Posted on 08/31/2024 3:34:01 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The group’s landmark 1971 album ‘Surf’s Up’ was both socially relevant and evocative of their initial glory.
By the turn of the 1970s, the world was a very different place from the utopian image of endless Californian surfing, cars and girls, as represented by the Beach Boys. But once again, the group rose magnificently to the challenge of making music that was both socially relevant and evocative of their initial glory. In 1971, they unveiled their new surfing sound of the 70s with the classic album Surf’s Up.
One of the great landmarks in the Beach Boys’ canon, the record was released on August 30 that year, at a point when their commercial fortunes had been at a low ebb. Their album of 12 months earlier, Sunflower, had only reached No.151 in a meagre four-week run on the American charts, and the group hadn’t had a top 20 single in the US since “Do It Again” (which topped the British bestsellers) hit No.20 in 1968.
The new project, produced by the band themselves for their Brother label, got the Beach Boys’ ship moving in the right direction again. They were now working with a new manager, Jack Rieley, and with his encouragement, they became a multi-faceted songwriting force.
Surf’s Up is rightly remembered for Brian Wilson’s brilliant double-header that closes the album, “’Til I Die” and the title track collaboration with Van Dyke Parks, filled with its enigmatic lyrics and stirring harmonies. But just as remarkably, the album showcased a group with multiple writing teams, all bringing excellent work to the table.
Mike Love and Al Jardine contributed an opening song with an anti-pollution lyric that was really ahead of its time, “Don’t Go Near The Water.” Carl Wilson and Rieley completed “Long Promised Road” and Carl’s sweet voice led his own “Feel Flows.” Al and Gary Winfrey added the short, equally relevant “Lookin’ At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song),” the pair working with Brian on “Take A Load Off Your Feet.”
Bruce Johnston’s writing contribution was the magnificent “Disney Girls (1957),” while Brian and Rieley composed the plaintive “A Day In The Life Of A Tree,” on which the group’s manager also sang. There was even room for Love to sing his adaptation of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s “Riot In Cell Block No.9,” renamed “Student Demonstration Time” for the social situation of the day.
Dennis Wilson’s reduced role on the project was partly because he was working on solo material and the film Two Lane Blacktop, and partly that the songs he contributed were omitted to avoid in-fighting within the group, and the album being dominated by only Wilson brothers compositions.
‘Back in fashionable favor’
Surf’s Up, newly celebrated for its 50th anniversary as part of the Feel Flows box set, was perhaps the Beach Boys’ most ecologically prescient work, and the press voiced their approval. “‘Don’t Go Near The Water’ is probably the best song yet to emerge from rock’s current ecology kick,” wrote Time magazine. Richard Williams added in Melody Maker that “suddenly, the Beach Boys are back in fashionable favor and they’ve produced an album that fully backs up all that’s been recently written and said about them.”
Listen to the best of the Beach Boys on Apple Music and Spotify.
After charting on September 11, the album climbed to No.29 in the US, their best showing since 1967’s Wild Honey, and No.15 in the UK. It’s since won its rightful place in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time. Even if not all of the Beach Boys themselves regard it as a true classic, the album moved the Time reviewer to say that Brian’s music for it “has a high, soaring, quasi-religious vocal and instrumental character that even the Beatles of Abbey Road could envy.”
Uh, no, pet sounds was the best
John Belushi & Dan Aykroyd take Brian Wilson Surfing 1976
Thanks, I never knew about this.
There have been music discussion comments through the years on whether the Pet Sounds sleeve picture is bad.
“Is the Pet Sounds studio album cover truly the worst ever by a major band or act?” is still on another forum.
The only Blind Faith album had a naked girl and then had to be recalled from all stores and replaced with a mundane photo of the group (Clapton,Winwood,Ginger Baker,Rick Grech) Eric Clapton later said the girl was not actually underage, just small breasted and young appearing. And that he had no way whatsoever in the choice of album sleeves, nor did his bandmates. Company lost money in the recall.
Since it’s a beachboy thread, can someone please explain to me what this movie is about? Saw it the other day and I’m leaning towards it means nothing....
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067893/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Looks like a movie that was inspired by the success of “Easy Rider”.
It was all downhill after “Pet Sounds.”
I quite liked the early and mid-60s beach boys material. Still do. However by 1970/ 71 I had moved on to the doors, steppenwolf, Deep purple
Relevant? How about Steppenwolf’s Monster? That was a lot more relevant in my opinion.
Good Vibrations was released as a single after Pet sounds but it was downhill after that. Kokomo came almost 2 decades later and, surprisingly, it was their biggest hit.
2004: Brian and his band perform “Surf’s Up” from the Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87x6WEC_kQk
Surfin' Safari--The Beach Boys (1962)
“Feel Flows” is as great as anything the Beatles did
Great tunes. Spirit of America—jet powered when America was chasing the land speed record. Wow!
Black Sabbath’s “Sabotage” album cover is considered to be really bad. I don’t know what they were trying to accomplish with that cover.
You are not the only one.
John Belushi. What movie?
The song “Surfs Up” off Smile has the best vocal harmony line I have ever heard ever.
columnated ruins domino
Never really saw how that album was very good.
Likewise, the gaslighting has been quite strong with Pet Sounds.
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