The Crossfires

by Richie Unterberger
Although they were a pretty fair surf group, the Crossfires real claim to fame is that the group somehow evolved into the pop/folk-group stars the Turtles in the mid-60s. Before that transformation, they managed to release two local singles, and a fair amount of unreleased studio and live material surfaced many years later. An average or slightly average surf combo with a high wackiness quotient, their very best tunes (Fiberglass Jungle and Out Of Control) have a genuine driving menace, although the bulk of their repertoire was fairly standard-issue surf-cum-frat rock. Their second single, One Potato Two Potato, showed them edging toward garage rock, and offered the only rough clue to the direction they would take as the Turtles.