Surfin’ Safari

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

Surfin’ Safari · The Beach Boys' debut album was released on 1 October 1962 on Capitol Records. The group came largely from Hawthorne, California. The success of the single Surfin' Safari made Capitol want a whole album. In the studio Brian Wilson fought for control of the production and got it, even though it was not in the credits. He wrote or co-wrote nine of the twelve songs.

There are short, playful songs about surfing, cars and girls. On 409 you hear recordings of a car driving past the Wilsons' house. The instrumental Moon Dawg was regarded as the first surf record. Surfin' was later credited with starting the California Sound genre, and 409 with the hot rod craze of the 1960s. One reviewer found most of the songs mediocre, but the record does show how the band itself sounded in the studio.

Listening

Track list

1. 1Surfin' Safari2:05Apple Music ↗
2. 2County Fair2:15Apple Music ↗
3. 3Ten Little Indians1:27Apple Music ↗
4. 4Chug-A-Lug2:00Apple Music ↗
5. 5Little Girl (You're My Miss America)2:05Apple Music ↗
6. 64091:59Apple Music ↗
7. 7Surfin'2:11Apple Music ↗
8. 8Heads You Win, Tails I Lose2:17Apple Music ↗
9. 9Summertime Blues2:09Apple Music ↗
10. 10Cuckoo Clock2:09Apple Music ↗
11. 11Moon Dawg2:01Apple Music ↗
12. 12The Shift1:54Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗