Surfer Girl

[NC]

Great, great album. My favorite of the pre ASL LPs. This is almost a Brian solo album to my ears. That's my only qualm with the record, it seems like the boys are underused. On a couple of songs they are not present at all. Still, it's a great showcase for Bri's beautiful voice and burgeoning song-writing skills.

[I. Spaceman]

Do you feel the same way about Pet Sounds?

[NC]

Do you feel the same way about Pet Sounds?

No, I really don't. When the boys aren't used on PS, it sounds like a concious decision on Brian's part. The production still sounded fully realized. It's even used an effect at times like on "Caroline, No" - I can't imagine a group vocal on that song. On tracks like "Surfer Moon" and "Your Summer Dream" something sounds incomplete to me, like the album was a rush job (their schedules were extremely tight at the time), and they didn't have time to put them on.

[I. Spaceman]

Hmmm, I feel it was a consious decision as well, and showed an early inclination towards solo work on Brian's part.
Thanks for making me think about that!

[NC]

Hmmm, I feel it was a consious decision as well, and showed an early inclination towards solo work on Brian's part.
Thanks for making me think about that!

Couldn't Murry's hand also be in that as well? In other words, leave the other guys out and let Brian be featured. Witness also the solo outings on the Christmas LP as well. I think his voice was beautiful, so I don't mind. It just puzzles me at times. I think on a lot of those ballads he was going for an almost pop standard sound, not a group, R&B thing.

 

[I. Spaceman]

You are probably right. If so, I don't mind, I love it, gives a change of pace to those LP's. Excellent thoughts.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Surfer Girl starts off so great. First, you have the title track, which is freakin’ incredible. But then they follow that with Catch a Wave, which is another masterpiece. And then…The Surfer Moon. Good lord, this is a great album. South Bay Surfer? Oh yeah, I’m still digging. Sizing up to be the greatest album ever. Little Deuce Coupe?!?! In My Room?!? Hawaii?!? Your Summer Dream?!?! Forget Today and Summer Days, this album is a certified masterwork, and so early in their career. I can’t get over the amount of quality work found on this record. Amazing.

[mikee]

I love "Surfer Moon".  I feel fairly certain that it is based on (and largely a a re-make of) Patti Page's 1957 hit "Cape Cod" written by Claire Rothrock, Milt Yakus, and Allan Jeffrey.  If you assume that, it is interesting to see what Brian (and I don't know but possibly also Murry to some extent) did with it - using what in essence, was some neighborhood kids in a garage band (albeit with some fame now) as the core element.     
.   

[Magic Transistor Radio]

The best stuff on this album is mind blowing for 1963. On the 'I Wasnt Made For These Times' documentary, Crosby of CS&N and the Byrds said that when he heard 'In My Room' he knew that Brian was ahead of everyone else in pop music.

[noname]

I wish I could wtite one song in my life that is half as cool as IN MY ROOM. Imagine that this album had the ballads off of Today instead of the the weaker tracks. Then it would be among the best albums ever. Brian's voice in Hawaii is amazing. Does anyone here prefer the 1967 Hawaii rehearsals of Surfer Girl compared to the original??? i do..

[mikeyj]

The best stuff on this album is mind blowing for 1963. On the 'I Wasnt Made For These Times' documentary, Crosby of CS&N and the Byrds said that when he heard 'In My Room' he knew that Brian was ahead of everyone else in pop music.

It was funny how he wasn't sure if it was after/before Pet Sounds But clearly showed Brian's talent in writing songs in that vein.

Anyway, some great songs on this album. Surfer Girl, Surfer Moon, Little Deuce Coupe, Catch A Wave, In My Room, Hawaii and Your Summer Dream. All GREAT songs, I give it a 4.5 which means a 5, the first great album from the boys (or brian - whichever way you want to look at it) and truly showed Brians talents beginning to emerge to a big extent.

[elnombre]

Great album - only the hardiest shoegazer wouldn't find something to like here. Extremely listenable, and yeah, a great sign of things to come. 'In My Room' is one of my favorite songs of all time, and 'Catch A Wave' is the Beach Boys best surfing song for my money. The title track is one of their best harmony vocals too. Brilliant stuff.

[lance]

I like it all, especially the ballads. I do wish that on certain songs the backing tracks were a bit louder. Song for song it was definitely their best album to date and remained their best until All Summer Long. Great stuff. I'll give it a four.

[Poprocks]

Jeez, do we have enough songs with "surf" somewhere in the title or what... This album is so unbelievably charming.  Too bad for the filler.  3 stars.

Track picks:  In My Room (+++), Surfer Girl (+++), Surfer Moon (++), Catch a Wave (+)

[LetHimRun]

4. Shy of a 5 because the filler is not that good at all.

Surfer Girl, Catch a Wave, Surfer Moon, Little Deuce Coupe, In My Room, Hawaii, and Your Summer Dream are fantastic while South Bay Surfer is horrid. Also two more instrumental that I'm not fond of. Our Car Club and Surfer's Rule (love the shout out to the Four Seasons) are decent.

5/5 Surfer Girl
4.5/5 Catch a Wave
4/5 Surfer Moon
2/5 South Bay Surfer
3/5 Rocking Surfer
5/5 LDC
5/5 In My Room
5/5 Hawaii
3/4 Surfer's Rule
3.5/5 Our Car Club
5/5 Your Summer Dream
3/5 Boogie Woodie

[mikes beard]

The first classic Beach Boys album.  The guys had really found their feet by this point and were making timeless music. "In my Room, Surfer Girl, Catch a Wave", all brilliant. Vocal wise they really started playing to each others strenghs, Mike for the up tempo rockers, Brian for the pretty ballads.  Minus the two car songs this would have been as much a "Surf"concept album as "Deuce Coupe" was a "Hotrod" one.

[DefMode66]

Surfer Girl is the full album in which Brian was in total control of production. The 3rd album in two years is the first sign that the Beach Boys are more than just a fad! Surfer Girl peaked at #7 on the charts and had a 56 week stay on the charts. Hawaii, Lil Deuce Coup, Surfer Girl, Catch a Wave and In My Room (Gary Usher) were strong enough to carry Surfer Girl to be considered a great album which it was!   

[Nicko]

The first genuinely good BBs album imo and thankfully Brian (or Capitol) had completely overcome the aversion towards slow songs by this point. Some of the groups most beautiful ballads are present here along with concert stalwarts like Little Deuce Coupe, Hawaii and Catch a Wave. Just unfortunate that South Bay Surfer is so obviously filler and Boogie Woodie is a really weak way to end the album.

3 1/2 out of 5.

[Paul]

Surfer Girl is the classic of their early albums, better even (IMO) than All Summer Long.  For it's time (1963) and place (the pre-Kennedy assassination music world of the good ol' USA, So. Cal variety) this is a mind blowingly fantastic - and consistent - album.   I'd go as far as to say there isn't any filler on this album.   Every track is enjoyable (though yes,  some of them may be "light weight", but I will argue they are light weight in the best sense of the term and they work perfectly within the album as a whole).    The flow of this album is also excellent (IMO).    So, can you tell I really like this album yet?
I've always wished the band could've made a movie, (but a good one - the American Hard Days Night) and Surfer Girl would have been the perfect soundtrack.   
Totally an under appreciated album.   It's the quintessential Beach Boys album from their "surfer years".