The Smiley Smile Message Board

Think about this: the Surfin Safari lp minus the song and Surfin, not really a "surf" album. Surfin USA was/is a legitimate surf album mixing in the BB vocal blend but just as real as the Surfaris and Dick Dale; then Surfer Girl which was the BB sound full force, so they really only made TWO surf albums- surfin USA & surfer girl. And likewise with hot rod rock, Little Deuce Coupe was their only "car" lp, Shut Down vol2 had ONE car cut with This car of mine. Out of all the subgenres the BBs get pigeonholed into, only one really fits: rockNroll. Right?

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im in

Who cares about genres? There's only two types of music for me; those that I'm willing to pay money to hear and those that I'm not.

How aptly named.

Really? The lion's share of the great music I've discovered in recent years hasn't cost me a red cent and I'd rather like to keep it that way. ;D

And it's nice to see Gertie back, with a new, improved signature. :=)

SURFIN' USA rates as the band's one true surf LP, sure. It established the folklore and mythology of The Beach Boys. SURFER GIRL delves into the more romantic side of the surfin' scene.  LITTLE DEUCE COUPE is perhaps the first rock & roll concept album - a look at all sides of the automotive lifestyle from cocky celebrations of speed to mournful odes of cars gone by.

 All three albums are consistently underrated by not only modern audiences but fans of the group as well. Classic Americana IMO.

 Brian moved fast in those days, and generally wasn't one to repeat himself during his peak creative years. Or after, for that matter.  


 Sometimes I think of The Beach Boys as rock & roll, sometimes not. The early guitar based stuff mentioned above certainly is, but are PET SOUNDS and SMILE ? I don't know.

True surf music, if you want to be pedantic, featured no vocals just instrumentals. So, in that instant, none of The Beach Boys albums could actually be defined as true surf music, not even Surfin USA.

Read Kent Crowley's fantastic book - Surf Beat:The Forgotten Rock'n'Roll Revolution - on the subject to understand the true meaning of the surf music genre. Fascinating tome.

Much to Brian's ultimate chagrin.  That mythology would haunt them just as much as help them for...oh...50 years.


Where, in reality, wouldn't THAT have been Brian's unique take on it because it was really less about the romance and more about just gettin' 'lucky'?


Agree 100%...even with Be True To Your School and cruisin' round the other parts of the town with the school decal on the rear window or just above the fender I would assume.  Certainly, imho, the best of the first 5 albums...and by a significant margin.  [no instrumentals/so NOT a surf album]




I don't underrate them.  And they sold well in an era where albums really weren't important.  The Beach Boys did THAT before the Beatles showed up over here.  [and afterwards ... for awhile].
Brian had a game-plan...a goal.  His father and the record company didn't agree.  Non comfrontational Brian confrontationally told them to get stuffed by doing it HIS way.  The correct way.  At least until inner rumblings pissed on the parade.
The Beach Boys have always been Rock 'n' Roll and MORE/Rock and MORE to me.  [well  at least until Summer in Paradise. and there ain't no Rock on TWGMTR]  That "mythology" or perhaps better said...Stigma...and the touring band, over the past couple of decades, putting too much emphasis on 'surfing and driving' drove 'it' home...if not further into the ground.  50 some-odd years later the Beach Boys have become cool again.  But they'll never/ever again be hip like they were for a while with Pet Sounds/Good Vibrations and again in the first half of the 70s.

It's a quantum leap from "Bom Bom Dip Dip Di Dip" to "A diamond necklace played the pawn".  Unfortunately one or two have still only pretended to 'jump'. :-X

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Wholly C R A P !!!!!  I hope I said something "new"!!!  Andrew?  Bgas?  ;)

I see Surfin Safari as a surf record, because it had vocals on top of that signature surf (almost pre-punk) instrumentals to back up the vocals. Plus, "Moon Dawg" is a really great surf instrumental.