Pipeline

Dick Dale & Stevie Ray Vaughan, 1987, from Back to the Beach. Solo by Dick Dale, Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Surf's founder and a blues star trade verses of the Chantays' tune on a film soundtrack.

This Pipeline is a friendly summit between two very different guitar worlds. Dick Dale brings his heavy, staccato surf attack, hammering the melody with thick, reverb-drenched picking, while Stevie Ray Vaughan answers with blues phrasing, fat bends and a rawer, more vocal tone. The Chantays' tune is simple enough to leave room for both personalities, and the pair trade sections rather than crowd each other. It is a joy to hear each player bend the tune toward his own tradition without losing its shape. Listen for the handoffs, where Dale's machine-gun picking gives way to Vaughan's bluesy phrasing, and notice how the famous descending glissando becomes a shared signature between the two players.

Pipeline by Dick Dale & Stevie Ray Vaughan is featured in our Surf (#8) list. The solo is played by Dick Dale, Stevie Ray Vaughan and the song was released in 1987.

In our lists

• The 25 Greatest Surf Guitar Songs — #8
• Best of Stevie Ray Vaughan — #7
• The Best Dick Dale & the Del-Tones Guitar Solos — #10

Sources