Capitol
1990
Surfin' Safari / Surfin' U.S.A.
About This Album
The usual perception of the Beach Boys' early albums is that they're primarily for completists and principally of historical interest. This CD goes a long way toward dispelling that myth. The group's first two LPs were originally compiled together on one CD in 1990 as part of a reissue of their complete Capitol output, and were upgraded in March of 2001. Although neither album shows the group near its very best, they hold up remarkably well 40 years later. Surfin' Safari was recorded in such a rush after the title track became a hit that the group was forced to draw on whatever songs Brian Wilson and collaborator Gary Usher had come up with as part of their weekly writing sessions. Still, there's some very good music here beyond "Surfin' Safari," "409," and "Surfin'": the lost surf hit "Chug-a-Lug"; the doo wop-style "Little Miss America," on which Dennis Wilson and company step into Dion & the Belmonts territory; and a credible cover of "Summertime Blues." Even the slightly lesser material such as "Moon Dawg," a cover of a surf classic by the Gamblers that's one of Carl Wilson's best early guitar showcases, "Cuckoo Clock," and "The Shift," all generic surf/beach music, is attractive.
Track List (try tracks 2,3,4,5,7,8,9,10,11,12,14,15,16,17,19,20,21,22,23 and 24)

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