A subtle shift in the Beach Boys story appeared on the back cover of Surfer Girl. While it wasn’t in bold type, the liner notes specifically stated that Brian Wilson was the producer of the album. While the band was still playing everything—albeit with original member and buddy Al Jardine back in the fold, but not on the cover, soon to oust the irrepressible David Marks, who still was—and the songs were still about surfing and cars, the music had begun to evolve. Not only was the title track one of the first songs Brian wrote, it’s also one of the loveliest. While there are enough references to the lingo in the lyric, the melody and especially the harmonies make it soar, even if it is a little too close to “When You Wish Upon A Star”. “Catch A Wave” is another aggressive advertisement, but uses a classical harp for a clever oceanic evocation, alongside those cymbal washes. There’s a string arrangement on “The Surfer Moon”; it’s just too bad he felt he had to keep the lyrics on topic, just as “South Bay Surfer” is “Swanee River” with new words. (Hey, it worked for “Surfin’ U.S.A.”) “The Rocking Surfer” is an instrumental with prominent organ for a change, and Carl Wilson contributes a sufficient if generic solo. Things finally shift for “Little Deuce Coupe”, a song about a car and the title track’s original B-side.
While “In My Room” had also been a B-side, this is another gentle Brian classic, shifting from popular teenage trends and addressing actual emotions, teenage and otherwise. (There’s that harp again.) It was only natural that “Hawaii” be fodder for songs about surfing; if the rest of America thought Southern California must be paradise, kids already living there wanted to be someplace even better. This would be far from the last time the state would be the subject of a Beach Boys song. The misplaced apostrophe in “Surfer’s Rule” doesn’t make the boast any more effective, since it’s mostly a dig at Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons, but soon enough they’re using “Our Car Club” as another vehicle to declare their superiority to anyone dumb enough to question them. “Your Summer Dream” gives Brian another chance to display his musical maturity and growth, but just to keep folks dancing, “Boogie Woodie” lets him show off on organ and piano simultaneously and in changing keys.
While Surfer Girl was certainly showed progress, it was still little more than a collection of already-released singles and B-sides, padded with filler. Which is pretty much what albums were in 1963. (Of the songs added to the two-fer CD in 1990, only one was related to this album: “In My Room” sung in German.)
The Beach Boys Surfer Girl (1963)—2½
1990 CD reissue: same as 1963, plus Shut Down Volume 2 album and 3 extra tracks
Nice article. I've always revered The Beach Boys when they were at their peak, and this flawed LP was really the beginning of their long climb up the artistic mountain. Thanks for posting it.
ReplyDeleteAl Jardine told a story about an occurrence at Brian Wilson’s funeral service. Seems that Mike Love was going on more than a bit long about how he wrote the lyrics to “Good Vibrations”. Because, of course, it was all about him. When Al’s turn came, he told the crowd that he had written "Surfin' Down the Swanee River" with Brian, which got a good laugh and may (or may not have) taken Mike down a peg or two.
ReplyDeleteOf course, that was less a co-write and more of a collaboration. Folkie Al brought “Old Folks at Home” to Brian and suggested they turn it a surf song. That was given to The Honeys as a B-side, where it belonged. Al then returned to the band, making them a six piece for a few months, taking on the bass. He presumably gets credit for “South Bay Surfer” because he suggested it again. Despite Dennis contributing lyrics, it turned out to be dumb idea in the first place. Fortunately, Al’s next suggestion of a folk standard would be a big improvement.
As for the other “secondary” tracks, I’ve never cared much for “The Surfer Moon” and “Your Summer Dream”. Too rooted in pre-rock schmaltz for me. The latter may not be as innocent as it seems, with those lines about Brian planning a scheme and telling his date that it’s “time for [her] to show [her] love”. The way Brian sings it might have well persuaded her to swoon and “make it real”.
The two instrumentals are keyboard based and are fun, but they aren’t as cool as the surf jams on the previous album. “Our Car Club” has a gritty backing track, but it’s undercut by Mike’s faux-toughness, especially when he’s singing about getting an adult sponsor and collecting dues. I’ve always like “Hawaii” since hearing it on the “Spirit of America” collection, but it was hard for me to identify the lead vocalist. Turns out that Mike had a cold that day! The three single sides and “Catch a Wave” (cousin Maureen Love supplied that harp glissando) are all classics.
So, this album does show some continued growth and sophistication. But although the filler is interesting, it’s not that exciting. The singles, “Hawaii” and “Catch a Wave” are enough for most people.
I knew a guy who worked for them Back In The Day, and while he said Al could be a dick, at least he was consistent.
DeleteReally? He always struck me as the nicest and most level-headed of The Beach Boys, except for Bruce. I guess you never know!
DeleteIt was the '80s by then, so I'm guessing there was some baggage. Bruce was nice, but a little head in the clouds. Brian was odd. Carl was quiet.
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