Surf's Up

Unbelievable sound. Every track worth the listen.

Did not expect it to be so upbeat cause of the album cover. Album was a nice surprise and honestly didn't think I would like it that much but I did.

grata sorpresa

niceeee

Super nice. I like.

The "underrated Beatles." 10/10

desalentadorb

Loved

I bet a lot of people saw the title of this album and thought it was going to be a collection of happy, cheesy surf-rock songs, but instead, this album is something else entirely. This may possibly be my favourite Beach Boys album, even though it is not as perfect as Pet Sounds. I mean, Pet Sounds doesn't have Mike Love attempting to rewrite Riot In Cell Block 9 in the middle of it. But there are many beautiful moments to be found on the record and I love nearly every minute of it (even Student Demonstration Time kinda slaps, even though it is very out of place). Also, it has the only great song sung from the perspective of a fucking tree.

I enjoyed the album, but it was not what I was expecting from the Beach Boys. The songs were not typical of the Beach Boys, but I liked the various styles and different themes: social, health, and environmental which were addressed by the songs.

First of all love the cover given it's something never expected from the California Girls guys. The album is all over the place and contrasts with a Pet Sounds which is such a cohesive album. Either way I'll give it a five given it has some of my all time favorite songs.

AHHHHHHHHHH

Disney Girl(1959)

I didn't realize how prolific The Beach Boys were. This album is phenominal.

Such a cool album! Very different from the usual Beach Boys pop. More melancholy feel overall. A lot of great songs here. "Student Demonstration Time" and "Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)" were my favorites. Still hold up today!

Obviously not the go to Beach Boys album but a great find. All the trademark harmonies but a bit weirder. Nearly gave this a high 4 but by the time it hits the incredible 1-2 of Til I Die and Surf’s Up I had to give it a 5.

Simplesmente amo esse álbum. Conheci muitos anos atrás quando ouvi "Feels Flows" na trilha de "Quase Famosos". É um álbum refinado dos Beach Boys, mas tem um tom mais melancólico, o que não é muito comum deles. "Disney Girls" me emociona demais e acho uma das melhores da banda. Arranjos complexos e bonitos, vozes macias e letras reflexivas, não tem música ruim aqui. Além das citadas, ainda destaco "Surfs Up", "Long Promised Road", "Lookin at tomorrow" e "Till I Die". É quase um Greatest Hits de uma fase muito específica da banda.

Changed my mind after 100 listens, amazing album with the smoothest of transitions

Who doesn’t love the beach boys???

I was all ready to kick of my review with "Look, it was never going to be as good as Pet Sounds" but boy was I wrong! This album certainly isn't Pet Sounds, but I think it's as good - just wildly different. This album is more experimental and weird in ways that fascinate me, and I'm so glad I got to listen to it today. This whole album feels like it's trying not to be beach or boy, but rather darker and deeper like the ocean itself. Unusually for me, I've already put this one on a second time, and will undoubtedly listen to it again shortly. To quote a young white man: "I am not a beach. I am not a boy. I am an elderly black woman, hear me roar." I never really understood that quote - until today.

An album with a wide range of different moods. Their vocals were always phenomenal as well I must say. All in all though this album is very consistent and I don't think there's a dull moment on it. The title-track is phenomenal, however I prefer the version from the Smile sessions. Not much else to say but they were brilliant and so's this.

I am blown away. I get it now, The Beach Boys. I get it. They're amazing !

Vibed w this heavy. There were layers on layers and I loved the mix of a bit of folk and psychedelic

This album is actually so good. Listen to this album in the morning and found myself singing it all through the day. I don't think The Beach Boys get a good enough wrap for the quality of this album. No skips. Favorite song: long promised road (close second Disney girls)

SO UNDERRATED ARE YOU KIDDING ME

I love this. The lyrics, the sound. I love the beach boys.

Part of that run of albums from Sunflower to Holland in the early seventies that was the Beach Boys prime. Yes there were better albums earlier and many great singles but I don’t think there’s a four lp run in their discography as brilliant.

brings you in with the tunes then straps you in with the lyrics. first beach boys album and a great listen.

So good

c’è qualcosa di adolescenziale in questo album, nel vago impegno socio-politico dei suoi testi, nella lieve spossatezza psichedelica di quando prendi troppo sole al mare e nell’ombrosità di certe tematiche esistenziali. c’è la via del lago che curva morbida attorno al bilancino, dopo l’ultimo bagno della stagione, e surf’s up che si libra nell’aria. è la fine di un’era, l’ora di scuotere l’asciugamano dalla terra e arrotolarci dentro il costume bagnato, è già il fresco della sera e il tramonto un po’ troppo presto.

Favorite Beach Boys album. Melancholic feel

This is absolutely fantastic. The Beach Boys are a STAPLE of music history and I’m a HUGE fan of the album cover too

LUV

fantastic album

7th album with group. Before anything else I want to say that this is one of the best album covers of all time, up there with When the Pawn… and Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. This album is pretty good but not as good as Pet Sounds. I will say though that Surf’s Up stands out as pretty good and wouldn’t feel out of place on Pet Sounds. Good Songs - Don’t Go Near the Water, Long Promised Road, Take a Load Off Your Feet, Disney Girls (1957), Student Demonstration Time, Feel Flows, Lookin’ at Tomorrow (A Welfare Song), A Day in the Life of a Tree, ‘Til I Die, and Surf’s Up. Bad Songs - Nothing.

favorite song-long promised road best song-don’t go near the water deep cut-a day in the life of a tree hidden gem-surf’s up

Hadn't really heard much Beach Boys beyond Pet Sounds and the greatest hits fodder. This was unexpectedly great. In particular, loved Disney Girls and Student Demonstration Time. 228.

Love this album!

Somehow the music meets the high bar set by its cover art.

Excellent songs of the current events of the time and the POP culture of that era. In my opinion their best LP. Although Pet Sounds is a technical masterpiece. I find Surf"s Up to be more enjoyable.

one of my favorite albums of all time.

Brian Wilson is a genius.

The Beach Boys never miss. Their vocals are next level

Great album

me gusto y no lo conocia

nunca dejan de sorprenderme

The boy band grows up.

The Beach Boys are sooo cute and cool. Wow I really love the song Disney Girls. And I want to start a riot. And I want to save the trees. And I need to give my feet a break. It’s all just so true!

Beach Boys but interesting. A little campy, and the end is lacking, but it is still good. Only 33 minutes

'Til I Die and Surf's Up are sufficient for this album to qualify as being rated 5.

Love it

Brian Wilson was/is a legend!

Die Beachboys mal etwas ernster.

Way ahead of its time Every song is enjoyable. It may rival Pet Sounds. Loved it.

I think this might be the best beach boys album

I have only passing familiarity with The Beach Boys ‘70s catalog, and this is the first time I’ve heard this album. In contrast to the often slight albums that came before it, this one has remarkable weight. And while the creative leadership has shifted from Brian (now engulfed in mental illness) to Carl, that shift seems to have reinvigorated the band. Carl’s numbers like “Feel Flows” and “Long Promised Road” are quite strong and affecting, Brian does not no-show, though, as he delivers two of the strongest songs on the album with “TIl I Die” and the brilliant title track left over from the aborted Smile sessions. These are surrounded by oddly curious and eccentric oddities that mostly work (Mike Love’s “Student Demonstration Time” is the notable exception). Pet Sounds is the Beach Boys masterpiece, but this album comes closer to those rarefied heights than I would have expected was possible.

Beach Boys funeral doom phase Am I the only one that likes Student Demonstration Time?

More pure excellence

Perfect

Sterkt album fra Beach Boys. Både "Feel Flows", "Till I Die", tittelsporet og "Welfare Song" er blant mine favoritter i BB-katalogen. "Student Demonstration Time" er cringe, selv om teksten kanskje kan føles litt dagsaktuell om dagen. Brian Wilson gjør en sterk retur på slutten, som de andre har nevnt her. Skulle gjerne hørt hvordan denne skiva hadde hørtes ut om Brian var mer delaktig i produksjonen.

"Oh reality, it's not for me" For meg er dette kanskje den perfekte beach boys plata. Det er ikke den beste, jeg regner med at vi kommer tilbake til den senere, men denne skiva eksemplifiserer alt Beach Boys er. Beach boys er dystert og kaotisk, og det er lite som er så dystert, eller ihvertfall kaotisk, som Surfs up, og dualiteter og paradokser er overalt. Det er kun Beach boys som kan slippe en skive med, etter min mening, den beste låta noen sinne skrevet (Surfs up) sammen med hva enn Student Demonstration time er. Akkurat som figuren på albumomslaget, så handler tematikken i låtene om å kjempe en tapende kamp mot noe nedtrykkende og større enn deg selv. Long promised road, kampen mot sine indre demoner. Dont go near the water, kampen for et bedre miljø. Disney Girls (1957), å overvinne illusjonene rundt fantasier om livet og kjærlighet. Take a load of your feet er tilsynelatende en optimistisk låt om å ta vare på kroppen, men om man kjenner Brian Wilson sitt forhold til dette og hans besettelse av helsekost mens han ødelegger seg selv, blir dette også en sang om å kjemp mot noe man aldri når. En person som glimrer i sitt fravær i denne skiva er Brian Wilson, vel, ihvertfall frem til tidenes trio kommer helt på tampen. A day in the life of a tree Until i die Surfs up En litt ujevn, men spennende plate blir transformert til noe annerledes, uforutsigbart og sublimt. Låta Surfs up blir rekontekstualisert, fra en optimistisk revulosjonær låt om omveltning av iddeer , strukturer og verdier, til en låt om tapte håp og kamper. Tittelen blir kynisk og sarkastisk. Nå tenker du sikkert, hvordan kan man bruke ordet sublimt om et album som inneholder spor som Student Demonstration Time. Og svaret mitt til det er, jeg vet ikke. Beach boys sine skiver er alltid komprommittert, av labelet som vil kommersialisere, av Brian Wilson som ikke klarer å fungere, av uenigheter i gruppa, og denne skiva mest av alt, et jag etter å kynisk treffe en tidsånd. Og denne skiva klarte på mirakuløst vis å være en av de mest autentiske Beach Boys skivene, med et av de minst autentiske bakteppene. Og jeg tror det er kaoset som gjør dette sublimt.

I loved this. Sincere, but with the kind of edge that comes w experi mce. Maybe less innovative than Pet Sounds, but that makes sense since it was 5 years later. Disney girls is so fucking good, as is Feel Flows and don’t go near the water.

hot take: surf’s up > pet sounds ? i really enjoyed this album! i’ve let it simmer for a while and after having returned to it on several occasions i conclude that this is a 5 and that i really love the darker sound to it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Les Beach Boys en pleine forme (de création musicale).

Ahhh fait du bien, j'étais un peu sur un drought moi là et je commençais à me demander si j'aimais pu la musique ou j'étais juste grincheux. Je connaissais moins Surf's Up que Pet Sounds et Smiley Smile, mais Brian Wilson est encore absolument génial. Disney Girls me donne des frissons dans les magnifiques séquences d'harmonie. Les tounes écologiques et les thèmes d'introspection émotionnelle et deep revelations (encouragés par quelques hits de LSD et de schizo sûrement) frappent juste.

Surf’s Up would get 5 stars for the cover alone, but the music is fantastic too. After Smile failed to coalesce into an actual release, the Beach Boys would include an occasional song from those sessions on their next few albums. Surf’s Up was the last song to appear from Smile until the release of the full Smile sessions in 2011. It feels fitting as the last song from that era to come out. This whole album feels like the true end of the Beach Boys. They’ve moved on from surfing and girls to larger concerns about the environment and death itself. A progression the band was always working towards and became fully realized here. Bittersweet but a wonderful listen nonetheless

Brilliant album. Better than Pet Sounds in my opinion.

Stupendous

So far ahead of their time Jesus what a great album, stuff they sing about prevalent today 50 years later

This album was so fine and I LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!!! Especially the song "Looking at Tomorrow"! I'm obsessed with it

A perfect album. Good variety, plenty of tongue-in-cheek with songs like Take a Load Off Your Feet, tasteful use of synths in Long Promised Road and Student Demonstration Time, classic Beach Boys sound in tracks like Surf’s Up, but overall the album’s sound is more progressive, dynamic, and experimental while still being quite listenable.

Loved it! As always with The Beach Boys I come for the vocal harmonies, some heartfelt lyrics, and a little camp. This album delivered all that and then some. Favorite tracks were Long Promised Land, Disney Girls, Student Demonstration Time, and Surf’s Up

Love

10/10

I loved this

Probably my favorite beach boys album. Imcredibly creative song writing and melodies.

Turns out i'm a huge beach boys fan

9/10 A post Smile BB album, which means it will be uneven, maybe weird, and doesn’t have as much Brian as you’d like. Tick. But this is better than I remember - great even - and is right up with Sunflower for me in the “second best BB album” competition. Carl’s contributions are excellent, stand out songs. Second side of this album is ridiculously strong (shock horror that’s where the Brian stuff is). Best: ‘Til I Die

5/5. Absolutely amazing!!!

Alright. Ok. Ok.

Instant classic and immediately purchased on vinyl. An album I hadn't really heard of before but was awesome. It seemed more like a prog rock album which was a nice surprise given their other albums. An amazing album front to back.

excellent, and quite different from what I remember listening to at 13

Weird and wonderful

Escuché el álbum yendo al trabajo con una temperatura de 0° , no lo conocía y aún así no me dejó morir en la fría mañana de buenos aires, gracias brian wilson

My second Beach Boys record in a week and it may be weird to say, but I prefer this to Pet Sounds. It just sounds more fresh to me and less dated and this I would absolutely call a world class album.

After a brief absence, back to your regularly scheduled programmin’ (of “what’s-next?-I-don’t-know!” jammin’.) In that week off, Brian Wilson passed and this was the album that appeared on the day of his passing. It is also now my favorite Beach Boys album. A complete and total surprise. Brian Wilson, you’ll be missed — loved listening to this bizarre, aggressively political, anti-beach party Beach Boys record. “I'm a leaf on a windy day, pretty soon, I'll be blown away. How long will the wind blow? How long will the wind blow? Until I die; these things I’ll be until I die.”

Interesting sound!

Absolutely incredible album. 5/5

surprisingly not like the Beach boys I am used to. depressingly topical even after 50+ years.

Got this the day after Bryan Wilson died.

RIP Brian Wilson. Simply a great record.

Sharp, moving and glorious. Even by looking at the cover alone you can tell this record was a switch up for the Beach Boys. Even though the group wasn't led by Brian at this point in time, the music was still great and their move towards the 70's saw some great records being made, with Sunflower, Holland and Love You being some of my favorites. Surf's up is that essential switch in momentum that was needed, its political, its raw and it isn't your average sunny beach boys record, even the contrast with Sunflower is stark. Nonetheless Surf's up for me is one the greatest beach boys records, as its trying to be more artsy and meaningful. The lyrics are punchy and the instrumentation is excellent as always. Whilst songs like Don't go near the water and Lookin' at tomorrow provide some food for thought, the record has some lighter tones with songs like the soft and emotional Disney Girls. There plenty of experimentation with songs like feel flows, which is an emmaculate representation of the groups technical capabilities, even without Brian. But the main focus of this record should be the last three tracks, which is singlehandedly one of the greatest endings ever made. Each song is enough to give you the chills; they're raw, emotional and have emaculate production. I dare say the ending sequence along makes the this record worth listening. Overall this is just one of my favorite record by the beach boys as it shows they're technicality to the fullest, its versatile and heartfelt and its you at the core. One of my favorites that will be spun much much more. Favorite song: Day in the life of a tree (massive massive HM to Till I die... good lord the harmonies, also, of course, surf's up, objectively the best song on the record, I'm just biased as hell, and Disney Girls the softies). Overall score: 9,8/10

As Brian passes yesterday. This and it’s predecessor Sunflower and my 2 favourite Beach boys albums, since lived with the Feel flow release a few years ago. It’s weird as fuck, kind of low fi pop, current and environment I presume for the time, 5 Star

Jesus, (maybe-not-so-random) 1001 albums generator. The day after the death of the legendary Brian Wilson, you give me a Beach Boys album I’m entirely unfamiliar with, which contains a Brian Wilson track called ‘Til I Die. You have devastated me, and I gently applaud your sneaky reverence. About half way through Surf’s Up, I had to stop everything (all the urgent emails and work Teams chats be damned), and read the lyrics to this album as they were sung. This album is super dense, and without concentration, the whole beauty and magnitude will blow by you. Now I’m going to have to listen to the entire Beach Boys discography. Despite having loved them since childhood, I’ve pretty much only listened to the Endless Summer compilation, Pet Sounds, and Smiley Smile. Surf’s Up has shown me at even deeper level than Pet Sounds, where they were willing to take their artistry. Well done album generator. Well done Beach Boys.

God Mike Love sucks

It's not perfect but this is my favourite Beach Boys. Delightfully idiosyncratic and weird. Carl's acid drenched lyrics tickle me no end. RIP the brother Brian. What an album to get on the day of his death, have just been spinning Pet Sounds.

To be served this album the day after Brian Wilson's death was beyond amazing since this is another stone cold classic from the Boys.

The album was recommended the day after Brian Wilson died. It’s actually one of my favorite oldies bands growing up in Florida and we got to see them in concert in my teens.

Wow, I never would have guessed that the Beach Boys could sound like this. There's a sorrow behind these tracks that gives them more power than the playboy goofiness I associate with this band, and a lot more musical depth than their early outings as well. Perhaps I am influenced in my interpretation by the recent passing of Brian Wilson, but even the album art conveys a great heaviness. Favorite tracks: I liked most, but "Long Promised Road" and "'Til I Die" stood out to me.

</3 :'( brian wilson we love you!!!

the beach boys are certainly no strangers in my listening endeavors even before this list; i've already familiarized myself a bit with their album "pet sounds" (realistically who hasn't by now) and i was already looking forward to listening to this one. and holy hell, is it something else. probably a good time to review it after the recent unfortunate passing of brian wilson. the sheer aura that these white men exude is absolutely mind-blowing. even the most serious music theorists will be on their knees in shock as they listen to these harmonies. it's one thing having good songs with good instrumentation, but these guys sing at such a level that is absolutely unmatched. haunting songs of collapse, innocence and culture... it feels like standing in the ruins of a once-great cathedral, hearing echoes of a choir that’s long gone. it’s probably the most emotionally and artistically ambitious thing they ever released. on another unrelated note, can we talk about that album art? good lord.

great! would listen again

Rip Brian

Who the heck decided to put Student Demonstration Time after Disney Girls??? In fact, who decided to put Student Demonstration Time on this album AT ALL??? Not going to stop me from giving this five stars because every other track is basically perfect, especially the songs written by Brian Wilson. Rest In Peace Brian

After Pet Sounds the second masterpiece by the Beach Boys. RIP Brian Wilson.

RIP Brian Wilson

Fantastic

Kitsch, dark and beautiful. Even though others rave about the last 2 songs, Day In The Life Of A Tree moved me immensely. The album cover is exceptional.

Never heard anything besides Pet Sounds. I was pretty blown away to hear the direct influence on bands like The Pixies and Weezer. Really great album, prompts me to listen to their entire catalog.

Despite the minimal involvement of Brian Wilson, Surf's Up is one The Beach Boys greatest albums. There's enough psychedelic stuff here to remind people just great these guys here. I even liked Student Demonstration Time even though its by far the weakest track on the album. The Long Promised Road is a reminder that as a band this is a band who are able to create memorable songs that demand to be revisited. This is an album that fans of psyche will love and even if it's not your style of music this is still a collection of great songs.

Another great Beach Boys album but somewhat uneven. I feel like the B side of the album had much more cohesion with one gorgeous song after another. Definitely, a great listen. My highlights are Brian's songs near the end as well as Carl's beautiful Free Flows with the great Charles Lloyd on the flute.

זה נשמע כאילו הbeach boys נחטפו ובמקומם הביאו מוזיקאים ממש טובים שעשו beach boys בדיכאון זה כל כך טוב

The Beach Boys went psychedelic on this album. Never heard it before. I think they tried writing music criticizing what they were living at the time. “Student Protest“ was not my favorite song but the rest of the album was fine. I read somewhere that the art cover suggested the end of the band. At first glance, I thought the album would be a sad one. Still, great voices beautiful talent. 5

Loved it

A Beach Boys nerd's Beach Boys album. If you're looking for more cars and surfing, this isn't it. But it's got amazing contributions from Carl (Long Promised Road & Feel Flows) and some of the best songs Brian Wilson ever wrote ('Till I Die & Surf's Up). Mike Love's cheesy Lieber & Stoller ripoff (Student Demonstration Time) is a definite skip. This album has some of the best Beach Boys songs that most people have never heard. Rest in peace Brian.

this was just brilliant. succinct. marvellous. rest in peace brian wilson we will never look upon your like again.

A moody and psychedelic album that I happened to be assigned the day after Brian Wilson’s death. The music is filled with both longing and reflection, and despite being over 50 years old, many of its themes still feel strikingly relevant. Tracks like “’Til I Die” and “Feel Flows” carry an almost meditative weight, and the album’s climax, the magnificent “Surf’s Up,” is a true masterpiece. Even the often-criticized “Student Demonstration Time” feels eerily timely in light of the current protests in L.A. A mature, melancholic, and deeply introspective album that presents The Beach Boys at their most serious and artistic. A powerful farewell to innocence and in some ways, to Brian Wilson himself. 5/5

Idk if this was chance but i got this the day after Brian Wilson died. Simply put surfs up is the best Brian Wilson song

Очень классно, нравится.

Fitting that this popped up after the announcement of Brian Wilson's death. This is one of their best albums. Even if Student Demonstration Time is total ass it still works with the rest of the album as a whole. Surfs Up has to be one of the best closers to an album and one of the best songs in the world. And given our current climate I believe that it's more important than ever that people listen to this.

Super self aware album for the late Beach boys. This one really suprised me and I found it really good. Disney girl a highlight. Between 4-5 but thinking 5. Cool range to this album

fantastic

Rest in peace Brian Wilson got this album the day after he passed

this album was really good. this band really does have more depth than some of their happy-go-lucky songs would suggest. a stand out is “disney girls” which is such a cute song. other than that i forgot what i was gonna say because i meant to write this like 5 days ago. whoops! still a 5/5.

The last great Beach Boys album before Brain's mental health started nose diving already bad since before Pet Sounds, in the first half of the 1970s things came to a head. There would be great songs on uneven albums after Surf's Up both with The Beach Boys and as a solo artists & near great albums The Beach Boys Love You (1977) is an odd, gorgeous album that just misses being a five-star album and certainly some would strongly disagree with me & call 'Love You' the last truly great Beach Boys album but so it goes. A melancholy optimism is all over Surf's Up at times beautifully comforting and on occasion unnerving. In many ways Surf's Up can be seen as a goodbye letter to the brilliant at times overwhelming waves of youth.

Very different vibe for them

Way more melancholy than I expect a Beach Boys album to be but I really enjoyed it. When I got Pet Sounds I stupidly gave it a 4 not realizing how much I'd be going back to those songs. Even if I enjoy that album more, I'm giving this a 5 just because I really vibe with it. It's really consistent with deep messages and amazing harmonies.

It’s The Beach Boys. It’s awesome.

Know this album well. moody, heavy while lighthearted, beautiful.

I vibe with these kinda albums. Soild listen.

Don't Go Near The Water: Immediately sets the tone of the album, with a slightly darker tone compared with other Beach Boys albums. A good cautionary tale about pollution and it's effects on living. Long Promised Road: Compelling track to inspire action against the destruction of our world with an amazing chorus. Take A Load Off Your Feet: I love the mixing and singing on this track. I think this song is about keeping your roots in mind in life and to not skip on the simple things in life. Nice message. Disney Girls: A song reflecting on the nostalgia of a lost love and trying to cope with that loss, ultimately resorting to "fantasy worlds" to feel happy. Really sad song that I connect with a lot. The bridge changes to tone of the song to a childlike innocence trying to hold on to his perfect world. Highlight track of the album. Student Demonstration Time: Perfect blues track. More of a "discursive" song about protesting, with the message being avoid violence when possible, and also to call out excessive force from the government. Nice usage of a megaphone to sing. Feel Flows: An almost interlude about death Lookin' At Tomorrow (a welfare song): a song about trying to find a job and failing. I think it also makes reference to attempting suicide. A Day In The Life Of A Tree: the combination of church organ, pipe organ, poetic lyrics, tree metaphor, bird calls, choir, and venerable singing make this the Magnum Opus of Surfs Up. It made me cry so hard, honesty beautiful. This track along sums up all the concepts found in the album. 'Til I Die: A reflection on the fragility of life as it comes and goes. Surfs Up: The title track, and a playful jab at their early surf rock, saying it's "up." Signalling of a new era with a new person. Overall, a perfect album, and probably my favourite. 11/10

Holy shit. What the hell is this? Had only ever heard Pet Sounds, and while I think its a great record, always felt like it was a bit overrated. But this is something else. They go full psychadelic on this, and I love it. Listening to this felt like watching a David Lynch movie, with the sunny, clean cut American pop veneer and layers of gloom and darkness underneath. The juxtaposition of the amazing album cover with a title like Surfs Up really sums that up. Definitely planning on repeat listens. RIP to the original king of pop

This slaps, loved student demonstration time. Lots pretty unconventional harmonic parts manifested by beautiful arrangements. RIP dude

Beautiful and tragic

Not what I expected from a beach boys album. It had a slower sadder vibe to it that I really liked. Lots of little touches to really elevate it.

Hits different

1971 reveals a much more mature version of The Beach Boys then the silly surf rock they had made in the previous decade. The production is slick, the variety is immense, the songwriting is clever, and the themes are overtly ecological and political. Combine all this with a succinct runtime and striking cover art and this is a fantastic album. 5.0/5.0: Iconic

i appreciate the site creator overriding the random nature of the algorithm to push a beach boys album in honor of Brian Wilson. it was a very interesting album. i didnt realize the beach boys had music that sounded like this. i was between 4 and 5 on this but the album art pushes me over the fence to 5.

Brian Wilson passed away today. Won’t be another like him in my lifetime. Listening to this album right now at this time hits hard. Title track is a masterpiece.

I'm three songs in and here are my thoughts in order of having: 1. omg I'm a-gonna give this 5 stars the way I'd give the Shaggs 5 stars 2. this is your brain on drugs Now I'm 4 songs in and I just feel sad, kind of like the cover of this album. This sadness, melancholia if you will, remained well past the music.

Lost my rating and write up for this one unfortunately but it was a damn good album with the exception of that damn anti student protest song!

Wow! I had not heard one of these songs before, and they were all excellent. I will be getting this one on Vinyl.

First Beach Boys album I've ever listened to. I've been meaning to give this one a chance because of its reputation but also (and mostly) because of that cover. I'm not expecting is to perfectly represent the sound of the album, but it sure is a good eye-catcher. Finally listening to the band will also be bittersweet, after the passing of Brian Wilson about a month ago. So, let's go. The opener is a 60's band boy anti-pollution song, filled with nice harmonies, not too deep (but still meaningful) lyrics and a nice instrumental too! I specifically love the ending. Long Promised Road is about the disappointment that comes with realizing that everything that's been promised you about the future is not true. Love the verse, love the chorus, and love the bridge. I'm not so sure I understand what Take a Load Off Your Feet is about, but it sounds nice, has a personality, and I like it. Oh Disney Girls is really hitting! A slower song is very welcome. Again, the lyrics leave me wondering what exatcly it is about, but the singing, the harmonies, the instrumentals, it's all very lovely... My favourite so far. Next track's a blues-rock song, another welcome change in pace and genre. It's about student's riots and the violence that came with them, but also the frustration of the social issues of the time. Loved this one too. Feel Flows is another one that I connect to most in regards to the sound and not so much the lyrics (will need some time with those). Lookin' At Tomorrow is a weird almost ethereal song. Good and interesting. A Day in The Life of a Tree is beatiful. A metaphor for life and growing old.The delivery is amazing, the slow build-up and the outro are amazing... This is absolutely my favourite on the record. The next song carries on the nature-as-a-metaphor-for-life and pollution themes. While it is beautiful and successful in carrying its message, it does falter in comparison to the song before it (which should maybe have been the closer). Great nonetheless. The closer track, after which the album was named (or was it the other way around) reflects on the evolution of the band to the point at which they were then. I'm guessing the lyrics would feel more poignant if I heard every other Beach Boys albums before this one. But even now, with the small amount of information I have about them, it is successful in transmiting the feelings of someone tired of what people expect him to perform. This album was very good. I can't say it blew me away, because I was expecting something of this quality, but yeah, track after track of good instrumentals, lyrics, harmonies, and vocal performances. Did it reinvent the wheel? Maybe not, but it is an accomplishment nonetheless. Bye

While Pet Sounds is my favorite album of all time and truly Brian Wilson’s masterpiece, Sunflower, Surf’s Up, and all of the music in between represents the pinnacle of the collaboration between the members of the Beach Boys. It marks a time where they reached their potential as a group. In addition to their grand creative efforts, the themes of this album really show off what I love most about this band. If The Beatles and their music are the representation of the best of life and the world, then the Beach Boys and their music are the representation of something more human. Flawed, but redeemable. The Beatles stand so high up, they’re unreachable and it’s difficult sometimes to relate to them, but the Beach Boys are an open book. They put their struggles on display like in A Day In The Life of a Tree and ‘Til I Die, and they’ll also let you know that you can turn things around for the better, in songs like Long Promised Road and Feel Flows. There’s so much heart in their music that anyone can relate to because they went through so much themselves. There’s never been any genius like Brian Wilson. His songs will be played on forever and he will be dearly missed. Love and mercy.

RIP Brian. My personal fave masterpiece by the Boys.

I am sure I got this album today because of the sad passing of Brian. My exposure to the Beach Boys has only ever been the well known surfy songs that everyone has heard so this album took me by surprise. I thought it was great and while there were some beach boyisms in there on the whole it was a completely new and dare I say mature sound. Loved it.

It turns out I was one album behind this week. Brian Wilson just died a few days before I listened to this album. "Surf's Up" is an amazing experience. Everyone involved was brilliant, not a single dud among them. The Beach Boys are yet another band I thought were cheesy, but I ended up being wrong. 5 stars for "Surf's Up".

Love it. Is is a coincidence that this pops up the day after Brian Wilson passed away? God only knows ...

Great lyrics, didn't think I was going to like it.

Perfeito! Eu só conhecia outros álbuns do Beach Boys, e confesso que não teria conhecido esse até ser indicado aqui! Aliás, estou escrevendo essa pequena resenha um dia após a morte do Brian Wilson. Eles são aquelas bandas muito grandes, mas que precisavam ser mais divulgados, ouvidos...

Did we all get this the day after Brian’s death too?

Brian Wilson’s voice means something to me. I’ve never really known what, to be honest – I’ve just always enjoyed it, enjoyed emoting to it. He has this knack for combining moods and feelings in the most faithful way. How a song like “‘Til I Die” can feel like flying, floating and sinking all at the same time. The palpable ache to the song’s opening melancholy is a familiar feature of Brian Wilson’s songs; being inside a losing struggle to name a feeling. It’s a triumph, then, when the song arrives at its conclusion: a list of things to be grateful for. From that perspective, it’s tempting – as it is with many aspects of “Surf’s Up” – to read “‘Till I Die” as the denouement of an arc begun on Pet Sounds. If “I guess I wasn’t made for these times” is a song that peers Janus-faced backward and forward in search for sanctum, then “‘Till I Die” is accepting the here and now for what it can be. There’s a ribbon of ecological and political consciousness that runs through “Surf’s Up”; “Don’t Go Near The Water” – a song that slaps; is that Al Jardine breaking into a rap? – sets the tone, while “Feel Flows” and “A Day in the Life of a Tree” have a more spiritual, pantheistic feel to them. “Student Demonstration Time” honky tonks it’s way around the sort of subject matter history probably didn’t need the extended Wilson family’s thoughts on. Yet while it occasionally threatens to fall into cringe – while one might imagine Jim Morrison, at a push, describing “the winds of change fanned into flame”, I cannot force myself to imagine him quipping about “a new degree, the Bachelor of Bullets” – it’s just about rescued by the combined compositional talents and strong artistic sensibilities of the Beach Boys. The album’s closer, “Surf’s Up” is, simply, a flawless piece of music. Whispers, moogs, horns, glockenspiel, car keys – a sonic sculpture where each and every potential has been explored before paring it back to a fully realised form. (Unsurprisingly given its accomplishment, it took a decade to refine and record.) By the time the final minute has crashed over me – the most gorgeous, most sumptuous collapse into harmony I’ve ever heard – I’m edified, elated, wiped out and better for it. On the whole, “Surf’s Up” might be my favourite Beach Boys record. Its wobbly moments and goofy tangents don’t hamper or distract from the album’s treasures so much as work to elevate them. These are still all good songs, after all – it’s just that some of them are among the most wonderful ever recorded. Which brings me back to Brian Wilson’s voice. I suppose what it means to me now, reviewing this record in celebration of his life, and always has is something secret and specific to me. A feeling I’ll always struggle to name. Thank you, Brian.

Another remarkable album from The Beach Boys; the lyrical content is a lot darker than usual so it's a nice change of pace and they always delivery musically. Brian Wilson is stellar. Upon first listen there were songs that didn't really click with me but after a few more spins (and it kept me coming back for more) the vision became clearer. 5/5, this is an underrated classic in my book.

Great!!

Really liked it- liked how they raised awareness for how we should take care of our oceans Great themes and really meaningful lyrics ‘Dont go near the water, Don’t you think it’s sad, what happened to the water, our waters going bad’ Bit simple but good message Fav songs- long promised road, take a load off your feet, Disney girls, pretty much the whole album

good

Woulda been five stars even if Brian Wilson hadn't died this week.

Brilliant! I have a BB greatest hits album with all the surf tunes, but this one has added Grateful Dead and Stones influence (or vice versa?).

Really surprised by this album. A great listen and opened up a need to delve deeper into their catalogue.

Easy 5/5. Surf’s Up the song is an absolute sonic masterpiece.

what an interesting album! my perception of the beach boys has always been summer fun and not much else, so even just from the cover I was surprised at how dark it seemed. i never knew that the beach boys had such political songs. this is a great little album, surprisingly short but very poignant. makes me sad that it's still so relevant - these songs could have been written and recorded yesterday and that would make perfect sense. maybe one day humanity will get it together but not today. Great album

RIP Brian Wilson

This was today's album in the random 1001 album generator. The timing could not be better. RIP Brian Wilson 🖤 I've never been very familiar with The Beach Boys. For me, they've always been just a 1960's surf rock group that for some funny reason seemed to be a little bit more than that, judging by everybody's opinion on them. I knew someday I'd come across one of their works and would probably have a better perspective on them. I was surely right about it. This was anything but what I could expect. It's an album full of deeper and sometimes darker songs, with an amazing technical aspect to it. It's a great work of art that made me understand better the praise the group gets. Although some parts of it are forgettable, the album as a whole deserves attention and it's certainly a pleasant experience. -- Este foi o álbum do dia no gerador aleatório dos 1001 Albums. O timing não poderia ser melhor. Descanse em paz, Brian Wilson 🖤 Nunca fui muito familiar com Beach Boys. Pra mim, sempre foram só uma banda de surf rock dos anos 60 que, por algum motivo curioso, parecia ser um pouco mais do que isso — pelo menos, a julgar pela opinião das pessoas. Eu sabia que, em algum momento, passaria por algum trabalho deles e provavelmente entenderia melhor toda essa admiração. E eu estava certo. Este álbum foi tudo, menos o que eu esperava. É um disco cheio de músicas mais profundas e, às vezes, sombrias, com um aspecto técnico impressionante. É uma grande obra de arte que me ajudou a entender melhor os elogios que o grupo recebe. Apesar de algumas partes serem esquecíveis, o álbum como um todo merece atenção — e certamente é uma experiência agradável. 9,25/10

Astonishing timing, the day after Brian Wilson's death. Masterpiece of an album. RIP Mr. Wilson.

Rating: 4.5/5 Short Review: This is not your cousin’s Beach Boys. Surf’s Up is sunshine filtered through existential dread. Harmonies are intact, but they’re now floating above a crumbling Californian dream. It’s beautiful, fractured, and haunted by the ghost of what the ’60s thought they’d become. Favorite Track: “’Til I Die” A fragile little whisper of mortality wrapped in ocean breeze and despair. Possibly the most honest thing Wilson ever wrote. Makes you want to float away on your back and not come back. Consistency With Me: 9.3/10 This album is me if I had a sunhat, a traumatic beach memory, and a deep fear of time. Melancholy in a Hawaiian shirt. Introspective but pretending it’s just vibing. It’s like smiling politely while your inner monologue screams in lowercase cursive.

so unexpected! I loved it

Geweldig album van begin tot eind.

LOCURA DE ALBUUUMMM creo que es mi favorito hasta ahora. La vibe es inmaculada, bien psicodélico pero onda pop o rock o que se yo. Alguna que otra guitarra con wahwahwah y sintes y en general un ambiente impresionante. Pero aún así tiene una variedaddd. Ya desde Don't Go Near The Water tenía altas expectativas (aparte está lo de que venían haciendo canciones sobre surfear y ahora es tipo no vayas cerca del agua porque está contaminada). DINSEY GIRLS. Temón agshdhfh locura. Re interesante la harmonía, como en una banda de otros temas. Student Demonstration Time: un blues rock bienn distorsionado sobre student protests, muy bueno. FEEL FLOWSS amo el efecto ese de la voz medio reversed, reverb que hay como por abajo de la voz normal. Vibes de Yes a veces (osea buenísimo). Till I Die es una vibe parecida a Feel Flows, me gusta la harmonía. Me gusta que sea como una gran duda existencial y de ser pequeñísimo en el universo. SURF'S UP al final. La estructura es rarísima pero te atrapa. Amo las high notes del principio y lo de child child child. Lowkey no entiendo la letra pero bueno. Overall, albumazo, vibes inmaculadas, letras muy buenas. 9 tirando a 10 diría

I don’t want to focus on the negative, BUT I learned that you can hide songs by right-clicking on Student Demonstration Time and never having the chance of listening to it again. What an incredible album. I instantly listened to it twice this week after Brian Wilson’s passing, once in headphones and once through my beat up vinyl copy. Both sounded great in different ways. Please play Feel Flows at my funeral.

RIP Brian

I don't know if it was a coincidence this album arrived the day after Brian Wilson's death, or maybe 1001 pulled some strings. Either way, after listening to this and learning more about Wilson I felt I saw The Beach Boys as they are for the very first time--not just a golden, saccharine vision of California but the oh so complex people elegizing it. This album is strangely intense, wistful; it lands on the ears as good vibes and simultaneously betrays a much deeper current of feeling. Thanks, Brian, for everything you did.

Very nice surprise! Turns out when they stop banging on about the beach and lean into arrangement techniques beyond vocal harmonies that the Beach Boys have go some serious chops! High 4.5

An incredible album that’s spearheaded by the biggest genius in all of popular music.

One of the best. Bye Brian. Did a Beach Boys deep dive around 10 years ago after really only knowing Pet Sounds and the singles. This one stood out. Sad, magical pop music that shines. Feel Flows both sinks and floats. A special song.

Darkest beach boys album, but it is tremendous. Especially the feeling you get after listening to the last 3 songs.

Incredible. Love every song. Feel flows is so fucking good

God this album is just so good. It’s all the classics recently. Kinda half listened to some of the hits cuz beach drive. But still so good cmon.

I MISS YOU BRIAN

9.3/10

I, like many others, generated this album the day after Brian Wilson’s passing. I’ve heard it before, and am biased as a huge Brian Wilson fan. This is a fun album, contains the classic Beach Boys harmonies, but some different sounding arrangements that make this a fun listen.

Brian Wilson died yesterday so this is very timely. I had never heard this record before and there's a chance I haven't even heard any of the songs on this record. I didn't know they had anything this weird or psych sounding. I very much enjoyed it.

This record is sweet. I love kind of psych "wet" sounding elements in the music. I also really like how they kind of switch up vocals and singing throughout. The lyrics are kind of cheesy, not all of them land, but others are really cool and timely. I like this version of The Beach Boys, where they care about social issues. Feels Flows is a high point, the feet song is a low point. Either way, this is really cool and fun. I wish more records sounding like this.

Classic

I took far too long to listen to this. I couldn’t get off this wave despite drowning in the 1001 list. Everytime I got in the car, I relistened.

This one hovers between a 4 and 4.5 for me, as there are absolutely amazing songs on here, particularly both of Brian Wilson's songs, "Til I Die" and "Surf's Up," which are both two of my favorite Beach Boys songs. And several other songs are good, too, but there are a couple less substantial songs such as "Don't Go in the Water," which starts the album. However, I do feel like the album deserves 5 stars on this scale for the accomplishment of how they were able to build a cohesive, exploratory album.

RIP

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.

For sure their magnum opus. More than the sum of its parts.

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

Pet Sounds is one of my all time favorite albums, but I'll admit I haven't thoroughly explored the rest of their discography, so I wasn't sure how this would compare to the other albums I have heard. Surf's Up really clicked for me after the second listen, and while it may not be complete masterpiece status, it's still a solid 4.5 to me. And of course we round up for The Beach Boys. The flow of the album isn't perfect - at times it's as though someone is interrupting a conversation, but not in a terribly obnoxious manner. I prefer the second half of the album, which has some really gorgeous moments. Feel Flows, Surf's Up, and A Day In The Life Of A Tree are my favorites, but I also really like opener Don't Go Near The Water. My project has been on pause as I fell behind, so I didn't get an album from Brian Wilson / The Beach Boys after he passed like other users did. But I had both this and Pet Sounds in my queue already and had listened, just getting around to rating now. I'm so sad he's gone. RIP to a true creative legend and eternal inspiration for so many.

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

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

kann man gut hören

j’ai trouvé ça super

Last beach boys album was last week also on tuesday

I hear some of my favorite bands in here (MGMT, Foxygen, Beach House). I've always gravitated to Pet Sounds, but this album is spectacular with its psychedelic beachy sounds. This is when this 1001 challenge pays off - I'll be listening to this on repeat.

Top

Love it

so diferent, beatifull!

Given what I have heard from the Beach Boys and the title of the album, this was not what I expected.

This was so cool and way ahead of its time. I listen to indie music now that has an eerily similar sound.

Love this album, probably the last great beach boys album. Don’t go near the water and long promised road are great, take a load off your feet is fun. Disney girls is nice and sweet. Student demonstration time was probably my least favorite, just felt nothing like the rest of the album and was pretty bland. A day in the life of a tree and ‘til I die are wonderful. My favorite song is probably surfs up, the lyrics and feel of it are mystical.

The Beach Boys is starting to grow on me. Underrated album!

I thought the Beach Boys were little more than just singing about the ocean and relaxing on the beach, not that there's anything wrong with that, but boy did this album prove me wrong. There's an actual message behind these lyrics, and, without being too preachy, it nails the balance between message and good music. The vocals might be a bit different than usual when one thinks of the Beach Boys, but they are still bright and wonderful. This album shows that the Beach Boys aren't just a one-note band, and that they can branch out and make meaningful music.

Beach Boys are really hit and miss for me. I love them, or I hate them. This was a good one.

very cool

Great tunes! My favourite is the Long Promised Road, but all of the songs was a great surprise and experience. A bit Beatles-ish, but in a good amount. Saved to favourites.

Great Album. Great songs.

Environmental beach boys

not a bad song on this album. didn't think i'd enjoy it but i loved it Long Promised Road #1 Disney Girls and Surf's Up #2 Take A Load Off Your Feet #3 A Day In The Life Of A Tree i know my #2 and #3 are controversial but they're great lol

I didn’t know this album at all. My knowledge of the Beach Boys begins and ends with Pet Sounds. I really liked this album- it seemed so familiar. I can totally hear where Belle and Sebastian get their sound. Those Harmonies…

This album was so good! I thoroughly enjoyed all of it, even if some of the tracks were a bit strange.

I love it

This is fun and makes me smile one big smile!!

One of the better no-Brian albums, in part because it uses so much Smile material. But it also has one of my favourite Beach Boys tracks ever, Disney Girls, evokes a great sense of nostalgia while also critiquing the very same feeling. It does also have Student Demonstration March which is fucking awful sooooo

it was so cool hearing beach boys' political side! i loved it!

Probably the nearest the Beach Boys came to making a truly psychedelic album, this is simply masterful. The lyrics are more thoughtful than previously expected and cover some ecological and political themes. The usual vocal harmonies are there of course, plus there are some interesting musical textures. It's disappointing that no Dennis Wilson tracks were included as his songs were to the highlights on the previous Sunflower album. The mood is generally quite mellow with the raucous 'Student Demonstration Time' placed at the end of side one to wake you up after the gently nostalgic 'Disney Girls'. Highlights include 'Don't Go Near The Water', 'Feel Flows', 'Til I Die and the masterful title track. I also have soft spot for the humorous 'Take Good Care of Your Feet'.

tender, ecological, elegies for kindness and gentleness

My fav Beach Boys album, I know this is a controvercial take but something about these batch of songs just resonate so hard with me.

No i plazowe chlopaki sie wylosowaly, dosc troche ich albumikow przesluchalem i sa dla mnie jak hamerykanski brat blizniak beatelsow, ktory caly czas pozostaje w ich cieniu, podobna ewolucja bojsbendowego grania popowego do powazniejszych plyt juz bardziej typowo rokowych, ciekawa sprawa jest takze to, ze banda byla zalozona przez 3 braci Wilsonowych, ich kuzyna Mika i niepowiazanych krwia Ala i Brucea, wiec dosc rodzinne granie, surfs up, siedemnasty albumik studyjny, jest juz jednym z tego okresu tworczosci, gdzie cukrowe tracki ustepuja temata majacym na celu uswiadomienie sluchacza w konkretnej sprawie, a nie tylko cieszyc ucho, wiec uslyszymy tutaj songi z perspektywy fabryki tlenu, o akwenach, dziury w ziemi, biedaka bezdrobtnego, a to wszystko w rozbudowanych kompozycjach lirycznych, ktore potrafia zamienic song o drzewie w prawdziwy dramat, drwic z wlasnych korzeni surfowego popu, prawiac o poszanowaniu wody, czy o tak prozaicznych rzeczach jak zeby nie byc grubasem i dbac o zdrowie, ale nie sama strona liryczna stoi albumik, bo jednak beach boye sa znane przedewszystkim z tego co jak wygladala produkcja ich materialu, bo sami byli sobie panami produkcji, wiec albumiki wygladly tak jaki mieli koncept, wiec pisanie tutaj o instrumentalach nie ma calkowicie sensu, gdzie tak jak w tracku long promised road cala kompozycja zostala stworzona w calosci przez Carla Wilsona, liryka, instrumenty produkcja, az ciezko w to wierzyc, ze w taki sposob moglby powstawac tak zlozone kawalki, kolejnym punktem wartym uwagi jest uzycie syntezatorow w dosc innowacyjny sposob na feel flows, ostatnim elementem ktory stanowi o tym ze chlopaki z plazy to chlopaki z plazy jest wykorzystanie chorkowania i overduba do tworzenia melodii, taki poziom zgrania bandowego, to cos rzadkiego do uslyszenia, ciezko wybrac cos na dodanie plejkowe, bo takie albumy staram sie sluchac od poczatku do konca, ale gdybym mial cos dodac to chyba tytulowy surfs up, ktory swoja kompozycja przypomina mini opere z tymi ultra wysokimi wokalami i podzialem na trzy czesci 4 minutowego kawalka, bo sam albumik ma tylko 33 minuty, to ciezko znalezc tam jakiekolwiek miejsce ktore mialoby byc zapychaczem, wiec zakonczyc epicka operowa ballada jest jak najbardziej na miejscu, zazwyczaj taki kawalek bylby raczej openingiem

Concept album? Not yet! But soon...

Awesome mix, some of the best of the beach boys

I really enjoyed listening to this album. It was very moving. Besides Surf's Up, the best realized song on this album is Disney Girls (1957).

Qué buen disco. Sabía poco o casi nada acerca de los Beach Boys; ubicaba las rolas obvias con tono surf y sus tristes intentos en épocas más recientes de explotar esa nostalgia, pero no tenía noción de todo lo que pasó en medio y de todos los cambios musicales que tuvieron. De este disco en especial me gusta que ahondan de hecho casi nada en esa onda surf (sin dejarla de lado) y tampoco sobreproducen sus vocales. Por lo que leí, esto viene por la ausencia de Brian Wilson en la producción, y de hecho veo que las rolas que más me gustaron (Long Promised Road y Student Demonstration) no son de él.

Perfect.

Washed up along the shore were the hopes and dreams of a generation who had the whole world lain out in front of them. There can only be so many outlets to channel that feeling and there was music. The Beach Boys, masters of that medium, were feeling astray and washed up as well. Once preppy and cheery, basking in the glow of the sun and stylish motor vehicles they had now inhabited the listeners glaring indifference towards them as they aged. It was best depicted in what was perhaps their finest album of the 70s, Surf's Up. In a little over thirty minutes, every whimsy and eccentricity was put on display with references to passing trends and earnest attempts to commentate on society's ills. But what remains, and what would define it, is a glimpse of promise that guaranteed hope on their long road. It isn't pretty up close, yet it was never meant to be.

Love how the album art is cool but also barely contrasts with the actual album, i mean the first song kinda but the theme feels different. Beautiful album though! Standouts are long promised road, disney girls and feel flows.

First track about poop water? Instant classic.

I've never been a big BB fan, but this was a good listen. A few misses, but interestingly no huge hits. I actually didn't know any of the tunes, but enjoyed it. Not a 5, not a 'must listen' though.

Proof that the beach boys did more then the surf stuff and pet sounds that they are known for. I love that after pet sounds they went bat shit crazy and made a few weird strange odd albums ❤️ I like student demonstration time but it feels out of place and disney girls is a bit meh. All the other tracks are great though

Interesting - sounds very classic Beach Boys, but definitely has some more experimental tracks that nod toward different genres.

A departure from what I expected.

Oh yeah sip, really enjoyable. It's really interesting and not only by historics reasons. Better than I expected. Better than I expected. And it all came before the Beatles.

Really weird at first, but I got into it as it went along.

I really enjoyed the weird Beach Boys over the earlier poppy ones.