The Smiley Smile Message Board

So, Dr. Voldelabra had a great idea on the last one, and thought it would be cool if we give a little reasoning behind how we rank the tracks the way we do. So, let's give that a shot this time!

I really like this album. A lot of really beautiful stuff started to gush out of Brian.

12. Boogie Woodie - Doesn't really do much for me. Same old instrumental stuff.
11. The Rocking Surfer - Same as above, just slightly better for me.
10. South Bay Surfer - This song just sounds really corny to me.
9. Surfer's Rule - I really like Dennis' vocals on this one!
8. Our Car Club - Really great song, it just belongs on Little Deuce Coupe that's all.
7. Little Deuce Coupe - Same as above.
6. Catch A Wave - Classic Beach Boys. Really catchy song!
5. Hawaii - I really love Brian's falsetto on this one. Always stuck in my head.
4. The Surfer Moon - Really nice song. Really nice harmony. Sounds difficult to sing some of those words the way Brian does.
3. Your Summer Dream - I really love this song. I love that guitar sound.
2. In My Room - The whole story behind this song is just so beautiful. With just the Wilson's singing in the beginning like they used to, wow. When everyone comes together, it blows me away.
1. Surfer Girl - Really close between this and In My Room for me, but just something about this one that will be one of their all time greats forever. I love it all.

1. Little Deuce Coupe - one of the greatest Beach Boys songs
2. Surfer Girl
3. Catch A Wave
4. In My Room
5. Your Summer Dream
6. The Surfer Moon
7. Hawaii - though I envision Kermit the frog singing the verses, Brian's chorus falsetto makes up for it.
8. Our Car Club - "Jackets on wherever we cruise" melody is genius.
9. Surfer's Rule - the coda is great, a nod to The Four Seasons
10. South Bay Surfer - Better than Surfing down the Swannee - but not by much
11. Boogie Woodie - I really dig this instrumental, but it's not as good as the other tracks.
12. The Rocking Surfer

Difficult list to make!

This album has so many 'classic' Beach Boys tracks. About 3/4ths of a perfect fun album. Not a huge fan of my bottom four and usually skip them.

1. Surfer Girl - this is perfection.
2. In My Room - Harmonies wash over you - emotional track.
3. Hawaii - I like Brian's falsetto and the way the track chugs along. Mike sounds like Dennis.
4. The Surfer Moon (Mono Version!) - Stereo version is partially rechanneled. Nice blend of Brians.
5. Little Deuce Coupe - Classic, their best car song up to this point. Clever Mike lyrics.
6. Your Summer Dream - Bit of a rehash but very pretty and serene.
7. Catch A Wave
8. Our Car Club - Some very inventive changes here.
9. Surfers Rule
10. South Bay Surfer
11. Boogie Woodie
12. The Rocking Surfer

1. Surfer Girl
2. In My Room - The first two are really close but "Surfer Girl" gets the top spot, at least at the moment
3. Catch A Wave - Great song with a great hook
4. Little Deuce Coupe - I liked it when I was young but later felt it was the worst of the Endless Summer tracks.  Now I'm back to liking it again.
5. Hawaii - The falsetto's a little shrill on this one but it's still a great tune
6. The Surfer Moon -The best of the weak tracks on the album.  To me, there's a drop in quality between those listed above to those from here down.
7. Boogie Woodie - Almost embarassingly simplistic compared to the rest of the album but I think this one has some real charm.
5. Your Summer Dream - Definitely getting into the weakest tracks but Brian's vocal puts this above the remaining ones.
9. Surfer's Rule - This and the next two don't do anything for me but certainly aren't dreadful.
10. Our Car Club
11. The Rocking Surfer
12. South Bay Surfer - This one is.  Especially compared to the rest of the album.

1. In My Room - Absolutely Gorgeous
2. Surfer Girl
3. Catch A Wave - Great Track, and better than Sidewalk Surfin'
4. Hawaii
5. Your Summer Dream
6. Little Deuce Coupe
7. Our Car Club - Love The Horn Arrangement
8. Surfer's Rule
9. The Surfer Moon
10. Boogie Woodie
11. The Rocking Surfer
12. South Bay Surfer

1.  Surfer Girl
2.  In My Room
3.  Little Deuce Coupe
4.  The Surfer Moon
5.  Catch a Wave
6.  Our Car Club
7.  Your Summer Dream
8.  Hawaii
9.  Surfers Rule
10.  Boogie Woodie
11. The Rocking Surfer
12.  South Bay Surfer

1. In My Room
2. Surfer Girl
3. Catch a Wave
4. Your Summer Dream
5. Little Deuce Coupe
6. The Surfer Moon
7. Our Car Club
8. Hawaii
9. Surfers Rule
10. Boogie Woodie
11. The Rocking Surfer
12. South Bay Surfer

The Surfer Moon
Surfer Girl
In My Room
Little Deuce Coupe
Our Car Club
Catch A Wave
Your Summer Dream
Hawaii

Surfers Rule

The Rocking Surfer
Boogie Woodie
South Bay Surfer

Surfer Girl
In My Room
Your Summer Dream
The Surfer Moon
Hawaii
Catch A Wave
Little Deuce Coupe

Our Car Club
Surfer's Rule

Boogie Woodie
The Rocking Surfer
South Bay Surfer

The first 7 tracks are definitely among the best early Beach Boys songs.

Your Summer Dream - One of the most beautiful pre Pet Sounds songs.
Catch a Wave - My favorite song they did about surfing. Well produced.
The Rocking Surfer - Great instrumental, organ based instead of guitar.
Surfer Girl - Classic, I like the tune better then In My Room
In My Room - Classic, I like the lyrics better then Surfer Girl
Our Car Club - Groovin
Surfer Moon - Beautiful tune
Boogie Woodie - A nice instrumental
Little Douce Coupe - Meh
Hawaii - Meh

I told myself this would be easier with albums that I liked more, but nop, not possible. I can almost never make lists like this, in fact.

1. In My Room
2. Your Summer Dream
3. Surfer Girl
4. The Surfer Moon
5. Catch A Wave
6. Our Car Club
7. Little Deuce Coupe
8. Hawaii
9. The Rocking Surfer
10. Surfers Rule
11. South Bay Surfer
12. Boogie Woodie

A significant stepup from the first two albums IMO.  This and All Summer Long comprise the most consistent works of their early years IMO (what I'd consider to be 1961-1964).  The vocals continute to get stronger and most of the songs are quite strong and well-realized.

The best songs here have a lushness missing from the earlier stuff. The worst simply don't have much substance. I like Surfin USA better as an LP but there is plenty of progress being made. I find the instrumentals here far weaker than on the last LP and I think South Bay Surfer is simply silly.
1. In My Room
2. Catch A Wave
3. Our Car Club
4. Little Deuce Coupe
5. Surfer Girl
6. Hawaii
7. The Surfer Moon
8. Your Summer Dream
9. Surfers Rule
10. Boogie Woodie
11. The Rocking Surfer
12. South Bay Surfer
 

I love this album.

1. Surfer Girl
2. In My Room
3. Catch A Wave
4. Little Deuce Coupe
5. Your Summer Dream
6. Surfer's Rule
7. Our Car Club
8. Hawaii
9. The Surfer Moon
10. The Rocking Surfer
11. Boogie Woodie
12. South Bay Surfer

Me too, man. This was NOT easy!

1. Your Summer Dream - In my top 10. Great atmosphere. Beautiful chord changes and melody and lyrics.
2. In My Room - One of BW's best song ideas in his whole career.
3. Surfer Moon - Lovely lyrics and vocals.
4. Hawaii - Pretty kick ass.
5. Catch A Wave - Cool hook and trade-off between Brian and Mike.
6. Our Car Club - Fuckin awesome drums and bass groove.
7. Surfer Girl - A classic of course. But also a less than thrilling composition, really.
8. Little Deuce Coupe - Same as 7.
9. Surfer's Rule - Kick ass in the same way that "Catch A Wave" is. Love the hook and the fade.
10. South Bay Surfer - A jacked melody, but a fun track.
11. The Rocking Surfer - The instrumentals are an improvement over previous album, as somebody said. They're starting to get more to my taste.
12. Boogie Woodie - Lowest rated, but I still dig it.

Al wasn't on the single session for Surfer Girl/LDC...he is on some of the Surfer Girl album tracks. Brian plays bass (and piano) on the track LDC.

Six utter classics:

1. In My Room- interestingly, chosen by John Cale as one of his Desert Island Discs
2. Little Deuce Coupe- one of the best Beach Boys singles, for reasons I can't explain. Breezy.
3. Catch A Wave- excellent harp work. Could be a different band from the previous album.
4. Surfer Moon- Brian would have held his own in the twenties and thirties.
5. Surfer Girl- loses points for a faint hint of sentimentality
6. Hawaii- Poor Mike, full of cold, no wonder he wanted to go straight to Hawaii.

Four really great non-classics:

7. Our Car Club. Fascinating. Did this kind of thing really happen? Oh, good playin' too.
8. Your Summer Dream. Too easy to take tracks like this for granted
9. It's a genuine fact that Surfers Rule is the 9th best song on the album.
10. Boogie Woodie- really shows off Brian's versatility. This really is an amazing album.

Then there's
11. The Rocking Surfer- not an especially rockin' track
12. South Bay Surfer- the album's only dud, the album's only borrowed tune (I think).

You can do it!
I always feel dirty, and ashamed, and I usually can't sleep that night, but it's possible!

1. In My Room - The song that started everything for me. Brian often says Surfer Girl's the most spiritual song he ever wrote, clearly he hasn't heard In My Room  ;D
2. Surfer Girl - Absolutely gorgeous. Because of this song, I discard all of my little song recordings and whatnot as not being "real songs" because I hold onto this crazy notion of hope in my head that it's possible to have your first song be a masterpiece. Yeah right :lol
3. Catch a Wave - Does the harp work without a hitch? I can't say it does, but there's a wide eyed ambition and enthusiasm behind this track that I soak up and bathe in (it makes me smell like a grade-a piece of raw kick-ass (don't ask me what raw kick-ass smells like)).
4. The Surfer Moon - Pretty lead vox, nice strings even though the arrangement is less Brian Wilson and more Dick Reynolds, but hay, it's growth, I dig it, hakuna matata.
5. Little Deuce Coupe - I GOT THE PINK-SLIP DADDY is the hook of the century.
7. Our Car Club - Dat rhythm, dat syncopation, dat ass little bit of feedback at 1:41 makes me laugh cos I imagine it being a lame sound effect for a car zipping off in a Disney movie or something, I wouldn't trade it for a clean version though, 's'all part of the charm y'know.
6. Your Summer Dream - On any other album I'd like this a lot, but there's one classic oldies ballad too many here on Surfer Girl, and while the other three have a lot of character, this kinda blends into the background a bit. Kinda reminds me of Keep An Eye on Summer... I think I like this one more, but idk, imo, jsyk, afk etc.
9. Surfer's Rule - Big and dumb, but I like big and dumb sometimes.
8. Hawaii - Not much gusto for this one. I like it enough, it's got its hooks, but the vocals are really rough, even Brian's's's's's.
10. The Rocking Surfer - I'm usually not a mono purist, but holy hell, this comparatively slays when it's not in stereo. I like it over a lot of the other instrumentals from the early era, largely due to the prominence of the organ which makes it an interesting rarity.
11. Boogie Woodie - HAHAHAHAHAHA, HOLY HELL, ~THE THE GREATEST PLAY ON WORDS EVER~.
12. South Bay Surfer - I like this one when I speed it up 250% and listen to it Alvin and the Chipmunks style.

Surfer Girl
Catch a Wave
In My Room
Hawaii
The Surfer Moon
Little Deuce Coupe
The Rocking Surfer

Your Summer Dream
South Bay Surfer

Our Car Club
Surfers Rule
Boogie Woodie

Probably my favorite album from the early days!

Surfer Girl is currently in my list of top 5 favorite Beach Boys albums.

1. Surfer Girl - I listen to this track more than any other song from this album. Brian's beautiful lead vocal and soaring falsetto really takes this wonderful melody to another level.
2. In My Room - I love this track just as much as any other, but most of the time I find myself wanting to listen to this track when I'm in a certain mood.
3. Catch a Wave - The rocking energy of this track makes it my favorite "surf rock" track that the Beach Boys ever did (at least what I consider to be surf rock. A lot of people define it differently)
4. Little Deuce Coupe - One of the Boys' greatest car songs. I'd rank Fun Fun Fun and I Get Around higher, but this one is up there too.
5. The Surfer Moon - Wonderful melody and production.
6. Hawaii - I'm not crazy about the lyrics, but it rocks.
7. Your Summer Dream - A whimsical track, I like the lyrics a lot
8. The Rocking Surfer - A neat little instrumental, but it's nothing too special.
9. Boogie Woodie - See number 8.
10. Surfers Rule - I like hearing the Beach Boys taunt the Four Seasons at the end of this track.
11. South Bay Surfer - eh.
12. Our Car Club - not one of my favorite car tunes, but it's passable on this album.

I find it hard to do these rank the tracks lists. All I'll say is that it always amazes me how it took me so long to recognize how remarkable Your Summer Dream is. Most of this album is great, though.

That song is incredible!

A+
1. Catch A Wave - one of the most joyful of the earlier songs, the chord change to F major in the chorus is my favorite compositional moment on the record
2. In My Room - iconic and timeless - the pinnacle of the BW/GU songs. Whereas the Safari songs are merely juvenile (albeit loved, HUGELY, by me), this one is child prodigy kind of stuff

A
3. Surfer Girl - they say the first idea is often the best - no broken rules here, just traditional doo-wop chord progressions with gorgeous vocals painting a picture of teenage vulnerability

A-
4. Hawaii - Mike Love with a cold rocks this one - like Catch A Wave, this hits me with the unbridled enthusiasm that you have only when you're young

B
5. The Surfer Moon - another one with a traditional chord progression heightened by a great string arrangement
6. Little Deuce Coupe - one of the best of the competitive songs, but not as brash or as energetic as 'Shut Down'

B-
7. Surfers Rule - brilliant under-appreciated tune - the sudden reprise of the acapella bit is exhilarating - would be a B+ if they hadn't misused the apostrophe
8. Your Summer Dream – this has always been ho-hum for me – the instrumental track is plain and the album already has two solid doo-wop progression songs – but I love the bridge

C
9. The Rocking Surfer – I have a huge soft spot for this one – the ice cream truck jauntiness just feels perfect – but my conscience tells me not to rank it higher

C-
10. Our Car Club – yeah, so the arrangement is kind of neat, but it’s not THAT neat – this one has a good competitive lyric but never excites me – would have made a better Honeys tune
111. Boogie Woodie – perfectly fun and competent instrumental – good not great

D
12. South Bay Surfer – hate this one – the Honeys’ one is so much better – the BBs version is sung in unison, which always stuck out like a sore thumb to me – boring and incomplete

I can't explain why but I like the drum intro to "South Bay Surfer" even though it's not really interesting or difficult or whatever. I'm sorry?

It certainly is interesting - but for the wrong reason - the overdubbed beats are pretty out-of-synch at the beginning, and the stereo panning (...on the stereo version, duh) makes this even more noticeable.

No, that might be it. I was going to say it sounded like a good, manic rave-up but only listened to the mono mix where that's not really the case!

Surfer Girl
In My Room
Your Summer Dream
Catch a Wave
Hawaii
Little Deuce Coupe
Our Car Club
The Surfer Moon
The Rocking Surfer
Surfers Rule
Boogie Woodie
South Bay Surfers

1.  In My Room
2.  Surfer Girl
3.  Catch a Wave
4.  Our Car Club
5.  Your Summer Dream
6.  Little Deuce Coupe
7.  The Surfer Moon
8.  Hawaii

9.  Surfers Rule
10. South Bay Surfer
11. The Rocking Surfer
12. Boogie Woodie

1. In My Room
2. Little Deuce Coupe
3. Surfer Girl
4. Catch a Wave

These four are very hard to separate, and are the reason this is their best album pre-All Summer Long.

5. Our Car Club
6. The Rockin' Surfer
7. Your Summer Dream
8. Hawaii
9. Boogie Woodie
10. Surfers Rule
11. The Surfer Moon
12. South Bay Surfer

The rest is a mix of non-filler tracks I happen not to like (like Hawaii, which to my annoyance has been played every I've seen Brian or the BBs), filler tracks I do like (The Rockin' Surfer, which is the early BBs instrumental that best evokes its subject matter), filler tracks I don't like (South Bay Surfer - Brian was never able to make anything out of his love for Swanee River), and The Surfer Moon. The latter stands alone because it is fatally unblemished by rock'n'roll, placing it in the same category as the unlistenable second side of the Christmas Album.

Um, what harmonies? There ARE no harmonies. It's all sung in unison. That's why this is my least favorite track of the whole pre-Pet Sounds era.

1. in my room
2.the surfer moon
3.hawaii
4.little duece coupe
5.surfer girl
6.catch a wave
7.your summer dream
8.our club club
9.the rockin surfer
10.south bay sufer
11.surfers rule
12.boogie woodie

1.  Surfer Girl
2.  In My Room
3.  Catch a Wave
4.  Hawaii
5.  Little Deuce Coupe
6.  Surfers Rule
7.  Our Car Club
8.  Your Summer Dream
9.  The Surfer Moon
10.Boogie Woodie
11.The Rocking Surfer
12.South Bay Surfer

1. In My Room - One of Brian's best of the early era, if not ever, and simply astonishing.
2. Surfer Girl - Amazing, timeless classic. Never to grow old. I will always turn it up.
3. Catch A Wave - Perhaps my favorite upbeat surf tune of theirs. Dynamic, just utterly fantastic.
4. Your Summer Dream - Just LOVE this song, really quite wonderful.
5. Little Deuce Coupe - Classic, of course. Kicks ass.
6. The Surfer Moon - Really cool. Seriously underrated.
7. Hawaii - Sweet.
8. Our Car Club - Great track. Weird structure, I think, but it's good.
9. Surfers Rule - Nice enough.
10. South Bay Surfer - A little bit underrated maybe. But not great by any means.
11. The Rocking Surfer - This album shows the Beach Boys in the process of getting rid of surf instrumentals. Still...pretty fair.
12. Boogie Woodie - It's fun. I dunno.

Helluva record, riddled with bright gems that are irresistible. Classic all the way.

1. In My Room - 299 (11)
2. Surfer Girl - 280 (10)
3. Catch a Wave - 248 (2)
4. Little Deuce Coupe - 212 (1)
5. The Surfer Moon - 199 (1)
6. Your Summer Dream - 192 (2)
7. Hawaii - 180
8. Our Car Club - 165
9. Surfers Rule - 112.5
10. The Rocking Surfer - 90
11. Boogie Woodie - 73
12. South Bay Surfer - 55.5

My thoughts?  Quite a gap between the top eight and the bottom four.  It was a tighter race for first place this time, but in the end I think In My Room is the deserving winner.

From Worst to Best:
12. Catch A Wave.
11. South Bay Surfer.
10. Boogie Woodie.
09. Surfers Rule.
08. Little Deuce Coupe.
07. Our Car Club.
06. The Rocking Surfer.
05. Hawaii.
04. The Surfer Moon.
03. Your Summer Dream.
02. In My Room.
01. Surfer Girl.

Great album!

1. Your Summer Dream (for some reason it's my favorite from the album. love it!)
2. Surfer Girl
3. In My Room
4. Hawaii
5. Our Car Club
6. Catch A Wave
7. The Surfer Moon
8. Little Deuce Coupe
9. Surfers Rule
10. South Bay Surfer
11. The Rocking Surfer
12. Boogie Woodie

1. In My Room
2. Catch A Wave
3. Hawaii
4. Surfer Girl
5. Surfer's Rule
6. Your Summer Dream
7. Little Deuce Coupe
8. Our Car Club
9. The Surfer Moon
10. Boogie Woodie
11. The Rocking Surfer
12. South Bay Surfer

Catch A Wave
The Surfer Moon
Your Summer Dream
In My Room
Little Deuce Coupe
Hawaii
Surfer Girl
Rockin Surfer
South Bay Surfer
Our Car Club
Surfers Rule
Boogie Woogie

1. Surfer Girl - my favorite BB song recorded the earliest
2. In My Room - love both the lyrics and the performance
3. Surfers Rule - mostly because I dig The Four Seasons
4. Hawaii - Always love it, it has some kind of 'youth cheerfulness'
5. Little Deuce Coupe - I never really give credit to this song, but this song always makes me happy :)
6. Catch a Wave

7. Our Car Club
8. Surfer Moon
9. Your Summer Dream
10. Boogie Woogie

11. The Rocking Surfer
12. South Bay Surfer - I remember being excited with this particular song when I got the album because I loved the original 'Old Folks at Home' This is a filler as it sounds like, but still more interesting than piano intro Old Folks at Home to Ol' Man River.

Surfer Girl

Here's my rankings based purely on personal taste...

1. Surfer Girl
2. Little Deuce Coupe
3. In My Room
4. Hawaii
5. Catch A Wave

6. Our Car Club
7. Surfer's Rule
8. Your Summer Dream
9. The Surfer Moon

10. The Rocking Surfer
11. Boogie Woodie

12. South Bay Surfer