What Surf's Up should of been..

[filledeplage]

Stephen Desper has commented about the intentions behind Student Demonstration Time in the past:

I commented on this in my book.  The world was a different place then.  Vietnam war in full gear.  You think the body count is high now?  How about several thousand a week.  Passions were running high, for and against the war, but the stakes were much higher.  Protests happened everywhere, even at Beach Boy concerts.  Carl was tagged to go into the army. Students were being killed on their collage campus' for protesting (and by American soldiers). This is serious stuff!  Although the group's sentiment was anti-war, they did not take a political stand at their concerts.  However, many in the crowd did with signs and chants, even with the ever present armed police monitors.  Michael's song is about keeping your cool when you demonstrate as a student. Listen to the words.  When the record was released this song was very appropos.  Kent State was in the news. Tensions were high.

Michael was moved to make a verbal comment about what was happening at the moment, in this song.  And like the fashions of the day, time moves along and things change. Like bellbottom pants and long hair, the song seems, in the light of today, not to quite fit into our views of things, to be   There are no riots in the streets -- THERE IS NOT DRAFT and soldiers are not dying at a rate of hundred's per day. Beach Boy concerts are not being turned into political statements by their patrons.  Yet the song is part of that album, and always will be. At the time of release it made more sense, so take it in context. Look at old movies of the 40's and 50's. Do you discount their excellence because everyone is smoking in them?  Times change.  King Soloman (of the Bible) had many wives, yet we consider him a wise leader and ponder his words to this day. Customs change too. 

Student Demonstration Time was set in a collage campus assembly field surrounded by stately buildings. Michael took the part of a demonstration organizer giving a lecture to a crowd about "keeping cool" during riots.  You can hear the sirens in the background, and sometimes in your face, reminding us of how involved the issues were.  Michael felt that he could use his influence as a "rock personality" to temper the attitude of some of the youth toward uncivil behavor -- especially by performing the song at key times in concerts -- by delivering this message in a song. 

Rather than putting down the song or skipping over it when you play Surf's Up, try doing a little research into the period of the music.  Do a word search for Kent State and People's park. 

Maybe look at some old news reels.  Try to imagine the smell of tear gas at a rock concert or close your eyes when you listen to SDT and hear the shouting of fans going on all about you with a sense of danger that you could be caught up in a riot and beaten with a police club. Learn to appreciate the song for what it says and tries to do.  I don't thing a surf song or balled is the right medium to convay the thought that Mike had with this song.  I think if you consider the context more you will learn to actually like the song.  ~swd       

Nicko1234 - glad you posted this. It is referenced in a wiki on SDT.

The BB music may be timeless, but some stuff is time-specific for social responsibility reasons, so context is important.  This was released as a charting single, with Don't Go Near the Water on the B side.  Outside the US, it was released on the B side, for the UK and Germany.  Different markets.  

It wasn't written for 2015, but the 1970's, turmoil.  It didn't "ruin" the LP, in 1971, and was released August 30, 1971, just in time of the college/university listeners, perhaps...

[filledeplage]

I have a hard time understanding all the hate around here for SDT, yet the same folks seem to have no problem with the wretched "Don't Go Near the Water", especially as an opening track.  SDT is by no means a great song, but I find it pretty harmless for the most part.  I certainly wouldn't want it as an opener, but I could tolerate it over DGNtW, which has got to be one of the BB's biggest downers.   I remember the first time I listened to the Surfs Up album several years ago, and I'm glad I listened to a few more cuts after DGNtW, because initially I was nearly done with the album part way into that song.

I didn't used to like Don't Go Near the Water, but it's kinda grown on me.  The song's saving grace is really the wordless vocal coda. 

Hope you've heard the MIC version, track only, no vocals.  Brilliant. 

[NateRuvin]

1. Don't Go Near The Water
2. Long Promised Road
3. Take A Load Off Your Feet
4. 4th of July
5. Student Demonstration Time
6. Feel Flows
7. Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)
8. Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again
9. 'Til I Die
10. Surf's Up


Wow. Just Wow.

I think Disney Girls and "Tree" are classics that deserve to be on the album.

[KDS]

I have a hard time understanding all the hate around here for SDT, yet the same folks seem to have no problem with the wretched "Don't Go Near the Water", especially as an opening track.  SDT is by no means a great song, but I find it pretty harmless for the most part.  I certainly wouldn't want it as an opener, but I could tolerate it over DGNtW, which has got to be one of the BB's biggest downers.   I remember the first time I listened to the Surfs Up album several years ago, and I'm glad I listened to a few more cuts after DGNtW, because initially I was nearly done with the album part way into that song.

I didn't used to like Don't Go Near the Water, but it's kinda grown on me.  The song's saving grace is really the wordless vocal coda.  

Hope you've heard the MIC version, track only, no vocals.  Brilliant.  

I actually only recently broke down and bought a copy of MIC.  (I still think its overpriced and was unnecessarily padded with songs that have already been released, but that's for a different thread).  I'm only about halfway through Disc 4, so I haven't gotten to the instrumental version of Don't Go Near the Water.  Looking forward to it.  

[CenturyDeprived]

SDT "should of" never been. It's a rocker but the lyrics are in poor taste and rather offensive. Mike Love really has no business writing protest lyrics.

For what it's worth, I played SDT to my mom, who is of the age bracket to have actually attended peace/protest marches and the like. She really lived it. Anyway, her reaction, even when I pointed out the lyrics, was essentially a dismissive "meh". I don't think the tune quite works.

Still, even though some of the lyrics are questionable, I don't hate the tune, or necessarily jump for the skip button when it comes on. I can handle listening to it, but I don't go out of my way to play it either.

[sea of tunes]

Am I the only one who finds Student Demonstration Time cringeworthy?

Douche chill city.  I'm right there with you.

[sea of tunes]

1. Don't Go Near The Water
2. Long Promised Road
3. Take A Load Off Your Feet
4. 4th of July
5. Student Demonstration Time
6. Feel Flows
7. Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)
8. Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again
9. 'Til I Die
10. Surf's Up


Wow. Just Wow.

I think Disney Girls and "Tree" are classics that deserve to be on the album.

+ 1

Take off Student Demonstration Time and Lookin' At Tomorrow and replace with Disney Girls and A Day In the Life of a Tree shuffle up the track listing a bit and your cooking with Crisco.

Something like, well...this:

Side 1 -

Wouldn't It Be Nice (To Live Again)
Long Promised Road
Don't Go Near the Water
Take a Load Off Your Feet
Disney Girls (1957)

Side 2 -

Feel Flows
4th of July
A Day In the Life of a Tree
'Til I Die
Surf's Up

[donald]

Am I the only one who finds Student Demonstration Time cringeworthy?

No.  You are not.    although this song was the first to catch my attention back in the early70's when I was introduced to the album, in time it became a sort of embarrassing cringeworthy piece.    Initially it may have helped sell the record but in retrospect it is just as silly as any of the other counter culture pop shite of the day on an otherwise relatively solid album release that still stands.  to be fair, the BB were not the only band that did that back in the day to get in a catchy and suburban counterculture sounding song.

[filledeplage]

Am I the only one who finds Student Demonstration Time cringeworthy?

No.  You are not.    although this song was the first to catch my attention back in the early70's when I was introduced to the album, in time it became a sort of embarrassing cringeworthy piece.    Initially it may have helped sell the record but in retrospect it is just as silly as any of the other counter culture pop shite of the day on an otherwise relatively solid album release that still stands.  to be fair, the BB were not the only band that did that back in the day to get in a catchy and suburban counterculture sounding song.

Donald - I wonder if SDT had been a single-only release, whether it would have become as The Little Girl I Once Knew, "a man without a country." TLGIOK, had a "Party," track on side B, but floated out there , all alone, until it landed on a "Best of" compilation. 

The demonstrations in that era were "cringe-worthy."