Surf's Up

Weird literal lyrics. Mediocre songs. 4/10

I do not get the hype behind Beach Boys. Never did. This feels like the soundtrack to a bad fever dream I'd have after dunking a 4-pack of the strongest beer near me. Even the 2009 mix makes me feel like I'm listening to a detoriated tape on my uncle's broken Walkman. I still don't know whether it's my ears or the recording itself.

- 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM - 0 nummers al toegevoegd aan MMMM

the album art really screams "SURF'S UP!" and beyond that the music is fine, and other than the weird nonsense lyrics about ecology and garage wine, there's nothing here that really perks my ears up. I'm longing for the falsetto harmonies of the 60s.

Not my vibe, but I get it

65. ok

O fost normal

Not my thing

Not my favorite Beach Boys album, I guess they left their best work on the 16 records prior to this one

Solid start but lost me at the end A bit to dreamy

pretty whatever.

This is #day539 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's to my second Beach Boys album on this list. Probably one of those oldies bands I'll never fully wrap my head around. I kind of get the historical importance, but personally, the whole affair leaves me completely cold. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day540.

Bändi on tuttu alku aikoijensa hiteistään ja jokunen levy löytyy hyllystä. Tämä ei kyllä kolahtanut millään tasolla. Aika väsynyt tekele.

I can’t imagine there are many bands that can create something great for their 17th studio album. They are obviously trying something new to reinvigorate their sound, but it’s just odd and unpleasant to listen to, outside of one or two decent tunes. I’m sure we’ll get plenty more Beach Boys to see how we feel about them overall.

There is no denying the influence the Beach Boys had on the music industry, but I don’t think this was the album to do it. This is a far cry from the beach music with catchy beats that they are known for. This album felt more like a collection of hymnals and i wasn’t impressed. Not knocking the band, but this wasn’t their best work at all.

It’s important to push your boundaries and try new things … and sometimes the experiment doesn’t work.

I'm not a big fan of the Beach Boys. I think it's because my first exposure was in the 80s when they were already old and doing goofy surf music nostalgia for the boomers who were into them in the 60's. I've softened on them over the years and appreciate their music a bit more, but still not much of a fan. I say all that to say I didn't expect to like the album, and I was right. I didn't like it. My surprise was the reason I disliked it. This wasn't goofy surf rock, this was just odd and strange. Apart from a few decent songs I was scratching my head wondering what the heck was happening. The exception being Feel Flows, legit good song with a blazing flute solo (not being ironic, genuinely enjoyed it). Granted with the Beach Boys my bar is very low, but that may be my new favorite Beach Boy song.

This album was definitely not what I was expecting. Not having the full context, I’m sure I missed some of what lead others to find this album special. I get that the band was trying to give themselves an edge and address current issues. However for me this was not successful. The lyrics really missed the mark on most tracks and paired with the preppy boy band sound I couldn’t help but feel these were crafted for various public service announcements. 2/5

The Beach Boys always had something good to say. But not the best for their style, and not best of the time.

This is just not the Beach Boys I know and love. Favorite Song(s): surfs up

Feels more rangy and less controlled, more absurd and less Beach Boys. Nothing particularly memorable.

Forgettable

This must have been their political phase. Too much focus on preachy messages rather than good music.

Some ok things on here, 'Feel Flows' is a pretty nice and psychedelic which I did enjoy, but the rest of this was a strange mess. 2 stars

Often you hear how this album is departure for Beach Boys and out of character - if this is it, I really don't want to hear their *main* stuff.

I did not expect a Beach Boys album entitled Surf's Up to sound like this. Interesting but not a got to repeat listen.

Son date et qui ne me donne pas encore de réécouter

Manufactured socially-conscious tunes. It's very hard to buy the Beach Boys as counter-cultural, so something like Long Promised Road comes across as really disingenuous. When were these chumps ever oppressed or put down? Even Don't Go Near The Water sounds like it was put out to sell records to environmentalists. Student Demonstration Time is frankly embarassing. The songs with less of a right-on message are better, but not enough to rescue this album for me. I do like the title contrasted with the contents and cover art. It's no 20 Jazz Funk Greats, but it's something.

It's fine bit unmemorable

Despite its name, I think this is a very gloomy and mediocre record.

boring and predictable lyricism. weird, but not for the sake of communicating anything of substance, just for the sake of being weird. idk man, not great, but i wouldn't say it's unlistenable or anything. just kinda dull.

Fairly competent album, I feel as if many of the songs are quite boring and I believe that many of the songs haven't aged too well, leading to me feeling that this album feels very generic and repetitive. 2/5

Wasn't bad but I didn't enjoy the album at all. If it was on at a party I wouldn't complain, but I'd never willingly listen to this.

A strange experimental album from a talented group of musicians who seem to have simply been left behind.

Fairly dull fare here. A couple of glimmers of the brightness we know from their earlier work.

honestly not a fan and all the tracks kinda meshed with eachother and there was no key standouts in the album

Smor X2 Iskreno bolji su bili dok su furali klasican surf rock i malo psihodelije

Definitely not pet sounds.

Loved Feel Flows, probably because I recognized it from Almost Famous.

Weird post-60’s beach boys

i really liked the first song of the album - don't go near the water - and the rest of the album did not stand out to me much

2.0 (33:49, 10 tracks, 1971, 17th album) Psych Pop I'm not a fan of Psych Pop and the Beach Boys didn't do a lot to help this. Not the worst album by far in this genre but some of these tracks were just week (or filler? "Student Demonstration Time" is abysmal On a positive - the album cover and it's introspective "end of the road" tone is welcoming (especially if you're going to to title your album Surf's Up.) On the negative - Album seems pieced together, no cohesion. Keyboards are terrible. Too slow - I figure if you're the Beach Boys just stay true, record another feel good clean album (by album 17 they had grown weary and tired, see above in positives) and let your fans come to your concerts to hear your hits.

Ok. ★★

Không ngấm lắm. BÌNH THƯỜNG

Cam mid ngl, dar merge pt unele situatii, better than the other one def

This must be satire. Protect the water and feet. The other songs sounded like a school project. 2/5

Everyone seems to hate the track Student Demonstration Time. I feel like it's the only redeeming song on the entire album. I'm admittedly not a fan of the Beach Boys—I think they're highly overrated. But I think this track is a brave departure from their typical Surf Rock format while they dip their toes into the Blues/Country genres; and I happen to like it much better than their typical happy, bouncy, quintet sound. So much more rockin'!!

Never heard this Beach Boys sound before and it was fun and different.

Not a fan of the Beach Boys, their sound is just kind of aggravating. Till I Die was okay.

Not bad but kind of mostly had that generic Beach Boys sound.

It seems like I do not like the typical Beach Boys music. Those songs that are more famous seemed boring to me, and other less popular sounded better. The solo in Feel Flows is majestic, nevertheless. I am lacking context about the influence of this album.

the beach boys peaked in the 1960s and they should stay there listening to the beach boys in 2025 is like watching star wars and expecting the hero's journey to feel new still except kokomo, which is not on this album, that song is evergreen okay also 'wouldn't it be nice,' that one gets a pass too

Not bad

This album was way different than the beach boys that I know and took me a bit to get into, but by the end I had relaxed into it. Very much matured past the initial explosion of them into the mainstream. Some of it was ridiculous, some interesting. Favorite track: feel flows because of the flute solo, with honorable mention to surfs up because it's of its beautiful complexity.

This album should be called 'The Doldrums'. I mean 'Surf's Up' sounds a bit more upbeat than the melancholic dirge of this album, maybe it was intentional given the album cover but I was expecting a prelude to Pet Sounds and was bitterly disappointed.

This album is proof there are too many beach boys albums on the list. Oh ok, there's only three. But maybe they're the wrong three. I dunno. I feel like this album is a mess. It sounds all out of tune and not in an Interesting way. It isn't bad exactly, but it's hard to listen to.

Greit nok, ikke noe jeg kommer til å sette på igjen tror jeg

I just could not get into this, thought it was boring

Something about these wispy backing vocals really gets me dude. I'm clearly missing something about the "best album ever created by mankind" but nah we're just pretty boring and a little annoying out here. I think I could actually fall asleep to this album 3.2/10

Ok 2/5

Brian Wilson sucks ass on this album. His falsetto always makes the songs worse. Any track where he's involved as a writer or lead vocalist is bad. A lot of the tracks remind me of the Beatles but not as good, and I'm already not a fan of the Beatles. Long Promised Road and Lookin at Tomorrow are the only decent tracks. The musical compositions on this album are interesting, but overall it's a bad album. The album cover is sick though.

I just don’t like the Beach Boys

Poor

meh

There are some beautiful tracks here but I just don't think it works as an album. The message and theme unfocused and disparate, and the tone is all over the place. Consequently, the stand-out tracks (I'd say Disney Girls, Take a Load Off Your Feet and the title track) did not elevate the album, but lamented how great the Beach Boys could be. Alas!

I'm not sure if this was quirky or downright disturbing. It's a pretty lacklustre album either way. Two stars, with one star for the absurdity of some of the songs, otherwise it would be a one.

I am not sure how i feel about this album. It wouldnt be the first, second, possibly even the third BB album i would choose in a list of greatest albums. On the one hand, the absence of Brian is notable in the production. The vocals are not prominent, the harmonies and complex arrangements are absent except maybe in the last two or 3 songs. On the other hand, it is not the album i would have expected without Brian at the helm (in a positive way). I think i need more time with this. Another album I am not sure if the mix is muddy or my headphones are shit. Two stars reserved for a hivher ranking later.

Just some boat music boomers enjoy. Not the worst, not the best

Hat mich leider viel weniger gepackt als gehofft. Dachte immer, dass The Beach Boys genau mein Ding sein könnte. Aber nun ja.

Stabil, aber nicht mehr

This is such a disappointing album because the artwork makes it seem like it will have a much darker tone, and then goofy light-hearted beach boys starts playing. Also Student Demonstration Time is so hard to listen to. I actually went back and downgraded it on rym to 35 after listening to this

Not really sure what they were going for there

it sounds like if you were a student in the seventies when these campus riots were goin on with fascist cops killing kids, this might be a good album to listen to. or if you were on drugs. or if you are a musician now looking for ideas, like a film maker looking at Goddard or avant guard modern art, you might find some great inspiration. Maybe Pavement would listen to this and go oh shit i got an idea for an album. but for us plebs 50 years removed, its weird af. Might listen again, but will give a 2.

Yeah it’s becoming evident that I don’t see the appeal in this era of the beach boys. And I’ve invested hours trying to figure it out.

Have a hard time to the cause off why this album is on this list! Maybe it’s just me.

2 stars

Armonías encantadoras, y divertidas. Definitivamente no es mi estilo, pero puedo entender el gusto que la gente le pueda tener. Kinda sounds like the beatles Mi fav Lookin at tomorrow

A very refined version of what people know and love...I am not one of those people.

Don’t care for it it that much. A 2.

Eh

Just because Brian Wilson exists doesn’t mean everything he ever did needs to be on this list.

- beach boys ei oo koskaan ollut erityinen suosikki - suurin osa tän bändin biiseistä kuulostaa tosi naiiveilta - albumitaide on ihan siisti mutta ehkä turha rajun olonen tälle bändille/albumille - tän levyn parhaat osiot oli niitä jotka ei kuulostanut perinteiseltä beach boysilta - ei sytyttänyt

Best Song: 'Til I Die. This has that ethereal, wispy vocal quality that I expect from a Beach Boys song. Worst Song: Student Demonstration Time. The one thing the Beach Boys are good at is their clean vocal harmonies, so why put the vocals behind a buzzy radio filter? Overall: Based on the view count, this isn't even a popular album amongst Beach Boys fans, so why am I listening to it?

обложка обещала многое, в итоге это очередные недобитлз

I can see where it might've been the early 70s version of alt /indie rock . I respect their exploration and experimentation with different musical genres, but the music sounded very dated, and a bit hokey at times.

Not too bad, a lot slower than I expected form the Beach Boys 2/5

It's still quality pop, but somehow not at the level I expected. Lacks the "happiness" of other Beach Boys albums. That's not necessarily bad, but I wanted to hear some Beach Boys :)

Probably revolutionary music for the time. Makes for excellent grocery store songs in California.

Not their best work

Why am I not listening to one of the good albums that The Beach Boys made? Some ok songs, but I expect more from this band. Not their best work.

1000 albums to listen to before you die they said. That doesn't necessarily mean they're good! A car crash is unpleasant, but you feel compelled to look at it! There are some really good songs on this album - Long Promised Road, Feel Flows, 'Til I Die are really diverting and demand repeated listening. Surf's Up is bonkers, but intriguing. Songs about dirty water and student demonstrations are well meaning but the songs are difficult to listen to, and I lost interest on songs about feet and trees! Not a complete waste of time, and I'm glad I listened to it, if only to realise how beautiful and how bad the Beach Boys can be on the same album.

Mieć taką piękną okładkę i nagrać płytę bez żadnego wyrazu to trzeba jednak umieć

Some good tracks, but a bit disjointed.

Næææh... Hører at det her er noe, meeen ikke noe for meg.

Never been a Beach Boys fan. Mid.

This album started quite promising, but towards the end it sounded too much like the same old Beach boys

This doesn't fit into my idea of Beach Boys. Happy joyful nonsense is my basic picture of Beach Boys and even artwork of this album goes off from this image. Basic concept can be found throughout this album but takes band to rather different direction. Not bad, not good.

Latter day Beach Boys, I've not heard almost anything beyond Pet Sounds! Sadly this ended up being background music, couple of songs grabbed my interest, but otherwise did nothing for me. Good nor bad.

3.9

Student Demonstration Time is one of the worst tracks I've ever heard.

Would have played Surf's Up sooner had I known it was relatively somber for the Beach Boys. But then again, I ultimately preferred Pet Sounds.

This is not The Beach Boys I know and enjoy. This more experimental, melancholic style just isn’t that interesting. Student Demonstration is a highlight! ⭐️⭐️

Couldn't really get into this one.

I like the harmonies, but it didn't have the blissed-out feel-good vibe of other albums, or fun psychedelia. Kind of a boring application of their signature sound.

❤️: Student Démonstration Time 🙂: Surf's Up 👍: Disney Girls Long Promised Road

Reading the Wikipedia article about this album, it seems the critics reckoned three of the songs on this album were good. To my mind that's not enough to make this album great. I didn't really like any of this albume and I found the lyrics pretty trite. I suppose they had to release something from the failed Smile sessions, but frankly the best thing about this album is its brevity. Oh, except for the slightly weird cover.

🤏🏻🤷🏻‍♂️

Not too bad for a beach boys album

Certainly a more mature sound then I am used to from the Beach Boys. Ultimately not my flavor.

Juste students protest

This was severely disappointing. I can't listen to this without comparing it to other albums by the Beach Boys, and by comparison, this sucked. Perhaps, taken on its own without a comparison to their other music, I could like it. Unfortunately, my brain just doesn't work that way. This was not the version of the Beach Boys I like. Ugh...⭐⭐?

Not a fan. The songs were all over the place in terms of tone and instrumentation. I appreciate some of yhe messaging of the songs, but overall a dissapointing entry from the Beach Boys. 1.5/5

I didn't dig this. Maybe good for it's time but I was bored.

This is kind of a fascinating album. The band’s beautifully arranged harmonies are still mostly here, but the lush multi-instrumental production from the Pet Sounds era is not. This is the Beach Boys in full on image reinvention mode. No more of that carefree ‘Surfin USA’ stuff; now the Beach Boys have something important to say: “Don’t go near the water”, “adults are phoneys”. Some of it is effective - and even poetic, but I can’t help but feel a song like Student Demonstration Time has totally missed the boat by 1971. Aside from being abjectly horrible, it sounds a bit phoney coming from a band like the Beach Boys - and plain baffling on an album that also espouses the importance of good feet hygiene. Equally important messages, I guess. With that said, I’ve always found the Beach Boys so endearing, and the same applies here. I really love the song Surfs Up - it’s the only high point for me on the album. And I do admire the group’s attempt to rail against the public’s image of them. It’s just all a bit in vain here. ⭐️⭐️

Filled with industrial electronic beats and typical Kanye lyrics I would say this album is great listen with standouts on the album being On

The final two songs are fantastic. The rest suffers from a decided lack of Brian Wilson's influence.

Un disco con baladas psicodélicas, por ratos tiene sonidos más viejos de lo que realmente son y no puedo evitar pensar en la etapa psicodélica de los Beatles al escuchar este trabajo. No tengo un tema que considere mejor que el resto.

It’s ok

I’ve never really been a fan of The Beach Boys, the instrumentation is good in this album but I just can’t get in to the lyrics, they are often a bit to in the nose

#666. <insert Steve Buscemi "How do you do, fellow kids?" meme here> What is happening with this album? This shit is fucking weird, and not in a good way. 2/5: yikes

Fuck me, not another Beach Boys album. I'm starting to feel like it's me that's wrong. The previous BB albums I've reviewed were largely shite, occasionally dipping into bearable. This particular album was more bearable than shite, but it's still a long way from something I would willingly seek out and listen to.

Beach boys: depression edition.

Meh, being more mellow doesn't really work for The Beach Boys.

Not a fan of this album.

I feel like this album misses the arrangements of Brian Wilson. And though the themes are darker and more serious than early Beach Boys, that does not by itself make this album great. Honestly, for me, this album is fine at best. Lyrically, a lot of the songs feel weak to me, and the harmonies just aren't as robust as they are with Wilson.

Mehhh. Not The Beach Boys I love.

Preferred the movie adaptation

I reckon this was great at the right time. Some dreadful lyrics though

A more psychedelic Beach Boys but also they're more environmentally conscience? They should have made the whole album Feel Flows.

The Beach Boys weren't my favorite band. I'll say that because of that, I didn't listen to a lot of their music. And with that I found this album surprising because of its difference.

2- Stars (4/15)

Never thought going to the beach with some boys would be such a snooze fest.

weird, noises, eh. Too old.

Not my favourite beach boys album but fine. Won’t be on regular rotation

Meh? It seems weak for the Beach Boys. I'm not much of a Beach Boys fan, but this lacks the engineering and composition that makes them fun and engaging.

despite never listening to this album before (why THIS beach boys album???) for some reason I have every single song downloaded? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ anyway there's some weird mixing and a lot of vocals are directly in my right ear and it just doesn't seem like i'm listening to the beach boys a lot of the time? favorite song: "feel flows" overall: 4/10 (sorry y'all)

I’m not a beach girl

I can't say I'd listen to this again, or that any track really stood out to me, although Long Promised Road is probably the highlight here. For me, the production sound was phenomenal. The songs didnt even have to do it for me, I loved the production enough that it kept me engaged.

Well constructed songs and it sounds like a response to other top albums of the late 1960s. Not my favorite but was great to listen to other songs from The Beach Boys I hadn't heard before.

Ya, OK whatever. Not horrible, but no real interest in hearing this again,

I'm trying to give this a listen... I can't do it.

this is the third the beach boys' album i get here... don't think they're for me

Really waffled between thinking Brian Wilson was the most overrated artist of all time (don’t go near the water, Disney girls, student demonstration time) to kind of liking it (long promised road mostly but the last few songs were ok).

feels not like the beach boys. something off about this one, not awful but doesnt seem as good as others of theres.

Darker tone.

Nothing particularly stood out.

I don't surf though.

I know I’m being influenced by Brett’s opinion, but this album isn’t that good. It is some sounds from The Beach Boys that I like (upbeat and funky) but it’s overall erratic. There’s one song that has emergency vehicle sounds in the background - who wants to listen to that!?

How timely. RIP Brian Wilson.

meh

Wonder if it's a coincidence that this got served up the day after Brian Wilson died. You can tell that he wasn't as involved in this one because, uh, I dunno, it's just kind of there, I guess? Listened to it twice and nothing stuck. Really weird to hear a huge nostalgia band's album and not recognize a single track.

Хрень какая-то

The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson tend to be insufferable, and much of this is, but some of it isn't! In fact, there are a few parts that are actually quite good!

as a whole album i think it's kind of okay? but there's a few songs that i like so it's not like terrible

Not really my thing, can see how it's influential but it's just very old

I do not appreciate Beach Boys music. I do enjoy some songs, mood setters for a scene (their hits I suppose). But even with those I like, more than one or two is plenty. This album was dull.

An inconsistent album that doesn't really tie all its songs together in any way. It does capture bits of the Beach Boys sound but lacks solid lyrics and focus overall.

title track is amazing, rest is mid to awful

Not in love with this version of The Beach Boys. Maybe I was in a weird mood but I mostly hated this.

The sounds of a band struggling to stay relevant and in doing so, forgot who they were. With the exception of Feel Flows, this was forgettable and not great.

This album was surprising for me - I was used to being annoyed with the Beach Boys for different reasons than this one annoyed me. Long Promised Road and Disney Girls were quite enjoyable, so 4 songs in I thought I might be a big fan of this. The quality really dropped off after that, though. I just couldn't get into this. I was particularly surprised by how not into their protest song I was (Student Demonstration Time). That felt like the biggest strange departure from my expectations.

This was fine, but the Beach Boys are overrated.

Ok

Kinda boring and kinda sounds like shit

Will not listen to it again; they have way better albums

This is undoubtedly The Beach Boys. But darker and edgier. Think of it like if The Beach Boys made an album of songs for the Garden State soundtrack.

Didn’t realize how corny The Beach Boys are, but there’s certainly a time and place. I really liked a day in the life of a tree, of course

Not very good, especially for a Beach Boys album

Back to back Beach Boys was rough. Didn't like the old sounding campy kiddie pop songs right off the bat, then student demonstration time came on and I was thinking who even is this and what is this album. Sort of redeemed it though. Then Brian Wilson's songs came on and right after listening to smile I couldn't take anymore.

Well, that was a trip - not just the music and its obvious lyrical influence, but getting this straight after Brian Wilson passed. musically its quite good, lyrically it sounds like a 14 year old's ramblings in a notebook of poetry. highlight was Long Promised Road. Sometimes you need to be grateful for Vinyl's limitations when it comes to length.

⭐️⭐️ I don’t think this is the best beach boys album. Listenable, but not great. RIP Brian Wilson

Maybe I’m being harsh I’m not finding this album very memorable and the general style isn’t really my taste.

Fine but nothing stood out personally.

Good in places.

On the day of Brian Wilson's death... Iconic for a certain support base, however not my cup of tea. Too sweet. Easy listening California vibes though.

M/V

Well, some songs had the traditional Beach Boys harmonies, but the songs themselves were pretty terrible. It is amazing how far they can go from Pet Sounds.

Kind of blah

Good tracks, just not my kind of music.

Fun time party band gets serious. It doesn't work for me. If you are a fun time party band, be yourself. Plenty of others lamenting about the world, and quite frankly, plenty of others do it better. 2

Sounds nice without being in any way interesting.

Sorry, but I've never really gotten the appeal of the title song here, which works much better on Brian's version of Smile as a culmination of a movement than as a standalone song. The attempts at writing political songs tend to fall flat too, either being way too corny like "Don't Go Near the Water" or actively reactionary like "Student Demonstration Time", which seems to be blaming the students at Jackson State for the police shooting at them. I do like "Disney Girls", though; Bruce is a pretty underrated singer for the band. But overall, this has got to be the weakest of the albums that get a good bit of critical acclaim, despite maybe having their best cover art.

Mostly weird songs. Hated the “riot going on” rendition. Brian Wilson’s touch is noticeably absent

There's a riot going on. It's student demonstration time.

Not for me.

Never understood why they so popular, I just find it very mediocre.

This is depressed beach men. Give me The Beach Boys.

There are songs I didn't hate, but on a day when the president is sending marines to LA, Student Demonstration Time just makes me angry.

This seemed to be trying to be different for different sake and therefore forced and hacky.

Well, it's not their usual glorified barbershop quartet stuff but still not great. I give them credit for trying to stay relevant moving into the 70s but this is incredibly dated, honestly feels like they were just screwing with fans

Hasn't really made me change my mind about the majority of the BBs music.

I knew this couldn't be a coinkidink, so on this Brian Wilson Memorial Day(June 12th, 2025), it's time for us to all relish in a Brian Wilson album. Unfortunately, I may have just generated the worst album he was ever involved in. In a way, there is a sentimental sound throughout the album that wraps me up like a warm fuzzy blanket. On the other hand, this isn't much of an album; it's a...mood? A vibe(not vibration)? I'm not sure how to describe it. Favorite Track: "A Day In The Life Of A Tree"

I wasn't going to be very positive on this review, but I got this album just after Brian Wilson passed away at the age of 82, and this album became eeriely fitting for today. This is probably the most (if not the only) downbeat Beach Boys record, a odd direction for a band known for good vibes and sunshine, but one that reflect its state in the early-70's. Personally, beyond the amazing title track, nothing really sticks with me, but this is already a recurring problem I find with the Beach Boys. Probably will re-listen at some point, as I do enjoy this type of artsy baroque pop. Key tracks: Surf's Up

I want to like them, but it’s just so sappy.

Aldri vært noen stor fan

Litt mye surr

Ikke den sterkeste i min bok.

The Beach Boys attempt to show they are beach *men* by singing Serious Songs about... water pollution, not getting fat, a tree and... the Kent State Massacre? Oh, lads.

Wanted to hate it more than I did, it was also really short and didn’t draw me in much.

Not what I was expecting from the Beach Boys. It was alright.

I feel like I should be grading on a curve just because it's the Beach Boys and because of Brian Wilson's death...but I really did not like this at all. Weird.

Please let this be the last Beach Boys album on here

Not a fan

It's nice that this one is pretty short, but honestly, I still feel like it wasn't really worth my time.

This is another one I wanted to like, but just really didn't care for.

Weird, very uneven album, and not in a way I enjoyed.

Meh. I guess I'm in the minority here but I've never really liked The Beach Boys. Their best early stuff I can dig a couple tracks, but those famous harmonies grate more than elevate. I don't even like Pet Sounds much, so it's not that Brian Wilson (RIP) is missing here. They're trying something here, credit where it's due, looking for their place in 1971 American music. And there are a couple of good tracks. But mostly it's warmed over musically and too on the nose lyrically. It's got real "hello, fellow teenagers!" vibes, a sort of catchall attempt at zeitgeist, but from what feels like an outsider's perspective. Let's play dirty blues and sing about student protests! Environmentalism, sexual liberation, and even (shock!) a kind of world-weary resignation (Surf's ALL DONE, man). All of which could be forgiven if these were great songs, but they're not.

I had to resist the urge to just turn it off and rate it a 1 when I heard the first song The calmer parts of Long Promised Road sound decent to be fair. Yeah, good song I had to resist the urge to just turn it off and rate it a 1 when I heard the third song Fourth song was good again, 'Til I Die was also fine I get it now, they added some shitty songs so that their regular ones sound better than they usually are Oh, and the dude decided to die on the day everyone got his album. Fucking attention-seeker

Not into it

This is a weird pick for the Beach Boys. This is definitely one of their more eclectic albums. It's like Brian was let loose to do whatever he wanted after the success of Pet Sounds. It is also dripping with political and societal commentary. Definitely a departure from their earlier content. It doesn't really land for me though. Also, weird that this album popped up the day after Brian Wilson died...

This was alright. I’m not sure if the BB hype is what everyone says it is.

RIP Brian wilson but this album isn’t good

Not really crazy about this album.

Meh

I like some of the songs, but mostly just not my thing. Kind of boring and weird.

Not really taht great

This starts on the wrong foot. The first two tracks have none of the innocent fun feeling that made the Beach Boys, and none of the beauty or technical proficiency of the obvious contemporaries, like the Beatles. Even when it's not terrible, this music is all awkward and self-conscious. Feel Flows and Lookin' At Tomorrow were more of a trip. All in all, the album improved enough that it's worth a listen.

ES 12-6-25: Not my thing

Meh

still a chop… highlights: lookin at tomorrow, life of a tree,

Not for me

Nada memorable.

One or two good songs, but not peak Beach Boys. The protest songs were ridiculous.

I liked a couple songs but overall pretty lack luster not really my vibe.

not my first thought about beach boys, found it mostly a little slow. But good song writing at times

I liked Student Demonstration Time. All of the other songs made me fall asleep, since they were so boring.

I do like some of their songs but this album didnt do it for me. Good musicianship but not my taste

I was especially happy to see the Beach Boys pop up, with the passing from this world of the genius of Brian Wilson. However, while there are a couple good songs and excellent sound, most of the album is below average for a Beach Boys album. It may have been better than a good portion of the songs that came out on the year of release, it was a disappointing listen in 2025.

I enjoyed listening to this, as I hadn't heard much from this era of The Beach Boys. It wasn't for me, but it was worth the experience.

Not like any other beach boys album. Very little multi-part harmonies. Pretty boring.

Interestingly dark! Classic Beach Boys vibes, but then gothy almost? Yeah, interesting, but no real hits, and nothing I'll revisit.

ok, but nothing special...

AM sounding (of course) but it seems like they are trying to get “political” or catch up with the times (60’s counterculture). Student Demonstration Time sounds like a total Beatles ripoff.

Bit bluesier than I was expecting. Some weird lyrics. Didn't float my boat.

Who knew that the beach boys were capable of something darker than pet sounds in beach music that said I didn't care for it

Rock/Pop, 1971 -> 2-3

Sad white ppl music

That’s a side I didn’t know existed from beach boys Rip Brian Wilson according to Joey

Not the best beach boys album I’ve listened to.

De eerste keer dat ik dit hoorde vond ik het he-le-maal niks. De tweede kans dat ik het gaf heeft het wel iets verbeterd voor mij, maar ik hoor hier gewoon teveel de oude beatles invloeden in (of is het andersom idk en idc) maar kon het toch iets beter waarderen. Long promised road vind ik dan het beste nummer. De rest voelt als mekkerende oude songs.

Not the beach boys vibe I was expecting.

Tried to judge it independently of the my expectations of the bad, but I didn't really get what this one had to say. Didn't enjoy it musically either.

It was fine I guess. But there's much better Beach Boys out there. I assume there's more on the list I'll get to hear later. This album hit a little harder today, as it's the day after Brian Wilson passed away. RIP Brian. I couldn't get into the tunes on this one though. There were a couple decent ones. "Long Promised Road" and "Student Demonstration Time" (The former which will make it to the 1001 playlist). But outside those two songs, the album was a dud. ~ 2 Stars.

Was in the mood for some Beach Boys… not this album though.

A few great songs and a few horrid clunkers. I'd rather hear pet sounds and avoid this one, not sure why its on the list.

I always assumed I really knew The Beach Boys, but what the hell was this thing? Thought I might have come across some jag off fucking around on YouTube, but I double checked. Nope….this shit is just weird. I guess I should have seen that coming from the depressing Blue Period looking album cover. Might have been alright if I wasn’t expecting a fucking Beach Boys sounding album.

Alltså Beach Boys bästa på Pet Sounds är världsklass, men detta är mest tråkigt. Tvåa

This surprised me! I guess my perception of The Beach Boys is, y'know, oldies stuff. This was pretty weird! I liked the first two tracks a lot, but then it kind of lost steam. What was going on with Student Demonstration Time? I guess I appreciate the ambition in the album, but it didn't seem particularly skillfully or artfully done - more idea than execution.

More than anything I felt this album was evidence of a an all powerful ruling meddling in the world of us mere ants. Despite the themes being really relevant to today: 'stay away from the water' felt a bit dated to me or a bit cringe. made me think of The Who's 'save the whale'.

Wasn’t very beach boys. Dull as dishwater, went back for a slight re listen and don’t know if I’m missing something. Just didn’t hit

Better than their earlier stuff but still do t think I’m a beach boys fan, except for pet sounds.

not their usual thing but still not a fan. didn’t listen to the full thing

Not a bad listen, just nothing jumping out and grabbing my attention. Sadly, just nothing all that memorable here for me. Enjoyed the opening few tracks.

Crazy little album for the beach boys

I get that they were older and trying to go for a little more mature sound but this just feels kind of like a Beatles-experimentalism rip off. The harmony in that middle section of Disney girls is some true Brian Wilson genius but other than that was kind of bored with it. It’s interesting in the wiki article they were like “oh it’s cool listening to The Beach Boys again” but idk how cool it is singing about the day in the life of a tree….but maybe I’m just a square.

What the holy hell? How do you have an album called Surf’s Up and first song is Don’t get in the water!?! I guess that’s irony 🤷‍♂️ This was….fine. I just didn’t really get it or felt that moved by most of it. It sounded very dated for someone who wasn’t around at this time. Like I’m supposed to like it because it’s The Beach Boys. Meh. Disney Girls has a moment that sounds like Gravity by John Mayer (or rather gravity sounds like this). That’s a fun fact that my ear (probably incorrectly) picked up. And then student demonstration comes in and sounds completely out of the blue. As do the rest of the songs. 2.5 and I’m rounding down b/c I’m not a sheep.

Amazing that they decided to put the worst Beach Boys album on the list. The protest song is pretty great. The rest is depressing and boring.

Im not a beach boys fan but take a load off your feet has been a favorite song of mine for many years. It’s the best song on this album. I get they have a huge catalog of work and it’s not all bubblegum surf and they really try to hammer out the fact they were rockin experimental. This is the only Beach Boys album that I would ever consider buying but just for that one song.

Festa meg ikkje ved nåke særlig her

Highlights: Student Demonstration Time, Disney Girls Leave Em’s: Take a Load Off Your Feet, A Day In the Life of a Tree Overall Thoughts: I think the nature of The Beach Boys is just not for me. Their music feels whimsical as if it were the fantasizing of a child with an advanced vocabulary. I see the allure of the pleasant and bubbly songs the band creates, but there is an edge missing that makes me enjoy music. Even the back to back songs that I did like on the album had lyrics that made me raise an eyebrow as if to say “you can’t be serious.” Aside from those two songs there is nothing else here worth coming back to, and the bad songs really drag the whole album down in my opinion. Score Breakdown: 2.580 & 2 -> 2.290

Nice and short. Student Demonstration Time was quite good, very different, but the rest of the album did not stick. Perhaps an easier-to-listen-to album (i.e., not sickly sweet) but it was quite boring.

Not really digging this one. The lyrics seem so forced, right?

It's funny... As I'm listening, I was browsing other reviews and noticed a general disapproval of Student Demonstration Time. This was the only song that caught my ear. The lyrics are a little ham fisted, but it's got a good groove. Idk what you're all talking about.

2.2

Mostly think I dont get it

Honestly, this is probably my least favorite of the Beach Boys albums I've listened to.

It was fine. Bit tame. 2.5 stars.

I had never heard of this album. The cover art alone let me know that it wasn't going to sound like the Beach Boys that I'm familiar with. The album opens with Don't Go Near The Water, which tells you to take care of the oceans. Maybe not a surprising thing for a band that built their image on California surfing. It was a little harsh to be honest. I really liked Long Promised Road. Take A Load Off Your Feet sounded like it could be a jingle for a podiatrist. Disney Girls was just kind of meh. Student Demonstration Time is good, and being from Ohio, I wasn't aware that there was another song that mentioned the Kent State shootings of 1970. Feel Flows, Lookin' At Tomorrow, A Day in the Life of a Tree, 'Til I Die and Surf's Up kind of all blended together. Told my fiance that the album sounded like the Beach Boys but they grew up and were suffering from depression.

Listened to this all the way through 2 times. First listen it just made no sense as a Beach Boys album 2/5. Listened again as if it were an album by just any unknown band. Still terrible. Lyrics sound like a 5th grader. Vocals are weak and scattered. Music is forgettable.

This means nothing to me.

I love the Beach Boys sound, but this album was kida weird. Only real standout was Student Demonstration Time. That one was really fun. The rest of the album was forgettable. Best song: Student Demonstration Time

The best beach boys album to date but that's like calling something the best root canal. 2.

It was fine. Adult contemporary I guess?

i just dont like the Beach Boys man...

I've read lots of other reviews, and I'm not sure what I'm missing! For me, it's a collection of mainly pleasant, but rather dreary songs, arranged and produced in an uninteresting way. Apparently it's their 17th album, which might explain why it sounds like they're going through the motions; I can't imagine them racing to the studio to capture this stuff. I know they have a complex history and a deserved place in the annals, but this seemed quite insipid, especially if you consider what else was exploding around them in 1971. Some nice harmonies and melodic moments, as you'd expect, but ultimately, it did nowt for me.

uninteresting to me

lowkey boring not a fan. its not bad but j wasn't feeling it

Do not know much about late Beach Boys work. Have a soft spot for the early surf pop - but not quite sure what to make of this album. Really liked Feel Flows and wish the album had been more like this. Student Demonstrations is embarrassingly awful - with take a load of your feet not much better. Lyrically a lot of the album is pretty trite "I'm a cork on the ocean". etc. Not sure if its my hifi set up but I thought production was poor with it sounding pretty flat/ muffled. I like the idea of a darker beach boys and wanted to like this more - but apart from Feel flows and long promised road I thought this was disappointing.

First impression was pure amusement by the cover, I guess they wanted something not surfer at all? Which I found cool. Also, the record is nice, but on a single listen didn't leave a mark on me. I may or may not come back to it.

This almost sounds like... the Beach Boys trying to be serious? But they're missing the hypnotic close harmonies that make them endlessly listenable.

Not for me

I love you beach boys but this was not too enjoyable

Never heard this album. Not the energy I would have expected. Rather disappointed. 4/10

Kinda weird

Not my thing.

Groupe connu par quelques tubes, en particulier 'good vibrations' que j'apprécie. Cet album est plus récent, je suis impressionné par le nombre d'albums à l'actif du groupe (c'est déjà le 17eme !). Par contre je suis beaucoup moins impressionné par la musique, pas désagréable mais plutôt quelconque et peu entrainante. Rien à retenir de cet album. =>2/5

Aside from one or two standouts, mostly a downtrodden album - very downbeat, even on songs called things like surfs up

Ehhh, I didn't mind a track or two, but, I guess it was more impressive in its day.

It sounds like if a bunch of the Muppets ate some shrooms and made a record. That’s not a bad thing. This is certainly their most tolerable record. But it’s still too cutesy for me. It’s nice that they got socially conscious, though. Lookin’ at Tomorrow was pretty good until that guy started making noises. Was this when they were hanging out with Charles Manson?

Kind of a weird one to be on the list.

Not the Beach Boys I know. Slow and harmonic 2/5

Not what I expected. None of the California surfers music. Lot more hippie laid back music. Not bad but too slow for me.

Se nota la calidad y la novedad, la búsqueda. Pero no es para nada lo mío. Muy coral, rozando el pop y aburre un poco.

Beach Boys: The PSA album

I really like The Beach Boys. Somehow didn’t recognize any of those songs. It was okay

This may bear some more looking into, but I just couldn't connect with this album.

Although there is a lot of complexity in the composition and harmonies this record did little for me. The first track (Don’t Go Near the Water) lyrics are silly and ham fisted and it doesn’t get much better from there. Highlight (if there is one): Disney Girls (1957)

This was quite weird and I'm not sure in a way that I particularly like. Feel Flows is a fine song that I knew before listening to this album (but I don't know if I knew it was The Beach Boys) but other than that, not a ton here I really enjoyed.

I wanted to like this as seeing more of the Beach Boy's other than their hits really interested me but I just don't like it. Idk what it is about them. I think it's their vocal production mixed with the keys, I get it's GOOD I just don't like it. Standout was Student Demonstration Time for me. I actually think it followed a pretty formulaic rock and roll formula and I'm not actually sure what they were trying to say, I think I was just happy from a break from actual Beach Boy's stuff

Not great.