Good gift for a surfer

Music for our Mother Ocean
Various artists
Surfdog Records
Reviewed by Marcus Greville

Recorded through the combined efforts of the Surfrider Foundation and Surfdog Records, Music for our Mother Ocean brings together a huge diversity of artists on this benefit compilation CD.

The album is appealing, but difficult to become engaged in, mainly due to the unrelated nature of the individual artists' sounds.

The album is predominantly original songs, but also contains some great re-workings of old surf classics. The Ramones lend their distinctive urban sound to cover "California Sun", while, for local content, Silverchair do a thrashy surf-guitar version of "Surfin Bird" with fantastic vocal distortion giving it a real edge. Other highlights include appearances by Primus and Soundgarden, both doing originals.

Music for our Mother Ocean is a catchy compilation with its heart in the right place, but ultimately will be better as a gift for a surfer friend. All proceeds go to the Surfrider foundation to promote conservation, activism, research and education about the world's threatened oceans. I would give it seven out of 10.

From GLW issue 252