Weird sound effect heard in surf music and early Iron Butterfly.

Hi Everyone,

This has puzzled me for a decades. When listening to songs like Pipeline and other Surf music as well as early Iron Butterfly, there is a sound in the music that I don't know what it is and how it's produced. The sound is a sort of wet sounding echo/slapping sound. Kind of bubbly in nature I guess. I'm sure many here have heard it. Can someone explain briefly what it is and how it's done. I'll post a couple examples if I get no replies. Thanks.

Anthony

 

The surf music sound was dominated by electric guitars played through spring reverb and using the vibrato arm on their guitar to bend the pitch of notes downward.

 

Wow..
I've never heard of that...

Very cool guys! I wish I had a go to song I could hear this on.

 

I believe this is what Steve mentioned. Very cool sounds.

 

Thanks for the info John. It's really an odd sound that I find interesting and like. Also weird that it was mostly used in Surf music, but the psychedelic Iron Butterfly used it as well. I may have heard it in another rock song setting but can't remember.

 

All hail (spring) reverb!

 

Not everyone knows as much bout recordED music as you, Steve.
[Nah, just pulling your leg! ]

 

Surf music fans like me know you can never have too much reverb!

 

Seriously, what's up with that dude's hair? Looks ridiculous!

 

If you banged the reverb unit it makes the sound you describe. Not musical, just weird.

 

Starts on this song at about the 1:20 mark:

 

Our guitarist used something called a Companion Amplifier Psychedelic Machine that made the whole band sound like they were playing underwater.

 

I thought it was a hat.

 

Ah, so that's how they did that sound! Cool!

 

Thanks for the info Steve.

 

Actually, what's worse than his hair is actually how many times he says actually.

 

Only if your leg is a spring.

 

Only if your leg is a spring.

That's a perfect example of the sound I am referring to. I never heard this song before AFAIK, but I did hear it on a version of Pipeline either by The Chantays or The Ventures. I'm not knowledgeable when it comes to Surf music but I know some of the hits. I like the stuff.

 

My friend had a spring reverb for the back speaker in his car back in the 60s. If you kicked it, it made that noise. It sounded pretty cool with AM radio, but not what I'd want to hear all the time.

I think somebody, perhaps Pioneer, made a hi-fi device in the late 60s that incorporated one as well. It was basically used to add reverb to your hi-fi, but could have been used for a lot of other purposes as well.

 

Thanks for the info everybody. I'm not a musician, so I don't know anything about this stuff.

 

The first time I remember consciously hearing the "whack on spring reverb unit" sound effect was, funnily enough, on The Woodstock Soundtrack set. IIRC, you hear it quite loud in the mix two or three times during The Butterfield Blues Band's "Love March".

 

That's a perfect example of the sound I am referring to. I never heard this song before AFAIK, but I did hear it on a version of Pipeline either by The Chantays or The Ventures. I'm not knowledgeable when it comes to Surf music but I know some of the hits. I like the stuff.[/QUOTE]

If you are interested in hearing more, I recommend the Birth of Surf Volumes 1 & 2 on Ace. It has most of the surf music instrumental classics. The Surf Age Nuggets box set is also great.
The Rhino Cowabunga Surf Box is now out of print and also contains some vocal surf music as well. It also contains a disc of songs by current surf bands at the time of release. Sundazed also put out a great series of compilations of instrumental surf music called the Lost Legends Of Surf Guitar but I think that they are all out of print now as well.