Surf's Up

[JL]

Don't Go Near The Water: Catchy, and I love the ending (reminds me of Little Pad from Smiley Smile and that era of the group in general), but I can't help but find it a little...unintentionally funny. The lyrics are a bit too simple to be effective, and when Al Jardine comes in singing so passionately about toothpaste, soap and ocean bubble baths, it makes me chuckle. But I guess it's charming, in a way.

Long Promised Road: Beautiful, but this time the lyrics are a bit too cryptic. I like "So hard to answer future's riddle when ahead is seeming so far behind/So hard to laugh a childlike giggle when the tears start to torture my mind", but "So hard to lift the jeweled scepter/When the weight turns a smile to a frown/So hard to drink of passion nectar/When the taste of life's holding me down...not so much. Carl's voice is great though and the bridge is a highlight of the album.

Take A Load Off Your Feet: Pretty weird, but pretty neat.

Disney Girls: I think it's gorgeous, but syrupy, lovely but overproduced at times. I actually like how this sounds with just piano. Next to Deirdre this is my favorite Bruce song.

STD: Not my cup of tea, but not bad. It is loud and dated as noted before, but entertaining nonetheless.

Feel Flows: Like Long Promised Road, the lyrics here are cryptic and confusing, but I actually like them, they give the song a sci-fi type of feeling. The solo in the middle of the song goes on too long, but overall I love the structure of the song and the vocals are perfect.

Lookin' At Tomorrow: A quieter, sad song. Not my favorite on the album, but I enjoy the line "I've been laying on my back/Like a freight train off a track". Pretty good stuff from Al.

A Day In The Life Of A Tree: I've heard that some people hate this song, and others love it. I'm on the "love" side, but the lead vocal from Jack Reilly can be painful to listen to. That's what's supposed to add to the song though, I suppose. The lyrics and overall concept are brilliant.

Til' I Die: Haunting, brilliant, amazing. What else can I say that hasn't already been said? I also enjoy the Stephen Desper mix of this song, maybe even more than the original.

Surf's Up: See above. Leave it to Brian to steal the show with the last 3 songs on an already fairly strong album while he was going through some issues. Carl's lead vocals work just fine in the first half, but I think this is a song that is just meant for Brian's voice, and when he takes over the song just goes to another level. His delivery is warm but haunting. Like Disney Girls, I love the piano only demo of this song with Brian. Maybe the boys didn't 'have' to dig up this song and name the album after it, but I'm sure glad that they did.

Overall, I'd give Surf's Up a 4/5.

[JK]

Take a Load Off Your Feet is an awful song about subject matter that doesn't even warrant a song being made about it.

Aww. Sorry but I can't resist this. I realize "Feet" is not to everyone's liking (and goodness knows I'm no fan of feet in real life) but I think it's a sweet song. And, I'm still on the lookout for avocado cream. So shoot me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gkuwXTh-Jw

[Danny White]

Anybody out there have Studio locations at Sunset Sound for Surfs Up? Thanks, Danny

[Julia]

Let my epitaph read: she loved SMiLE too much, SU'71 too little, and for this she was tarred and feathered 

I gave it another earnest try and if anything my opinion has decreased (the feigned outrage and nastiness of the EH crowd when I reivewed the album there only furthers my negative association with the album). I wish I could hear what everyone else seems to hear with this one. I don't know how any album with SDT and Feet can be held up as such an unquestionable masterpiece and I wonder if this album's reputation didn't precede it, if reviews might be more middling. Like Sgt Pepper though, it feels like boomer nostalgia means this album will always be graded on a curve until no one is left alive who heard it on original release--IE, unbiased fresh ears who will determine if it really stands the test of time.