullen I remember when this song came out in Southern Cal 1961 and was a regional hit. Surf music was just starting with Dick Dale and the Ventures.

[killer18]

watch?v=uyv3mcCsSc8

[mynation123]

Are the Bel Airs going to be playing an outdoor concert at Monty's BBQ in Anaheim CA Feb 20th, 09 starting at 6:00 p.m.?

[oldschool19461]

Paul Johnson is also the lead guitar of the "real" Surfaris, not the knock-off bob berryhill family band imitation.

[crorivpro]

One of the best surf tunes of all time.

[Nolav]

fuckin love this song!

[BurnerOfBethlehem]

This bar gord fukkin musck

[benkunben]

This song is simply incredible!! And the piano so coooool!!!

[colindominy]

So glad to see this song up on YouTube. Thanks, andrexxx9, the montage took some work too - love that classic longboard shot ! This song set the signature sound for pioneer surf instrumental music of the very early 60's. And surtuo, you're right too - that piano riff is brilliant. The Belairs were a big-time calif. early surf band, so the research says. And this song is famous as perhaps their biggest hit. Jon & The Nightriders did a cover of this song much later, but the original is best !

[surtuo]

piano is amazingly groovy

[nrosenoer]

jesus i love this song