The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate Surfin Safari, released October 1962.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/images/albums/safari.gif)

It's snotty and punk, but not in a good way.
2.
The Shift, Moon Dawg and Surfari/409 are great.

Cheesy, corny, stupid, irrelevant, irreverent. What's not to love? 3.

Cuckoo Clock.

Not my style. 1.

2.

They ain't found their feet yet... Mostly awful.  Moon Dawg is standout track fer me.

Everyone has to start somewhere. No matter what others say, this is a good album. Cuckoo Clock has a great bassline. It's fun because it's just when they are starting out and before the legend gets compilicated.




3 stars  ;D

Well, wasn't the average age of the band like 15 when this was made? I can't really fault them too much for that.

3 Stars for at least the effort.

4/5

The good tracks outweigh the bad.

County Fair, though dismissed as filler by most, is my favorite track on the album.

Giving stars for effort would vastly change the history of pop music. Plenty of people have tried hard and failed miserably. I think we ought to vote based on results.

I'd like to direct you to the Smiley Smile thread.

;)

I'm listening to Smiley Smile right now, by the way. Whoops, better put that in the "...listening to now?" thread.

And I dig Smiley Smile.

I listened to Sufrin Safari and Surfin U.S.A for a week straight without intentionally playing anything else. You can learn a ton about songwriting fom those two albums.

So yeah, I dig.

I just revisted this album the other day and it was much worse
then previously remembered.  It's not hard to list this as one
of the worst debuts of any major recording artist.  Mike's
vocals are often rushed and out of key.  These songs are
way too fast.  Some of the hooks are cool and I enjoy them,
but it really makes the other pre-Pet Sounds albums sound
like masterpieces.  (And some are.)

im a fan of summertime blues myself

Geez, when Brian was recording this album Phil Spector was already in full swing with his wall of sound. It's no wonder he was in awe of Spector. The production on this record is definitely not "advanced."

It sounds better than anything else I've ever heard from a group of teenagers, and lots of things I've heard from adults.

Comparing this to Pet Sounds and stuff is silly.. these songs are pretty catchy and rockin'. Do you want a professional orchestra and sleigh bells and a tack piano on Chug-a-Lug? Please.

Aegir, you may want to check out the first album by The Left Banke.

Yep, like it when that girl goes "ooohhhh"....

I think it's good for an debut-album. And you have to remember that this is the early sixties, so it fits in quite nicely with alot of the other musical things at that time.
"Summertime Blues" is  mess, but it's probably the only recorded vocal performance of David Marks if I'm not wrong.

this is the only song you can hear david on?

The only song he has kind of a lead vocal at least.

what pARTS?

I think that Nick Venet is singing on it with David.

My favourite 'under-rated' Beach Boys album.  I am completely charmed by the 'innocent' quality of these recordings.  Complaining that the real BB sound hasn't evolved yet is completely beside the point.  Cuckoo Clock is my favourite track!  4/5.

I like this record, it's a little bit sad but that's the reason why I like it so much.

Cuckoo Clock and Little Girl are my favourite songs.

Brian doesn't sing high on this album. Silly stuff but fun in a way. The vocals are sloppy so it's hard to tell but I think Brian and Mike sing Summertime Blues. I think I hear Carl too. Dave probably joins in the mix. Surfin USA is WAY better but CHug a Lug, Surfin, Surfin Safari, 409, even Ten Little Indians are pretty cool. Cuckoo Clock's funny in an ironic way.

I had 2 get this piece of trash to get surfin usa.....

That is my favorite song on the album!!

Well, Im easy to please, I think. Ill give it a three out of five. I enjoy it, I like the sound and the energy. When I listen to it, I can almost feel the band's innocent excitement. I'm sure in 1962 it was even cooler. It's got humor, energy and some good tunes. A few of the tunes could have been produced a bit better, I don't mean soundwise, but I feel they had a good melody and they squandered it a bit, but that's what beginner's do I reckon. It' sall part of the charm.

Believe it or not, there was a time when "Surfin' Safari" was the ONLY pre-Pet Sounds 60s BB album in print (not counting compilations).  It was a post-Endless Summer reissue with nothing but the track titles on the center of the back.  I filled up the (wide) back margins with Rat Fink stickers on my copy.

I had "Endless Summer" and then bought this.  I thought every Beach Boys record I would buy would be as great as "Endless Summer."  After spinning it I thought this album sucked and I was only 10 years old.  I can't even imagine what I'd think of it now.

Still, I understand they were kids doing the best record they could.  That's fine, but it doesn't mean I want to be subjected to it.

I don't enjoy this that much, with not really a song I consider essential.  Historically it's relevant, but I'd take the notorious albums of the 70's and 80's ahead of this in terms of sheer listening experience.  It's not that inconsistent, but it has a low high.  Some of the ideas are not bad, notably the verses of County Fair (which was used in I Do I think) and Cuckoo Clock.  Based on the result here though, they need work.

Surfin' Safari - 3/5
County Fair - 3/5
Ten Little Indians - 3/5
Chug-A-Lug - 3/5
Little Girl (You're My Miss America) - 4/5
409 - 3.5/5
Surfin' - 3/5
Heads You Win, Tails I Lose - 3/5
Summertime Blues - 3/5
Cuckoo Clock - 3.5/5
Moon Dawg - 3/5

That'll round to a 3.
The Shift - 3.5/5

Not one of my favourites.  1 star.

Track picks:  Surfin' Safari (+), Moon Dawg (+)

3.  I love Little Miss America. 

I rate it a 3. Not a great album overall, but a few songs I really love.

It's a lot of fun, and I'd rather listen to Chug-A-Lug, Ten Little Indians, Cuckoo Clock, or Little Girl than anything on Sunflower

Hmm, are you just saying this to get a reaction ;) If you are serious though I'm shocked! So you'd take Chug-A-Lug over This Whole World for instance? :o

I'm serious, and yes, I'd take Chug-a-Lug over This Whole World six days a week and twice on Sunday. With Chug-a-Lug what you see is what you get, a fun little root beer anthem written by teenagers. Sunflower is self-important AOR pap with too much Bruce Johnston. Lyrically, it's no more advanced than Surfin' Surfari. Give me:

"Here a mug, there a mug, everybody chug-a-lug
Give me some root beer (chug-a-lug chug-a-lug chug-a-lug)"

over:

"You are there like everywhere like everyone you see
Happy cause you're living and you're free"

The former is just a goofy, fun song; the latter is bad high school poetry

Okay that's cool, I can see where you are coming from but I still disagree with you... Sunflower, while not flawless, is a pretty solid album in my opinion... I guess I have never really analyzed the lyrics though as I don't care for lyrics too much.

I think that the lyrics of This Whole World are alright. That line you quoted is deeper than you think...It's Brian trying to comfort himself. Brian is NOT like every one he sees, he just wants to be. (And not everyone is happy just because they're living and they're free, but shouldn't they be?)

I think the lyrics are coming from the same place as Chug a Lug, which I do kind of enjoy, too.

I always find it strange when people criticize other peoples words/lyrics cause they say that it's not deep enough, too arty or whatever... I mean, maybe for the critic it is, but who says it's not 100% heartfelt from the writers point of view?

You're both right to a degree. It wasn't a great example for me to pick because I also don't really care much about lyrics, haha. My point was just that people are so reverent about Sunflower, and I just don't see why. Musically I find it boring, and lyrically...I appreciate the "team" effort of the album I guess.

Personally, I'd never dream of putting Surfin' Safari on the same level as Sunflower.  It's probably my least favorite Beach Boys album.  That doesn't mean it's bad, for nothing in it is horrible.  There just isn't much I desire about it, and I'd rather one great song and 11 clunkers than 12 songs that I'm indifferent on.  Just me of course.  The only thing I really cherish about it is that it led to amazing things in the future.

Listened to this last night. I still like it. I love the innocence, I love the off-the-wallness of some of the non-surfing songs. It's silly but there's something that gets it up for me in there; I guess it's the spirit of the whole thing, the weird sort of sadness mixed with humor in songs like County Fair or Heads You Win.

My opinion is that those lyrics from This Whole World are about spiritual love, and the feeling of Oneness with the world/cosmos/people.  Brian experienced this in his psychedelic experiences..and maybe in meditation as well?

Hey, don't be picking on Sunflower!!  If you meant to type Smiley Smile, I'll go along with that!  8)

.....well, if you don't count GV and H&V, of course.

You know, it's not too often I listen to Surfin' Safari and Surfin' USA, but when I do, I always enjoy where it's all coming from. Sure, this album is quite primitive and artless, like crude cave paintings by a 2-year-old compared to much of the spires of brilliance that would come later. But you know what? This and Surfin' USA are FUN LPs to listen to, and I think that was the whole point, and it seems like, judging by so many comments on this album, a lot of people tend to forget about fun records. It's not high art, it's not art of ANY kind, but I find it oddly enjoyable and it puts a smile on my face. Especially 'County Fair' and 'Chug-A-Lug'. I'd honestly rather here the young, Pendleton-clad scrubby South Bay lads here barely bash out 'Little Girl (You're My Miss America)' than hear much of their pot brownie-induced giggles slugging through the mud and demented barbershop of Smiley Smile. There, I said it.

(and I like Smiley Smile...just sayin'....)

A 3 for me. Ten Little Indians is not a favorite at all. I really like Cuckoo Clock for some reason. I think it is Brian's voice. A first complete album that wasn't too bad.

Highlights include the title track, 409, Cuckoo Clock, and Surfin'.

4/5 Surfin' Safari
3/5 County Fair
2/5 Ten Little Indians
3/5 Chug-a-Lug
3/5 Little Girl
4/5 409
3.5/5 Surfin'
3/5 Heads-Tails
3/5 Summertime Blues
3.5/5 Cuckoo Clock
3/5 Moon Dawg
3/5 The Shift

Just got the twofer the other day...man, this is a lot of fun..... I love it. Gave it a 3.

I think Mike's voice sounds great, and there is a purity that prevails throughout this record that makes me feel younger again, and also like a kid in southern california in the early 1960's, I guess...if that makes any sense...also reminds me why I got into the band in the first place, many years ago....

Surfin Safari peaked at #37 on the charts and had a 37 week run. All of the instruments are played by the 5 Beach Boys and shows their raw talent but great talent non the less.

I give this album a rather harsh 2 out of 5. The musicianship is fairly rudimentary and the harmonies are nowhere near as developed as they would later become. There are several cute songs like the title track, Surfin', 409 and Chug-a-lug. I also like Cuckoo Clock but maybe that's just me. It's a shame that they didn't include any of the slow songs that they'd been working on like Surfer Girl, Their Hearts were Full of Spring or Lonely Sea.

If nothing else, this album made me appreciate the technical brilliance of the later albums more than I usually did.

Seriously, try listening to "Chug-A-Lug", and then immediately listen to "Kiss Me Baby". It's a great effect.

2 points

always remember, these are kids with little experience, a garage band. If you compare it with Phil Spector at that time, he had professional musicians that created his "wall of sound" For a first album it's good with some classic tracks, but of course compared with what to come...

What's odd is that Brian obviously knew how to sing in falsetto, doing it as well as he does on Surfin' USA on both versions of "Barbie". AFAIK, it was recorded before most of the Surfin' Safari sessions, so he knew the technique, and he certainly knew how to sing with it... he just chose not to. I think "Cuckoo Clock" would've been a lot better with a falsetto treatment, though.

#32, and a 39 week run (in two instalments).

Who is Larry as referenced in Chug-A-Lug? I assume Gary is Gary Usher, but who's Larry?

This album reminds me a lot of The Wiggles. That being said, I love it. 3/5

Good first album. Full of simple but catchy songs. Love Dennis's vocals on Little Girl and Brian's on Cuckoo Clock. Summertime Blues is also a nice track, and unfortunately the only one where David gets a co-lead (correct me if I'm wrong on that).  Chug-A-Lug and Surfin' are good tracks as well.

Yes. It's Dave with Nik.

Why are so called hard-core Beach Boy people so ignorant about this ?

Harmless yes...a joke? I don't believe so.

Dave Marks and Nik Venet are the vocalists on Summertime Blues.

Nik played guitar too. He wasn't in the music business simply because he could type and add columns well, ya know.
 ;)

My apologies.  :o

I accidently typed moon dawg, when I meant Summertime Blues. I'm also handling a 'Moon Dawg/Nik Venet' controversy in another thread, and they overlap slightly in my mind.

Let me start over.

The Vocalists on Summertime Blues are David Marks and Nik Venet.

Yes, that's the popular notion. But surprisingly, It's Dave and Nik. (+ Mike)
Even the Dave and Carl idea has never been substantiated.
For years,  many people didn't even know that it was Dave singing.

So, Dave and Nik can be a bit of a shock.
But then, Beach Boy archealogy is famous for big surprises.

Uh huh... I know.

It's great that you're familiar with Carls voice. It's sooo fine.

Remember however, that Carl didn't do any lead vocals on their records until Shut Down Vol. 2, when he made his lead vocal debut with Pom Pom Play Girls. And I should add that for years people thought that was Brian singing.

That said, let me suggest that in the Surfin' Safari days, Carls voice was a bit different than what we normally hear on his classics such as God Only Knows and Good Vibrations.

It's also important to understand that Summertime Blues was essentially Dave's lead. He sang it live with Carls harmony, yes....but in the studio, it was different.

Initially, Dave ran through track after track until he finally got his phrasing straight. Then Nik came in on harmony and they worked that through a few times too, until it was polished enough. It's still not really polished, but we love it anyway. That's part of the charm.

 :)

Sure.. the 'source' is not a book. It's the original session tapes.

btw.... Dave actually did quite a bit of singing in the early 'early' days. When they were left to their devices out on the road...without Brian...they did what they had to do. They played and sang lot's of 50's and early 60's rock covers, because that (plus surf instrumentals) was all they had to draw upon.

What's cool about Dave was the fact that he had the cajones to just do what had to be done. If you've ever been in a band... one of the interesting things about lead singing is that if you're doing a lot of it, you really need a break every few songs. I'm sure that Mike welcomed somebody else taking the pressure off. That was Dave. He wasn't afraid to 'go for it'.

I think this the Beach Boys' "Cocoanuts".

In that it's not quite as good as what came after ("Surfin' USA"/"Animal Crackers"), but it's not so far off that it deserves been ranked down with the lowest of the late work, as it seems to be for a lot of people here. It still sounds like the Beach Boys, and I'd argue it's pretty essential. None of the songs are bad; except, in my opinion, "Little Girl".

One thing I find interesting about this album is that it confounds a lot of expectations. You think an early Beach Boys record will have lots of covers and instrumentals, but there's only three covers and only one instrumental. You think it's all gonna be about surfin', but there are only two surfin'-themed songs. There was a Beach Boys album-by-album review that referred to this album as "mostly surfing songs co-written by Mike Love" (or something like that), which proved the writer hadn't listened to the album in a while, or read the songwriting credits.

This is my favorite Beach Boys album, I therefor give it a 5!

Eh. Nothing that good, but nothing terrible. 2.

I love Cuckoo Clock!

This album sounds rather sloppy, but what do you expect from a bunch of teenagers in 1961-62? I find that the sloppiness gives it some charm.

Surfin' Safari is easily my favourite Beach Boys surf song, and this is coming from someone who doesn't listen to the Beach Boys for their surf music.

Although "Little Girl (My Miss America)" is my favourite track on this album.

2.5 is probably the most appropriate rating for this album, it's not particularly good, it's not quite bad, but this is their first album.

2/5.
The worst BB album after Summer In Paradise. Though Surfin' Safari (the song) is a classic, it's 100 times better than Surfin U.S.A., or any other surfing song. But the album is just unlistenable, it mostly sounds like bunch of teenagers who can't play an instrument trying to sound like a real professional band, which they don't. But oh I almost forgot that that actually was the situation at the moment. I don't hate this album, but I don't ever listen to it either.

This is a typical teenage rock band for its day.. The kind you would see at a middle or high school dance.. They aint no Beatles but this IS pre Beatles..  I don't listen to this much but its MUCH better than Surfers Pajama Party.. A good but not great start.. At this stage 1962 The Beatles sounded much better because they were SEASONED live performers.. {Hamburg}.. BB are not and that is the main difference to me..  3/5

Here's one of the reasons I joined this board, to give my two cents regarding the catalog of one of my favorite bands.  

For their first effort, I'd give it a 3 out of 5.  

The obvious highlights are Surfin Safari and 409.  I also really like Heads I Win, Tails You Lose.  The Boys do a pretty decent version of Summertime Blues.  County Fair and Chug a Lug are fun tracks.  Surfin, of course, is significant as their first composition.  

Overall, the album has a certain charm to it.  The next record would be a huge step up production wise, but Surfin Safari is still a fun album to listen to.  

By itself, it's a pretty enjoyable rock n' roll album. When it's not compared to classics that would be coming within the next few years, like Surfer Girl and Today!, it's actually a lot of fun to listen to.
It's a great document of the BBs when they were still a garage band, made up of family. The brothers (Brian, Denny, Carl) the cousin (Mike) the friends (Dave and Al on Surfin') and their dad, an abusive one, but still family (Murray).
The weak part of the album, and even BW realized this, was audio quality. Whether it was the lack of acoustics in "the tower's" studio or Murray and Nik making the band "trebly", the album SOUNDS horrible. You can't really hear Brian's bass or Denny's drums. It's mostly Mike's voice and Carl's guitar upfront, and everything else is buried.
There are a lot of great tracks on this record---
Surfin', Surfin' Safari, 409, Heads You Win Tails I Lose, Cuckoo Clock, Moondawg, and Denny's first vocal Little Girl.

Overall, a pretty good record. 4.

I've spoken many times about this album, but I guess never in the official Review Thread.  So...

What a wonderful album this is. I first heard it around the time I first heard Smiley Smile -- shortly after I first heard Smiley, I bought Safari.  And it struck me how similar the two were.  The same vein.

Both were very organic sounding.  Very damp.  Smiley was very grassy and off the path.  But Safari was very beachy and on the path, so-to-speak.  Both were garage.  Do it at home.  But still incredibly honest, beautiful albums.

Today, Safari is a gift.  A chance to relive where it all started.  In no other time could this have been captured.  God Bless.

Surfin' Safari - 5/5
County Fair - 1/5
Ten Little Indians - 3/5
Chug-A-Lug - 1/5
Little Girl (You're My Miss America) - 1/5
409 - 5/5
Surfin' - 4/5
Heads You Win, Tails I Lose - 0/5
Summertime Blues - 0/5
Cuckoo Clock - 1/5
Moon Dawg - 3/5
The Shift - 1/5

Well we all have to start somewhere. In fairness they were just kids. Most of the Wilson/Usher songs are sh*t. Drumwise, Dennis was clearly learning on the job. The trademark vocal stack had not been figured out yet - Dennis is much too loud in the mix.
Three classic tunes and a load of afterthoughts. Not to worry, things were about to dramatically improve.
1.5/5 overall.

There are some good to great songs here. In fact there's nothing I'd skip.

"The Shift" always gets short shrift, which is a pity. That unique chord sequence is a harbinger of things to come.

4/5.

I like this review. Had the album on tonight, and it's very appealing in its freshness, simplicity. a better debut album that most bands of the era.

Surfin' Safari: 3.5/5

Agreed completely!

If I had to describe this album in one word, I might say "authentic". If I were to create an ideal playlist for myself I'd consider replacing a few of the weaker tracks with 'Cindy, Oh Cindy', 'Land Ahoy', and/or 'Lonely Sea'. Those songs would fit in very nicely. Even still, this album holds together very well as a listening experience and takes me back to 1962 California, as well as, my own teenage years growing up in a small beach town on the east coast.
 
Surfin’ Safari - Classic. Love everything about it. I don’t even mind Mike’s vocal flub at  1:29. Incredible promise!
County Fair – Andrea Carlo’s voice was perfect for this track! “Goodbye muscles, I don’t need you anymore. Loser!”  :lol Nik Venet did a fine job as well, although it can get irritating after a while. On this song and 'Heads You Win - Tails I Lose', Mike’s vocal serves the song perfectly. It’s got a frailty to it. He sounds like the protagonist. Young and insecure.
Ten Little Indians – I really enjoy this song. I like the 'Running Bear' connection. I love the tempo. Anyone else notice how prominent Dennis is vocally on this album!? Second only to Mike.
Chug-A-Lug – Another energetic, fun song. Side 1 is very strong. I really enjoy Mike’s bass vocal. Fun to sing-a-long to.
Little Girl (You’re My Miss America) – What an endearing lead vocal by Dennis. I’m surprised there wasn’t more of that on subsequent albums. This album has a lot of charm. The only bothersome aspect for me is Mike’s backing vocal. I like the part, but he just sounds so unsure. I don’t think he hits the notes well at all.
409 – Classic. Not necessarily a personal favorite, I’m much more of a surfer than a car guy. Again, Dennis is very prominent in the backing vocals. He was so key to their blend. I really miss Brian’s vocal arrangements and Dennis’ backing vocals as the ‘60s came to an end and the '70s wore on.
Surfin’ – Love this song. What a great way to start it all off! I always look forward to that little vocal flourish at 2:06 just as the song quickly fades. Nice touch.
Heads You Win – Tails I Lose – Side 2 doesn’t quite live up to Side 1, but I still enjoy this song. I like the line “heads you win, tails I lose." It’s worthy of a song. I’m glad they turned the tables in the end.
Summertime Blues – I'm not a big fan of the song. This version is fine. Fits the album.
Cuckoo Clock – Not a favorite, but enjoyable. The silliness of the song certainly adds to the charm. I prefer 'Cindy, Oh Cindy', though. I must say, by the time I got around to listening to this album I was really surprised by Brian’s singing (or lack thereof) relative to subsequent albums. If only 'Lonely Sea' were on this album. One of my favorite songs and a great performance by Brian.
Moon Dawg – Nice.
The Shift – This one has grown on me a bit. I always thought it was funny how Paul made a big deal about the Beatles singing “I’d love to turn you on” in 1967, considering this song…

We recently covered this album on our podcast!  Check it out!

http://sailon.podbean.com/e/4-surfin-safari/

All of the songs on the album are great! Especially 409

Going to try reviewing each album. Not sure how far I'll get, but everything up until Love You I think I can do. I'll probably rate songs from 1-5 stars and leave notes for some songs. 5 stars signifies a song that I will never skip, 1 star is generally a repeat, 2 for generally inoffensive filler (including instrumentals that don't do it for me).

Some background: Just got into the Beach Boys seriously in late 2018. Don't really have a musical background (played some cello in elementary and middle school), and prior to getting into the Beach Boys most of my music listening with trance/house/electro (have also listened to more of the Beatles and some other 60s/70s artists/bands more recently).

---

Surfin Safari (Mono, 2015 AP release)

Side 1:

1. Surfin' Safari - ****
Pretty solid opener. Only qualm is that the lead is single-tracked. A Brian falsetto could be neat here, but might be out of place.

2. County Fair - **

3. Ten Little Indians - **

4. Chug-A-Lug - ***
One of the better songs on the album. As a debut there isn't a ton of top-notch material, but this would be a good single to replace Ten Little Indians.

5. Little Girl (You're My Miss America) - ***
Great early lead from Dennis.

6. 409 - ****
Terrific early car song. Guitar is great and the SFX aren't too over the top.

Side 2:

7. Surfin' - **
Raw. Interesting because it's their first single release. The Lei'd version was fun.

8. Heads You Win - Tails I Lose - **

9. Summertime Blues - **

10. Cuckoo Clock - ***
Brian's only lead on the album I think. Fun song.

11. Moon Dog - **

12. The Shift - **

Overall Rating: ***
Solid debut, the harmonies/background vocals are already there. Mike establishes his lead voice, and two of the songs would be in rotation for a long time.