Not attackin' anyone, but I can't follow the whole "Surfer Girl and All Summer Long are their best early albums" or "best pre-Today" shtuff. Sonically different and maybe not quite as "mature" (PFFF), but those two rank right up there with all their other best albums, for me.
I'd put them a notch below at least Today!, Pet Sounds, Sunflower, and Holland (and the Smile sessions), but I'd say they're have comparable quality to some of the other albums in the 1965-1973 period. They're albums that I really like even if they don't quite get to the level of my favourites where nearly every track blows me away.