AMG Review of Surfin' Wild

Steve Leggett
All Music Guide

An R&B-inflected surf combo, Jim Waller & the Deltas formed at Fresno State College in 1961 and featured a lineup of Waller on piano and organ, Terry Christofsen on guitar, Ray Carlson on saxophone, Terry Christenson on drums and Eddie Atkinson on bass. This energetic little gem is a CD reissue of the band's sole LP on Arvee Records from 1963. Raucous and fun, these dozen instrumentals sound more like King Curtis then they do Dick Dale, and they underscore how much pure surf instrumentals were influenced by straight, horn-driven R&B. Christofsen does get in his share of reverb-laden guitar riffs, but the Deltas were mostly about the sax and organ mix, and it is a sound that is both refreshing and familiar. Highlights include the title track, "Surfin' Wild," the lovely and intricate "Latin'ia" and the room-rattling stomp of "Body Wompin'."