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Surfin' Safari/Surfin' U.S.A.

The Beach Boys - Surfin' Safari/Surfin' U.S.A. Audio CD

A fair review of the The Beach Boys "Surfin' Safari/Surfin' U.S.A." Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Beach Boys reviews here, or go back to the The Beach Boys tabs.

Band: The Beach Boys
Title: Surfin' Safari/Surfin' U.S.A.
Rating:

Release Date: 2001-03-13
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Surfin' Safari - (mono) 2: County Fair - (mono) 3: Ten Little Indians - (mono) 4: Chug-a-Lug - (mono) 5: Little Girl (You're My Miss America) - (mono) 6: 409 - (mono) 7: Surfin' - (mono) 8: Heads You Win Tails I Lose - (mono) 9: Summertime Blues - (mono) 10: Cuckoo Clock - (mono) 11: Moon Dawg - (mono) 12: Shift, The - (mono) 13: Surfin' U. S. A. - (stereo) 14: Farmer's Daughter - (stereo) 15: Misirlou - (stereo) 16: Stoked - (stereo) 17: Lonely Sea - (stereo) 18: Shut Down - (stereo) 19: Noble Surfer - (stereo) 20: Honky Tonk - (stereo) 21: Lana - (stereo) 22: Surf Jam - (stereo) 23: Let's Go Trippin' - (stereo) 24: Finders Keepers - (stereo) 25: Cindy Oh Cindy - (mono, bonus track) 26: Baker Man, The - (mono, bonus track) 27: Land Ahoy - (stereo, bonus track)

Technically superior? No, but is it fun?....Absolutely!
That's fine for critics and serious musicians, but for the vast majority of listeners the only thing that really matters is this - is the music enjoyable to listen to? A few tidbits can be thrown in about catchy hooks and witty lyrics, but the bottom line is music that isn't enjoyable to hear is going to turn people off. Too many people tend to review albums on their technical merit and whether the songwriting is as evolved as later projects.
That being said, on with the review.
Surfin' Safari,the band's first album, is a mixed bag of sorts. In keeping with the album's title there are four surf songs in the bunch. Surfin' Safari and Surfin' are very easy on the ears and are classics, so there's really nothing to add. The Shift and Moon Dawg are fun to hear, the former being the better of the two. 409, another classic, and released with Surfin' Safari started the pairing of surf/car songs that would be a staple of early Beach Boys singles. Little Girl is a catchy tune, well sung by Dennis, that everyone can relate to when they think back to their first crush. County Fair is a song I initially thought I would never like but with repeated listenings it grew on me. The addition of the carnival barker and whiny girlfriend was a great move on Venet's part and adds to the fun. Fr me the rest of the tunes all have their appeal, but they don't match the quality of the ones I've mentioned. All in all, a good start. And for all the naysayers who complain about the lack of sophisticated harmonies on this album (they usually state that the harmonies weren't even fully developed at this point) take a listen to Lavender on the Lost and found album. Cut in the Hite's studio, along with the original Surfin' Safari, Surfin, and Surfer Girl, you can easily hear the classic Beach Boys harmony already fully developed.
Surfin' USA is all surf with the exception of three songs. The title track is a classic. Stoked and Honky Tonk are fun to listen to, although it must be said that the live version (on the '64 Concert album) of Let's Go Trippin' rocks. Shut Down, the flip side of Surfin' USA, is another classic that is fun to sing along with. The Lonely Sea is a beautiful ballad that bears repeated listening, and Noble Surfer is a catchy little tune. . . "No Bull (ain't joshin') Surfer. . . Finders Keepers is also a nice little sing-a-long.
While Brian's producing hadn't officially started yet, one can't help but wonder how much input he had into the big hits. I disagree with other reviewers who claim there is no reason to listen to these albums anymore. If you want fun music to listen to and sing along with, add these to your playlist and jam. .

Bouncing Baby Beach Boys
Literally just a bunch of kids from the burbs, but one of them happened to be on FIRE, and the Fates conspired. . (and who would have guessed that at nearly the very same moment across the Atlantic. . . )
Arguably the very first American rock and roll GROUP. Innocent and naive but with exuberance and imagination in plenty. Surfin' Safari (and its companion Surfin' USA) are monuments of the bands early proto-garage, guitar driven infancy. Ostensibly Produced by Capital Records' Nick Venet (though Brian could be said to have "co-produced" Surfin' USA) both albums are hinged to the surf and turf double whammy of their first two hit singles - 409/Surfin' Safari and Surfin' USA/Shut Down respectively. Though the debut single is excellent, the follow up improves on both sides. Surfin' USA take Safari's theme of hunting for the perfect waves and delivers an absolute anthem. This is the song that broke the band to a major audience. Similarly, Shut Down ups the amps on 409.
The other songs on each album are for the most part slight, but good and often charming. Surfin' USA contains several gems though in Farmers Daughter and Lonely Sea. It also contains several instrumentals, which some find to be a detriment, but the surf music genre was based in intrumentals and Surfin' USA sees the band at its truest representation of that genre.
These albums stand up admirably against the Beatles debut as well. The major difference is experience and chops. On Please Please Me The Beatles (who were also only really just kids)play and sing with with a confidence and drive. Their trial by fire Hamburg apprenticeship is clearly evident. The beach Boys on the other hand were still pretty wet behind the ears, but in some ways this only serves to make these two albums more amazing.

.

Where the Beach Boys all began
When you listen to these CD's you are reminded that these guys started off as a bunch of fresh-faced, young high school boys. Again, it is wonderful to have these classic LP's re-mastered with the sound fresh and vibrant, minus all of the snap, crackle, and pop of an old record. Basically a super-talented local garage band that rented equipment to make a demo. They came from a musically talented family, but no one then knew exactly what a genius Brian Wilson would ultimately turn out to be. In addition to the hit singles, you will recognize there are some songs that are slightly rough musically & vocally. But the potential is clear and the talent shines through the immaturity. With every new album they made you could hear the quantum leaps they were making in musical maturity. It is fun to remember where their journey began back in the early 60's, and it is a reminder to all of us that were fortunate to grow up in So. California back then, of great times past. Get it as an essential part of your collection and fondly remember.

Knock it off.

Surfin' Safari was their first album, released in the wake of "Surfin' Safari" being a hit single. This CD features the Beach Boys first two albums. It also features "Surfin' Safari"'s great b-side "409", as well as the group's legendary first single "Surfin'" (although the track was sped up for the album). Some other good songs include "County Fair", "Ten Little Indians" and "Chug-a-Lug". The rest of the album isn't all that great.

Surfin' USA was their second album, released after the title song became a smash hit. It's b-side "Shut Down", which was a hit in it's own right, is naturally included on the album. Oddly, five of the twelve tracks on the album are instrumentals. They are decent, but the Beach Boys weren't the best surf instrumental group around. As for the rest of the songs with lyrics, "Farmer's Daughter" and "Lonely Sea" are pretty good, the rest aren't so good.

The CD adds three bonus tracks of songs recorded at the same sessions as their first two albums. These songs weren't good enough to be included on the albums, which is obvious once you hear them. This CD doesn't feature the Beach Boys at their best, but it does show them on their way to becoming one of the all time great rock and roll groups. If you want to hear where the legend began, check it out.

WELL, WELL WORTH BUYING
There are some real gems on here that were not hits and you will hear Brian's genius in it's rawest form from Denis singing Miss America to Mike on County Fair. Don't listen to any of the clowns on here giving these albums a low rating. I now have all of the Beach Boys albums and each one is a treasure with a lot of hidden surprises on them and these are no exception.

You can see a complete list of all The Beach Boys discography, or go back to the The Beach Boys tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.