The Beach Boys - Surf's Up

The ultimate pressings of the Beach Boys discography from Analogue Productions!

Produced by the Beach Boys

Audio production — Mark Linett / For Brother Records — Elliott Lott

Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, most from the original master tapes or best sources available

Hybrid Stereo SACD plays in both CD and SACD players, as well as all SACD-compatible DVD players

"These are the best sounding and best-looking versions of the Beach Boys records that have ever been produced. We want everything about these to be better than the original." — Chad Kassem, owner and CEO, Acoustic Sounds

"While the consensus deems Pet Sounds to be The Beach Boys' greatest achievement, I derive much more joy from this 1971 release. Issued when the band was considered so unhip as to be beyond redemption, it featured Bruce Johnston's heartbreakingly gorgeous 'Disney Girls (1957),' famously covered by Art Garfunkel, 'Long Promised Road,' 'Til I Die,' 'Feel Flows' and the luscious title track. Surf's Up restored the band's credibility, despite Brian Wilson not dominating the proceedings. It sounds equally glorious on SACD. It was recorded for surround sound, to be heard via a Dynaco Quadaptor. Pity Acoustic Sounds didn't issue that mix, too!" — Sound Quality = 91% - Ken Kessler, HiFi News, "Years Best" Yearbook 2017

"What I can say is that Kevin Gray has been able to extract every last bit of information from whatever tape is in the box, and present it in a way that is pleasing and natural to the ear. ... in my opinion, the Analogue Productions pressings are now THE definitive issue of each Beach Boys album, and will be my reference copies until if and when something better comes along — which may be never." — Lee Dempsey, Endless Summer Quarterly, Summer 2015 Edition

A musical legacy that began in Hawthorne, California and went on to conquer the world. Analogue Productions presents the ultimate pressings of 14 essential Beach Boys albums! Mastered by Kevin Gray, most from the original master tapes, now presented here on Hybrid Stereo SACD, these are awesome recordings to experience. 

Worth noting on Surf's Up is Stephen Desper's engineering work — the entire album was mixed to a center channel quad matrix that he was developing at the time.

Surf's Up hit the Top 30 on its first release, reaching No. 29 on the Billboard LP charts — the highest chart placement the group had had since 1967. At the time of its release, Surf's Up was hailed by many as a comeback for The Beach Boys, who were beginning to attract raves for their live performances, including highly acclaimed sets at New York's legendary Carnegie Hall.

Carl Wilson makes solid contributions on Surf's Up with "Long Promised Road" and "Feel Flows," but the album's twin jewels are both from Brian Wilson — "Til I Die" and the title track — one of the centerpieces of the then-unreleased Smile (cowritten by lyricist Van Dyke Parks and here given that album's "Child Is Father to the Man" as a glorious coda.) 

Surf's Up track "A Day in the Life of a Tree" is the first in a series of Brian's songs that close the album. It's simultaneously one of Brian Wilson's most deeply touching and unusual compositions; he is the narrator and object of the song (though not the vocalist; co-writer Jack Rieley lends a hand), lamenting his long life amid the pollution and grime of a city park while the somber tones of a pipe organ build atmosphere. "Til I Die," isn't the love song the title suggests; it's a haunting, fatalistic piece of pop surrealism that appeared to signal Brian's retirement from active life.

 

1. Don’t Go Near The Water

2. Long Promised Road

3. Take A Load Off Your Feet

4. Disney Girls

5. Student Demonstration Time

6. Feel Flows

7. Lookin’ At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)

8. A Day In The Life Of A Tree

9. ‘Til I Die

10. Surf’s Up

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