Choose a format:
| 1 | Don't Go Near the Water | Love/Jardine | 2:42 |
|
| 2 | Long Promised Road | Rieley/Wilson | 3:34 |
|
| 3 | Take a Load off Your Feet | Winfrey/Jardine/Wil | 2:31 |
|
| 4 | Disney Girls (1957) | Johnston | 4:11 |
|
| 5 | Student Demonstration Time | Love/Leiber/Stoller | 4:01 |
|
| 6 | Feel Flows | Rieley/Wilson | 4:49 |
|
| 7 | Lookin' at Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) | Winfrey/Jardine | 1:57 |
|
| 8 | A Day in the Life of a Tree | Rieley/Wilson | 3:10 |
|
| 9 | 'Til I Die | Wilson | 2:44 |
|
| 10 | Surf's Up | Parks/Wilson | 4:12 |
|
-
Overview
-
Production Details
-
Editorial Reviews
Surf's Up
Long Play Record
Label: Capitol
Style: Contemporary Pop/Rock
Surf's Up
UPC: 5099969817519
Release Date: 06/16/2009
Original Release Date: 06/16/2009
Number of Discs: 1
- The Beach Boys
Main Performer
John Bush
The Beach Boys' catalog is littered with forgotten 1970s LPs that barely scraped the charts upon release but matured into solid fan favorites despite -- and occasionally, because of -- their many and varied eccentricities. Surf's Up could well be the most definitive, beginning with the cloying "Don't Go Near the Water" and ending a bare half-hour later with the baroque majesty of the title track (originally written in 1966). The LP is a virtual laundry list of each uncommon intricacy that made the Beach Boys' forgotten decade such a bittersweet thrill -- the fluffy yet endearing pop (od)ditties of Brian Wilson, quasi-mystical white-boy soul from brother Carl, and the downright laughable songwriting on tracks charting Mike Love's devotion to Buddhism and Al Jardine's social/environmental concerns. Those songs are enjoyable enough, but the last three tracks are what make Surf's Up such a masterpiece. The first, "A Day in the Life of a Tree," is simultaneously one of Brian's most deeply touching and bizarre compositions; he is the narrator and object of the song (though not the vocalist; co-writer Jack Rieley lends a hand), lamenting his long life amid the pollution and grime of a city park while the somber tones of a pipe organ build atmosphere. The second, "'Til I Die," isn't the love song the title suggests; it's a haunting, fatalistic piece of pop surrealism that appeared to signal Brian's retirement from active life. The album closer, "Surf's Up," is a masterpiece of baroque psychedelia, probably the most compelling track from the Smile period. Carl gives a soulful performance despite the surreal wordplay, and Brian's coda is one of the most stirring moments in his catalog. Wrapped up in a mess of contradictions, Surf's Up defined the Beach Boys' tumultuous career better than any other album. [Surf's Up was made available in 2000 as half of the two-fer collection Sunflower/Surf's Up.] ~ John Bush, Rovi
