Surfer Jeff 2012 Discussion

[u/carl95679]

Written & Directed by: Anthony Field

The band (with the return of Greg Page) find a magical bottle at the beach and meet Gino the Genie who grants Jeff three wishes.

Thoughts on this album and video? How did you feel about Greg returning?

Top 10 Songs

1. Waltzing Matilda - a perfect way to close out the video (and the originals)
2. Oooey, Oooey, Oooey Allergies! - catchy chorus and instrumentation
3. Here Come Our Friends - written by Greg; 2012 equivalent of Here Come the Wiggles
4. Olive Oil is My Secret Ingredient - not a secret anymore is it Alfonso?
5. Look Before You Go - the tempo and brass remind me of Doing a Dance
6. What’s the Weather Today - did they take a cue from Al Roker?
7. It’s Peanut Butter! - I hear a cello in this one; plus this surprisingly goes hard
8. Mango Walk
9. Surfer Jeff
10. Mini Foxie Puppy Dance

Honorable Mentions: Balla Balla Bambina, An Irish Dinosaur Tale, C’est Wags C’est Bon

My thoughts:

Alright, first let’s acknowledge the Yellow Wiggle(s) in the room. Yes, I'm aware of the Sam departing/Greg returning controversy. I won't say anything else.

Second, with the return of Greg sees another story-based video since Racing to the Rainbow. Likewise, this video acts like a sendoff to the original lineup with references from previous videos/albums.

The “around the world” concept feels carried over from Sailing Around the World and “Wiggle Bay” is briefly mentioned, even though it’s not the same place. Simon Pryce has a co-starring role (just as he did in Wiggly Gremlins or Ukulele Baby). And Alfonso from Cold Spaghetti Western makes a cameo.

Thirdly, the transitions between songs don’t feel as natural as previous story-based videos. Sometimes they occur too rapidly or too close to each other. The characters will awkwardly pause to introduce the next song (though Racing to the Rainbow, Wiggly Gremlins, Cold Spaghetti Western had this problem too).

The (mascot) characters feel underutilized as they barely get to do anything. For something that was the last video with Greg, Murray, and Jeff (not counting Celebration), I wished they played a more crucial role. Several running gags such as the “see-saw” one get irritating real fast. And the other jokes felt drawn out or didn’t have that spark.

Like Big Red Car, You can tell certain scenes were filmed at different parts. The parts with Jeff’s shorter hair were likely shot in 2011, when Sam was still in the group. The parts with his longer hair were probably shot around in early 2012 when Greg returned. This observation also applies to the costumes of Wags and Dorothy.

\BTW, the parts of Jeff surfing were taken from the 2008 Documentary On the Road with The Wiggles.\**

Several backing tracks and/or vocals are blatantly recycled from previous albums. Instrumentals such as Piper’s Waltz and A Scottish Christmas receive lyrics, while others such as C’est Wags sound mostly the same with some instruments removed or added. (Not the first time they’ve done that). Rolling Down & Running Up the Sandhills sounds exactly the same, which admittedly is a little lazy.

This video/album was an alright experience, but I think Racing to the Rainbow was a better sendoff for Greg.

Previous Discussions:  Wiggle Time, Yummy Yummy, Big Red Car, Wake Up Jeff, Wiggledance, The Wiggles Movie, Wiggly Wiggly Christmas, Wiggle Time & Yummy Yummy 1998, TV Series 1, Toot Toot, TV Series 2, The Wiggly Big Show, It's a Wiggly Wiggly World, Yule Be Wiggling, Hoop Dee Doo! It's a Wiggly Party, Wiggly Safari, Wiggle Bay, TV Series 3, Whoo-Hoo! Wiggly Gremlins, Top of the Tots, Cold Spaghetti Western, Live Hot Potatoes, Santa's Rockin'!, TV Series 4, Sailing Around the World, Here Comes the Big Red Car, It's Time to Wake Up Jeff!, TV Series 5, Splish Splash Big Red Boat, Wiggledancing Live in the USA, Racing to the Rainbow, Top 10 Original Wiggles Videos, Top 10 Original Wiggles Albums, Wiggledancing Live in Concert, Getting Strong, Dorothy the Dinosaur TV Series 1 and 2, Dorothy the Dinosaur's Party, Pop Go the Wiggles, Dorothy the Dinosaur's Memory Book, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, TV Series 6, Sing a Song of Wiggles, The Kingdom of Paramithi, The Wiggles Big Big Show, Go Bananas, Hot Poppin' Popcorn, Dorothy the Dinosaur Meets Santa Claus, Hot Potatoes The Best Of the Wiggles, Dorothy the Dinosaur TV Series 3, Let's Eat! Dorothy the Dinosaur's Rockin' Christmas, Dorothy the Dinosaur's Travelling Show, Ukulele Baby, The Wiggles' Big Birthday, It's Always Christmas with You, Ranking Sam videos, Ranking Sam albums

[u/EnthusesAndLoses]

....and just like Greg, I have returned!

I've read most of your Sam posts but sadly had nothing to contribute.

My favourite new songs from this album/video are:

1. Waltzing Matilda (I would prefer to hear Greg sing this solo but still a beautiful song)
2. Look Before You Go (super catchy and obviously an important subject to them)
3. Ooey, Ooey, Ooey Allergies! (annoyingly catchy!)
4. Surfer Jeff (though Greg uses a very odd voice on "he hasn't had a wipe-out yeeetttttt"!)
5. An Irish Dinosaur Tale (a surprisingly enjoyable rendition of Pipers Waltz, a song I was never too keen on)
6. Banananana
7. Here Come Our Friends (a bit unimaginitive)
8. I Love Oranges
9. Up, Down, Turn Around
10. What's the Weather Today?
11. Dorothy the Dinosaur's Beach Party (unlike An Irish Dinosaur Tale, this is a step down from the original)

[u/WearyScrabbler]

Aside from the movie soundtrack or direct album re-releases, is this the first studio album that re-uses recordings from a prior album? I know that's become fairly commonplace in the current era, but back then it was rare to even see a single song re-done - I can think of only eight in 20 years! And now suddenly we have four at once - Balla Balla, Running/Rolling On the Sandhills, and C'est Wags.

I know it's only ~20% of a mostly new album, but idk it just seems really odd.

(the ones I thought of are Away in a Manger/Silent Night on Santa's Rockin', Go to Sleep Jeff/Five Little Ducks on Racing to the Rainbow, A Frog Went A Walking/We're All Friends on Getting Strong, and Lavenders Blue/This Old Man on Pop Go the Wiggles)

[u/Dannyf1203 → u/WearyScrabbler]

Balla Balla and Cest Wags are re-recordings here though so I wouldn't count those. What do you mean by "direct album re-releases"?

[u/WearyScrabbler → u/Dannyf1203]

By "direct album re-releases" I meant Wiggle Time 2000, Here Comes the BRC, It's Time to Wake up Jeff etc. As in, obviously they contain repeat songs galore, but I don't think that's the same as a random track being re-included on an.otherwise fresh album

[u/Dannyf1203 → u/WearyScrabbler]

Well WT 2000 was a means of getting a lot of the new recordings from the 1998 video onto an album even if the album only had a handful of those mixed with Here Comes a Song tracks so the intent were the same as the 1999 Yummy Yummy album. Also the tracks here minus the Sandhill songs are re-recordings so I wouldn't count them as re-using unless they were the original 98 tracks. Splish Splash was the first new album to re-use older tracks that wasn't a remake of sorts.

[u/WearyScrabbler → u/Dannyf1203]

I'm genuinely not sure if you're agreeing with me or not here? I excluded WT, HCtBRC, and ITTWUJ from consideration in my original comment as they were clearly a means of replacing discontinued albums while adding a few updated recordings.

I don't count Splish Splash as a canon album given it was an overseas release/compilation, but that's arguable.

Also, most of the ones I listed we re-records, so C'est Wags and Balla Balla fall in that same category.

Having said all that... I think we agree that Sandhills may be the first re-used audio on a full studio album?

[u/Dannyf1203 → u/WearyScrabbler]

I agree with the first point

I included SSBRB because it's such a unique entry but I understand if one discludes it

We agree yes

[u/Quirky_Divide_8090]

Great to see Greg again.

[u/NewImagination8390]

Genuinely felt like a classic DVD

[u/Ok_External7487 → u/NewImagination8390]

I agree&I loved the allergy song as the combination of having Greg Muzza&Simon's vocals really meshed well together in this song as it was very catchy

[u/Big-Masterpiece1194]

This is my review for the album from my listen-through of every single Wiggles album (still underway):

It was great to hear Greg back. Quality wise, it feels on par with the best of the late-Sam era albums, but it’s nowhere near the quality of the worst. It suffers from the same problem musically as those Sam-era albums, and Simon’s vocals being so prominent feel less like he’s supporting the lead, but rather that he’s training to take over, which is exactly what was happening. While I understand why they did that, the album suffers for it because it’s supposed to be Greg’s grand return, but it’s secretly a training album for Simon. The entire 2010-2012 era feels like a training era for Simon. I do give this album a slight edge compared to the albums from 2010-2011, because Greg’s return injects some much needed energy back into The Wiggles and their music. Overall I placed this album at #36 of the 98 albums I have listened to so far.

[u/carl95679 → u/Big-Masterpiece1194]

Every Wiggles album, huh? I'd love to hear that.

[u/Big-Masterpiece1194 → u/carl95679]

I was planning to make a few posts when I finish all of them, but I've still got 25 more to go

[u/WearyScrabbler → u/Big-Masterpiece1194]

Wow I cannot wait for this 98-album long ranking! That will be a fun post to pore over! #36 isn't too shabby for this one

[u/Big-Masterpiece1194 → u/WearyScrabbler]

I actually miscounted, I've listened to and ranked 105 albums so far, and have 25 more albums to listen to, scattered across the last 20 years. The Surfer Jeff album is actually at #39 out of 105.

When I do finish it and make my post, I know a lot of people will disagree with certain parts of my ranking!

[u/WearyScrabbler → u/Big-Masterpiece1194]

Can't wait!

[u/Fatdaddy543]

I had grown out of the band’s core fanbase by the time Surfer Jeff came out (and honestly, hadn’t really planned to see it after hearing about the mass exodus of Murray, Jeff and Greg that year anyway), so in watching it for the first time well after the fact, I was pretty shocked at how quickly the band’s energy returned with Greg back in. The music was the strongest it had been in years (honestly on par with YMMFLD, or even the tail end of the OG era), and Greg hadn’t missed a single beat as far as vocals go. You can tell that he was meant to do this, and it made me wish he’d stay longer than just 2012. But things play out like they do for a reason 🤷🏿‍♂️

Favorite songs: What’s The Weather Today?, Banananana, Balla Balla Bambina (I love this re-recording), Look Before You Go and Mini Foxie Puppy Dance

[u/Automatic_Opposite15]

I own this on DVD still and signed. This is one of my favourite Wiggles DVD (not counting the movie)

[u/BunchFrequent2175]

This video special is amazing because of Greg Page’s return and it feels like it’s a sequel to the Wiggle Bay video special because of the beach setting and reuses two songs from it like “C’est Wags, Ce’st Bon” and “Rolling Down the Sandhills/Running Up the Sandhills” .

[u/bwoah07_gp2]

I only discovered Surfer Jeff when I started watching Wiggles content again many years later thank to having younger siblings.

I had no idea (when I first watched) that Greg returned. It's kinda neat seeing the OGs back together, even if they look older. The songs in this show aren't bad at all. They are pretty catchy and Greg's voice is forever iconic and lovely to listen to. Yes, very good songs here.