Mr. Moto
The Bel-Airs, 1961. Solo by Paul Johnson.
Among the earliest surf instrumentals, pairing a Spanish-flavoured opening with a clean lead.
Mr. Moto sits right at the start of the surf story, and Paul Johnson's playing shows the style before it became loud and reverb-drenched. The track opens with a dramatic, Spanish-flavoured introduction, all flourishes and minor-key colour, before settling into a clean, catchy lead melody over a light, steady groove. Johnson's tone is bright and relatively dry, and his picking is neat and melodic rather than aggressive. Hearing it next to Dick Dale's records shows how many directions the early scene could have taken. Listen for the switch from the flamenco-tinged opening into the main tune, and notice how Johnson keeps the lead lines simple and singable, letting the melody carry the whole performance.
Mr. Moto by The Bel-Airs is featured in our Surf (#6) list. The solo is played by Paul Johnson and the song was released in 1961.
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Who played the guitar solo on Mr. Moto?
Paul Johnson played the solo on The Bel-Airs's Mr. Moto (1961).