--- product_id: 46839410 title: "The Best of the Rivieras: California Sun" brand: "rivieras" price: "€ 75.97" currency: EUR in_stock: false reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/46839410-the-best-of-the-rivieras-california-sun store_origin: HR region: Croatia --- # The Best of the Rivieras: California Sun **Brand:** rivieras **Price:** € 75.97 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Best of the Rivieras: California Sun by rivieras - **How much does it cost?** € 75.97 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/46839410-the-best-of-the-rivieras-california-sun) ## Best For - rivieras enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted rivieras brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Finally! Here come the Rivieras with one of the most highly anticipated reissues of all time for fans of surf, hot rod, instrumental and garage sounds! Norton collects the very best of this revered midwest teen combo from rare album tracks and singles and even unissued mayhem! Boss package features rare graphics, extensive notes and interviews, featuring scrapbook photos, memorabilia from band members! Included also is their excruciatingly scarce pre-California Sun single Played On, reissued here for the first time ever! But then again, this is the first time authorized reissue collection on the Rivieras, period!! Sure fire killer greases the wheels for one heck of a Party as the Rivieras rip it up one more time in superb Nortophonic loud sound abundance! California Sun / Danny Boy / Little Donna / Let's Have A Party / Rockin' Robin / H.B. Goosestep / Keep A Knockin' / Played On / Whole Lotta Shakin' / Rip It Up / Let's Go To Hawaii / Lakeview Lane / Bug Juice / Comin' Back Home / Church Key Part 2 / California Sun '65 ## Images ![The Best of the Rivieras: California Sun - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51GUl-Uy86L.jpg) ![The Best of the Rivieras: California Sun - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91RH0w2z8OL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Rivieras are a Revelation. *by J***F on Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2016* It was not uncommon in the Sixties for a local band from somewhere to break out with a massive national hit then see every follow-up fail until the band breaks up or the label drops them, leaving them at least the status of a one-hit-wonder. This is pretty much the story of the Rivieras, whose California Sun stormed the charts and managed to make #5 in the country in the midst of the explosion of early Beatlemania, on February 29, 1964. That week #1, 2 & 6 were all Beatles tunes: I Want To Hold Your Hand, She Loves You and Please Please Me. #3 was Dawn by the Four Seasons and #4 was Al Hirt's surprise hit, Java. Other songs in the Top 10 included Lesley Gore's You Don't Own Me and Diane Renay's Navy Blue.The Rivieras often wrogly get categorized as surf music even in print by reputable sources. This is probably due to its California themed lyric which by itself would easily fit into the California surf and hot rod song boom that was still at its peak then. But the Rivieras are a rock'n'roll band who had nothing to do with the California Sound. If you have to categorize them you could call them Frat Rock since their venue was teen dances and later on actual frat parties. Teenagers themselves still in high school, they began in South Bend, Indiana and after hooking up with promoter Bill Dobslaw, covered an area of northern Indiana and southern Michigan that included towns on Lake Michigan as well as summer resorts like Sister Lakes. It was Dobslaw who paid for a recording session at Columbia's studios on Chicago so they would have a demo, that produced California Sun.The Rivieras are a perfect example of a hot Midwestern rock'n'roll band, totally unvarnished. We're lucky they were't taken over by some producer who wanted them to sound his way. This is just them, straight from crowded teenage dance halls, raw and unpolished. They were a very hot band and the tempo was almost always up. The only exception is the slow dance teenage heartache song, Played On, the song they thought should be the A-side of their single instead of California Sun. When it was clear the radio was playing California Sun, they actually pulled it and substituted a new B-side so as not to waste Played On (why?).They really shine on the fastest, loudest numbers with the organ really punchy and the vocals really terse, like Keep a Knockin' or the more rockabilly numbers like Rip It Up. There are lots of covers here which was standard practice for a dance band as teens mostly wanted to dance to songs they knew. Of course even California Sun was a cover of A 1961 Joe Jones single. But it was totally different with its New Orleans band and flopped on the charts, so no one had ever heard it. They rock out on Wanda Jackson's (and Elvis) Let's Have a Party, Jerry Lee Lewis' Whole Lotta Shakin' and Twist and Shout. They also had a thing for rocking out on traditional songs like When the Saints, The Battle Hymn of the Republic and even Danny Boy long before punk bands did it. It's no wonder the Ramones covered California Sun; there's a real garage band-punk sensibility here.The Norton Records CD covers all of their first album, Let's Have a Party plus the demo album they made to book frat parties, Campus Party, which was not released to the public. The sound is good and the booklet is probably the most you'll ever read about the band and it never calls them part of the California Sound. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Essential 60s Rock and Roll *by I***H on Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2015* The Rivieras didn't record much at all during their heyday with only a handful of singles and two complete albums to their name. But they still managed to make an impact on the popular music scene while most of the members were still in high school. This compilation is actually the majority of the band's released material, but still manages to live up to the "best of" label that the album makes it out to be. This is actually the only official compilation released by the band on CD, even more reason to get ahold of this CD.The Rivieras were overshadowed by bands of the British invasion, namely the Beatles, but the music still stands up. Otto Nuss' organ-driven rock gives the Rivieras' a distinct sound that is rarely duplicated. The Rivieras' first album is here in its entirely, with a few alternate takes substituted for the originals. The rest is an assortment of deep cuts picked by the Norton Records staff - The Rivieras didn't have much chart activity in their later career, but these are some killer tracks.These tracks show an accomplished American rock and roll band that sadly couldn't survive the changing times of the 60s. If you're a fan, you'll definitely love Norton's other compilation, 'Let's Stomp with the Rivieras'. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Odd *by D***N on Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2019* My favorite garage band...have 100s of CDs and this is the first where the song order on the cd does not match the order on the cover sheet......had to manually play each song to hear in the order on the cover sheet. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/46839410-the-best-of-the-rivieras-california-sun](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/46839410-the-best-of-the-rivieras-california-sun) --- *Product available on Desertcart Croatia* *Store origin: HR* *Last updated: 2026-08-13*