Product Review

Dick Dale was already on the way to a full-scale comeback when Quentin Tarantino's film Pulp Fiction turned Dale's 1962 hit "Miserlou" into a major sensation. But there is much more to the King of the Surf Guitar than one hit, as this definitive anthology amply demonstrates. Better Shred Than Dead features instrumentals that show off Dale's dazzling, percussive technique and Middle Eastern and Latin influences ("Let's Go Trippin'," "Hava Nagila," "Miserlou," "Spanish Kiss") as well as some lesser-known vocal numbers. More recent material is also included, such as his 1987 duet with Stevie Ray Vaughan on "Pipeline," plus material culled from the first two albums of his comeback years and various other sources. All hail the king, back on his throne after far too many years. --Daniel Durchholz