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Surfin Safari/Surfin USA
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Original Surfin’ Safari liner notes
Last year, when a group of sun-tanned youngsters recorded a song about their favorite sport, they had no idea that the tune was destined to ride a wave of popularity that would rival that of the sport itself. But just like the hair-raising seaside pastime for which it is named, * the song Surfin’ became an overnight sensation, and the surprised teenagers who had sung it suddenly found themselves on their way to fame and fortune. Then they did a sequel called Surfin’ Safari, and the immediate smash success on this one left little doubt that the Beach Boys had arrived.
The group is mainly comprised of people from Hawthorne, California, named Wilson…there’s Brian, Dennis, Carl, and their Dad, Murry Wilson, a long-time songwriter who acts as manager for the outfit. Then there’s the boys’ talented cousin, Mike Love, the composer of Surfin’, who sings both the lead tenor and deep bass parts in their unusual vocal arrangements. The remaining member of the Beach Boys is young David Marks, a neighbor of the Wilsons who plays a driving rhythm guitar.
Brian, the oldest of the Wilson boys, is the group’s leader and vocal arranger. Carl is the very accomplished lead guitarist, while brother Dennis sings and plays the drums. None of them, incidentally, had any formal training, but they all grew up in an atmosphere where music was a regular part of their lives. Every one of the boys possesses tremendous natural ability, and each has a fine singing voice as well.
Here, then, in their debut album on Capitol, are the rockin’, rollin’ kids who have made the biggest splash along the Pacific shores since the sport of surfing was discovered…The dynamic Beach Boys!
* For those not familiar with the latest craze to invade the sun-drenched Pacific coast of Southern California, here is a definition of “Surfing,” A water sport in which the participant stands on a floating slab of wood resembling an ironing board in both size and shape, and attempts to remain perpendicular while being hurled toward the shore at a rather frightening rate of speed on the crest of a huge wave. (Especially recommended for teen-agers and all others without the slightest regard for either life or limb.)
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The album, SURFIN’ SAFARI, started with what I call my first adventure with songwriting. I was very young (20) and I was feelin’ my oats. The theme song of the album, SURFIN’ SAFARI, gave me a jolt. I went into the songwriting aspect of it with gusto. I worked off youthful energy and my head was full of needs to get a bad childhood off my chest. I proceeded to do this by sittin’ at my piano and poundin’ out chords and rhythms. I was getting the knack of writing melodies. A melody goes in little rhythms, because nobody has the attention span to create a whole melody at once. This is why I got a couple of notes at a time. Once in a while, you get lucky and write, let’s say, 10 notes all at once. Part of that is luck. The key to writing a song is the patience and “stick-to-it-iveness.” I was a kid, thrilled to create at my piano, and I found myself actually developing an album. It was this stuff that gave me a deeper confidence in myself than I ever had and was able to get in touch with my own creative genius. It was this spirit that got the pre-production phase of my career goin’ over at Capitol Records’ recording studio. The album, SURFIN’ SAFARI, then, was under way. I had all the songs together and I taught the guys the instrumental parts and the vocal parts. This was, also, the first major album that I produced. I got my feet wet and the guys had a ball playin’ and singin’. Besides “Surfin’ Safari”, “Ten Little Indians” represented the first original-sounding Beach Boys record. I had Mike Love singin’ lead and an exciting bass part in the chorus. The boys and I were singin’ “woo-woos” to imitate the American Indians (I did another Indian thing on my solo album, BRIAN WILSON, called “Rio Grande”). This format is what made us famous. We made “Chug-A-Lug” in that same spirit. We even added some humor to the lyrics of “Cuckoo Clock.” Our album format was officially goin’. I was gettin’ quicker at it and so were the boys. SAFARI was our official entry into the recording industry. I hope people liked it the way I, as a young boy, liked recording it.
Brian Wilson
Los Angeles, March 1990
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The original “surfer boy” Dennis Wilson said it best: “Brian is the Beach Boys; we’re his messengers.”
That simple truth is the core of the Beach Boys, the most popular and influential American group in rock history. For nearly thirty years, the Beach Boys have represented a mythic California to the world…a California “created” by Brian Wilson, the legendary genius responsible for the group’s greatest records.
For the Beach Boys, it all began in the modest Wilson family home in the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne. In the bedroom they shared, Brian taught his younger brothers to sing. Middle brother and drummer Dennis was the inspiration for the Beach Boys first song, the group’s sex symbol and a real surfing beach boy who died in 1983. Baby brother and lead guitarist Carl was Brian’s studio sidekick, the head of the touring band and a truly pacific soul. They learned the harmonies that Brian had absorbed from countless listenings to Four Freshmen and Hi-Los records.
Joining in on Christmas carols at holiday gatherings was Mike Love, the Wilson brothers’ first cousin. Mike was Brian’s first lyrical collaborator, the co-writer and lead singer on many of their biggest hits and the extroverted emcee of the live shows.
That familial foursome became five in 1961, when Brian’s Hawthorne High football teammate and El Camino Junior College classmate Al Jardine filled out the harmony. Al’s love of folk music (and a loan from Al’s parents that the “boys” used for renting instruments) eventually brought the self-named “Pendletones” into the studio. Their garage band sound and a song about a local fad resulted in their first record, “Surfin’,” an early 1962 hit on the independent Candix label.
At that point, even though the Beach Boys had made their concert debut on December 31, 1961 at a Richie Valens memorial concert, the record business probably felt more like a hobby than a job. After all, Carl and Dennis were still in high school, Al and Brian were in college and Mike, the oldest, was only twenty.
When the Beach Boys divided “the spoils” from their first hit, each member of the band earned almost $200. Throughout the first half of ‘62, they made promotional appearances around the L.A. area, but after Candix Records folded, it must have seemed to the Beach Boys that they were destined to join the hundreds of other one-hit wonders of rock ‘n’ roll.
Shortly thereafter, Al Jardine decided to go back to school, which is why when the Beach Boys (thanks to the persistence of the group’s mentor and first manager Murry Wilson…the Wilsons’ father) eventually were offered a contract with Capitol Records, Carl’s guitar-playing neighborhood friend, David Marks, became the fifth Beach Boy.
Pictured on the covers of the first four Beach Boys albums, Marks played live with the Beach Boys for nearly two years. For a time in ‘63, when Brian wasn’t on the road, Marks and Al Jardine even played together in the live band, and on at least one occasion (probably on the tracking date at which the group cut the Surfer Girl LP’s “Catch A Wave” and several others), they played together on a Beach Boys recording session.
And although David didn’t sing on the Beach Boys records, surf music historian Domenic Priore believes that Marks played an important role. “Carl and David were guitar-playing buddies. Together, they developed their surf guitar sound…formulating their own style which was influenced by what they had heard at local dances featuring the Bel Airs and on records by the Ventures and Dick Dale and his Deltones.”
When Marks departed in mid-late 1963, Jardine became a full-time Beach Boy, and his voice…the key fourth part of the harmony…again became an integral element in the Beach Boys sound.
That pre-history out of the way, welcome to Capitol Records CD Collector’s Series on the Beach Boys, a set of eight “two-fer” CD packages that will chronicle the group’s incredible output of music (with bonus tracks from each period) recorded for Capitol from 1962-1969. (Pet Sounds and the Christmas album are available as single CDs.)
On this first package, Capitol presents the Beach Boys debut LP, Surfin’ Safari, and the more successful follow-up Surfin’ U.S.A.
Gary Usher, who co-wrote half of the Surfin’ Safari album’s dozen tracks, was Brian’s first outside collaborator (pre-dating the group’s signing with Capitol), and he recalls that it wasn’t until “Surfin’ Safari” b/w “409” became an almost overnight hit that Capitol sent the group into the studio to record an album. (Both tracks were on the demo tape that Capitol bought from the Beach Boys in the original deal.)
Usher: “In those days, Brian and I were writing sketches. We’d demo them and figured that one day, we’d go back and pick the best and polish them. When ‘Surfin’ Safari’ hit it was so sudden, Nick Venet [Capitol’s A&R man who signed the band] said, ‘You’re in the studio next week.’ So Brian grabbed the latest songs we’d written and recorded ‘em.” Dipping into the Beach Boys limited repertoire, the Beach Boys also covered several other simple tunes that fit in with the basic theme of goin’ on a Surfin’ Safari with the Beach Boys.
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“Surfin’ Safari”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Highest Chart Position: #14
This song, the lyrical follow-up to the group’s regional hit “Surfin’,” was on the tape that convinced Nick Venet to sign the Beach Boys. While it was the first single released by Capitol, to this day, it is disputed as to whether it was intended to be the “A” side or the “B” side. Some observers believe that “409” was the “A” side, contending that Capitol didn’t think surf music could be successful nationally. It’s really a moot point now, because back in 1962, radio programmers, beginning in Phoenix, Arizona, made “Surfin’ Safari” the hit. It was the group’s first trip into the top twenty.
Brian, Murry and Gary Usher had gone into Western Studios (the soon-to-be home of the Beach Boys) in early ‘62 to cut a demo tape that Murry could shop to L.A.’s record labels. Besides “Surfin’ Safari,” they recorded “409,” “Lonely Sea,” and at least one other (possibly “Surfer Girl” or “Judy”).
That session was engineered by Chuck Britz, the man who ultimately became Brian’s second ear, recording the vast majority of Beach Boys records from 1963-1966. Britz, an unsung hero in the story, probably spent more time in the studio with Brian than anybody else. In addition to his regular engineering duties, Britz, thanks to his years of experience, provided a steadying influence on Brian. Most importantly, Britz was the person in the booth that Brian trusted to help him make the records that were in his head.
“County Fair”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Usher: “In early ‘62, we were in San Bernardino for a Beach Boys show at a fair. Brian and I liked the happy scene of the county fairs. We picked up on the spirit of the rides and the girls, and at one of our daily writing sessions with Brian at the piano and me sitting there, we wrote ‘County Fair’ in ten minutes.”
“Ten Little Indians”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Usher: “‘Ten Little Indians’ was written much slower. ‘Running Bear’ had just been a hit, and [“Ten Little Indians”] had that ‘Running Bear’ feel to it. That was lost when it was recorded.”
Reportedly, Capitol Records released this as the follow-up to “Surfin’ Safari” because they thought the surf fad had run its course. “Ten Little Indians” reached only #49, making it the lowest charting Capitol “A” side for the Beach Boys until 1968’s “Bluebirds Over The Mountain” which flopped at a time when the group’s wave of popularity had already crested.
“Chug-A-Lug”
Lead Vocal: Mike
In a 1962 interview, Brian said he wanted this song to be the follow-up single to “Surfin’ Safari.” This track, as historian Priore notes, “is filled with great bass vocals from Mike and a fun chorus…just the kind of record that could have been a hit had Capitol followed Brian’s instincts. It also has a hot guitar solo, and the lyric really cues you into the personalities of the individual Beach Boys.”
“Little Miss America”
Lead Vocal: Dennis
This was Dennis’ first recorded lead, and you can just imagine the girls swooning over him as he sang it. The song was co-written by A&M Records co-founder Herb Alpert. The lyric “blue eyes, blond hair/lips like a movie star” are attributes that describe the ideal Southern California dream girl.
“409”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Highest Chart Position: #76
When the Beach Boys first Capitol single was released, “Surfin’ Safari” became a big hit…“409” a minor chart success that bottomed out well below the top forty. Even so, this established the Beach Boys tradition of double-sided hit singles that continued through 1966’s “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” b/w “God Only Knows.”
Usher: “My car was a 348 Chevy, but it was always my dream to have a ‘409’. We recorded the car sounds outside the Wilson family home in Hawthorne. We (meaning Brian, Carl, Mike and me) ran a 100-foot extension cord out of the house. Driving my car, I made about four passes past the house and the tape recorder, and after the fourth, the neighborhood lights suddenly went on, and there were sirens everywhere. So I ‘decked’ my lights and got out of there.”
“Surfin’”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Highest Chart Position: #75
Brian Wilson: “One day, my brother Dennis came home from the beach and said, ‘Hey, surfing’s getting really big. You guys ought to write a song about it.’” Brian and Mike did, and to use a cliché that’s really true, the rest is history.
It’s on this track that you can really hear the garage band roots of the Beach Boys. In rock ‘n’ roll, feeling has always been more important than technical expertise, so even though the Beach Boys could barely pound out this primitive track, there was something about it that caught the public’s attention, taking the Beach Boys out of their own living room and sending them into living rooms all over the world.
While “Surfin’” only reached #75 nationally, it was a #2 hit in L.A.
Production note: This version of “Surfin’” was re-recorded for this album.
“Heads You Win, Tails I Lose”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Usher: “Brian and I would always flip a coin to decide things.” This one got written “because we were always looking for contemporary expressions to make into songs. At the same time, we wrote a corny country song called ‘Timber, I’m Falling In Love With You.’”
“Summertime Blues”
Lead Vocal: Mike and Brian
A garage band staple, “Summertime Blues” had been a top ten hit in 1958 for its ill-fated co-author, Eddie Cochran.
“Cuckoo Clock”
Lead Vocal: Brian
Usher: “I don’t remember much about that one,” but the chorus “probably had something to do with Murry’s pet Mynah bird.”
“Moon Dawg”
Domenic Priore: “The original version of this song, recorded by the Gamblers in 1959, is considered to be the very first surf record. The Beach Boys were the first group to cover this song, exposing it to a larger audience and other bands such as the Ventures, the Surfaris and the Challengers who covered it as well. This track provided Carl with the chance to show off a few of his hottest guitar licks.”
“The Shift”
Lead Vocals: Mike
A fashion statement from Mike and Brian.
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Original Surfin’ USA liner notes
Surf’s up! HERE COME THE BEACH BOYS
NO. 1 SURFIN’ GROUP IN THE COUNTRY!
Here’s the group that started the surf-dancing craze all over the country – even in places where the nearest thing to surf is maybe the froth on a chocolate shake!
The Beach Boys, a brawny, sun-tanned five-some, have been riding the crest of success since their song Surfin’ became an overnight rage. Their first Capitol album “SURFIN’ SAFARI” (see below) made them nationwide symbols for the exhilarating sport that has taken America by storm. And here they are again with another “good set of heavies”* – twelve more rockin’, sweet rollin’ tunes just right for surf-dancing, singing along, or listening, wet or dry.
The Beach Boys include the Wilson brothers, Brian, Dennis and Carl, of Hawthorne, California; their cousin Mike Love; and a neighbor, the youngest member of the group, David Marks, 14. Brian is the leader and writes most of the songs. Mike Love is the fine lead singer. Carl is lead guitarist. Dennis sings and plays drums, and young David is no gremlin** – he plays the “toes-on-the-nose”+ rhythm guitar!
Those not familiar with the wet variety of surfin’ might like to know that:
* A “good set of heavies” is a run of really big waves…the best kind for high-speed riding, and
** a “gremlin” is a beginning surfer.
+ “Toes-on-the-nose” means riding way up front, standing with the toes right on the nose of the board for maximum speed and thrills.
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By the time I got to the album, SURFIN’ USA, I was more experienced at producing. The album SURFIN’ SAFARI was practice for me. The title song was “Surfin’ USA.” “Farmer’s Daughter” was my first chance to fully prove I had a good falsetto voice. I had a lot of different ways of singing throughout my career. My voice doesn’t seem to have any limits. I don’t have a macho kind of sound in my throat, but I’m proud of my sound. Carl, by now, was gettin’ good as an instrumentalist. “Miserlou” and “Stoked” were evidence of this. This album was also versatile and had a little something for everyone. “Noble Surfer” was evidence that my vocal arrangements for The Beach Boys were a unique style. This album showcased our voices. We were just kids, but we were serious about our craft. The point being that when you are given the chance, you do your best. It’s another way of sayin’ “Thanks” to the fans who buy the records. I and the boys were beginnin’ to feel real spirit singing around the microphones. I think that I was a good coach for the boys. I didn’t like second-rate vocals. It was either the best or nothin’, in my opinion. The boys picked up. We had a good understanding between us and I was their leader. We got it done relatively fast in the studio. Like most groups, goin’ flat or sharp was usually the problem. Also, singin’ the wrong words and keeping the harmony were other problems. On this album, we had gotten into a fast pace: almost athletic in nature. It was because “Surfin’ USA” was such a smash hit on the radio. It was the big time for us. “Shut Down” was another sporty kind of record, all about how this guy’s gonna shut another guy down at racin’ their cars. People liked the competitive lyrics. We were born and raised around Los Angeles, a major city where I had access to a lot of the current word jargon…and I used it in my lyrics. Production-wise, this album was an early Brian Wilson production. I sang “Lonely Sea” from my heart and it was all about a swimming pool called the ocean. The Beach Boys have always used the ocean behind them as a mood for their public image. Enjoy!
Brian Wilson
Los Angeles, March 1990
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Whereas Surfin’ Safari offered only a few hints of what was to come musically from the Beach Boys, it did serve one purpose. It was successful enough that Capitol sent the group back in the studio to do another album. However, before that LP would be recorded, there would be a major change in the production set-up.
In 1962, when the Beach Boys signed with Capitol, standard industry custom was to assign an A&R man to the group; his job was to select the songs and produce the records in the company’s studios. For Surfin’ Safari, the Beach Boys tolerated that tradition, but, as Chuck Britz recalls, “right after they finished the Surfin’ Safari album, I got a call from Murry, asking me if I could possibly fit them in to start getting some songs together. I got ‘em in, and we had a pretty good run for four or five years.”
So, in an unparalleled act of rock ‘n’ roll rebellion, the Beach Boys, with Murry running interference, turned the system upside down, demanding and winning the right to control their records. The Beach Boys declaration of independence smashed all precedents; Brian won his creative freedom, and the Beach Boys became the first, and for a long time, the only rock artists to completely control the musical output of their career.
For everybody concerned, the move out of the Capitol Tower and to Western Studio worked out well. The Beach Boys were freed from record company meddling, and with Surfin’ U.S.A., Capitol got what they wanted, an album that went to #2 and became the first of eight consecutive gold albums for the Beach Boys. And, as Beach Boys historian Peter Reum points out, “Surfin’ U.S.A. was the LP which made surf music a national phenomenon, and it was the first brick in Brian Wilson’s ‘California Myth.’”
Production note: On the record jackets, Nick Venet is credited with producing the first two Beach Boys albums. They in fact were produced by Brian with Murry in the booth offering encouragement and direction. As Chuck Britz remembers, “I was one of the few people who liked Murry. I always did. I admired him for the way he got the kids mad at him that made them also conscious of what they were trying to achieve. I realize that maybe he did it the wrong way, but at the same time, he did make them work as a team which was the way it should be.”
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“Surfin’ U.S.A.”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Highest Chart Position: #3
The title track of the Beach Boys 2nd Capitol LP was the song that catapulted them into the top ten and America’s consciousness. “Surfin’ U.S.A.” served notice that the Beach Boys weren’t just a fad. More than that, it premiered the developing vocal sound that would make them world-famous.
Brian points out that on “‘Surfin’ U.S.A.,’ we developed a stylish sound, the high sound became our sound. It was the first time we had ever sung our voices twice on one record. It strengthens the sound. Sing it once, then sing it again over that, so both sounds are perfectly synchronized. This makes it much brighter and gives it a rather shrill and magical sound without using echo chambers. It makes it sound spectacular, so much power.”
Brian explains the genesis of the song: “I started humming [Chuck Berry’s] ‘Sweet Little Sixteen.’ And I got fascinated with the fact of doing it. And I thought to myself, ‘God, what about trying to put surf lyrics to the ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ melody.’ The concept was about ‘they’re doing this in this city, they’re doing that in that city,’ the Chubby Checker [Twistin’ U.S.A.] concept. So I thought of calling it ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’ I was going with a girl named Judy Bowles at the time. And her brother Jimmy was a surfer, and he knew all the [surfing] spots…I said to Jimmy, ‘I want to do a song mentioning all the surf spots.’ So he made a list, and he didn’t leave one out.”
In his history of the Beach Boys, Domenic Priore writes that “their youthful vocals were never better defined than on this track. The instrumental break, with the ‘Happy Organ’ and ‘over the clouds’ guitar solo, helps make this possibly the hottest rock ‘n’ roll record the group ever recorded.”
“Farmer’s Daughter”
Lead Vocal: Brian
On “Farmer’s Daughter,” you’ll hear one of the first great group vocals, as Brian’s lead floats above the Beach Boys harmony bed.
This song, “Noble Surfer” and “Finders Keepers” are the first three Beach Boys tracks on which Brian is solely credited with the words and music. During the Capitol years, the Beach Boys recorded 45 solo Brian Wilson compositions.
In 1981, this song was covered by Fleetwood Mac. Mac’s former creative leader Lindsay Buckingham has always cited Brian as a major influence.
“Miserlou”
Priore: “The Beach Boys were the first surf band to concentrate on vocals, but they also had a strong instrumental repertoire, as demonstrated on this cover of Dick Dale’s classic.”
“Stoked”
This is one of the few real original surf songs the group recorded, the first of nearly a dozen Brian Wilson instrumentals that would appear on Capitol’s Beach Boys albums.
“Lonely Sea”
Lead Vocal: Brian
Brian’s melancholy side found its first expression on this ballad. Gary Usher remembers that he and Brian wrote this song only hours after they were introduced. “The day I met him, we hit it off immediately, like a platonic love affair. He asked me what I was working on. I had a couple of lyrics for the ‘Lonely Sea’ and a basic chord pattern. I was into Phil Spector/Teddy Bear-type chord progressions. Brian finished the music…we finished the song that day.”
Much of the music from the Beach Boys first two albums has been dismissed as insignificant, but this song in particular was a signpost of what was to come, as Priore notes. “‘Lonely Sea’ fits in on this album the same way that ‘Don’t Talk’ does on Pet Sounds. It’s a different setting, but the emotion is the same.”
For the first time on a Beach Boys record, “emotion” was the key element. The subject matter of this cut was a convenient metaphor that fit into the general surf theme of the Beach Boys first three albums, but the feeling in this track made it much more than the typical Beach Boys song of that era.
“Shut Down”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Highest Chart Position: #23
Roger Christian was a disc-jockey at influential L.A. radio station KFWB. An automotive expert, Christian wrote a number of hits with Brian including the classic “Don’t Worry Baby.” On “Shut Down,” their first collaboration, it sounds like Brian is really getting the knack for structuring rock songs for the Beach Boys sound.
The honking sax solo is performed by Mike Love.
“Noble Surfer”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Priore: “This one was written about a mythical figure in surfing, and it epitomizes the ultra-cool of its time.”
“Honky Tonk”
“Honky Tonk” was originally a #2 record for Bill Doggett in 1956. According to historian Priore, his was the first rock ‘n’ roll instrumental hit, and the Beach Boys were the first, and one of the only, surf bands to cover it.
“Lana”
Lead Vocal: Brian
Throughout his career, Brian has had the knack of coming up with very catchy musical phrases, as exemplified on this ode to a surfer’s Hawaiian dream. Back in 1963, the Beach Boys almost always seemed to be recording, so Brian often didn’t have time to develop his hooks into great songs. “Lana” is one of the ones that “could have been.” Interviewed recently, nearly thirty years after this was recorded, Chuck Britz remembered this song fondly as “a real pretty tune from one of the first sessions I did with them” after they had left the Capitol studios.
“Surf Jam”
“Surf Jam” was the first Carl Wilson original to appear on a Beach Boys album. An earlier song, “Beach Boy Stomp,” was recorded at a pre-Capitol session for Hite Morgan, the man who signed the Beach Boys to their first publishing contract and who, thanks to his wife Dorinda’s enthusiasm, was responsible for producing the Beach Boys first record, “Surfin’.” “Beach Boy Stomp” wasn’t released until 1969 when it appeared on a budget label album called Beach Boys Biggest Beach Hits (an interesting albeit exploitative compilation of the group’s earliest session work), released on ERA Records.
“Let’s Go Trippin’”
A surf instrumental written by the real King of the Surf guitar, Dick Dale.
“Finders Keepers”
Lead Vocal: Mike
One of the best songs on the album, the chorus of “Finders Keepers” is a twist on the Four Seasons’ “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”
The first of the bonus cuts, “Cindy, Oh Cindy,” (lead vocal: Brian) was recorded at a session that also yielded an early version of “The Surfer Moon.” The voice you hear at the beginning of the take saying “Knock it off” is Murry Wilson.
In 1956, “Cindy…” was a top ten hit for both Eddie Fisher and Vince Martin with the Tarriers. This track has never been released.
“The Baker Man,” clearly inspired by the Olympics’ “Hully Gully,” was possibly recorded as a demo for song publishers Al Nevins and Don Kirschner. It appears here for the first time. In 1965 when the Beach Boys recorded their Party! album, the first track was “Hully Gully.” (lead vocal: Brian.)
“Land Ahoy,” is an outtake from the Surfin’ Safari sessions and was previously issued on the out-of-print Beach Boys Rarities album. The melody would be recycled and appear on 1963’s Little Deuce Coupe album as “Cherry, Cherry Coupe.” (lead vocal: Mike.)
Production notes: Surfin’ Safari, “Cindy, Oh Cindy” and “The Baker Man” are presented here in mono…Surfin’ U.S.A. and “Land Ahoy” are in stereo.
Liner notes by David Leaf (© 1990 David Leaf)
(David Leaf is the author of the critically acclaimed Brian Wilson biography, The Beach Boys & The California Myth.)
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1. SURFIN’ SAFARI
(B. Wilson-M. Love)
Guild Music Company BMI
Master #37735 (Mono) Recorded 6/13/62
Single Released 6/4/62 (Capitol 4777) b/w “409”
A-Side Carted 8/11/62 Reached #14
B-Side Charted 10/13/62 Reached #76
2. COUNTY FAIR
(B. Wilson-G. Usher)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #38219 (Mono) Recorded 9/5/62
3. TEN LITTLE INDIANS
(B. Wilson-G. Usher)
Sea Of Tunes BMI
Master #38061 (Mono) Recorded 8/8/62
Single Released 11/26/62 (Capitol 4880) b/w “County Fair”
A-Side Charted 12/1/62 Reached #49
4. CHUG-A-LUG
(B. Wilson-M. Love-G. Usher)
Sea Of Tunes BMI
Master #38063 (Mono) Recorded 8/8/62
5. LITTLE GIRL (YOU’RE MY MISS AMERICA)
(Catalano-Alpert)
Brunswick Music Publishing BMI
Master #38223 (Mono) Recorded 9/6/62
6. 409
(B. Wilson-M. Love-G. Usher)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #37736 (Mono) Recorded 6/13/62
7. SURFIN’
(B. Wilson-M. Love)
Guild Music Company BMI
Master #38279 (Mono) Recorded 10/4/61
Single Released December 1961 (X Records 301, later released on Candix 301 and Candix 308)
Charted 2/17/62 Reached # 75
8. HEADS YOU WIN, TAILS I LOSE
(B. Wilson-G. Usher)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #38218 (Mono) Recorded 9/5/62
9. SUMMERTIME BLUES
(E. Cochran-J. Capehart)
Sea Chest Music BMI
Master #38221 (Mono) Recorded 9/6/62
10. CUCKOO CLOCK
(B. Wilson-G. Usher)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #38217 (Mono) Recorded 9/5/62
11. MOON DAWG
(Derry Weaver)
Beechwood Music Corp. BMI
Master #38220 (Mono) Recorded 9/5/62
12. THE SHIFT
(B. Wilson-M. Love)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #38062 (Mono) Recorded 8/8/62
13. SURFIN’ USA
(Chuck Berry)
Arc Music Corp. BMI
Master #39181 (Stereo) Recorded 1/31/63
Single Released 3/4/63 (Capitol 4932) b/w “Shut Down”
A-Side Charted 3/23/63 Reached #3
B-Side Charted 4/27/63 Reached #23
14. FARMER’S DAUGHTER
(B. Wilson-M. Love)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #39239 (Stereo) Recorded 1/31/63
15. MISERLOU
(Roubanis-Wise-Leeds-Russell)
Miserlou Music, Inc. BMI
Master #39192 (Stereo) Recorded 2/11/63
16. STOKED
(Brian Wilson)
Sea Of Tunes BMI
Master #39212 (Stereo) Recorded 2/12/63
17. LONELY SEA
(G. Usher-B. Wilson)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #37865 (Stereo) Recorded 6/13/63
18. SHUT DOWN
(B. Wilson-R. Christian)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master # 39180 (Stereo) Recorded 1/31/63
19. NOBLE SURFER
(B. Wilson-M. Love)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #39193 (Stereo) Recorded 2/11/63
20. HONKY TONK
(Doggett-Scott-Butler-Sheper-Glover)
W&K Publishing Corp./Islip Music Publishing Co. BMI
Master #39191 (Stereo) Recorded 2/11/63
21. LANA
(Brian Wilson)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #39238 (Stereo) Recorded 1/31/63
22. SURF JAM
(Carl Wilson)
Sea Of Tunes BMI
Master #39211 (Stereo) Recorded 2/12/63
23. LET’S GO TRIPPIN’
(Dick Dale)
Monsour Publishing Company ASCAP
Master #39190 (Stereo) Recorded 2/11/63
24. FINDERS KEEPERS
(B. Wilson-M. Love)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #39210 (Stereo) Recorded 2/12/63
25. CINDY, OH CINDY*
(B. Barons-B. Long)
(Mono) Recorded 9/13/62
26. THE BAKER MAN*
(Brian Wilson)
(Mono) Recorded 3/7/63
27. LAND AHOY*
(Brian Wilson)
Master #38222 (Stereo) Recorded 9/6/62
* Bonus Tracks
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TRACKS 1-25 PRODUCED BY NICK VENET
TRACKS 26 & 27 PRODUCED BY BRIAN WILSON
SONGS RECORDED AT CAPITOL STUDIOS, HOLLYWOOD AND WESTERN STUDIOS, HOLLYWOOD EXCEPT TRACK 26 WHICH WAS RECORDED AT CONWAY RECORDERS, HOLLYWOOD
“Surfin’ Safari” LP – Originally released on Capitol Records 10/1/62 (Capitol T-1808) Charted 11/24/62 Reached #32
“Surfin’ USA” LP – Originally released on Capitol Records 3/27/63 (Capitol ST-2027) Charted 5/4/63 Reached #2
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In the preparation of this compact disc, every effort has been made to make these historic recordings sound as they did when Brian, Carl, Mike, Dennis, Al and David first made them. Numerous tapes were auditioned in order to find the best sounding master. No remixing was attempted, as it was felt that this would not be faithful to the original productions. The original mono and stereo tapes were transferred using a specially modified ampex tape machine and custom-made analog-to-digital converters.
The disc has been mastered using the Pacific Microsonics HDCD system which encodes 24 bits onto a conventional 16 bit CD. The bonus tracks have been selected from a variety of sources and were mixed directly from the original three and four track masters.
Mark Linett
Los Angeles, CA
December 2000
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REISSUE PRODUCED AND COORDINATED BY MARK LINETT.
24-BIT DIGITALLY REMASTERED BY JOE GASTWIRT AT OCEANVIEW DIGITAL MASTERING, LOS ANGELES, CA, UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF MARK LINETT – 2000.
“Cindy, Oh Cindy” and “The Baker Man” MIXED BY MARK LINETT, AT YOUR PLACE OR MINE STUDIOS, LOS ANGELES, CA
LINER NOTES BY DAVID LEAF.
ART DIRECTION BY TOMMY STEELE.
DESIGN BY CHUCK AMES.
PHOTO RESEARCH BY BRAD BENEDICT.
__________________________________________________
FOR INFORMATION ON THE BEACH BOYS FAN CLUB, SEND A SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED #10 ENVELOPE TO:
BBFC
Mail Stop 504, 252 Convention Center Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89109
http://www.beachboysfanclub.com/
BEACH BOYS BRITAIN IS THE OFFICIAL BRITISH FAN CLUB FOR THE BEACH BOYS. FOR INFORMATION, WRITE TO:
Beach Boys Britain
3 Mill Grove, Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 4BS, England
http://www.angelfire.com/la/Beachboysbritain/
FOR INFORMATION ON THE BRIAN WILSON FAN CLUB, WRITE TO:
Brian Wilson Fan Club
15030 Ventura Boulevard, 1-710, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
http://www.celebritymerch.com/bw/index.htm
FOR INFORMATION ON THE MIKE LOVE FAN CLUB, WRITE TO:
The Mike Love Fan Club
114 Gov. Winthrop Road, Somerville, MA 02145
http://www.mikelovefanclub.com/
OTHER BEACH BOYS FAN CLUBS AND FANZINES ARE:
Endless Summer Quarterly
P.O. Box 470315, Charlotte, NC 28427
http://www.members.aol.com/esqeditor/welcome.html
Good Vibrations Quarterly
600 Sandra Court, Hampton, Virginia 23669
Beach Boys Stomp
22 Avondale Road, Wealdstone, Middlesex HA3 7RE, England
Beach Boys Australia
P.O. Box 106, North Strathfield 2137, Australia
California Saga
P.O. Box 1607 50106 Bergheim, Germany
http://members.aol.com/chaschke/index.html
BEACH BOYS DOUBLE CDs AVAILABLE INCLUDE:
SURFIN’ SAFARI / SURFIN’ USA (31517)
SURFER GIRL / SHUT DOWN VOLUME TWO (31515)
LITTLE DEUCE COUPE / ALL SUMMER LONG (31516)
TODAY! / SUMMER DAYS (AND SUMMER NIGHTS!!) (31639)
PARTY! / STACK-O-TRACKS (31641)
SMILEY SMILE / WILD HONEY (31862)
FRIENDS / 20/20 (31638)
BEACH BOYS CONCERT / LIVE IN LONDON (31861)
SUNFLOWER / SURF’S UP (25692)
CARL & THE PASSIONS “SO TOUGH” / HOLLAND (25694)
IN CONCERT (25933)
15 BIG ONES / LOVE YOU (27945)
M.I.U. ALBUM / L.A. (LIGHT ALBUM) (27950)
KEEPIN’ THE SUMMER ALIVE / THE BEACH BOYS (27948)
OTHER BEACH BOYS CDs AVAILABLE INCLUDE:
PET SOUNDS (26266)
ENDLESS HARMONY (24002)
ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS (95734)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME 1 (21860)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME 2 (20238)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME 3 THE BEST OF THE BROTHER YEARS 1970-1986 (24511)
THE PET SOUNDS SESSIONS – BOX SET (37662)
GOOD VIBRATIONS-THIRTY YEARS OF THE BEACH BOYS – BOX SET (81294)
BEACH BOYS VIDEO/DVD AVAILABLE INCLUDE:
ENDLESS HARMONY (VHS) (92154)
ENDLESS HARMONY (DVD) (92353)
ALL TRACKS 24-BIT DIGITALLY REMASTERED
(P) 2001 © 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. Manufactured by Capitol Records, Inc., 1750 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. Printed in U.S.A.
HDCD®
72435-31517-2-0
See Hollywood and Vine
hollywoodandvine.com/beachboys
To buy this album from Amazon.com, click here: Surfin' Safari/Surfin' U.S.A.
______________________________________________________________
SURFIN’ SAFARI / SURFIN’ U.S.A.
Original Surfin’ Safari liner notes
Last year, when a group of sun-tanned youngsters recorded a song about their favorite sport, they had no idea that the tune was destined to ride a wave of popularity that would rival that of the sport itself. But just like the hair-raising seaside pastime for which it is named, * the song Surfin’ became an overnight sensation, and the surprised teenagers who had sung it suddenly found themselves on their way to fame and fortune. Then they did a sequel called Surfin’ Safari, and the immediate smash success on this one left little doubt that the Beach Boys had arrived.
The group is mainly comprised of people from Hawthorne, California, named Wilson…there’s Brian, Dennis, Carl, and their Dad, Murry Wilson, a long-time songwriter who acts as manager for the outfit. Then there’s the boys’ talented cousin, Mike Love, the composer of Surfin’, who sings both the lead tenor and deep bass parts in their unusual vocal arrangements. The remaining member of the Beach Boys is young David Marks, a neighbor of the Wilsons who plays a driving rhythm guitar.
Brian, the oldest of the Wilson boys, is the group’s leader and vocal arranger. Carl is the very accomplished lead guitarist, while brother Dennis sings and plays the drums. None of them, incidentally, had any formal training, but they all grew up in an atmosphere where music was a regular part of their lives. Every one of the boys possesses tremendous natural ability, and each has a fine singing voice as well.
Here, then, in their debut album on Capitol, are the rockin’, rollin’ kids who have made the biggest splash along the Pacific shores since the sport of surfing was discovered…The dynamic Beach Boys!
* For those not familiar with the latest craze to invade the sun-drenched Pacific coast of Southern California, here is a definition of “Surfing,” A water sport in which the participant stands on a floating slab of wood resembling an ironing board in both size and shape, and attempts to remain perpendicular while being hurled toward the shore at a rather frightening rate of speed on the crest of a huge wave. (Especially recommended for teen-agers and all others without the slightest regard for either life or limb.)
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The album, SURFIN’ SAFARI, started with what I call my first adventure with songwriting. I was very young (20) and I was feelin’ my oats. The theme song of the album, SURFIN’ SAFARI, gave me a jolt. I went into the songwriting aspect of it with gusto. I worked off youthful energy and my head was full of needs to get a bad childhood off my chest. I proceeded to do this by sittin’ at my piano and poundin’ out chords and rhythms. I was getting the knack of writing melodies. A melody goes in little rhythms, because nobody has the attention span to create a whole melody at once. This is why I got a couple of notes at a time. Once in a while, you get lucky and write, let’s say, 10 notes all at once. Part of that is luck. The key to writing a song is the patience and “stick-to-it-iveness.” I was a kid, thrilled to create at my piano, and I found myself actually developing an album. It was this stuff that gave me a deeper confidence in myself than I ever had and was able to get in touch with my own creative genius. It was this spirit that got the pre-production phase of my career goin’ over at Capitol Records’ recording studio. The album, SURFIN’ SAFARI, then, was under way. I had all the songs together and I taught the guys the instrumental parts and the vocal parts. This was, also, the first major album that I produced. I got my feet wet and the guys had a ball playin’ and singin’. Besides “Surfin’ Safari”, “Ten Little Indians” represented the first original-sounding Beach Boys record. I had Mike Love singin’ lead and an exciting bass part in the chorus. The boys and I were singin’ “woo-woos” to imitate the American Indians (I did another Indian thing on my solo album, BRIAN WILSON, called “Rio Grande”). This format is what made us famous. We made “Chug-A-Lug” in that same spirit. We even added some humor to the lyrics of “Cuckoo Clock.” Our album format was officially goin’. I was gettin’ quicker at it and so were the boys. SAFARI was our official entry into the recording industry. I hope people liked it the way I, as a young boy, liked recording it.
Brian Wilson
Los Angeles, March 1990
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The original “surfer boy” Dennis Wilson said it best: “Brian is the Beach Boys; we’re his messengers.”
That simple truth is the core of the Beach Boys, the most popular and influential American group in rock history. For nearly thirty years, the Beach Boys have represented a mythic California to the world…a California “created” by Brian Wilson, the legendary genius responsible for the group’s greatest records.
For the Beach Boys, it all began in the modest Wilson family home in the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne. In the bedroom they shared, Brian taught his younger brothers to sing. Middle brother and drummer Dennis was the inspiration for the Beach Boys first song, the group’s sex symbol and a real surfing beach boy who died in 1983. Baby brother and lead guitarist Carl was Brian’s studio sidekick, the head of the touring band and a truly pacific soul. They learned the harmonies that Brian had absorbed from countless listenings to Four Freshmen and Hi-Los records.
Joining in on Christmas carols at holiday gatherings was Mike Love, the Wilson brothers’ first cousin. Mike was Brian’s first lyrical collaborator, the co-writer and lead singer on many of their biggest hits and the extroverted emcee of the live shows.
That familial foursome became five in 1961, when Brian’s Hawthorne High football teammate and El Camino Junior College classmate Al Jardine filled out the harmony. Al’s love of folk music (and a loan from Al’s parents that the “boys” used for renting instruments) eventually brought the self-named “Pendletones” into the studio. Their garage band sound and a song about a local fad resulted in their first record, “Surfin’,” an early 1962 hit on the independent Candix label.
At that point, even though the Beach Boys had made their concert debut on December 31, 1961 at a Richie Valens memorial concert, the record business probably felt more like a hobby than a job. After all, Carl and Dennis were still in high school, Al and Brian were in college and Mike, the oldest, was only twenty.
When the Beach Boys divided “the spoils” from their first hit, each member of the band earned almost $200. Throughout the first half of ‘62, they made promotional appearances around the L.A. area, but after Candix Records folded, it must have seemed to the Beach Boys that they were destined to join the hundreds of other one-hit wonders of rock ‘n’ roll.
Shortly thereafter, Al Jardine decided to go back to school, which is why when the Beach Boys (thanks to the persistence of the group’s mentor and first manager Murry Wilson…the Wilsons’ father) eventually were offered a contract with Capitol Records, Carl’s guitar-playing neighborhood friend, David Marks, became the fifth Beach Boy.
Pictured on the covers of the first four Beach Boys albums, Marks played live with the Beach Boys for nearly two years. For a time in ‘63, when Brian wasn’t on the road, Marks and Al Jardine even played together in the live band, and on at least one occasion (probably on the tracking date at which the group cut the Surfer Girl LP’s “Catch A Wave” and several others), they played together on a Beach Boys recording session.
And although David didn’t sing on the Beach Boys records, surf music historian Domenic Priore believes that Marks played an important role. “Carl and David were guitar-playing buddies. Together, they developed their surf guitar sound…formulating their own style which was influenced by what they had heard at local dances featuring the Bel Airs and on records by the Ventures and Dick Dale and his Deltones.”
When Marks departed in mid-late 1963, Jardine became a full-time Beach Boy, and his voice…the key fourth part of the harmony…again became an integral element in the Beach Boys sound.
That pre-history out of the way, welcome to Capitol Records CD Collector’s Series on the Beach Boys, a set of eight “two-fer” CD packages that will chronicle the group’s incredible output of music (with bonus tracks from each period) recorded for Capitol from 1962-1969. (Pet Sounds and the Christmas album are available as single CDs.)
On this first package, Capitol presents the Beach Boys debut LP, Surfin’ Safari, and the more successful follow-up Surfin’ U.S.A.
Gary Usher, who co-wrote half of the Surfin’ Safari album’s dozen tracks, was Brian’s first outside collaborator (pre-dating the group’s signing with Capitol), and he recalls that it wasn’t until “Surfin’ Safari” b/w “409” became an almost overnight hit that Capitol sent the group into the studio to record an album. (Both tracks were on the demo tape that Capitol bought from the Beach Boys in the original deal.)
Usher: “In those days, Brian and I were writing sketches. We’d demo them and figured that one day, we’d go back and pick the best and polish them. When ‘Surfin’ Safari’ hit it was so sudden, Nick Venet [Capitol’s A&R man who signed the band] said, ‘You’re in the studio next week.’ So Brian grabbed the latest songs we’d written and recorded ‘em.” Dipping into the Beach Boys limited repertoire, the Beach Boys also covered several other simple tunes that fit in with the basic theme of goin’ on a Surfin’ Safari with the Beach Boys.
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TRACK-BY-TRACK
“Surfin’ Safari”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Highest Chart Position: #14
This song, the lyrical follow-up to the group’s regional hit “Surfin’,” was on the tape that convinced Nick Venet to sign the Beach Boys. While it was the first single released by Capitol, to this day, it is disputed as to whether it was intended to be the “A” side or the “B” side. Some observers believe that “409” was the “A” side, contending that Capitol didn’t think surf music could be successful nationally. It’s really a moot point now, because back in 1962, radio programmers, beginning in Phoenix, Arizona, made “Surfin’ Safari” the hit. It was the group’s first trip into the top twenty.
Brian, Murry and Gary Usher had gone into Western Studios (the soon-to-be home of the Beach Boys) in early ‘62 to cut a demo tape that Murry could shop to L.A.’s record labels. Besides “Surfin’ Safari,” they recorded “409,” “Lonely Sea,” and at least one other (possibly “Surfer Girl” or “Judy”).
That session was engineered by Chuck Britz, the man who ultimately became Brian’s second ear, recording the vast majority of Beach Boys records from 1963-1966. Britz, an unsung hero in the story, probably spent more time in the studio with Brian than anybody else. In addition to his regular engineering duties, Britz, thanks to his years of experience, provided a steadying influence on Brian. Most importantly, Britz was the person in the booth that Brian trusted to help him make the records that were in his head.
“County Fair”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Usher: “In early ‘62, we were in San Bernardino for a Beach Boys show at a fair. Brian and I liked the happy scene of the county fairs. We picked up on the spirit of the rides and the girls, and at one of our daily writing sessions with Brian at the piano and me sitting there, we wrote ‘County Fair’ in ten minutes.”
“Ten Little Indians”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Usher: “‘Ten Little Indians’ was written much slower. ‘Running Bear’ had just been a hit, and [“Ten Little Indians”] had that ‘Running Bear’ feel to it. That was lost when it was recorded.”
Reportedly, Capitol Records released this as the follow-up to “Surfin’ Safari” because they thought the surf fad had run its course. “Ten Little Indians” reached only #49, making it the lowest charting Capitol “A” side for the Beach Boys until 1968’s “Bluebirds Over The Mountain” which flopped at a time when the group’s wave of popularity had already crested.
“Chug-A-Lug”
Lead Vocal: Mike
In a 1962 interview, Brian said he wanted this song to be the follow-up single to “Surfin’ Safari.” This track, as historian Priore notes, “is filled with great bass vocals from Mike and a fun chorus…just the kind of record that could have been a hit had Capitol followed Brian’s instincts. It also has a hot guitar solo, and the lyric really cues you into the personalities of the individual Beach Boys.”
“Little Miss America”
Lead Vocal: Dennis
This was Dennis’ first recorded lead, and you can just imagine the girls swooning over him as he sang it. The song was co-written by A&M Records co-founder Herb Alpert. The lyric “blue eyes, blond hair/lips like a movie star” are attributes that describe the ideal Southern California dream girl.
“409”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Highest Chart Position: #76
When the Beach Boys first Capitol single was released, “Surfin’ Safari” became a big hit…“409” a minor chart success that bottomed out well below the top forty. Even so, this established the Beach Boys tradition of double-sided hit singles that continued through 1966’s “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” b/w “God Only Knows.”
Usher: “My car was a 348 Chevy, but it was always my dream to have a ‘409’. We recorded the car sounds outside the Wilson family home in Hawthorne. We (meaning Brian, Carl, Mike and me) ran a 100-foot extension cord out of the house. Driving my car, I made about four passes past the house and the tape recorder, and after the fourth, the neighborhood lights suddenly went on, and there were sirens everywhere. So I ‘decked’ my lights and got out of there.”
“Surfin’”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Highest Chart Position: #75
Brian Wilson: “One day, my brother Dennis came home from the beach and said, ‘Hey, surfing’s getting really big. You guys ought to write a song about it.’” Brian and Mike did, and to use a cliché that’s really true, the rest is history.
It’s on this track that you can really hear the garage band roots of the Beach Boys. In rock ‘n’ roll, feeling has always been more important than technical expertise, so even though the Beach Boys could barely pound out this primitive track, there was something about it that caught the public’s attention, taking the Beach Boys out of their own living room and sending them into living rooms all over the world.
While “Surfin’” only reached #75 nationally, it was a #2 hit in L.A.
Production note: This version of “Surfin’” was re-recorded for this album.
“Heads You Win, Tails I Lose”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Usher: “Brian and I would always flip a coin to decide things.” This one got written “because we were always looking for contemporary expressions to make into songs. At the same time, we wrote a corny country song called ‘Timber, I’m Falling In Love With You.’”
“Summertime Blues”
Lead Vocal: Mike and Brian
A garage band staple, “Summertime Blues” had been a top ten hit in 1958 for its ill-fated co-author, Eddie Cochran.
“Cuckoo Clock”
Lead Vocal: Brian
Usher: “I don’t remember much about that one,” but the chorus “probably had something to do with Murry’s pet Mynah bird.”
“Moon Dawg”
Domenic Priore: “The original version of this song, recorded by the Gamblers in 1959, is considered to be the very first surf record. The Beach Boys were the first group to cover this song, exposing it to a larger audience and other bands such as the Ventures, the Surfaris and the Challengers who covered it as well. This track provided Carl with the chance to show off a few of his hottest guitar licks.”
“The Shift”
Lead Vocals: Mike
A fashion statement from Mike and Brian.
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Original Surfin’ USA liner notes
Surf’s up! HERE COME THE BEACH BOYS
NO. 1 SURFIN’ GROUP IN THE COUNTRY!
Here’s the group that started the surf-dancing craze all over the country – even in places where the nearest thing to surf is maybe the froth on a chocolate shake!
The Beach Boys, a brawny, sun-tanned five-some, have been riding the crest of success since their song Surfin’ became an overnight rage. Their first Capitol album “SURFIN’ SAFARI” (see below) made them nationwide symbols for the exhilarating sport that has taken America by storm. And here they are again with another “good set of heavies”* – twelve more rockin’, sweet rollin’ tunes just right for surf-dancing, singing along, or listening, wet or dry.
The Beach Boys include the Wilson brothers, Brian, Dennis and Carl, of Hawthorne, California; their cousin Mike Love; and a neighbor, the youngest member of the group, David Marks, 14. Brian is the leader and writes most of the songs. Mike Love is the fine lead singer. Carl is lead guitarist. Dennis sings and plays drums, and young David is no gremlin** – he plays the “toes-on-the-nose”+ rhythm guitar!
Those not familiar with the wet variety of surfin’ might like to know that:
* A “good set of heavies” is a run of really big waves…the best kind for high-speed riding, and
** a “gremlin” is a beginning surfer.
+ “Toes-on-the-nose” means riding way up front, standing with the toes right on the nose of the board for maximum speed and thrills.
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By the time I got to the album, SURFIN’ USA, I was more experienced at producing. The album SURFIN’ SAFARI was practice for me. The title song was “Surfin’ USA.” “Farmer’s Daughter” was my first chance to fully prove I had a good falsetto voice. I had a lot of different ways of singing throughout my career. My voice doesn’t seem to have any limits. I don’t have a macho kind of sound in my throat, but I’m proud of my sound. Carl, by now, was gettin’ good as an instrumentalist. “Miserlou” and “Stoked” were evidence of this. This album was also versatile and had a little something for everyone. “Noble Surfer” was evidence that my vocal arrangements for The Beach Boys were a unique style. This album showcased our voices. We were just kids, but we were serious about our craft. The point being that when you are given the chance, you do your best. It’s another way of sayin’ “Thanks” to the fans who buy the records. I and the boys were beginnin’ to feel real spirit singing around the microphones. I think that I was a good coach for the boys. I didn’t like second-rate vocals. It was either the best or nothin’, in my opinion. The boys picked up. We had a good understanding between us and I was their leader. We got it done relatively fast in the studio. Like most groups, goin’ flat or sharp was usually the problem. Also, singin’ the wrong words and keeping the harmony were other problems. On this album, we had gotten into a fast pace: almost athletic in nature. It was because “Surfin’ USA” was such a smash hit on the radio. It was the big time for us. “Shut Down” was another sporty kind of record, all about how this guy’s gonna shut another guy down at racin’ their cars. People liked the competitive lyrics. We were born and raised around Los Angeles, a major city where I had access to a lot of the current word jargon…and I used it in my lyrics. Production-wise, this album was an early Brian Wilson production. I sang “Lonely Sea” from my heart and it was all about a swimming pool called the ocean. The Beach Boys have always used the ocean behind them as a mood for their public image. Enjoy!
Brian Wilson
Los Angeles, March 1990
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Whereas Surfin’ Safari offered only a few hints of what was to come musically from the Beach Boys, it did serve one purpose. It was successful enough that Capitol sent the group back in the studio to do another album. However, before that LP would be recorded, there would be a major change in the production set-up.
In 1962, when the Beach Boys signed with Capitol, standard industry custom was to assign an A&R man to the group; his job was to select the songs and produce the records in the company’s studios. For Surfin’ Safari, the Beach Boys tolerated that tradition, but, as Chuck Britz recalls, “right after they finished the Surfin’ Safari album, I got a call from Murry, asking me if I could possibly fit them in to start getting some songs together. I got ‘em in, and we had a pretty good run for four or five years.”
So, in an unparalleled act of rock ‘n’ roll rebellion, the Beach Boys, with Murry running interference, turned the system upside down, demanding and winning the right to control their records. The Beach Boys declaration of independence smashed all precedents; Brian won his creative freedom, and the Beach Boys became the first, and for a long time, the only rock artists to completely control the musical output of their career.
For everybody concerned, the move out of the Capitol Tower and to Western Studio worked out well. The Beach Boys were freed from record company meddling, and with Surfin’ U.S.A., Capitol got what they wanted, an album that went to #2 and became the first of eight consecutive gold albums for the Beach Boys. And, as Beach Boys historian Peter Reum points out, “Surfin’ U.S.A. was the LP which made surf music a national phenomenon, and it was the first brick in Brian Wilson’s ‘California Myth.’”
Production note: On the record jackets, Nick Venet is credited with producing the first two Beach Boys albums. They in fact were produced by Brian with Murry in the booth offering encouragement and direction. As Chuck Britz remembers, “I was one of the few people who liked Murry. I always did. I admired him for the way he got the kids mad at him that made them also conscious of what they were trying to achieve. I realize that maybe he did it the wrong way, but at the same time, he did make them work as a team which was the way it should be.”
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TRACK-BY-TRACK
“Surfin’ U.S.A.”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Highest Chart Position: #3
The title track of the Beach Boys 2nd Capitol LP was the song that catapulted them into the top ten and America’s consciousness. “Surfin’ U.S.A.” served notice that the Beach Boys weren’t just a fad. More than that, it premiered the developing vocal sound that would make them world-famous.
Brian points out that on “‘Surfin’ U.S.A.,’ we developed a stylish sound, the high sound became our sound. It was the first time we had ever sung our voices twice on one record. It strengthens the sound. Sing it once, then sing it again over that, so both sounds are perfectly synchronized. This makes it much brighter and gives it a rather shrill and magical sound without using echo chambers. It makes it sound spectacular, so much power.”
Brian explains the genesis of the song: “I started humming [Chuck Berry’s] ‘Sweet Little Sixteen.’ And I got fascinated with the fact of doing it. And I thought to myself, ‘God, what about trying to put surf lyrics to the ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ melody.’ The concept was about ‘they’re doing this in this city, they’re doing that in that city,’ the Chubby Checker [Twistin’ U.S.A.] concept. So I thought of calling it ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’ I was going with a girl named Judy Bowles at the time. And her brother Jimmy was a surfer, and he knew all the [surfing] spots…I said to Jimmy, ‘I want to do a song mentioning all the surf spots.’ So he made a list, and he didn’t leave one out.”
In his history of the Beach Boys, Domenic Priore writes that “their youthful vocals were never better defined than on this track. The instrumental break, with the ‘Happy Organ’ and ‘over the clouds’ guitar solo, helps make this possibly the hottest rock ‘n’ roll record the group ever recorded.”
“Farmer’s Daughter”
Lead Vocal: Brian
On “Farmer’s Daughter,” you’ll hear one of the first great group vocals, as Brian’s lead floats above the Beach Boys harmony bed.
This song, “Noble Surfer” and “Finders Keepers” are the first three Beach Boys tracks on which Brian is solely credited with the words and music. During the Capitol years, the Beach Boys recorded 45 solo Brian Wilson compositions.
In 1981, this song was covered by Fleetwood Mac. Mac’s former creative leader Lindsay Buckingham has always cited Brian as a major influence.
“Miserlou”
Priore: “The Beach Boys were the first surf band to concentrate on vocals, but they also had a strong instrumental repertoire, as demonstrated on this cover of Dick Dale’s classic.”
“Stoked”
This is one of the few real original surf songs the group recorded, the first of nearly a dozen Brian Wilson instrumentals that would appear on Capitol’s Beach Boys albums.
“Lonely Sea”
Lead Vocal: Brian
Brian’s melancholy side found its first expression on this ballad. Gary Usher remembers that he and Brian wrote this song only hours after they were introduced. “The day I met him, we hit it off immediately, like a platonic love affair. He asked me what I was working on. I had a couple of lyrics for the ‘Lonely Sea’ and a basic chord pattern. I was into Phil Spector/Teddy Bear-type chord progressions. Brian finished the music…we finished the song that day.”
Much of the music from the Beach Boys first two albums has been dismissed as insignificant, but this song in particular was a signpost of what was to come, as Priore notes. “‘Lonely Sea’ fits in on this album the same way that ‘Don’t Talk’ does on Pet Sounds. It’s a different setting, but the emotion is the same.”
For the first time on a Beach Boys record, “emotion” was the key element. The subject matter of this cut was a convenient metaphor that fit into the general surf theme of the Beach Boys first three albums, but the feeling in this track made it much more than the typical Beach Boys song of that era.
“Shut Down”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Highest Chart Position: #23
Roger Christian was a disc-jockey at influential L.A. radio station KFWB. An automotive expert, Christian wrote a number of hits with Brian including the classic “Don’t Worry Baby.” On “Shut Down,” their first collaboration, it sounds like Brian is really getting the knack for structuring rock songs for the Beach Boys sound.
The honking sax solo is performed by Mike Love.
“Noble Surfer”
Lead Vocal: Mike
Priore: “This one was written about a mythical figure in surfing, and it epitomizes the ultra-cool of its time.”
“Honky Tonk”
“Honky Tonk” was originally a #2 record for Bill Doggett in 1956. According to historian Priore, his was the first rock ‘n’ roll instrumental hit, and the Beach Boys were the first, and one of the only, surf bands to cover it.
“Lana”
Lead Vocal: Brian
Throughout his career, Brian has had the knack of coming up with very catchy musical phrases, as exemplified on this ode to a surfer’s Hawaiian dream. Back in 1963, the Beach Boys almost always seemed to be recording, so Brian often didn’t have time to develop his hooks into great songs. “Lana” is one of the ones that “could have been.” Interviewed recently, nearly thirty years after this was recorded, Chuck Britz remembered this song fondly as “a real pretty tune from one of the first sessions I did with them” after they had left the Capitol studios.
“Surf Jam”
“Surf Jam” was the first Carl Wilson original to appear on a Beach Boys album. An earlier song, “Beach Boy Stomp,” was recorded at a pre-Capitol session for Hite Morgan, the man who signed the Beach Boys to their first publishing contract and who, thanks to his wife Dorinda’s enthusiasm, was responsible for producing the Beach Boys first record, “Surfin’.” “Beach Boy Stomp” wasn’t released until 1969 when it appeared on a budget label album called Beach Boys Biggest Beach Hits (an interesting albeit exploitative compilation of the group’s earliest session work), released on ERA Records.
“Let’s Go Trippin’”
A surf instrumental written by the real King of the Surf guitar, Dick Dale.
“Finders Keepers”
Lead Vocal: Mike
One of the best songs on the album, the chorus of “Finders Keepers” is a twist on the Four Seasons’ “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”
BONUS TRACKS
The first of the bonus cuts, “Cindy, Oh Cindy,” (lead vocal: Brian) was recorded at a session that also yielded an early version of “The Surfer Moon.” The voice you hear at the beginning of the take saying “Knock it off” is Murry Wilson.
In 1956, “Cindy…” was a top ten hit for both Eddie Fisher and Vince Martin with the Tarriers. This track has never been released.
“The Baker Man,” clearly inspired by the Olympics’ “Hully Gully,” was possibly recorded as a demo for song publishers Al Nevins and Don Kirschner. It appears here for the first time. In 1965 when the Beach Boys recorded their Party! album, the first track was “Hully Gully.” (lead vocal: Brian.)
“Land Ahoy,” is an outtake from the Surfin’ Safari sessions and was previously issued on the out-of-print Beach Boys Rarities album. The melody would be recycled and appear on 1963’s Little Deuce Coupe album as “Cherry, Cherry Coupe.” (lead vocal: Mike.)
Production notes: Surfin’ Safari, “Cindy, Oh Cindy” and “The Baker Man” are presented here in mono…Surfin’ U.S.A. and “Land Ahoy” are in stereo.
Liner notes by David Leaf (© 1990 David Leaf)
(David Leaf is the author of the critically acclaimed Brian Wilson biography, The Beach Boys & The California Myth.)
__________________________________________________
1. SURFIN’ SAFARI
(B. Wilson-M. Love)
Guild Music Company BMI
Master #37735 (Mono) Recorded 6/13/62
Single Released 6/4/62 (Capitol 4777) b/w “409”
A-Side Carted 8/11/62 Reached #14
B-Side Charted 10/13/62 Reached #76
2. COUNTY FAIR
(B. Wilson-G. Usher)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #38219 (Mono) Recorded 9/5/62
3. TEN LITTLE INDIANS
(B. Wilson-G. Usher)
Sea Of Tunes BMI
Master #38061 (Mono) Recorded 8/8/62
Single Released 11/26/62 (Capitol 4880) b/w “County Fair”
A-Side Charted 12/1/62 Reached #49
4. CHUG-A-LUG
(B. Wilson-M. Love-G. Usher)
Sea Of Tunes BMI
Master #38063 (Mono) Recorded 8/8/62
5. LITTLE GIRL (YOU’RE MY MISS AMERICA)
(Catalano-Alpert)
Brunswick Music Publishing BMI
Master #38223 (Mono) Recorded 9/6/62
6. 409
(B. Wilson-M. Love-G. Usher)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #37736 (Mono) Recorded 6/13/62
7. SURFIN’
(B. Wilson-M. Love)
Guild Music Company BMI
Master #38279 (Mono) Recorded 10/4/61
Single Released December 1961 (X Records 301, later released on Candix 301 and Candix 308)
Charted 2/17/62 Reached # 75
8. HEADS YOU WIN, TAILS I LOSE
(B. Wilson-G. Usher)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #38218 (Mono) Recorded 9/5/62
9. SUMMERTIME BLUES
(E. Cochran-J. Capehart)
Sea Chest Music BMI
Master #38221 (Mono) Recorded 9/6/62
10. CUCKOO CLOCK
(B. Wilson-G. Usher)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #38217 (Mono) Recorded 9/5/62
11. MOON DAWG
(Derry Weaver)
Beechwood Music Corp. BMI
Master #38220 (Mono) Recorded 9/5/62
12. THE SHIFT
(B. Wilson-M. Love)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #38062 (Mono) Recorded 8/8/62
13. SURFIN’ USA
(Chuck Berry)
Arc Music Corp. BMI
Master #39181 (Stereo) Recorded 1/31/63
Single Released 3/4/63 (Capitol 4932) b/w “Shut Down”
A-Side Charted 3/23/63 Reached #3
B-Side Charted 4/27/63 Reached #23
14. FARMER’S DAUGHTER
(B. Wilson-M. Love)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #39239 (Stereo) Recorded 1/31/63
15. MISERLOU
(Roubanis-Wise-Leeds-Russell)
Miserlou Music, Inc. BMI
Master #39192 (Stereo) Recorded 2/11/63
16. STOKED
(Brian Wilson)
Sea Of Tunes BMI
Master #39212 (Stereo) Recorded 2/12/63
17. LONELY SEA
(G. Usher-B. Wilson)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #37865 (Stereo) Recorded 6/13/63
18. SHUT DOWN
(B. Wilson-R. Christian)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master # 39180 (Stereo) Recorded 1/31/63
19. NOBLE SURFER
(B. Wilson-M. Love)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #39193 (Stereo) Recorded 2/11/63
20. HONKY TONK
(Doggett-Scott-Butler-Sheper-Glover)
W&K Publishing Corp./Islip Music Publishing Co. BMI
Master #39191 (Stereo) Recorded 2/11/63
21. LANA
(Brian Wilson)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #39238 (Stereo) Recorded 1/31/63
22. SURF JAM
(Carl Wilson)
Sea Of Tunes BMI
Master #39211 (Stereo) Recorded 2/12/63
23. LET’S GO TRIPPIN’
(Dick Dale)
Monsour Publishing Company ASCAP
Master #39190 (Stereo) Recorded 2/11/63
24. FINDERS KEEPERS
(B. Wilson-M. Love)
Irving Music, Inc. BMI
Master #39210 (Stereo) Recorded 2/12/63
25. CINDY, OH CINDY*
(B. Barons-B. Long)
(Mono) Recorded 9/13/62
26. THE BAKER MAN*
(Brian Wilson)
(Mono) Recorded 3/7/63
27. LAND AHOY*
(Brian Wilson)
Master #38222 (Stereo) Recorded 9/6/62
* Bonus Tracks
__________________________________________________
TRACKS 1-25 PRODUCED BY NICK VENET
TRACKS 26 & 27 PRODUCED BY BRIAN WILSON
SONGS RECORDED AT CAPITOL STUDIOS, HOLLYWOOD AND WESTERN STUDIOS, HOLLYWOOD EXCEPT TRACK 26 WHICH WAS RECORDED AT CONWAY RECORDERS, HOLLYWOOD
“Surfin’ Safari” LP – Originally released on Capitol Records 10/1/62 (Capitol T-1808) Charted 11/24/62 Reached #32
“Surfin’ USA” LP – Originally released on Capitol Records 3/27/63 (Capitol ST-2027) Charted 5/4/63 Reached #2
__________________________________________________
In the preparation of this compact disc, every effort has been made to make these historic recordings sound as they did when Brian, Carl, Mike, Dennis, Al and David first made them. Numerous tapes were auditioned in order to find the best sounding master. No remixing was attempted, as it was felt that this would not be faithful to the original productions. The original mono and stereo tapes were transferred using a specially modified ampex tape machine and custom-made analog-to-digital converters.
The disc has been mastered using the Pacific Microsonics HDCD system which encodes 24 bits onto a conventional 16 bit CD. The bonus tracks have been selected from a variety of sources and were mixed directly from the original three and four track masters.
Mark Linett
Los Angeles, CA
December 2000
__________________________________________________
REISSUE PRODUCED AND COORDINATED BY MARK LINETT.
24-BIT DIGITALLY REMASTERED BY JOE GASTWIRT AT OCEANVIEW DIGITAL MASTERING, LOS ANGELES, CA, UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF MARK LINETT – 2000.
“Cindy, Oh Cindy” and “The Baker Man” MIXED BY MARK LINETT, AT YOUR PLACE OR MINE STUDIOS, LOS ANGELES, CA
LINER NOTES BY DAVID LEAF.
ART DIRECTION BY TOMMY STEELE.
DESIGN BY CHUCK AMES.
PHOTO RESEARCH BY BRAD BENEDICT.
__________________________________________________
FOR INFORMATION ON THE BEACH BOYS FAN CLUB, SEND A SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMPED #10 ENVELOPE TO:
BBFC
Mail Stop 504, 252 Convention Center Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89109
http://www.beachboysfanclub.com/
BEACH BOYS BRITAIN IS THE OFFICIAL BRITISH FAN CLUB FOR THE BEACH BOYS. FOR INFORMATION, WRITE TO:
Beach Boys Britain
3 Mill Grove, Lutterworth, Leicestershire LE17 4BS, England
http://www.angelfire.com/la/Beachboysbritain/
FOR INFORMATION ON THE BRIAN WILSON FAN CLUB, WRITE TO:
Brian Wilson Fan Club
15030 Ventura Boulevard, 1-710, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
http://www.celebritymerch.com/bw/index.htm
FOR INFORMATION ON THE MIKE LOVE FAN CLUB, WRITE TO:
The Mike Love Fan Club
114 Gov. Winthrop Road, Somerville, MA 02145
http://www.mikelovefanclub.com/
OTHER BEACH BOYS FAN CLUBS AND FANZINES ARE:
Endless Summer Quarterly
P.O. Box 470315, Charlotte, NC 28427
http://www.members.aol.com/esqeditor/welcome.html
Good Vibrations Quarterly
600 Sandra Court, Hampton, Virginia 23669
Beach Boys Stomp
22 Avondale Road, Wealdstone, Middlesex HA3 7RE, England
Beach Boys Australia
P.O. Box 106, North Strathfield 2137, Australia
California Saga
P.O. Box 1607 50106 Bergheim, Germany
http://members.aol.com/chaschke/index.html
BEACH BOYS DOUBLE CDs AVAILABLE INCLUDE:
SURFIN’ SAFARI / SURFIN’ USA (31517)
SURFER GIRL / SHUT DOWN VOLUME TWO (31515)
LITTLE DEUCE COUPE / ALL SUMMER LONG (31516)
TODAY! / SUMMER DAYS (AND SUMMER NIGHTS!!) (31639)
PARTY! / STACK-O-TRACKS (31641)
SMILEY SMILE / WILD HONEY (31862)
FRIENDS / 20/20 (31638)
BEACH BOYS CONCERT / LIVE IN LONDON (31861)
SUNFLOWER / SURF’S UP (25692)
CARL & THE PASSIONS “SO TOUGH” / HOLLAND (25694)
IN CONCERT (25933)
15 BIG ONES / LOVE YOU (27945)
M.I.U. ALBUM / L.A. (LIGHT ALBUM) (27950)
KEEPIN’ THE SUMMER ALIVE / THE BEACH BOYS (27948)
OTHER BEACH BOYS CDs AVAILABLE INCLUDE:
PET SOUNDS (26266)
ENDLESS HARMONY (24002)
ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS (95734)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME 1 (21860)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME 2 (20238)
GREATEST HITS VOLUME 3 THE BEST OF THE BROTHER YEARS 1970-1986 (24511)
THE PET SOUNDS SESSIONS – BOX SET (37662)
GOOD VIBRATIONS-THIRTY YEARS OF THE BEACH BOYS – BOX SET (81294)
BEACH BOYS VIDEO/DVD AVAILABLE INCLUDE:
ENDLESS HARMONY (VHS) (92154)
ENDLESS HARMONY (DVD) (92353)
ALL TRACKS 24-BIT DIGITALLY REMASTERED
(P) 2001 © 1990 Capitol Records, Inc. Manufactured by Capitol Records, Inc., 1750 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. Printed in U.S.A.
HDCD®
72435-31517-2-0
See Hollywood and Vine
hollywoodandvine.com/beachboys
