Deep in the LHI tape archive hid a mysterious tape marked “Woodchucks.” The tape held a "lost” instrumental surf album recorded by Lee Hazlewood in the early 1960s. Some of the songs have been recorded by The Astronauts, Jack Nitzsche, Dick Dale and His Del-Tones, Takeshi Terauchi, The Ventures, John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), The Trashmen, The Challengers and The Surfaris. Lee’s original recordings have never been released. Bask in the reverb drenched twang of Lee Hazlewood’s original versions for the first time ever!
Light in the Attic Records is proud to continue it’s Lee Hazlewood archive series with this very special release. Not a reissue, but rather a brand new, never before released time capsule from the surf era. Lee Hazlewood’s Woodchucks Crusin’ for Surf Bunnies is the perfect soundtrack for sun-baked skin and salty waves, hot rods and summer love. It’s the soundtrack to the American dream in the early 1960s and it comes from California. Though Lee and Suzi Jane Hokom hadn’t met yet, they were both living that dream…Suzi with her group The Surf Bunnies and Lee on his brief surf music tangent with albums like Al Casey’s Surfin’ Hootenanny, Hal Blaine and the Young Cougars and The Glaciers From Sea to Ski.
“He was trying to do too much at that period of time. He was just throwing stuff around, but this sounds like a complete project. If there was an airplay record in there, he probably could’ve had a band go out and be the Woodchucks or whatever he wanted to call them. It’s a good surf album. I really loved it. He was a master…there’s no question about it. He invented sounds that no one was doing.” – Shackleford and “Lonely Surfer,” Marty Cooper
A1 Movin'
Written-By – Hazlewood*
A2 Baja Pt. 1
Written-By – Hazlewood*
A3 Bangkok Cock Fight
Written-By – Les Baxter
A4 Johnny October
Written-By – Hazlewood*
A5 The Nomads
Written-By – D. Cole*, Hazlewood*
A6 The Man
Written-By – Hazlewood*
B1 Angry Generation
Written-By – Hazlewood*
B2 Baja Pt. 2
Written-By – Hazlewood*
B3 Quiet Village
Written-By – Les Baxter
B4 Batman
Written-By – D. Cole*, Hazlewood*
B5 Torn Sarong
Written-By – Y. Roche*
B6 Crickets Of Karachi
Written-By – Les Baxter
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Light In The Attic Records & Distribution, LLC
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Barton Lee Hazlewood Separate Property Trust
Licensed From – Barton Lee Hazlewood Separate Property Trust
Published By – Atlantic Music Corp.
Published By – Granite Music Corp.
Published By – Criterion Music Corp.
Published By – Bax Music
Recorded At – United Recorders
Remastered At – John Baldwin Mastering
Credits
Design – Chunklet Graphic Control, Henry H. Owings
Engineer – Eddie Brackett
Executive-Producer – Josh Wright, Matt Sullivan (4)
Interviewee – Marty Cooper
Lacquer Cut By – CN*
Liner Notes – Hunter Lea
Photography [Archival Material] – Barton Lee Hazlewood Separate Property Trust, Criterion Music Corp., Hunter Lea, Mark Pickerel, Suzi Jane Hokom
Producer – Lee Hazlewood
Producer [Produced For Release] – Hunter Lea
Product Manager [Project Manager] – Patrick McCarthy
Proofreader – Lydia Hyslop (2)
Remastered By – John Baldwin (5)
Notes
Recorded October 26, 1964 at United Recorders, Los Angeles, California
- Album mastered from pristine LHI master tape
- All tracks previously unreleased
- Liner notes by Hunter Lea with an interview from Marty Cooper
- Album art featuring unpublished photos of Suzi Jane Hokom’s early 1960s group The Surf Bunnies
- LP pressed at RTI and housed in a deluxe Stoughton tip-on jacket
- Indie Retail Color Vinyl Edition: Mellow Sunset Orange
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Barcode (OBI Strip): 8 26853 0169 1 9
Rights Society: BMI
Rights Society: ASCAP