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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2019 23:45:02 GMT
This week's album is Surfin' Safari:
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 25, 2019 23:47:30 GMT
2. If this were all the band ever was, I wouldn't have ever been a fan.
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Post by kds on Sept 26, 2019 12:37:12 GMT
I know my ratings of these albums probably change each time, but I'm giving Surfin Safari a six. There are a couple BB classics on it in the title track and 409, and the rest of the album makes for a fun listen like County Fair, Surfin, and Little Girl. And, while the remaining tracks may not be great, there's nothing terrible on this, which I can't even say about some of the albums that I rate higher (ie. Surf's Up, LA Light). Although, their limp cover of Summertime Blues leaves a lot to be desired.
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Post by lonelysummer on Sept 26, 2019 19:10:42 GMT
I give it a 6, too - being generous, since it was their first album. One thing that drives me crazy, though, is Dennis' drumming on some tracks sounds like he is putting the beat on the 1 and the 3 instead of the 2 and 4 - Summertime Blues comes to mind.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 27, 2019 12:15:39 GMT
At first I went with a 3, then I changed to a 4. I guess "Surfin", "Surfin' Safari", and "409" stood the test of time and are important, there IS a lot of consistent energy, and it is fun and interesting to hear the boys at that young age.
I do have some questions about the "sound" and the subject matter. Supposedly, Nick Venet and Murry Wilson were calling most of the shots, which would explain a lot. But, what happened to the Four Freshmen/Chuck Berry influence which we heard and read about? I would think the younger Brian was, the stronger those influences would be. This BB album was recorded CLOSEST to when Brian was really into The Four Freshmen and early rock and roll. Well, there's not a ballad in site, and I don't hear a lot of Chuck, Fats, Buddy, and Little Richard. Or Rosemary Clooney and Nat King Cole.
There is a sameness in sound to most of these songs. Obviously Brian didn't produce this album. His productions are usually all over the place, and I mean that in a good way. It sounds like they just plugged in Carl, David, and Dennis, and said "play". I get the many surfin' and summer references and covers, but some of the other subject matter is so goofy, and it really detracts from the album. I guess we're supposed to be smiling when they're singing about little Indians, cuckoo clocks, flipping a coin, chugging root beer, and admiring women's clothing. But it's a little weird dontcha think? I've read about how the Surfin' Safari album could be considered one of the earlier punk rock albums, or an influence on punk. I don't know if I'd go that far, however, with songs like "409" and "Surfin' Safari", the lust in "The Shift" and the guitars in "Moon Dawg", well...
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Post by B.E. on Sept 27, 2019 16:58:46 GMT
I give it a 6, too - being generous, since it was their first album. One thing that drives me crazy, though, is Dennis' drumming on some tracks sounds like he is putting the beat on the 1 and the 3 instead of the 2 and 4 - Summertime Blues comes to mind. I know what you mean. There is definitely some peculiar drumming in spots; fortunately, it doesn't bother me. If anything, I like that it enhances the garage band feel of the album. One nice drumming touch, in my opinion, is the shift from hi-hat to toms after the second verse of "Ten Little Indians".
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Post by Kapitan on Sept 27, 2019 17:09:51 GMT
I've read about how the Surfin' Safari album could be considered one of the earlier punk rock albums, or an influence on punk. I don't know if I'd go that far, however, with songs like "409" and "Surfin' Safari", the lust in "The Shift" and the guitars in "Moon Dawg", well... I think it's fair to say that it is an influence on punk just in that punk itself was a very conscious attempt to recapture amateurish, rough, raw rock and roll before that art form was cleaned up and ambitious. So, yeah, sure. But if you asked Brian Wilson or Mike Love, "is this punk?" they'd politely refute the notion. (Well, Mike would. Brian might just say yes or no without understanding the question.)
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Post by kds on Sept 27, 2019 17:22:54 GMT
I've read about how the Surfin' Safari album could be considered one of the earlier punk rock albums, or an influence on punk. I don't know if I'd go that far, however, with songs like "409" and "Surfin' Safari", the lust in "The Shift" and the guitars in "Moon Dawg", well... I think it's fair to say that it is an influence on punk just in that punk itself was a very conscious attempt to recapture amateurish, rough, raw rock and roll before that art form was cleaned up and ambitious. So, yeah, sure. But if you asked Brian Wilson or Mike Love, "is this punk?" they'd politely refute the notion. (Well, Mike would. Brian might just say yes or no without understanding the question.) Is Surfin' Safari a punk album? ML - Well, I think The Beach Boys and punk go hand in hand, since it was all about attitude. And we influenced The Ramones, and you can hear that on my cover of Rockaway Beach of 12 Sides of Summer, which The Beach Boys are performing in concert now, and it fits along side many other early songs I wrote with Brian like Surfin Safari or 409. Granted, the big hits I wrote like Good Vibrations with Brian or our #1 smash Kokomo might not be very punkish. But, you have to admit, some of Brian, Dennis, and Carl's behavior when they were on drugs is pretty punk. BW - Surfin' Safari. Love that album. My favorite Beach Boys album. Yeah, sure, it's punk. It's all about love. I enjoy touring with this band, the best band I ever played with. We're a punk band. (None of these interviews ever happened, nor were any of these words ever said. This is purely an attempt at humor (an odd concept among BB/BW fans) by KDS.)
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Post by B.E. on Sept 27, 2019 17:23:08 GMT
I know my ratings of these albums probably change each time, but I'm giving Surfin Safari a six. There are a couple BB classics on it in the title track and 409, and the rest of the album makes for a fun listen like County Fair, Surfin, and Little Girl. And, while the remaining tracks may not be great, there's nothing terrible on this, which I can't even say about some of the albums that I rate higher (ie. Surf's Up, LA Light). Although, their limp cover of Summertime Blues leaves a lot to be desired. I agree. While the songwriting, performances, and production values may not be up to the high(er) standards that Brian and the boys would later set, I believe there's a consistency that Surfin' Safari achieves that many later Beach Boys albums fail to (to their detriment). Surf's Up and LA Light are only two among them.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 27, 2019 17:33:09 GMT
I think it's fair to say that it is an influence on punk just in that punk itself was a very conscious attempt to recapture amateurish, rough, raw rock and roll before that art form was cleaned up and ambitious. So, yeah, sure. But if you asked Brian Wilson or Mike Love, "is this punk?" they'd politely refute the notion. (Well, Mike would. Brian might just say yes or no without understanding the question.) Is Surfin' Safari a punk album? ML - Well, I think The Beach Boys and punk go hand in hand, since it was all about attitude. And we influenced The Ramones, and you can hear that on my cover of Rockaway Beach of 12 Sides of Summer, which The Beach Boys are performing in concert now, and it fits along side many other early songs I wrote with Brian like Surfin Safari or 409. Granted, the big hits I wrote like Good Vibrations with Brian or our #1 smash Kokomo might not be very punkish. But, you have to admit, some of Brian, Dennis, and Carl's behavior when they were on drugs is pretty punk. BW - Surfin' Safari. Love that album. My favorite Beach Boys album. Yeah, sure, it's punk. It's all about love. I enjoy touring with this band, the best band I ever played with. We're a punk band. (None of these interviews ever happened, nor were any of these words ever said. This is purely an attempt at humor (an odd concept among BB/BW fans) by KDS.) Good one, kds. The only thing I disagree with is that Brian's response wouldn't be that long.
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Post by kds on Sept 27, 2019 17:36:58 GMT
I know my ratings of these albums probably change each time, but I'm giving Surfin Safari a six. There are a couple BB classics on it in the title track and 409, and the rest of the album makes for a fun listen like County Fair, Surfin, and Little Girl. And, while the remaining tracks may not be great, there's nothing terrible on this, which I can't even say about some of the albums that I rate higher (ie. Surf's Up, LA Light). Although, their limp cover of Summertime Blues leaves a lot to be desired. I agree. While the songwriting, performances, and production values may not be up to the high(er) standards that Brian and the boys would later set, I believe there's a consistency that Surfin' Safari achieves that many later Beach Boys albums fail to (to their detriment). Surf's Up and LA Light are only two among them. Heck, even All Summer Long, SDV2, and Today had those ridiculous talk tracks.
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Post by kds on Sept 27, 2019 17:37:34 GMT
Is Surfin' Safari a punk album? ML - Well, I think The Beach Boys and punk go hand in hand, since it was all about attitude. And we influenced The Ramones, and you can hear that on my cover of Rockaway Beach of 12 Sides of Summer, which The Beach Boys are performing in concert now, and it fits along side many other early songs I wrote with Brian like Surfin Safari or 409. Granted, the big hits I wrote like Good Vibrations with Brian or our #1 smash Kokomo might not be very punkish. But, you have to admit, some of Brian, Dennis, and Carl's behavior when they were on drugs is pretty punk. BW - Surfin' Safari. Love that album. My favorite Beach Boys album. Yeah, sure, it's punk. It's all about love. I enjoy touring with this band, the best band I ever played with. We're a punk band. (None of these interviews ever happened, nor were any of these words ever said. This is purely an attempt at humor (an odd concept among BB/BW fans) by KDS.) Good one, kds. The only thing I disagree with is that Brian's response wouldn't be that long. The interviewer got him on a good day.
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Post by B.E. on Sept 27, 2019 17:42:26 GMT
I agree. While the songwriting, performances, and production values may not be up to the high(er) standards that Brian and the boys would later set, I believe there's a consistency that Surfin' Safari achieves that many later Beach Boys albums fail to (to their detriment). Surf's Up and LA Light are only two among them. Heck, even All Summer Long, SDV2, and Today had those ridiculous talk tracks. SDV2 may be in a class of its own. What a mess!
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Post by kds on Sept 27, 2019 17:48:51 GMT
Heck, even All Summer Long, SDV2, and Today had those ridiculous talk tracks. SDV2 may be in a class of its own. What a mess! Yeah, putting Cassius v Sunny between In the Parkin' Lot and The Warmth of the Sun, and the last three tracks are the very definition of filler.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Sept 28, 2019 15:06:50 GMT
No, I'm not going to re-sequence Surfin' Safari ...yet. Is that applause I hear? But, I just wanted to mention that the best closing song on the album is actually "Surfin'". With the lyrics "now the dawn is breaking and we really gotta go, but we'll be back here very soon that you better know...", it's a no-brainer.
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