Surf's Up

I must admit to have never even heard of this album. The tone of the album artwork seemed like such a departure from the beach boys I’m familiar with. I had to double check and see whether the website was using the right image. I can report this album is fantastic. How it’s been hidden from me for so long remains a mystery.

*deletes student demonstration time* Ahhh a perfect album

Enjoyed a lot. Environmentalist, forward-thinking rock. I love the whole album top to bottom, only thing that I found weird was the song Take a Load Off Your Feet, but other than that everything was top notch. Disney Girls, Student Demonstration Time, and Long Promised Road are my favorite, Will revisit, and other than Take A load off your Feet I loved it top to bottom, even with weird songs like A Day in the life of a tree, 8/8.

This was not surfin USA. Man they were special.

I know this isn’t a five star record. Logically, it can’t be. Student Demonstration Time is laughably bad, Disney Girls is schmaltzy and sounds dated (even by Beach Boys standards) and A Day in the Life of a Tree is legitimately bizarre. But also… This is a 5 star record. It’s dark, psychedelic, and weird. It’s all over the place and isn’t quite as finely polished as other Beach Boys records. Not to say it’s poorly produced, however. It’s a Beach Boys record, after all. It’s a very layered and lush record, it just has more of a DIY, home-y kind of feel to it: a little ramshackle, but in the best possible way. The highs they hit on songs like the absolutely amazing Surf’s Up and Feel Flows, ‘Til I Die, Long Promised Road, Don’t Go Near the Water and Lookin’ at Tomorrow more than make up for the lows on the songs I mentioned earlier. And honestly, Disney Girls and A Day in the Life of a Tree aren’t bad, the production on both is well done and I don’t always skip them. They’re just a little off by comparison to the rest of the record. “Student Demonstration Time” is the only real, true blue stinker - if you ever wondered what it would be like to watch Mike Love dance burlesque while giving an oral history of protests in the late sixties….go listen to Student Demonstration Time. It sucks and I think there’s a pretty good case for it as the worst Beach Boys song ever released. But enough about that doofus Mike Love, Surf’s Up is a classic Beach Boys record and, frankly, it’s my favorite of theirs.

You see "Beach Boys," you see "Surf's Up," and you think you know what you're getting into, only for Brian Wilson to treat the title drop at the tail end of the record like some sort of cruel punchline playing on your expectations. On one hand, it feels like they're punching above their weight class with the heavier subject matter—a lot of the songs have a message, but lack nuance ("I know we're all fed up with useless wars and racial strife / but next time there's a riot, well, you best stay out of sight"). On the other, I kind of appreciate the effort, since it's a bit more interesting than the album I pictured in my head, and the sounds are often pleasant, even borderline beautiful on side two. I can definitely see why the Beach Boys have the reputation they do amongst music critics, but I had to push past cheesy environmentalism and songs about washing your feet to get there. Key Tracks: Disney Girls (1957), Feel Flows, 'Til I Die

What on earth is this album supposed to be

Holy holy, what an absolute gem of an album. Can't believe I've never heard it. The album starts with The Beach Boys telling me NOT to go near the water. What? This was unexpected. To be honest, this song is a little cheeseball and a bit too on the nose. It could've been (maybe was) a TV ad for water conservation. But other than the surprising message, this sounds like a Beach Boys song. Long Promised Road is a beautiful, beautiful pop song. I just love it. Can't believe it wasn't a bigger hit. Take a Load Off Your Feet is catchy and ridiculous. I knew Captain & Tennille's cover of Disney Girls but had no idea it was a cover of a Beach Boys song. This is another really lovely pop song with an achingly exquisite melody sung so beautifully by Bruce Johnston. When he sings "oh" in the chorus, it goes straight to my heart. I love this one. From that we go straight to a heavy blues riff and some sirens for Student Demonstration Time. This has some of the best lyrics including, "The pen is mightier than the sword, but no match for a gun." Fuck. Feel Flows definitely sounds like the Beach Boys singing but doesn't sound like a Beach Boys song. The instrumental section is prog rock with flutes and all. This is another one that I love. I don't know what to say about Lookin' At Tomorrow. I just don't. A Day in the Life of a Tree is from the p.o.v. of said tree accompanied by a sad carnival calliope. Again, Til I Die and Surf's Up sure sound like the Beach Boys singing but they are eerie and haunting and the opposite of the carefree surfing songs I've come to expect from these guys. They're stunning. I am so grateful to have been introduced to this precious piece of work. We've only been together, this album and I, for about 24 hours but already we are in a pretty serious relationship that I think is going to last for quite some time.

The kind of weird and soulful record you need to listen to hear once per annum to remind yourself the hippie dream wasn't always just another way to shill the consumer. Eccentric, blissful, goofy. And political as fuck.

Yeah I mean it’s the fucking beach boys. You get what you pay for.

I’ve been waiting for some Beach Boys music, as I have only been exposed to their greatest hits and was pretty sure I was missing out on something. I had no idea how true that was... “Don’t Go Near The Water” seemed like a strange opening for an album entitled SURF’S UP by The Beach Boys. But I loved the song. It is heartbreaking how applicable it is 50 years later. I instantly loved “Long Promised Road” with its quiet verses and rocking choruses. The bridge was so beautiful. Couple that with the deep and complex lyrics... such an impressive song. “Take a Load Off Your Feet” is really wild! Strange as it starts off talking about wrinkly feet. “Take good care of your feet, Pete”. Bizarre sound effects abound in this song, including car horns, clanking plates. I loved it! I also loved this version of “Disney Girls (1957)”. Really like the three-syllable treatment of ‘Disney’. I have always loved this song but did a disservice to myself by not seeking out this original. There is so much more dimension in this performance than the covers I've heard. “Student Demonstration Time” has a unique feel but is very well done and catchy - a bit surprising since it is documenting student riots and police shootings. The synthesizer siren is pretty cool - quite a song. "Feel Flows" is so unique and beautiful. "Unfolding enveloping missiles of soul recall senses sadly". The complicated lyrics along with the sort of weird backward overdubbing makes for a really psychedelic while still unmistakably The Beach Boys. I love this song. "Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)" is so applicable today it disturbs me to think of how little progress our world has made despite the technical revolutions of the last 5 decades. Really incredible. "A Day in The Life of a Tree" contrasts dramatically to something like "Feel Flows." This elegiac song starts off an you might not suspect it was The Beach Boys. But as the organ swells those unmistakable harmonies join in and the song begins to soar. Another really incredible song. "'Til I Die" is really a beautiful and haunting song that is such a prime example of the happy/sad currents underlying the Beach Boys music. "Surf's Up" is an epic ending to the album that left me stunned. Haunting. The song craft on SURF'S UP is beyond belief. The songs' deep environmental, personal and sociological themes are still sharp and even more pertinent today. I've already listened to this 5 times and every time I get more out of each song. This is one incredible album that has completely changed how I think about The Beach Boys.

Nice, I really liked it. It sound so dark and sweet at the same time

Obviously bangers

A weirdly, subtly sinister Beach Boys record. The songs are, I hesitate to use the word but, solid, just weird in certain spots ("Student Demonstration Day" sticks out the most, super cheery but very, very dark). Not a record I plan on really revisiting. Favorite track: "Disney Girls"

Surf's Up is imperfect perfection. Not every track here is technically perfect, but the non-perfect tracks are sandwiched in between so much amazing material that you don't notice their imperfections. Here we see the whole band offering creative input, and it just works so well, highlighting the importance of each member to the group. Still, Brian leaves the biggest mark here by reminding us what makes the Beach Boys special; vocal arrangements on top of unique chord structures that take you to a new world and have you scratching your head at just how someone can think of that.

Brian Wilson at his best. Every song is a treat!

Love it

Surf’s Up I used to listen to quite a few albums from the Wild Honey to Holland period, when I was in Japan for the 2nd stint a friend of mine was very into them, particularly this period, and I kind of got into it via osmosis. I bought most of the albums on CD, when they used to put two albums on one disc, but I haven’t revisited them that much recently. This period is definitely interesting, if a bit inconsistent, but there are some real gems and this is definitely one of the best, even if it’s just for the fantastic Feel Flows, the superb title track and a nice sense of amiably directionless eccentricity. There are undoubtedly a few missteps. Musically I really like Don’t Go Near the Water, but you can tell Mike Love wrote it, as the lyrics are characteristically bad. And Student Demonstration Time has a very unhip Osmonds rocker feel to it, and again you can tell it’s a Mike Love composition from the fact it isn't very good. Take A Load Off Your Feet I like for its oddness, but it does feel a little inconsequential. I can also see how some might find Disney Girls schmaltzy and saccharine, but rather than cloying I find it has sweet and affecting sentimentality. But outside those there are some superb songs, Long Promised Road, the utterly fantastic Feel Flows, one of their greatest songs, and the superb closing trio of A Day in the Life of a Tree, ‘Till I Die and Surf’s Up. Fantastic melodies, atmospheres and themes across those tracks, I love the idea of a song from a tree’s perspective, and the moving melancholy of Surf’s Up is superb. But Feel Flows really is a fantastic song, the phased Moog and veiled lyrics combing brilliantly. As much of a visionary as Brian Wilson is, I don’t always find I enjoy many of the songs from his dominance of their post-surf era. While I admire Pet Sounds, I’m not sure I truly love it, and I find in this period, where Carl and Dennis come to the fore a little more, it’s a bit more relaxed and less controlled, and little oddities, naiveties and eccentricities are allowed to come to the surface, and we get some variation from Brian’s melodic style. As on this album it doesn’t always bear totally convincing fruit, but there is a loose, warm charm to it that I really like. It’s right on the cusp of 4 and 5, some great songs, some flaws, so I think it just falls shy of a 5, a high 4 it is. 🌊🌊🌊🌊 Playlist submission: Feel Flows

I liked this album more than their early silly shallow stuff. The songs here are somber, full of warnings and questions and wistfulness. I hadn’t heard a single one of them before, so I gained a greater appreciation for the Beach Boys’ breadth of talent.

The admonition not to go near the water is sadly even more powerful a damnation today than it was in 1971. Look how much we’ve learned and how little anyone gives a shit! That dude on the album cover is us. Surf’s up, and it’s plastic wrappers and bottles from a sea of garbage.

A famously patchy album. Some absolute dross here, along with some of the Beach Boys best, most astounding songs. Feel Flows, Surf's Up, Til I Die, all incredible. Til I Die especially incredible, find the longer version, everyone deserves to hear it, even Mike Love. Then there's Student Demonstration Time.

Very much not what I was expecting from the Beach Boys, as somebody who knows almost nothing about them. Excellent, though.

Very nice stuff from the boys, consistent theming and excellent sound, but whoever thought that "Take a Load Off Your Feet" should make the final cut needs to be fired lol

4.5 | Sobre los Beach Boys se podría decir mucho, basta decir que son mucho más de lo que la gente piensa como música surf de fiesta playera y 5 monitos con camisas iguales cantando con sonrisota. Este disco al parecer es el último de ese periodo de muchísima creatividad y propuesta, tras la apatía de Brian Wilson la banda seguiría intentando lograr recuperar terreno pero es un hecho que la mente creativa y gran parte del talento siempre fue él. Así queda un disco medio raro pero bueno, muy bueno he de decir pero con puntos muy extraños. Puedo empezar por los puntos bajos, la canción Student Demonstration Time es, a mi parecer el punto más bajo del disco, un rocanrol realmente básico tal cual copiado y pegado de lo que ya para ese entonces era un estándar del género, sin cambiarle nada, metiendo unos ruidos mal hechos y una sirena que parece de patrulla de juguete, distorsión mal nivelada y una letra tremendamente patética que parece parodia de sí misma diciendo "muchachos estudiantes mejor no se rebelen no hagan demostraciones," pareciera que como en este disco todos tuvieron chance de hacer una canción el primo sin talento pues también debe de tener chance y aquí esta su contribución (no es exageración Mike Love es primo de sangre y la verdad es que su contribución normal era básicamente tocar el pandero y estar de bulto), quizá su mensaje era tratar de hablar sobre lo peligroso de la época para un estudiante, no se si se creía Neil Young pero falló catastróficamente en el intento, la letra es burda y nomas mal escribir letras sobre una canción de hace 15 años para mí no cuenta. Vamos al segundo tope, Al Jardin quien cree que tiene todo el sentido hacer una canción sobre los pies, musicalmente no es terrible, solo siento que para el disco termina sintiéndose como música infantil; si bien musicalmente no ofende, hasta podría decir a mí me suena como a algo de Dr. Demento que me gusta mucho, pero aquí cae como balde de agua sin sentido con su sonido tipo naif y su exageración en efectos graciosos que estorban, líricamente es... sobre pies, hizo una canción sobre los pies porque la canción Hair estaba de moda... Hair... que habla sobre todo un movimiento social y lo que fue volcar estructuras sociales a través de el estilo propio y romper estereotipos de género y actitud que tenían cientos de años... y Al Jardin lo que toma de eso es "Bueno... si hicieron sobre el cabello yo hago sobre... ¡los pies!." El resto del disco en general muchísimo mejor, se siente como si fuera sobre una nostalgia de algo que se te está escapando de entre los dedos, desde la ironía de variedad de lecturas que le puede dar uno al título, la manera en que la primera canción puede sonar medio chistosa y sin sentido pero cuando se reflexiona la letra de ella y la última canción se vuelve mucho más sombría. La dulzura y clásico de Disney Girls. La psicodelia y letra sin sentido de Feel Flows pero con una producción y orquestación espectacular termina como quizá de las mejores canciones de pop progresivo que he escuchado. El cierre del disco, es lo que lo eleva a clásico, esas tres canciones de Brian Wilson son espectaculares (incluso si una es sobre un arbolito), el órgano de iglesia, el melotrón y la caja de mono cilindrero, el fraseo simple y los coros punteados... nadie hacía música así, es de esas composiciones que equiparan y en varios sentidos superan cualquiera de los experimentos sonoros de los Beatles. Till I Die como si trajera de vuelta la base del sonido surf de inicios del grupo y la deshiciera por completo, reacomodara en algo totalmente depresivo añorante con una de sus mejores letras mostrando como el surf rock puede dar todas esas emociones y sensaciones extrañas que te puede dar el solo escuchar las olas y como si dijera "aquí ya acabó la fiesta solo está el mar pegando en las rocas." Surfs Up cerrando de nuevo con arreglos y música únicos en una canción que de cierto modo tardó cinco años en terminar. Nada más que decir, excelente disco con una canción mala y otra demasiado extraña, a ratos se nota demasiado la variedad de escritores y lo fragmentado de la banda, pero es bastante disfrutable y termina en un cierre grande. Parece que este fue el último "gran" disco de los Beach Boys y si así fuera, se fueron con un excelente destello antes de su decadencia.

This is where the Beach Boys became Beach Men

Found it mostly alright. Was expecting something more "up" when I saw it was the beach boys. YTMusic's tidbit about it being album number 17 should maybe have given away a little more about why that wasn't gonna be the case.

In 2012 I was in New York City,band had the opportunity to see the Beach Boys, including Brian Wilson, performing in Central Park for GMA (https://youtu.be/ASfjoEadmow). They only performed about four songs (including soundcheck) and it was at 8am, but it was a chance to see Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys for free, so I dragged the family off to see the show. Between songs, Brian was super cranky, and admonished the (bored) crowd for bouncing around the beach balls that the production had provided. Most of the musical heavy lifting was done by Brian's band, but the were tight and upbeat and could still punch out a compelling rendition of their past glories. I love Brian's earlier more pop.oriented song writing and particularly his amazing vocal harmony arrangements. Here's a piece I wrote about twenty years ago for McSweeney's extolling the virtues of Don't Worry Baby (https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/dont-worry-baby-by-the-beach-boys). Little Ed is now a 6'4" man, which goes to show how.long ago I wrote that piece. This is by way of saying that I love the beach boys, but as a singles band. I never really bought into the "Brian is a Genius" cult, especially the "Pet Sounds is a work of unassailable perfection" dogma. I'll wear my heresy proudly: "Vegetables" is a shit song. I know that Surf's Up is like a shibboleth for a certain sect of alternative white boy rock snob. So I really tried to hear what they are talking about on this record. But what I hear is the last grasp of a band that had really burnt out three years earlier. New management had stepped in and made some tough decisions. Brian is largely sidelined (although I'll come back to that), with Carl placed in charge (good move). Dennis held back most of his songs for his solo record (probably not great), which left only a few songs from Brian leftover from the aborted Smile sessions, and some material of variable quality from the rest of the band. The band are on record as trying to arrange the songs to sound like the Beach Boys (even though they _were_ the Beach Boys). A few songs are alright (Feel Flows, Long Promised Road), but some are embarrassingly bad (Take a Load Off You Feet, A Day in the Life of a Tree, Student Demonstration Time). Like, really bad. New management had also tried to make the band more relevant by ditching their matching outfits (good move), playing some high profile shows in credible venues (good move) and embracing more socially relevant subject matter (not so great). The results of the new concerns with environmentalism, political upheaval and social unrest vary between clumsy (Don't Go Near the Water) and painfully reactionary (Student Demonstration Time, Disney Girls, Looking Towards Tomorrow). An attempt to speak to the kids showed how out of touch they really were. I suspect that one of the reasons that white boy rock snobs like this record is that they find the politics appealing. Many of these choices helped extend the band's longevity, although taking over the lead vocals (A Day in the Life of a Tree) is pure hubris. Would it actually have been better if the Beach Boys had faded away in 1970 instead of staggering through the 70s and 80s to diminishing returns? I'll leave that as an exercise for the reader. But there are those three Brian Wilson tracks a the end of the record. I'll say straight out that A Day in the Life of a Tree is rubbish. Til I Die and Surf's Up are beautiful songs, with Brian's gorgeous and sophisticated harmonies, which I love. But the lyrics are nonsensical. I can hear the influence of this album all over alternative music on the 90s and 2000s, such a Spiritualized, Polyphonic Spree, Flaming Lips, Tame Impala, MGMT and a host of others. I can see how much people have built on this template. But, for my money, there are only four good songs on this record, and none of them are as good enough to hold their own with the Beach Boys best singles. And the rubbish songs are really shite. This is a 2.5 star album for me, rounded down for being over-hyped. A final word on the cover. Another choice by the new management, and it is genius. The juxtaposition of the image and the title is so evocative. The image is called The End of the Trail, and that really was prophetic. This album was the last gasp of a dying band. The corpse kept twitching for decades (see the 2012 video linked above), but this really was the death throws of their creativity.

You gotta feel sorry for these guys. They had that snappy, surfy early sixties sound that defined them and brought California to the world. Then the music scene changed and they tried to be more experimental and serious, but I think their original fans wanted to hear Surfin' US and other fans in the 70s, like me, refused to listen to this because it's the Beach Boys and are asking "what's the point?"

Never cared much for them but good god I'd rather listen to an asmr of a colonoscopy than whatever the hell this was

I hate the Beach Boys.

I love this album. It was fun and weird and a little goofy in some parts; I’ll absolutely be revisiting it. Lots of strange tracks, especially on the back half, but I enjoyed all of them. I agree with others who have said a lot of the lyrics weren’t especially nuanced, but it didn’t take away substantially from the album for me. I thought hearing the Beach Boys style of arrangement in this new and interesting context was enough to keep me hooked from start to finish.

such a good, strong album. it’s really special for a band to be able to make a pivot like this and have it work so well

This is the first full Beach Boys album I had ever listened to start to finish and, wow, not at all what I expected. The highs on this album are some of the absolute best and most inspired music I've heard on this list so far. First off, this is way more melancholy, somber, and fearful than what I expected from the Surfin' USA crew. Very environmentalist, and while a bit on the nose, it makes me revisit what they meant by the album name, where Surf's Up is maybe talking about a climate crisis. And while Don't Go Near the Water isn't the best (or even close) to what this album offers, it opens the foor to what will be a pychadelic trip for the next 30 minutes. What I really want to focus on is the three song trifecta at the end between A Day In the Life of a Tree, 'Til I Did, and Surf's Up. Such an incredible grouping of songs. I'm back Nd forth on which one is my favorite, but the last minute of Surf's Up is truly special.

goddamn I need to listen to more Beach Boys. Great harmonies as expected, and man, some really great song writing here too. They've always been aroune peripherally in my life but I've never sat down and listened to a full album before. Also this seems a bit more serious toned than I expected. Front to back fantastic. Mike Love might be a dumb dickhead but guy can sing.

when i initially put this on, my first thought was "well, it's no pet sounds." after 4-5 listens i'm inexplicably transfixed. all these songs* sound so unique and poetic. they* perfectly establish a mood and convey their messages of environmentalism, nostalgia, and working-class struggles. just a beautiful half hour of off-the-beaten-path but great and passionate songwriting. *not you, student demonstration time favorites: everything but student demonstration time lol

YES I LOVE THIS. I love the range of the beach boys

The Beach Boys are so classic and their music is timeless. I feel like you have to dive a little deeper into their music rather than listen to their mainstream beachy top hits to get to the more psychedelic melodies and trippy songs (not that either side of them isn’t a total vibe.) The song about being a tree almost made me cry and I found some songs that easily were added to my oldies playlist. I’m glad I listened to this one.

Pretty good. Not what I expected. Needs further listens.

If I am consistent, I need to give the most sincere, most weird albums full marks.

Great album

The second half of this album really broke its back carrying the record.

Such a ride! Super fun and experimental. The Beach Boys are just geniuses.

Are the beach boys lefties heroes? Haunting ans beautiful

GREAT.

Changed my opinion of The Beach Boys

Wasn't sure how to take this album at first, but after a second listen I kind of love this. I didn't dislike it on first listen, but I wasn't sure if I loved it. But I do. And it's brilliant. So many great songs. I think my favorites are "Long Promised Road," "Disney Girls (1957)," "A Day In The Life Of A Tree," and "Surf's Up" but I really like all the songs on the album. It's different from typical Beach Boys, but in a good way. I like the more melancholy songs with their signature harmonies, and it's nice to hear everyone in the group singing lead on different songs. I think this is considered Prog Pop? Haven't heard a lot of that genre, but after listening to this I definitely want to hear more.

Damn the nixon years really made them finally have to up their game

Classic Rock. Go surfing music. Ride the wave...

fuckin fuck yeah

Quality album. A little on the nose in its messaging, but great musicianship throughout.

I enjoyed the second half more than the first, but this has one of my absolute favorite songs.

Es gibt drei Lieblingsplatten von den Beachboys: Sunflowers, Pet Sounds und... Surf's Up Auf diesem Album stimmt alles: Gesang, unterschiedliche Songs und anspruchsvolle Arrangements. Hier zeigen die Jungs noch einmal ihr Können, nachher -bis auf Holland- wird es dann etwas Mau.

The story of the Beach Boys post-*Pet Sounds* is admittedly messy, but to me, the music they played during the first half of the seventies is as worthy of attention and even as exhilarating as their "classic" sixties period. Ending this classic period, there's been the *Smile* debacle that saw Brian Wilson lose its grip on reality and suffer a mental breakdown--and yet now that that *Smile* has been "reconstructed" (it was a decade ago, approximately), fans of experimental rock are aware of the 'trip' that this unreleased LP was. Some of its best moments had already been used on the actual *Pet Sounds* follow-up *Smiley Smile*, of course (unfortunately mixed with a few duds...). Yet listening to the whole original project sure tells you what the Beach Boys: audience had missed back then: the fact that the *real* album never came out after all the expectations its announcement had raised was a cruel blow to the Californian band's career. Not that you necessarily need that context in mind to appreciate *Surf's Up* for what it is... Yet it sure explains its peculiar tone a few years down the line, with its somewhat grittier or disillusioned mood, in keeping with the artwork and the irony of the album's title (as well as the one of its opener "Don't Go Near The Water"). After a trio of underwhelming albums following the release of *Smiley Smile" (*Wild Honey*, "Friends* and *20/20*, quite boring to my ears), it seems that the Beach Boys had indeed lost all sense of direction, just as their main songwriter took a back seat creatively speaking for the sake of his fragile mental health. Worse, their trademark sound was definitely out of fashion by the end of the sixties--hence their first flawed attempts to include soul, novelty cuts and more contemporary strands of rock into their music... Yet what occured right after those first misguided attempts was essentially an artistic miracle: mostly everyone in the band wrote compositions to make up for Brian's far lesser involvement, and the band also tried to keep up with the evolution of American rock to boot. And looking back, their efforts paid off, because the string of four albums that followed (*Sunflower*, *Surf's Up", *Carl And The Passions: So Tough* and *Holland*) is filled with so many gems, going from surf-rock to weird psychedelia to The Band-adjacent wonders, that it's easy to lose count of them all. Too bad that those records never really had the commercial and critical success that they deserved at the time--none of those LPs are perfect, yet their many assets outweigh their shortcomings by far. And a lot of the songs on them aged like fine wine, which is why those albums have been so kindly reevaluated today. Here is a lesson about how one should always be suspicious of the critical fads of the day when said fads risk preventing you from enjoying great music. The Beach Boys were not the only victims of that phenomenon. Other artists wrote masterpieces or near-masterpieces that were unfairly ignored during the seventies (Gene Clark comes to mind here). It's nice when history proves those artists right decades later--even if it's also bittersweet their ambitions were not recognized at the time... Second in this string of four great early-seventies Beach Boys albums in a row, *Surf's Up* thus has five key tracks that definitely justify its inclusion in this list: Mike Love and Al Jardine's wry opener "Don't Go Near The Water", that we mentioned earlier ; the extraordinary Carl Wilson-penned "Long Promised Road" and its catchy riff at the end, slick and yet also abrasive, to the point where it sounds like an amplified krautrock synth (is it?) ; the psychedelic and tropical flute-laden extravaganza "Feel Flows", also written by Carl ; and finally the last three tracks of the record that see Brian return to the fold as a composer/songwriter, two of which are part of his most stellar work--first there's the part-esoteric, part-melancholic cyclical chord sequence of "Til' I Die" recounting an existential crisis experienced by Wilson as he contemplated both the ocean and his own mortality ; and finally there's the title-track, which was actually written and recorded for *Smile*, and is one of the latter's finest moments as it ends on the Wordsworth-inspired mantra "The child is father to the man". A very mystical conclusion, here enhanced by the fact that the song was resurrected from those legendary *Smile* sessions... The rest of the album is maybe a small notch under those gems, yet those other tunes are still very nice. And I really can't see why so many folks seem to have a problem with the fun and tongue-in-cheek "Student Demonstration Time". Sure, by 1971 it was a little too late to get interested in those topics of political rebellion and revolution... but the Beach Boys don't take themselves seriously here anyway (even if they look like they do for other lyrics). Besides, that chorus snarling the words "there's a riot going on" is... well, it's *riotous* to listen to. Why should people be such party-poopers, huh? 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list, rounded up to 5 9.5/10 grade for more general purposes (5+4.5). Number of albums left to review: 125 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 379 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 224 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 283

A darker output from the Beach Boys (Cover art says it all really, “End of the Trail”?). See through the preaching of Ecological responsibilities and Civil rights to glimpse the tortured artists within…

My Favorite Beach Boys album. It's not the flawless work that makes Pet Sounds a perennial top 5 album. In fact one can definitely call it a flawed work. Two songs can even be called bad. Mike Love trying to write a protest song is embarrassing. So I'm already in violation of the Fantano "no-skips" rule in awarding this a perfect score. But this album functions on so many levels. It's a better look at what each member could contribute to the band, instead of functioning as Brian Wilson's backup band. It also presents a Beach Boys unit that is well aware of its mortality as this album was recorded during a period of disatisfaction and doubt as to the future and direction of the band. Times were changing and they were not on the forefront of that change. And it's this dissatisfaction that makes me prefer "Surf's Up" and keep coming back to it whenever I have a long drive ahead of me. I love this album for all of its flaws and all of it's confusion.

Wow, what an album. I hadn't heard this one before. No wonder The Beach Boys were considered one of the best!

The Beach Boys' output post-PET SOUNDS from the late 60's to the early 70's, from SMILEY SMILE to HOLLAND, is a very interesting stretch of albums. In the grand scope of a band like them these records are pretty obscure stuff, put next to PET SOUNDS, SMiLE and their surf material. However, at the same time, they also happen to be a lot of the best work this band ever did. For example, SMILEY SMILE could never match up to what SMiLE could be, but as an early lo-fi and bedroom pop record, it's fantastic. SUNFLOWER has songs like "Add Some Music To Your Day", "This Whole World" and the masterpiece "Forever". And FRIENDS? FRIENDS is generally one of my top three Beach Boys albums; I used to wake up to it nearly every morning, back when I actually woke up in the morning. Then there's SURF'S UP. One blemish aside, it's the best thing the group had made some PET SOUNDS. Or maybe it's even better, if you wanna go that far. Front to back, from "Don't Go Near The Water" and "Disney Girls (1957)" to the triple threat of "A Day In The Life Of A Tree", "'Til I Die" and the title track, it's near untouchable progressive pop. Especially those last three songs. I didn't wanna focus all my attention on them, but seriously, the organ on "A Day In The Life Of A Tree" alone—!! You'd never expect music this beautiful coming from an album with a record cover like, y'know, **this one**, but that's part of why it's so amazing, honestly. It's not as dark as the cover lets on, but it still somehow manages to capture a lot of the feel, I think. At any rate, no matter how much I like Cooper Black font, it's a better album cover than PET SOUNDS had, that's for sure. Now, let's address the blemish: "Student Demonstration Time". It's the only one Mike Love wrote without any other Beach Boy, and fittingly, it's the worst track on the album. It's just so out of place with everything else. Seriously, what's this rewrite of "Riot In Cell Block #9" doing in the same space as "Surf's Up"? I can appreciate the band being more socially conscious with this song and "Don't Go Near The Water", and I get having some variety, but it just doesn't land too well. All the same, though... That's also why I kind of love it? Either way I don't think it's bad enough that its inclusion drags this album down a star, but I'm just so amused by how much of a sore thumb it is. And it's dumb "BAH-DAH-DAH-DAH-DAH" blues rock. I find it hard to hate that too much. Besides, it's not even the worst Mike Love song based on another song—and I know Brian co-wrote it, but in my mind "Be True To Your School" is all Love. Just the perfect example of him as an uncool prep. But anyway, it couldn't have made me happier that this is the first Beach Boys album we got. I actually spent a lot of time today listening to material on the box set FEELS FLOWS from this album's sessions; that's how excited I was. I don't think even PET SOUNDS, where I still maintain the cliché of holding it as their best, would've inspired me to dig in like that. Naturally, then, I can't give this album any less than a 5. I'd give it a 6 if I could, and I haven't felt that way about an album since we got ABBEY ROAD. It's just a gorgeous collection of tunes. I really wish they could've kept this streak up past HOLLAND, too. I mean, I give it up for THE BEACH BOYS LOVE YOU, but I know that it's not for everyone. And just knowing that this band eventually ends up recording "Summer Of Love" and letting John Stamos sing "Forever"... Yecch. Thanks a lot, Love.

Yeah, I’m at a 5. I’ve never really heard a Beach Boys album in full like that – the big 60s singles that are all literally beach-y and happy and surf-y are the extent of my Beach Boys knowledge. I know sort of about the Smile Sessions or whatever, and the sort of desperate turn to try and match a wave they knew was coming, but I’ve never actually heard anything from around that era until now. This was really fucking good, man; such a diverse variety of soundscapes and styles here – I don’t think there was a single bad track on this album. Yes, I know that “Student Demonstration Time” has some odd lyrics about the protestors and they’re especially weird because it’s Mike Love singing it, but I almost kinda don’t care? This is my first sort of Beach Boys experience, so I don’t know if they ever dipped into that kind of heavy guitar before or after this, but I thought it was so out there for my perception of The Beach Boys that I kinda just enjoyed it regardless. Take a Load Off Your Feet was kinda weird, and felt the least fitting from the entire album, but I still liked it. Seriously, I don’t have any complaints; good production, good vocals, pretty strong subject matters, nice imagery in the lyrics, and overall, just a damn good album. Pretty strong 5 from me.

I was only familiar with the earlier bubblegum pop. This was a very enjoyable piece of progressive rock music

The Beach Boys’s late 60s - early 70s output is so underrated

As good as Pet Sounds, possibly better.

Their second last good album.

Psychedelic progressive pop. Man what a mixed album. Most of the tracks were truly phenomenal, and then the other several tracks were just really missing something. Didn't really like Disney Girls all too much, Student Demonstration Time felt kinda weird, like it wasn't saying anything special that necessitated having it as a track. Lookin' At Tomorrow was way too short and dull, and Take A Load Off Your Feet was kinda just stupid. But man, the rest of the songs are just too good to really care about the duds. 'Til I Die and Surf's Up were incredible, hauntingly beautiful. Feel Flows and Long Promised Road were really great psych pop songs, absolutely adore the instrumentals even if they are a little out of place, I think that's the point. Overall fantastic album, definitely worth listening even if some of the songs just didn't do anything for me. Would love to visit The Beach Boys full discog one day, if this album is any indication of the quality. 4.5/5

BL: never really delved outside of the classics and pet sounds in terms of beach boys, and I’m sure they have a wealth of classics to offer, so I’m interested to take a step off the path and listen to something else by them AL: my jaw is on the floor. This record is absolutely nuts. A political album from one of the most universally acclaimed albums of the time which was propped up on the image of the western centric swinging sixties. Actively discussing issues of student riots, racism, and most shockingly environmental issues, in a time where this was an emerging theme but a lot of people didn’t want to touch the science in fear of their images changing in the public eye, this one is a real shocker and a bloody good listen too. One of the best finds on this generator so far. FT: “long promised road”, “Disney girls”, “a day in the life of a tree” 5/5

heater album really neat album cover not a single bad track 4.5/5

It is one of the more mature albums by this great band that did so much for pop and rock music. What's there more to say?

Great old music.

A flawed masterpiece — I somehow can't give less than five stars. This is some of Brian Wilson's weirdest, wonderful-est music, and a great document detailing the fractured structure of the Beach Boys at a pivotal moment in their storied career. One of my favorite Beach Boys records.

The best beach Boys album

Wow Brian Wilson really went eco protestor mode on this one

A very thoughtful album that is lost to time if not for this recommendation.

They go beyond surf rock and push the boundaries by immersing us in their music with blues, balads and pop

very good album

Album #489 (1001 challenge): "Surf's Up" by the Beach Boys (1971) "Surf's Up" is the 17th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys. The album addresses environmental, social and health concerns at the behest of newly recruited co-manager Jack Rieley in an attempt to revitalize the Beach Boys' image and popularity after recent dismal album sales and tours. He also helped co-write a number of songs. The album also saw less involvement from Brian Wilson with brother Carl Wilson taking more of a lead. The album did fairly well reaching #29 in the US and #15 in the UK. It also received largely favorable reviews. The album opens with "Don't Go Near the Water," an environmental commentary on pollution. Piano and bouncey, wobbly guitars. Al Jardine and Mike Love on lead vocals. The song ends with group harmonies. Carl Wilson takes the lead vocals on "Long Promised Road." Impassioned singing. Soulful sounds with the piano and backing vocals. Tales of life and love as we go through different stages. "Disney Girls (1957)" continues the serious tone with Bruce Johnston on lead vocals as he reminisces about simpler, more innocent times. Slower with a piano and a moog. Nice Beach Boys' typical harmonies. We get theose Beach Boys' harmonies again on "Feel Flows." Carl Wilson sings lead as he reflects on the sensitive side of life. There's a pyschedelic edge (heck maybe even prog) to this song with a guitar jam, laser sounds and a flute. One of the best songs on the album. The last three songs were written by Brian Wilson, the last two being the best. "Til I Die" has multiple lead singers. Great harmonies, soft drums and soft drumming. Death and hopelessness. "Surf's Up" was meant to be on "Smile." Horns, piano with Brian and Carl on lead vocals. Lyrics are the focal point with a man, and maybe the band, experiencing a spiritual awakening. The song ends with harmonies and criss-cross vocals. One of Brian's best songs. This is a really good album maybe the Beach Boys' last one. There's involvement from multiple members. Some of the songs are reminiscent of the older Beach Boys and others show an older, more mature band. A darker edge in the music and lyrics. An album worth going back for a listen.

Surf's Up by The Beach Boys. This was a real surprise, was expecting surfing USA got a lyrically hard hitting rock album. Student Demonstration Time has been added to my general rotation of songs as I think its brilliant, over all the entire album had me engaged and was such a surprise

A classic from my first year in High School.

I LOVED this album! It’s weird but the message illustrates through the album is still relevant today. Very forward-thinking message. A total deviation from what I expected a Beach Boys album called ‘Surf’s Up’ would be

By 1971, the Beach Boys were so far matured beyond their earlier sun in the fun aesthetic that their tragically-titled Surf’s Up LP could open up with a track called ‘Don’t Go Near the Water’. Such a song starts off with scary paranoid piano and some bubbly bursts of wah-wah guitar. Lines like “don’t you think it’s sad … our water’s going bad” imply problems of pollution; such socio-conscious stuff shows that the Beach Boys had suddenly become Beach Men concerned for their world. Nevertheless, the whole tune is couched in a classic Beach Boys vocal arrangement, a simple and stately melody clothed in the well-sewn easy-breathing garments of harmony. After a few very fun verses (complete with squirly synth bass and underwater banjo), the song turns into a heavenly jam session: harmonica wistfully whistling and church-boy choir crooning over mandolin-style madness enrapturing. Slow soulful song ‘Long Promised Road’ comes cruising at a peaceful pace, delicate electro-piano playing over cymbal shimmers and soft-n-wet whip-n-snap percussion. Hippy trippy self-reflection leads to utter triumph in rousing chorus. The beat doubles down and a ghastly choir comes from nothing to sing along: “throw off all the shackles that are binding me down!” Victory. When comes the time to cross the bridge, everything softens in tender trepidation: vocals sing a little unsurely and an unfathomable church-organ unleashes flowing rhapsodic flourishes. O, but another uncertain verse, another convinced chorus. A solo for brassy synth and badass guitar offers a break for breath. Still, the sense of success and ascendancy over oneself returns in catchy catchy catchy chorus. ‘Take a Load Off Your Feet’ is a tune about two feet. Bumble-bee synth accompanies acoustic sharp guitar and childlike voice. Clatter in the background. Glitchy ghost-vox cut in and out (almost accidentally it seems). Earnest electrified voices chime in come chorus to tell you to “take good care of your feet, Pete.” Kettle-pot percussion. Pizzicato pluck-o-strings. Mellow bridge ends with a loud exclamation of “ouch!” All in all, this song strolls by in light and merry mood. Then ‘Disney Girls (1957)’ moves right along with mandolins and gospely progress of piano. A tuneful and gracious peace envelops the piece. With the warm way it’s played and the sugary choice of words, the track is nothing but nostalgia, the singer’s dream for “fantasy worlds and Disney girls”. It’s easy to understand and to get lost in its ear-pleasing loveliness. Perhaps it’s equally easy to consider it all a little too cloying! No matter, the music encounters a change of key via a challenging chain of sudden jazzy dissonant spacious vocal chamber theatrics that’s quite exciting. There’s also whistling! Chuck Berry must have snuck into the studio for ‘Student Demonstration Time’. From the crunchy chug-a-lug intro to the form of chords and standard structure of the song, it sounds exactly like any old blues-based tune. There’s the essential stomping pace and the trademark tickle of tack-piano. What’s new to the tried-n-true are some sirens screaming out from police vehicles and a megaphone used as microphone. Gritty be the distorted delivery of lines about civil unrest and really-bad riots. Overall, it’s an odd anthem that doesn’t fit in with the others on the album. ‘Feel Flows’ swims in psychedelia. With its splish-splash beat and phantom whispers, the song’s a little ominous despite the cheery melody. The unusual sound well serves the general uncertainty of human feelings. In short, the production suits the variable teeter-totter of emotions implied by the title line “feel flows”. Mystical words like “unbending never ending tablets of time / record all the yearning” preach spiritual self-help or some such nugget of New Age language. A cultish council of volunteer vocalists contributes background lines: “white hot glistening shadowy flows / black hot glistening shadowy flows”. Are you enlightened yet? Meditate awhile as an untamed oscillating flute freaks out and a grimy guitar cuts through the chug. Acoustic guitars come back for ‘Lookin’ At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)’, a disturbed ditty about a poor worker living day-to-day. The chords continue descending despairingly. Singer be-bops as if it’s the only thing he can do anymore besides slave away “sweeping up some floors”. He knows he “…could be doing so much more”; but considering the way his words warp and cut in-n-out of phase, he doesn’t seem so sure to me. Heartbreaking ballad ‘A Day in the Life of a Tree’ describes exactly that. An elegy for the environment, this tune takes the perspective of an old dying oak-tree. Scored for solemn church-organ, the slow song features a cycle of giant chords revolving around a single musical root (furthering the tree theme). Birds chirp as the tree pines on the past: “one day I was full of life / my sap was rich and I was strong / from seed to tree I grew so tall / through wind and rain I could not fall”. But its tired vocals also reflect “but now my branches suffer / and my leaves don’t bear the glow / they did so long ago”. It all culminates in big catharsis. ‘’Til I Die’ carries the mournful mood of the previous piece. Blinding organ flashes out a plucky pattern accompanied by beat-o-drums and bristling bass. Huge cosmic harmonies express sorrowful otherworldly worries with words comparing oneself to “a cork on an ocean”, “a rock in a landslide”, “a leaf on a windy day”; in other words, insignificant matter surrounded by impossible space! It’s accepted with conviction, words of confirmation repeating over-n-over again in mantra: “these things I’ll be until I die”. Gloomy tune! Last track ‘Surf’s Up’ makes for a most mysterious epic. The baroque ball-room-style song of part one features an impatient bass, chittering trumpet, skittering xylo, spooky whispers, and all such unsettling stuff plus obscure oddball lyrics about “columnated ruins domino”-ing (matched to the highest of high-notes). Suddenly: “are you sleeping, Brother John?”. Part two’s for piano. Couple of sunny chords accompany solo singing. There’s almost too many words tumbling out of the mouth; they rise quickly, emotionally, all in a desolate, desperate delivery. The structure resets and the words “surf’s up” are sung. Nevertheless, this ain’t no surf song! Those days are long dead-n-done. This is frightful enlightenment. Part three explodes with energy, vast harmonies enriching the scene with tragic expressions of “child is the father of man” maybe meaning that innocence is ended and that the surf is up and over forever. Surf’s Up teems with mellow and mournful music about reality and existence. Despite its little quirks and ostensibly lightweight look, Surf’s Up sinks deep in your soul if you allow it. I sure did.

This record is profoundly strange: a bit hokey, splashed with psychedelia and dark in ways no other beach boys release had ever been. The masterful ending couplet of Til I Die and the title track are some of Brian Wilson’s best ever work.

This is simply brilliant! It takes you on a journey of joy and darkness like few others can do. But that's just an aperitif for the title track and Carl's vocal tour de force. Must be heard with headphones.

Genius from a melodic point of view, while some of the lyrics (ex. A day in the life of a tree) are of a simplicity that makes me cringe and love it at the same time. I'll give it 5 because it doesn't happen every day that an album makes you question your own judgement as to how you feel about it.

No album documents the end of the sixties better than this. We can herald the start as the hope of Kennedy’s election. His assassination. Beatlemania. MLK. Rfk. the hippie movement. Vietnam. Freedom rides Rosa parks. Selma. Woodstock. Altamont. And it’s all here. The hope is watered down. The seventies have started. Dylan has gone small. The Beatles are breaking up. Only Brian Wilson remains at a creative peak. The beach boys were outsiders of course. And the outsider has a special perspective sometimes. Clean cut, nice boys, gorgeous pop more suited to the fifties but their transition to bearded bloated hippies mirrored the sixties. That they could come up with this as has beens- a nostalgia act for a nostalgia that didn’t yet exist - is astounding. My third favourite beach boys album. 4.8 stars. Rounded up.

I’m blown away. I already knew and accepted Brian Wilson as a precious musical genius unlike any other, but as a lyrics first listener I’m finding so much previously discovered poignancy and magic here. I’ve never heard this album before, and the idea of socially conscious Beach Boys had me worried I’d be experiencing some bizarre cognizant dissonance with it, but instead I am utterly surprised and delighted! I love this sound, I love the lyricism, and I love this point of view for the Beach Boys. It suits them and they wear it well. I’m in awe. This is an amazing fucking album and an instant new favourite for me. Very well done, laser focused execution, and the album cover is breathtaking too. High point for them in my books, and a crown jewel of their discography for sure.

Doesn’t sound like the Beach Boys at times, but it was still a great collection of songs

Surf's Up and its predecessor Sunflower are the two best BB albums and together with Holland probably the only three BB 5-star albums. Most songs on Surf's Up require a couple of listens and then become better and better. Favourite tracks: Surf's Up, one of the best album closers ever, and 'Til I Die.

Gotta stick up for The Beach Boys here. Yes, this has some downright embarrassing material on it, with things like "Take A Load Off Your Feet" and "Student Demonstration Time," but it also contains some of their most significant post-Pet Sounds output with songs like "A Day In The Life of A Tree" and "'Til I Die." Those songs really capture Brian Wilson's depressed, and almost completely defeated mindset at the time of the recording, and they are things of devastating beauty. Not to mention the title track, which is one of the most exquisite leftovers from the SMiLE sessions. I always interpreted it as Brian's way of saying goodbye to the surf music of their youth. Carl's two contributions "Long Promised Road" and "Feel Flows" hold up really well, even alongside Brian's material. Their last truly great album. A mixed bag for sure, but ultimately I think the power of the strong tracks outweigh the weaker ones.

10/10 easily one of the Beach Boys best albums a lot darker and more mature than their previous stuff

Great lyrics and vocals. Student Demonstrations Time, A Day in the Life of a Tree, Til I Die were amazing. Love this kind of music. Reminds me of the Beatles in some songs.

This album is fantastic. The only meh song is the one about feet. Otherwise a beautiful, near perfect experience. Great lyrics with soft, smooth vocals. I think I enjoyed it even more than Pet Sounds overall.

Love this - had it for years!

A beautiful album, I'm glad to have heard it. So many great songs and they were well ahead of their time with their songs that were environmentally conscious! The songs on this album are very meaningful and a few of them really spoke to me. They all have such a great soundscape, too, often with layered melodies or unique sounds. The Beach Boys are just amazing. It's a shame that I only knew their "beachy" songs, which was admittedly all I'd heard of them, myself, before listening to this album. I think that's probably all most people know of their music, but I can't say for sure. Either way, these songs are timeless and I feel more enlightened after hearing this album. Bravo.

I think I’ve gotta go 5 here. Never listened to this before but I loved it. So much more heft than I’m used to with The Beach Boys. A Fay in the Life of a Tree was my favorite but everything was good.

Absolutely great songs on first listen.Deserves a Relisten

Fav songs: - Take A Load Off Your Feet - Student Demonstration Time - 'Til I Die

Amazing album.

Its a very imperfect album. BUT, straight up, has some of my favorite songs of all time.

OK, I was so wrong to think the beach boys as a not as good version of the beatles. I absolutely love this album.

Song highlights: Don't Go Near The Water, Long Promised Road, Feel Flows, Surf's Up

This is a bit of a weird album. It feels like classic Beach Boys, but it has a rock and prog twist. It still has that emphasis on the voice backing track that comes with many Beach Boys songs. The songs in this album all feel fun or dreamy, but they have interesting lyrics that hold your attention. The album has some mixing problems, but it doesn’t impact the feelings at all. Overall it was an interesting listen-through when I expected a normal Beach Boys album. Favorite track: Long Promised Road

good