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Poll
Question: Rate Surf's Up
5 - 61 (32.6%)
4 - 97 (51.9%)
3 - 25 (13.4%)
2 - 2 (1.1%)
1 - 2 (1.1%)
0 - 0 (0%)
Total Voters: 171

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 [7] 8 9 10 11 12 Go Down Print
Author Topic: Surf's Up  (Read 151530 times)
Reverend Rock
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« Reply #150 on: March 27, 2010, 02:58:30 PM »

I almost gave it a 4, but decided to go with a 3.  I really like the album over all, but when one looks at each song individually, it loses it's shine.  But Carl's stuff and Brian's stuff are indispensible. 

The thing about "Student Demonstration Time" is, it hasn't aged well; but when the album was current, the song got a good deal of airplay on FM "underground" stations (I know I heard it more than once).  In the very early 70s, rock was actually a form of counter-cultural journalism.  If Surf's Up were a liberal arts college newspaper, then SDT and "Looking At Tomorrow" and "A Day In The Life Of A Tree" were the editorial page.  In the cultural context of the times, it definitely worked.
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slothrop
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« Reply #151 on: March 28, 2010, 08:47:27 PM »

I really like Looking At Tomorrow. It's short, but sweet. Especially that flanged sound that permeates every note of the song.
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hypehat
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« Reply #152 on: March 31, 2010, 06:21:10 AM »

I keep getting weird visions in my head of performing this album live in it's entirety with an orchestra, with different fades and introductions to songs in place - For example, you'd start it off with the H&V chorus piano part, seeing as that's in Don't Go Near The Water, and that piano thing Carl did on LPR live being augmented by strings and french horns and things. You'd have the start to Surf's Up like on BWPS, Day In The Life... being done entirely with high strings and flutes, and i keep hearing Feel Flows being dramatically slowed down. STD i have Spiritualized-esque visions of it descending into white noise at the end, before easing into FF.

Have I snapped?  Grin
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« Reply #153 on: March 31, 2010, 09:35:05 PM »

Quote
STD i have Spiritualized-esque visions of it descending into white noise at the end

I could see how that would work... but still, that's a product of a twisted mind right there! To imagine a song as cheesy as "SDT" ending in some crazy white noise electrical guitar freak out - wow. Never, ever, would I have thought have that.
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LetHimRun
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« Reply #154 on: April 02, 2010, 05:30:10 PM »

I wanted to give this a 5, but tracks 3 and 5 make it a 4. I wish they would have been able to let some of the ego go and put in the songs Dennis originally had on the album.
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rab2591
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« Reply #155 on: September 09, 2010, 08:29:42 PM »

Anyone else think that 'A Day In The Life Of A Tree', 'Till I Die', and 'Surf's Up' are the greatest 10 consecutive minutes on any Beach Boys album?
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« Reply #156 on: September 10, 2010, 01:52:51 AM »

Could very well be. They turn what was already a majorly impressive record into an absolute masterpiece.
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« Reply #157 on: September 10, 2010, 03:37:17 AM »

Anyone else think that 'A Day In The Life Of A Tree', 'Till I Die', and 'Surf's Up' are the greatest 10 consecutive minutes on any Beach Boys album?

Always felt the same way about it. I once bought a vinyl copy of Surf's Up and for the first time ever it struck me that there was not a single song penned by Brian Wilson on side one. Then, at the very end of the record you get this three-song suite of what may be some of the greatest music ever produced, period. Somehow I think they really knew what they were doing here.
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rab2591
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« Reply #158 on: September 10, 2010, 05:28:47 AM »

I've owned the album for several months now but never gave it a serious listen. I just heard it for the first time yesterday, and I'm completely blown away by it. The tags on 'ADITLOAT', 'Till I Die', and 'Surf's Up' are out of this world!

I think my list of favorite Beach Boys albums has changed yet again!
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Bill Tobelman's SMiLE site

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"ragegasm" - /rāj • ga-zəm/ : a logical mental response produced when your favorite band becomes remotely associated with the bro-country genre.

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« Reply #159 on: September 11, 2010, 03:55:23 PM »

Jack Rieley's lyrics still annoy me, but I find the tunes (Long Promised Road, Feel Flows) good enough to gloss over them a bit.   I like the track of Don't Go Near The Water, but not the lyrics.   I love Disney Girls and Take A Load Of f Your Feet, but they would have been better on Sunflower, they strike me as too "nice" for this album.  Student Demonstration Time is the worst offender though - absolutely hate this song. 
Everything else about this one though is excellent.  Had some Dennis tunes been added to replace the afore mentioned it would have been improved. 
The final three songs are what truly makes this album necessary.
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hypehat
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« Reply #160 on: August 18, 2011, 09:59:40 AM »

I keep getting weird visions in my head of performing this album live in it's entirety with an orchestra, with different fades and introductions to songs in place - For example, you'd start it off with the H&V chorus piano part, seeing as that's in Don't Go Near The Water, and that piano thing Carl did on LPR live being augmented by strings and french horns and things. You'd have the start to Surf's Up like on BWPS, Day In The Life... being done entirely with high strings and flutes, and i keep hearing Feel Flows being dramatically slowed down. STD i have Spiritualized-esque visions of it descending into white noise at the end, before easing into FF.

Have I snapped?  Grin

Over a year later and I still wanna do this. Give me a band and I'd be dangerous....
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All roads lead to Kokomo. Exhaustive research in time travel has conclusively proven that there is no alternate universe WITHOUT Kokomo. It would've happened regardless.
What is this "life" thing you speak of ?

Quote from: Al Jardine
Syncopate it? In front of all these people?!
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« Reply #161 on: August 23, 2011, 10:30:48 AM »

I'm gonna go WAYYY out there and say, the version of "Surf's Up" here is the best.
WAIT. DON'T SPAM YET... I think this because of the ending, the solo version is superior ONLY in lead vocals and overall beauty.

The last 3 songs here are probably the best post-friends thing the Boys ever did (Well, maybe tied with "Love You" and MAYBE "20/20")

Honestly, I HATE "Take a load off..." and i'm not a fan of "Student" but the rest of this album is PERFECT

4/5 IMO.
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« Reply #162 on: August 23, 2011, 10:43:55 AM »

I'm gonna go WAYYY out there and say, the version of "Surf's Up" here is the best.
WAIT. DON'T SPAM YET... I think this because of the ending, the solo version is superior ONLY in lead vocals and overall beauty.

The last 3 songs here are probably the best post-friends thing the Boys ever did (Well, maybe tied with "Love You" and MAYBE "20/20")

Honestly, I HATE "Take a load off..." and i'm not a fan of "Student" but the rest of this album is PERFECT

4/5 IMO.
I totally agree with you on all counts, except for Take A Load Off Your Feet. The album could have used a stronger tune, but this is another State of Brian song in many ways. I also think Carl's softer voice and gentler phrasings was more suitable for Surf's Up.
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The Brianista Prayer

Oh Brian
Thou Art In Hawthorne,
Harmonied Be Thy name
Your Kingdom Come,
Your Steak Well Done,
On Stage As It Is In Studio,
Give Us This Day, Our Shortenin' Bread
And Forgive Us Our Bootlegs,
As We Also Have Forgiven Our Wife And Managers,
And Lead Us Not Into Kokomo,
But Deliver Us From Mike Love.
Amen.  ---hypehat
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« Reply #163 on: August 23, 2011, 10:55:44 AM »

About Carl, Absolutely, That's why he got "God Only Knows" instead of Brian.
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pixletwin
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« Reply #164 on: August 23, 2011, 02:21:34 PM »

About Carl, Absolutely, That's why he got "God Only Knows" instead of Brian.

I have always felt a degree of angst to the lyrics of Surf's Up and (for me) Carl's voice doesn't suit that aspect at all.
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drbeachboy
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« Reply #165 on: August 23, 2011, 03:53:20 PM »

In 1971 I was totally blown away by the song upon first listen. Both Carl's and Brian's vocals just blew me away. I've always considered Carl's vocal right there with God Only Knows and Good Vibrations.
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The Brianista Prayer

Oh Brian
Thou Art In Hawthorne,
Harmonied Be Thy name
Your Kingdom Come,
Your Steak Well Done,
On Stage As It Is In Studio,
Give Us This Day, Our Shortenin' Bread
And Forgive Us Our Bootlegs,
As We Also Have Forgiven Our Wife And Managers,
And Lead Us Not Into Kokomo,
But Deliver Us From Mike Love.
Amen.  ---hypehat
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« Reply #166 on: August 23, 2011, 06:38:00 PM »

In 1971 I was totally blown away by the song upon first listen. Both Carl's and Brian's vocals just blew me away. I've always considered Carl's vocal right there with God Only Knows and Good Vibrations.

Have you ever posted any recollections of your first listens of this music? Must've been cool to play it back then in its own day. I mean, it seems like an album like Surf's Up considering the last three tracks could really do a number on a kid's head back then. Perhaps the good doctor was smoking a joint at the time... smoke was wafting... trees like me weren't meant to live.
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FatherOfTheMan Sr101
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« Reply #167 on: August 23, 2011, 09:10:42 PM »

In a way... Brian Looked into the future with "A Day in the life of a tree"

"...If all this world can give, is pollution to me"
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Chocolate Shake Man
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« Reply #168 on: August 23, 2011, 10:03:01 PM »

I have to say that this isn't my favourite post-Pet Sounds album. It feels, of course, like a transition record and it's radically uneven. Surf's Up, to me, doesn't fit at all with the rest of the album and is even more jarring following Til I Die. It really is Brian at two very different points in his life, and while such a transition might be interesting on a best of, it doesn't quite work here. I also find the Carl vocal on Surf's Up to be missing the kind of edge that Brian brings to it (though, this would have been most strongly felt on lines like "the grass was raised" which of course remain Brian's). Also, the addition of the organ is problematic. And contrary to what a few people have written here, while I do think that SDT is ridiculous, I have the hardest time with Lookin' At Tomorrow. To me, this thing simpy has no life in it whatsoever.

With that in mind, Til I Die and Disney Girls especially are fantastic and both this board and the Cabin Essence crew from a few years ago made me reevaluate Tree (in fact, I think that the CE crew in many ways paved the way for the general acceptance of this track) and while it is not quite my favourite, I can still enjoy it.
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pixletwin
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« Reply #169 on: August 23, 2011, 10:18:54 PM »

Its off in a way because really the middle section was more suited towards Carl's style of singing while the first part was more suited towards Brian.
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FatherOfTheMan Sr101
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« Reply #170 on: August 23, 2011, 10:25:24 PM »

Its off in a way because really the middle section was more suited towards Carl's style of singing while the first part was more suited towards Brian.

Agreed, Brian has a rougher more staccato voice.
While Carl has longer smoother chords...
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Chocolate Shake Man
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« Reply #171 on: August 23, 2011, 10:26:30 PM »

Its off in a way because really the middle section was more suited towards Carl's style of singing while the first part was more suited towards Brian.

It's funny - I was thinking exactly that. Think about this:

Carl: Dove nested towers the hour was strike the street quicksilver moon. Carriage across the fog two-step to lamp lights cellar tune. The laughs come hard in Auld Lang Syne.

Brian: The glass was raised, the fired rose. The fullness of the wine, the dim last toasting.

Carl: While at port adieu or die.

Brian: A choke of grief hard hardened I beyond belief a broken man too tough to cry.

Carl: Surf's Up, hmm...(and so on til the end)
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drbeachboy
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« Reply #172 on: August 24, 2011, 04:21:06 AM »

I had nothing to compare it to for at least 20 years. Taken on it's own, it was special just the way it was presented on the album. Like listening to many remakes of songs throughout the years, the one that you are use to listening to remains the definitive one.
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The Brianista Prayer

Oh Brian
Thou Art In Hawthorne,
Harmonied Be Thy name
Your Kingdom Come,
Your Steak Well Done,
On Stage As It Is In Studio,
Give Us This Day, Our Shortenin' Bread
And Forgive Us Our Bootlegs,
As We Also Have Forgiven Our Wife And Managers,
And Lead Us Not Into Kokomo,
But Deliver Us From Mike Love.
Amen.  ---hypehat
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« Reply #173 on: August 24, 2011, 04:55:19 AM »

I gave it a 5. An album with Carl's two finest compositions isn't worthy of less. The quirkiness of much of side one is more than compensated for by the magnificence of all of side two. Steve D's engineering lifts it head and shoulders above all other BB albums. As does the sleeve design----they don't come much better than that.

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« Reply #174 on: September 11, 2011, 03:24:42 PM »

People seriously consider Al's side two contribution to be on the same level as "Til I Die" or "Surf's Up" or even "Tree"?
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