The Best of Surf Music
We have put together a great collection of surf music that will keep you vibed up for surf. Some are old and timeless, others you may not have heard before. Check out our top 28 surfing music albums.
Green Day and More
Turn yourself into a basket case with songs from Green Day, Rancid, Screeching Weasel, Offspring and more. A sample of some of the best surf music songs from this page.
Foo Fighters
Probably the best album to ever be released by the Foo Fighters, “The Colour & The Shape” further solidified Dave Grohl stepping out of grunge’s shadow and making peace with the ghost of Kurt Cobain. Just about all the songs here on this album are catchy and seem made for radio friendly, but underneath that surface is a demonically comical feel combined with a lot of emotion.
The Offspring
How do these guys do it!? After almost 20 years they make possibly their best CD ever, either this or Ixnay is the best! And the critic reviews aren’t as bad as people say—they’re all 3/5 or a “B,” those aren’t bad even though this CD deserves way more. Only a band like The Offspring can make great music after this long, changing their style but holding on to their roots.
Dispatch – Bang Bang
These guys were a great band and it would be sweet to see them come back together again. I now own every Dispatch CD, but this one is like a greatest-hits compilation—every tune is THAT good. They are the best indie rock band I’ve ever heard and likely the best I’ll ever hear. Hypnotic and intelligent rap-like tunes. The only thing is how their stuff never made it to the airwaves—it’s better than 99.9% of the stuff out there. Bands like O.A.R. and Guster just can’t measure up to Dispatch. Check them out.
Brushfire Fairytales
Fans of Willy Porter, Ben Harper, and G. Love will all want to check out Jack Johnson’s engaging folk- and blues-inflected pop. Born in Oahu, Hawaii, Johnson, a former surfer and film-school graduate, has a knack for acoustic ballads whose calm surfaces hide a subtle but strong lyrical undertow. “It seems to me that ‘maybe’ pretty much always means ‘no,’” sings Johnson on “Flake,” which features cronies Harper on slide guitar.
Linkin Park
Linkin Park’s second studio effort (not counting the 2002 remix album Reanimation) overflows with glossy production values and big-rock oomph, fully embracing the pop instincts of their Hybrid Theory debut. For many, Theory sounded inexcusably corporate—from its too-timely rap-rock sound to the long list of product endorsements included in the liner notes.
Blink 182
It’s a totally different sound than their previous albums, with new themes you can relate to on so many levels. You’ll love it for its ’80s feel, standout tracks like “Always” and “All of This” (featuring Robert Smith of The Cure), and—honestly—every track rocks!
Red Hot Chilli Peppers
With valuable assistance from producer Rick Rubin, the Peppers find just the right blend of punk, funk, and hip-hop. Even with a running time of 74 minutes, this 1991 breakthrough has continuity and cohesion both within and across its 17 cuts.
Jumping at Shadows
This is not your sister’s Fleetwood Mac—and Peter Green wasn’t called the “Green God” for nothing. Green is arguably one of the best blues guitarists ever. If you enjoy the ass-kickin’ blues of Kim Simmonds, Alvin Lee, Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, etc., you owe it to yourself to get this album ASAP. You won’t regret it.
Rage Against the Machine
As the vitriol spewed from Evil Empire, Rage Against the Machine’s long-awaited follow-up to their 1993 debut owes much to Chuck D’s polemic fury and rapid-fire urgency—though, as always, the band rages without hip-hop machinery in favor of rock’s heavy-duty power tools.
Audioslave
The debut of thundering supergroup Audioslave—featuring members of Rage Against the Machine post-Zack de la Rocha with ex-Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell. Cornell’s unmistakable holler and nihilistic imagery ensure that Audioslave recalls early Soundgarden.
Nirvana
Nevermind’s tears out of the speakers like a cannonball, from the punk-turbo-charged riff of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” onward, magnifying and distilling 15 years of underground rage into a single impassioned roar. Few albums have occupied the cultural consciousness like this one.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
The real deal is that this is not so much a hits package as a hyped collection of chart-toppers, album tracks, and rarities like Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pipeline” duet with surf-rock king Dick Dale.
Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club’s self-titled first album is musical excellence. Focusing predominantly on son—a traditional Cuban musical form—BVSC delivers spectacular results. A collaborative masterpiece with Ry Cooder that simply must be experienced.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
Legend deluxe edition. Even as greatest-hits packages go, this is an utter gem. Every song is inspired—from “I Shot the Sheriff” to “No Woman, No Cry” to “Jamming.” Includes a second disc of 13 remixes from Legend.
Surf Music Videos Collection
Own your favorite music videos—featuring Sugar Ray’s “Every Morning,” Nada Surf’s “Popular,” Fountains of Wayne’s “Denise,” Remy Zero’s “Save Me,” Bif Naked’s “Moment of Weakness,” The Living End’s “Prisoner of Society,” and more.
