Discuss & Rate Beach Boys Songs Day by Day

This song is a masterpiece in every way, and deservedly the center-piece of the "Smile" album. Mysterious, intriguing lyrics combined with at least 3 different gorgeous melodies results in one of Brian/Van Dyke's greatest creations. Not much more to say that hasn't been mentioned already, although I prefer the Brian-at-the-piano version more than this heavily produced version.
Nothing less than a 5/5 of course

 

Surf’s Up : 5/5

Life changing art and the reason why I’m a beach boys obsessive.

 

Your ratings for Surf's Up:
1-0 vote
2-0 vote
3-0 vote
4-0 vote
5-15 votes

 

Today we'll discuss & rate the album Surf's Up as a whole.

 

It will always miss the Dennis songs that he withheld, and thus miss being a serious contender for the Greatest Album of All Time. But it's still a 5/5, and one of the Beach Boys inarguable Top 5. Well, you can argue, I guess. Just not persuade.

It is also in many ways the end of the "classic Beach Boys". While I enjoy the next two albums, they are definitely different; and the late seventies stuff, while not without their gems, have issues.

 

It's a 5 for me. The one after Pet Sounds.

 

Lance outlines the conundrum. A damn fine album that could have been even greater with a couple of Dennis songs. Also, does the presence of the title track place a bit of an asterisk on it?

I went back to the top 10 Beach Boys album thread and only had it as #8 on my list, which seems a bit low, especially when revisiting the songs over the last 10 or so days. That being said, my "4th of July" playlist does chart highly in the ranking of my Beach Boys playlists.

 

I always preferred Sunflower and Holland to SU but I'm liking it more in my old age. I like everything on it, but as a whole it's a little bit disjointed (and its follow up So Tough way the heck disjointed). We can consider the what ifs if Dennis had provided material to it. It would probably be an even stronger record. I still like it, though. Til I Die, Tree, Dizney, Feel Flows, Long Promised Road, title track.... that's a lot of classic material.

 

I'm sorry that I missed it by a day, I apologize. I just wanted to chime in on Surf's Up the song. A definite 5/5 or 10/10 song. On certain days it's my favorite song of all time, a perfect blend of amazing lyrics and beautiful melodies. Along with Heroes and Villains and God Only Knows, the peak of the Beach Boys career, IMHO.

 

Student Demonstration Time alone would be enough to relegate most any album to the trash heap.

"Hey everybody let's do the Funky Chicken at the lethal war protest! Fun! Fun! Fun!"

Feet and Water aren't exactly carrying their artistic weight either.

And yet, the remainder is strong enough for this album to just barely register a 4/5 on the gdometer.

Strange to think that rowdy outlier Dennis Wilson coulda put this one over the top.

 

5/5. Of the Brother/Reprise albums this one is their best, though Sunflower and Holland have much and one could argue for them on any random day. But Surf's Up is the best from the 70s.

 

Side 2 is a fantastic album side. One of their best. But, for me, side 1 is lacking. Long Promised Road is a classic. Student Demonstration Time...the less said, the better. Nothing else on the first side rises above a 3 out of 5 for me (sorry, but I’m not a huge fan of Disney Girls).

As a whole, the Surf’s Up album gets a 4 out of 5 from me.

 

Not much time to wax poetically this afternoon, as I am busy getting everything as done as I can for Easter morning. I said what I wanted to as we passed by the songs. A 5/5 or 10/10 album. Brian and Carl make up for any misgivings I used to have.

 

That's how I feel about it as well.

 

My all-time favourite album. 5/5

 

I think Surf's Up is a great album, not 1 bad song on it. I even like Student Demonstration Time, dopey lyrics and all, because it's such a catchy rocking song. Carl really shines here, with what I think are 2 of his best songs, "Feel Flows" and "Long Promised Road", Bruce has his best song ever with "Disney Girls", and Brian had some of his most heartfelt lyrics and the title track of course.
The missing Dennis is the only issue, although I don't think his songs on the next 2 albums are anything that great. I think that "Friends" through "Sunflower" was his best period.

A fantastic album, 5/5 all the way.

 

4/5, it had the potential to be 5/5 if some of the weaker songs had been replaced by Dennis songs of the era. Surfs Up the song is obviously a 5/5.

 

Your ratings for the album Surf's Up:
1-0 vote
2-0 vote
3-0 vote
4-3 votes
5-6 votes

 

Today's song is 4th of July:

 

"4th of July" is a 5/5 for me. Yet another instance of a brilliant song being left in the vaults for years. I swear, at least a third of my favorite Beach Boys were never released in their time. It actually makes me kind of senselessly angry to think about. How could they keep this gorgeous work unheard for so long? And then we had to wait another two decades for the ("Wouldn't It Be Nice)to Live Again!"And I know it was Dennis' decision and I know that as an artist or group of artists, they were all about what was next rather than what they had done last week; but it still irks me.

The lyric is one of Jack Reilly's best, although...it's still got that undergrad pretension I suppose; but the production is exquisite, unfinished or not and the song lends a lovely and hushed atmosphere as befits the subject matter. It would have it so nicely on that album!

As several mentioned earlier in the thread, this song would have led off the album in the best of all possible worlds (well, for me, anyway.) It's a serious commentary on the times that yet doesn't bash you over the head with the message. It questions, it doesn't condemn.

The melody is fine: and to be honest, I think the song is finished, for all intents and purposes: some classic background harmonies would have been nice, but I don't miss them.

 

One of only two Dennis - Reilly cowrites, Jack had the idea for the song and tried to get Brian interested. He wasn’t so Dennis stepped in. Gorgeous melody and a great Carl vocal. Not up to the stratospheric level of Wouldn’t It Be Nice to Live Again, but another great almost lost Dennis gem. 4/5

 

4th - 4/5

 

Better late than never I guess but the Surf's Up Album is a top tier BB outing worth 5/5 in spite of SDT.

 

I think of "4th of July" as a somber, amazing hymn that Dennis & Jack dedicated to all countrymen in an ecumenical fashion. What an artistic frame of mind Dennis must have been in around that period with these stirring songs, a starring role in a movie, and the ability to realize that he could keep up with his very talented brothers. 5/5.

 

Gorgeous track. The GV Thirty Years box set has a lot to answer for!

5/5