Minnesota’s ‘Surfin’ Bird’ creators hit paydirt at the first time of asking. Taking a leaf from the Dick Dale songbook, their no-thrills mash-up of the Rivingtons hits ‘Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow’ and ‘The Bird’s The Word’ slalomed straight into the US top five. Pressed into a swift follow-up, ‘Bird Dance Beat’ played it safe, milking the same formula as far as it would go – up to number 30. Proof that The Trashmen were no one trick pony ultimately arrived on its speedier, full-throttle flipside. Over Bob Reed’s sublimely echoed bass twin frontmen Tony Andreason and Dal Winslow pay homage to a customised automobile, a “way-out wailing type of boss machine” whose technical spec includes “a bang shift hydro with a big shillelagh” capable of leaving Cobra and Stingray drivers standing still. Andreason’s gut-punching electric guitar solo is something else, suggesting a more instrumental future option that they ultimately failed to drive down. Follow-up singles brought only diminishing returns and the cash-in kids’ charting days were over.