Surf's Up

Not familiar with this album, but really enjoyed it, different from pet sounds, but second best beach boys album Iv heard

I listened several times and it just isn't clicking. Disney Girls is the only one that caught my attention each time I listened. A lot of these songs sound like less-weird outtakes from Smile. It's not bad, I just don't think I'll be revisiting. Feel Flows and Lookin' At Tomorrow were both decent. Moving on.

This will be my third Beach Boys record review (the first one being Brian Wilson's solo album, Smile). This will also be the highest rated of them to date. This album continues the path taken by the band in Pet Sounds, towards a more psychadelic sound, and also sees Brian more and more removed from the band due to his mental health issues. Brian only sings on 4 songs on this record, and wrote the last 3.

The band was taking a new socially conscious directions, as heard in songs such as Student Demonstration Time (a song about the Vietnam War), as well as environmental numbers Don't Go Near The Water, and A Day in the Life of a Tree (songs about pollution, and the damages it is causing the Earth). They also randomly have a song about feet (Take a Load Off Your Feet).

There was a documentary that was put out after their album Pet Sounds came out. In the documentary, they are interviewing Brian, and he plays an excerpt from a song he was working on. That song was Surf's Up. Fans heard it, and waited 5 years, and 6 albums before finally hearing the completed song. The only reason it was completed was because Beach Boys co-manager Jack Rieley made Brian finish the song.

The album cover is a beautiful painting based on an early 20th century sculpture called End of the Trail. It depicts a warrior on horseback who appears to be mortally wounded.

Overall, an odd helping of the Beach Boys today. Nothing like their traditional surfer rock at all, and very experimental. They played everything from psychadelica to folk to blues. I think that this departure from the surfer rock persona, along with Brian's wailing vocals taking kind of a backseat is why this album resonated more with me.

Favourite songs: Student Demonstration Time, Disney Girls, Don't Go Near the Water, Take a Load Off Your Feet, A Day in the Life of a Tree

Least favourite songs: Feel Flows, Surf's Up

4/5

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.

Lo siento otra vez, pero me he aburrido. Excepto "Long promised road" nada me ha llamado la atención. Entiendo que después de 16 discos anteriores no quedaba mucha magia por vender.

Dit zijn de albums waar ik bang voor was toen ik aan de 1001 begon...Ik kan niets bedenken wat ik hier nou goed aan vind....

Does not sound like classic beach boys, a bit darker and less intensely happy. The focus on environmentalism was way ahead of its time, but the music is more dated. I hope and expect to see more of their albums, and reckon I will enjoy them much more.

Not good. I LOVE earlier Beach Boys, but really feel they were lacking after BW's breakdown. 2/5

I enjoy The Beach Boys but don't think I've ever listened to this one. I dug it a lot though. The cover art is fantastic and quite different for them. The psych pop elements are really great.

It's like someone put The Beach Boys in a blender, then baked it. Love the texture.

I like the Beach Boys, but found this album odd. I ended up putting Pet Sounds on afterwards to recalibrate myself.