The first Australian surf hit was the instrumental 'Surfside' from The Denvermen, entering the charts in January 1963 and reaching No. 1 in the Sydney Top 40. It had the required Fender lead electric guitar sound, cleverly recorded with a tape echo machine timed to the rhythm of the tune. This was the first instrumental single for The Denvermen who had previously been Digger Revell's backing band. The Denvermen had an advantage over most of the other bands in the Sydney region, as the father of the band's lead guitarist, Les Green, worked for one of the big music stores in central Sydney. This meant the band had access to the latest guitars, amps and PA equipment to produce the favoured sound of the time. 'Surfside' had a catchy enough melody that it was recycled a few months later for 'I Watch The Surf' by singer Darryl Stewart.

CURATOR'S NOTES

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