Various | Go! Go! Beach Party |Teichiku | Japan

One of the most rewarding experiences in foreign travel is that eureka moment when you look around and say, "Man, these people are fricken nuts." Probably due to its famed hospitality, Japan generously showers these moments on the visitor like so many pachinko balls. The things that seem nuts to the foreigner are often the fads--virtual pets, hardcore manga, Pokemon, Dance Dance Revolution and insane T.V. shows in which average people humiliate themselves. Yet, as the preceding list illustrates, it usually isn't long before these fads sweep the West, so who was nuts after all?

Go! Go! Beach Party harkens back to a time when the tides of pop were washing in the opposite direction and Japanese kids were copying the fads of the West. By the end of the 30th track on this single-disc compilation, if your mind hasn't been smashed on the rocks, it'll have a Japanese Beach Blanket Bingo World inside it, complete with summer girls, surfer boys and a pineapple princess. It's enough to make you say, "Man, these people are fricken nuts."

Instead of focusing on a specific genre, Go! Go! Beach Party includes beach-themed songs from the 60s in a handful of styles: surf, Hawaiian-influenced pop, Beach Boys rip-offs and tunes that I'd love to see Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon try to lip sync. There's even a touch of garage. And that's the hidden strength of this comp--it's diverse enough to make you wonder what's next.

A few highlights: In the surf category, Yuzo Kayama & the Launchers, Hiroshi Tsutsumi & His All Stars Wagon and Takeshi Teraushi & His Blue Jeans are all tough-sounding instrumental combos featuring smoking Dick Dale-style guitar. One Takeshi Teraushi number, "Let's Go! Shake," blatantly steals the riff from "Surfin' Bird" but still rocks. Elements of the Motown-flavored "A Lonely Summer" will be instantly recognizable to Pizzicato Five fans and the singer, Mieko Hirota, has subsequently recorded with that group. The Spiders' "Summer Girl" is a beautifully harmonic weaving that wears its Brian Wilson influence on its sleeve. And then there's "Pineapple Princess" by Midori Tashiro--certainly one of the most insipid recordings ever to scar vinyl. It's a must hear!

Someone needs to release this compilation with its extensive liner notes translated into English. It's a kick-ass collection that will appeal to retro-pop fans everywhere.