Rudy and the Boys (above), Bobby (below)
Listen/Download – The Semi-Colons? – Beachcomber
Greetings all.
How about something a little crazy to flip thy wig?
A long-ass time ago (I can’t even remember when or where) I grabbed the 45 you see before you today.
I can’t even remember why I picked it up, other than maybe it looked interesting and was cheap (like so many other records in my vinyl cave).
That said, when I gave it a spin I was gassed, on account of ‘Beachcomber’ is a very groovy, fast-moving instrumental, and, when I gave the label a closer look I saw that it was credited to Bobby Darin.
My interest piqued, I started digging around a little and discovered – cue up wig flip number two – that the band on the disc, labeled as the Semi-Colons? Was in fact Question Mark and the Mysterians!
Whoa…
What was the deal?
That question remains largely unanswered to this day.
The record dates from 1967, and was a cover of an even more obscure piano instrumental that Darin recorded and released in 1960 (itself quite cool, if taken at a much more relaxed pace).
The flipside, ‘Set Aside’ is less interesting, but credited to members of the Mysterians, it does provide a direct link to the band.
Now, as I mentioned, Question Mark et al take the original Darin instro and cook it up into something much, much faster, dancier and all around cooler.
Where Darin’s OG has Mancini-esque pretensions, the Semi-Colons? tear into it in a Jerry Lee Lucid stylee.
Oddly (or maybe not) ‘Beachcomber’was left off the Cameo/Parkway Question Mark & the Mysterians comp that came out a few years ago and as far as I can tell is not currently in print in any form.
I would love the opportunity to whip this one on a room full of dancers.
I hope you dig it and I’ll be back next week with some more coolness.
Peace
Larry
PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.
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