Surfin' USA

[punkinhead]

Ever since I've read The Lost Beach Boy, I've come to appreciate this album more. The guitar playing, the early production value, the naive lyrics and vocals. The pop tunes are really good, : Lana, Shut Down, Finders Keepers, and Farmer's Daugther being the highlights. The instrumentals should not be overlooked, being that I could see most of this material being performed live, I'm surprised most of the songs haven't turned up as being performed as a whole in concert, perhaps in a different order with Surfin Safari songs. Shame that Lonely Sea is kind of the lonely ballad on Surfin USA; just think if Thank Him made it onto this album, it might be right up there with Lonely Sea....perhaps with a Beach Boy harmony added or just Brian stacking his own voice with it.

[musicismylife101]

Simple album full of nice ditties and instrumentals. Track picks for me would be Farmer's Daughter - classic Brian falsetto, Stoked - a nice instrumental, Lonely Sea - another great Brian vocal,  and Shut Down - nice sax solo by Mike

[Dudd]

Still not great, but definitely an improvement over Surfin' Safari.

[bluesno1fann]

A step up from the debut. Still, the Beach Boys are going to get a LOT better.
By far the best track is "Lonely Sea". "Farmer's Daughter" is another gem worth mentioning.
But "Surfin' USA" is plagiarism, "Shut Down" like most of their car songs is overrated, and the instrumentals could be a lot better.
It is still an enjoyable album, however. Gotta love the cover!
3 out of 5

[Summer_Days]

'Surfin' USA' may be plagiarism, but it's a fantastic song and better than 'Sweet Little Sixteen' anyway.

[bluesno1fann]

'Surfin' USA' may be plagiarism, but it's a fantastic song and better than 'Sweet Little Sixteen' anyway.

That is true, and they did eventually credit Chuck Berry. But still...

[coco1997]

It's a shame this record didn't have one or two more solid ballads on it...

[Mr. Wilson]

You walk in a store + you recently discovered BB.. And you look behind the counter and see this lp sittin there with a a cool surfer cover..OMG.. !! And you take it home and you are aware of Dick Dale  Surfaris  Challengers  Ventures  etc.. You put this on and the music comes on and you suddenly get hit with the music like a ton of bricks. !!  OMG I wanna play the guitar.! Next day I wanna play the drums..! NIRVANA .. Did I mention I went into a private booth to listen to it.. ?/ In spring 1963 this was it for a California boy.. 4/5

[KDS]

This album is light years ahead of Surfin Sufari production wise.  It sounds more like a focused group and less like a novelty record. 

There's the classic title track that I never tire of despite the over exposure. 

This album is significant in that it has the first Brian Wilson ballad that was released in Lonely Sea, a sadly overlooked gem. 

It's a little odd that a group whose main strength was their vocal arrangement would release an album with so many instrumentals, but its a product of the time.  And while Dick Dale's version is essential, The Beach Boys version of "Miserlou" is worth checking out.  Personally, I love the liner notes that mention that TBB version is more well known.  The innocent days before Pulp Fiction. 

I'd rate it either a very high 3, or a low 4. 

[Mike's Beard]

Surfin' USA - 5/5
Farmer's Daughter - 5/5
Misirlou - 3/5
Stoked - 2/5
Lonely Sea - 5/5
Shut Down - 5/5
Noble Surfer - 4/5
Honky Tonk - 2/5
Lana - 3/5
Surf Jam - 2/5
Let's Go Trippin' - 3/5
Finders Keepers - 4/5

A quantum leap forward from the debut, some real classics on here but at least one instrumental too many.
4/5 overall.

[JK]

Some early classics here----"SUSA", "FD", "LS", "SD", "Lana" (not a fragment at all), "FK"...

And unlike some I just love the sea of instrumentals----the Carl--Dave guitar machine in full flight. "Honky Tonk" is way better than Bill Doggett's original dirge and the Dick tracks are just as listenable as Mr Dale's. Love it.

5/5   

[JK]

Reading through the run-down of concerts in Ian and Jon's splendid book, I noticed to my great delight (on page 27) that the Boys' set list for the two August 17, 1963 shows at Wayne County Fair, Homedale, PA, which David Marks had saved, contains the 1958 Duane Eddy instrumental "Moovin' 'N' Groovin'". That intro sure sounds familiar: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lqFlxMiMfE 

[Lonely Summer]

I put this on tonight for the first time in a long time, it really is a good album for the era. Instrumentals were big in the early 60's, so it does make sense that they do a few - although I remember, upon first hearing this album in the early 90's, being surprised at how many they did! "Misirlou" is a great, this might be the best album to put on for those who doubt what great guitarists Carl and Dave were.

[thr33]

Surfin USA (Mono, 2015 AP release)

Side 1:

1. Surfin' USA - *****
Awesome song. First time we hear the classic Beach Boys sound (double-tracked lead, Brian on high notes, thick harmonies) I think.

2. Farmer's Daughter - ****
Great lead from Brian, lovely second song on the album.

3. Misirlou - **

4. Stoked - **

5. Lonely Sea - ****
Another great Brian lead. According to setlist.fm this was performed live I remember? Would be interesting to hear.

6. Shut Down - ****
Like in the previous album, another solid car song that was in rotations for a long time.

Side 2:

7. Noble Surfer - ***
Not the song I would have chosen to open up the second side, but the instrumental break is fun.

8. Honkey Tonk - **

9. Lana - ****
Love the lead here. Really nice to have more Brian leads here.

10. Surf Jam - **

11. Let's Go Trippin - **

12. Finders Keepers - ***
This is okay. Some Beach Boys albums have a tendency to finish weak, so this is not a bad closer.

Overall Rating: ***
A lot of the instrumentals here don't really do it for me. The title track is an amazing song, and there a few other standouts.