After running into a number of fun covers of the Ventures’ instrumental “Diamond Head,” I decided to do a week dedicated to the song on Fuck Yeah Surf Rock. Each day I’ll be posting a new version of “Diamond Head,” starting with today’s post of the Ventures performing the original track. Diamond Head, in addition to being the name for a film, two separate bands, a record label, a 70s game show and the name of a completely different song by the Beach Boys, is a volcanic tuff cone on Oahu. It looks like a giant crater in the middle of the city, and is a popular tourist destination in Waikiki. Unsurprisingly, Diamond Head has become a popular point of reference for surf bands and other entertainment set in Hawaii.

I should mention “Diamond Head” itself wasn’t a particularly popular Ventures song, although it did chart in the Top 100. It certainly wasn’t in the realm of “Walk Don’t Run” or their covers of “Perfidia” or the Hawaii Five-O theme, for which the Ventures remain well-known. But it’s a good one and I like it. Other musicians seem to enjoy it enough that there’s a wealth of well-done cover versions out there, so I’m declaring it “Diamond Head” week in celebration of its greatness.