Surf's Up

[pixletwin]

=A Day In The Life.......I LOVE IT....can't get enough listens.....beautiful sound painting of a tree...

Thats funny because I always thought it was a beautiful metaphor for Brian's degenerating condition.

[Luther]

=A Day In The Life.......I LOVE IT....can't get enough listens.....beautiful sound painting of a tree...

Thats funny because I always thought it was a beautiful metaphor for Brian's degenerating condition.

That is how most people interpret it. But remember, it's a Rieley lyric. Brian's condition may be more in our heads than the writer's intent. (but maybe not. ask Rieley.)

[pixletwin]

=A Day In The Life.......I LOVE IT....can't get enough listens.....beautiful sound painting of a tree...

Thats funny because I always thought it was a beautiful metaphor for Brian's degenerating condition.

That is how most people interpret it. But remember, it's a Rieley lyric. Brian's condition may be more in our heads than the writer's intent. (but maybe not. ask Rieley.)

Oh I know... Mozart didn't write any of his librettos but don't you think he identified with the music enough to put a bit of himself into it? In any case I think Brian had to have seen the application and maybe thats why he was so drawn to it?

The first time I heard the song I thought it was post 76 Brian singing and in light of how so many of his songs where self fullfilled prophecies (like I Just Wasn't Made For These Times) its kinda funny that at the time it was recorded he still possessed most of his boyish sweetness. But he gave the lyric to Jack to sing with his whispy/breathy voice.

I love that song on so many levels. 

[noname]

Where, may I ask, did you hear a post 76 Brian singing that...? I'm intrigued.....I also know what you mean when you used the librettos analogy, and agree.... Still, more or less, it is a sound painting of a tree....

[pixletwin]

Where, may I ask, did you hear a post 76 Brian singing that...? I'm intrigued.....I also know what you mean when you used the librettos analogy, and agree.... Still, more or less, it is a sound painting of a tree....

I didn't. I meant that in my ignorance I used to think the Riley vocals were Brians post blown-out vocals (which I later learned where a post 1975 developement). 

[Luther]

When I first heard it, I assumed it was Brian, too. The Sunflower/Surf's Up twofer was my ... third? Beach Boys album (Pet Sounds, Smiley Smile), and since I had heard so little and knew from stories he had been deteriorating, I just didn't know otherwise. I figured, 'wow, that's him now.' I was disappointed to realize it was Reiley.

 

[pixletwin]

Yeah me too... Then I heard about Riley and thought "maybe thats brian on tag at the fade out" only to find out thats its Al. SIGH 

[Alex]

Don't Go Near The Water-despite the corny lyrics, I actually like this song-the toothpaste and bubble bath verse is catchy, and the ending is absolutley beautiful

Long Promised Road-One of the best songs Carl ever wrote. Some people talk about how bad Jack Reiley's lyrics are, but I love them. Sure, Reiley's no VDP, but was certainly better at writing lyrics than Mike Love.

Take A Load Off Your Feet-silly little pop tune-lightens the mood of the record-kind of like Surf's Up's equivalent to Vega-tables.

Disney Girls-I like the group harmony on the old time dances part, but its way too cheesy for me, in the alternate universe that exists only inside my head, 4th of July takes the place of this song.

Student Demonstration Time-utter crap-goshdarn you Mike Love. Replaced by Sound of Free in my alternate universe.

Feel friggin' brilliant! Another great Carl song. Again, what is so wrong with Jack Reiley's lyrics?

Lookin' at Tomorrow-I often skip this track, but I do love the flanger effect Desper used on Al's voice.

A Day In The Life of A Tree-Good song, even if Reiley can't sing for beans.

'Til I Die-Yet another Brian Wilson masterpiece.

Surf's Up-Great song. I'm glad Carl finished the song and that it was finally released.


In the alternate universe inside my head, SMiLE came out in '67, and Surf's Up was included.
The Surf's Up album came out as Landlocked, with the following tracklisting:
Don't Go Near The Water
Lady (Fallin' In Love)
Long Promised Road
Take A Load Off Your Feet
Fourth of July
Sound of Free
Feel Flows
Lookin' At Tomorrow
Big Sur
A Day In The Life Of A Tree
'Til I Die
Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again

I think I'm going to make a mix cd with these tracks-going to use the Adam Marsland version of Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again since the Dennis version has never even been booted.

[lance]

I like it. I would have put 4th of July as the opening track. I will give it 5/5, though really more like 4.5. The good songs are great, and even SDT doesn't bother me that much in context, forced and unoriginal though it be. Not as good as Sunflower, or at least I don't like it as much, but holds together perhaps even better.

[Wrightfan]

Four. Some amazing songs with some bad ones.

Best to worst:
'Til I Die
Surf's Up (Could've been produced much better. The drone organ in the right channel...who the hell thought that was a good idea? It drowns out Brian's original backing track!)
Feel Flows
Long Promised Road
Disney Girls (1957)
Don't Go Near the Water
A Day In The Life Of A Tree
Take A Load Off Your Feet
Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)
Student Demonstartion Time (Just horrid. Can't even listen to it.)

[TimeToGetAlone]

Surf's Up is an interesting album.  It has arguably my favorite song on it ('Til I Die), and a string of other good songs.  SDT is too generic to be horrible, but it's VERY generic and that's never what attracted to the Beach Boys.  I would never let that song get in the way of enjoying the album though.  I can just imagine what it would have been like with the Dennis songs on it.

Don't Go Near The Water - 4.5/5
Long Promised Road - 4.5/5
Take A Load Off Your Feet - 4/5
Disney Girls (1957) - 4.5/5
Student Demonstration Time - 2/5
Feel Flows - 5/5
Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) - 3.5/5
A Day In The Life Of A Tree - 4.5/5
'Til I Die - 5/5
Surf's Up - 5/5

That'll round to an easy 4.

[Poprocks]

Jeez, this album is terrific.  But I just can't give it the same score as Sounds, Smiley or Love You.  Damn you, SDT and DGNTW, for bringing this score down.

4.5, but it's a low 4.5, so 4.

Track picks:  Surf's Up (+++), 'Til I Die (+++), ADITLOAT (+++), TALOYF (++), Feel Flows (++), Disney Girls (++), Long Promised Road (++)

[phirnis]

What's wrong with Don't Go Near The Water? When I first discovered the Surf's Up album, that song was an instant highlight for me. Just like Take A Load, it adds something quirky to an otherwise very serious record and the group's vocal tag is just amazingly beautiful (it always reminds me of Friends, the song).

[Aegir]

Don't Go Near the Water is amazing! I listened to it like 25 times in a row a few weeks ago. I especially love what's happening musically under Al's "toothpaste and soap" part.

[Luther]

I love it, too. Ditto for "Feet." They're silly takes on somewhat serious subject matter (at least "water" is serious subject matter...although podiatrists might say both are serious), and I suppose that rubs certain people the wrong way. But I think they're clever, fun and really, really good performances. To a certain extent, they're what makes me disappointed in how long it's taken Al to get anything new released, and that now that he's about to, it's barely new. These, along with some other material of his from the late 60s and early 70s, show that he's got a lot of great ideas and doesn't have to revert to remakes and cliched "folk" takes on things.

[Poprocks]

OK OK I originally just had "damn you SDT" but added DGNTW... I knew I'd have to answer for that

But it goes without saying that DGNTW is MUCH better than SDT.  I like the music.  And I like the way it opens with a water song when Sunflower closes with one.  It's just that some of the lyrics of DGNTW make me cringe.

I'm glad we agree on Feet though, that song is awesome

[lance]

I hear ya, I like DGNTW and I don't mind the lyrics at all, but there's something about that seems slight--I think it's the bridge that bothers me, although normally I think Jardine's a great singer, I think he kind of overdid it, it sounds like Mick Jones of the Clash or something.

[axl wills]

The  first lp I bought from the boys.That's  a bland album but still has it's powerful moments(the BW ending trilogy)
Hope I could live enough time to hear"Wouldn't be nice to live again"!
That's the beautiful cover of the band.(along with holland)

[Luther]

Bland? Best BBs album of the 70s, in my opinion. (Love You may be better, but it's hard to think of such a Brian-dominated project as a Beach Boys album, especially considering they'd proved they could be such strong contributors by then.) More consistently good than Sunflower, less "oooh, we're serious" than Holland and miles above the other releases of that decade.

[Domino]

I think this album is very different from other beach boys album in a way, It's serious and I get a special feeling from songs like Lookin' at Tomorrow and A Day in the Life of a Tree(a question: does Brian sing any words on it?).

It also contains the best songs Carl and Bruce have written, Al is better than ever and Brian have his last masterpice(til I die) and greatest masterpiece(surf's up) on it. Great album!