This is the beginning of The Beach Boys’ career. Brian Wilson did take charge of this album’s production shortly into the project alongside his father, Murry Wilson, despite having the album’s credited production to Nick Venet. Despite this mix-up of production duties and the album being recorded in the basement of Capitol Records (the label that The Beach Boys were signed to), this album did quite well. It did have some chart success at the time, climbing to #32 on the USA charts and staying there for 37 weeks. Not bad for an era where albums were not taken overly seriously and when The Beatles were relatively unheard of (they weren’t quite there yet). To this day, the album has received mixed reviews, but to be fair, before even hearing this, this is the beginning of a big career for the group. The album runs for under 25 minutes and has 12 tracks, which is a speedy listening experience, even today. The Beach Boys at the time were: Al Jardine (vocals and double bass); Mike Love (vocals and saxophone); Brian Wilson (vocals and other instrumentation); Carl Wilson (vocals and guitars); Dennis Wilson (vocals and drums); David Marks (vocals and guitars). Let’s go back in time to 1962 and take a listen to this important debut album release.

1. Surfin’ Safari begins with a sweet, lovely and upbeat anthem that is sing-along, simple and catchy throughout. The singing is extremely harmony-based and catchy throughout. This was the dawn of Surf Rock as such, and it sounds absolutely brilliant to listen to. A magical listen that sounds near perfect for early music by The Beach Boys. There is a Fender guitar solo (likely a Fender Stratocaster or a Fender Jazzmaster) that sounds really fine. An absolutely awesome listen throughout that is unique and powerful to listen to. This really gets the 1960s kick-started. Very lovely to hear.

2. County Fair begins with a quick slice of guitar, and launches straight into an irresistibly beautiful Pop song about going to the fair. Brilliant, lovely and excellent. This is a great listen, although this is more theatrical than musical, to be fair. This is far better than anything released in the name of Popular Music today. It may be rubbish in some ways, but joyously so. A really awesome and uplifting tune to listen to, and something seriously divine throughout. A really swell tune, although it is somewhat full of despair lyrically. A good tune all the same.

3. Ten Little Indians begins with some drum beats and quickly goes into a strange and rather potentially racist song that continues the freshness and appeal of this album, for the most part. All in all, this is sweet and childlike music from way back in 1962. The Beach Boys sing a bit like a choir, but that is perfectly fine. The guitar solo on this one is short and magical. Brian Wilson and company did a fantastic job on the production, and this song ends fairly quickly.

4. Chug-A-Lug begins with sweet singing about people drinking and dancing the night away. This is yet another solidly fantastic and amazing-sounding song that has value and merit to it all. Very much like California way back in the 1960s, this is a sweet tune. Mentioning the members of the group as well in the song lyrics, The Beach Boys deliver a fantastic autobiographical story. There is a warped keyboard solo present as well, followed by a clean and pristine guitar solo. A winner of a listen. Fine and fantastic to hear, with handclaps just before the fade out. Awesome.

5. Little Girl (You’re My Miss America) sounds like a cheesy song title, and also sounds a little that way. Even so, this is a tremendously lovable and exciting tune to listen to. Still, more a case of quality over quantity throughout. A really smooth and pleasant listening experience throughout. This surely sounds magical, no matter if you are hearing this for the first time or on repeat. The singing and harmonies are solidly awesome. The Beach Boys sang with passion and energy on these songs. Another sweet and excellent listen throughout. Top notch.

6. 409 begins with a revving car engine, before entering into a sweet, sublime and fantastic song about cars themselves. A sweet and childlike song about having the passion to drive fast cars, in this instance, a 409. A sweet, enjoyable and very retro song with layered instrumentation to boot. Simple, pleasant and lovable throughout. A catchy and pleasant tune that will get you bopping along. A fine song for all people from all generations and walks of life. Pleasant listening.

7. Surfin’ is the surfer’s anthem from the start, with some awesome hummed harmonies and singing that is absolutely awesome. It is clear from the start that The Beach Boys made pleasant, sun-driven anthems that were solidly good. This music definitely needs to be heard more by Rock Music fans in particular, as it is representative of what a great band can do. The music, instrumentation and lyrics are all fantastically awesome to listen to. A very top-notch tune to listen to. Extremely underrated to this day. This is a great song to sing along with.

8. Heads You Win, Tails I Lose begins with some overt drumming, subtle bass guitar work and more harmony singing. This is about a guy who is down on his luck in a relationship and hoping for better circumstances. Even so, this music sounds fresh, stylish and amazing throughout. This is lovely and energetic music to listen to throughout. If you have a spare 30 minutes and want to hear some amazing music history, this is surely a great go-to point. Don’t gamble, kids, it ain’t worth it in any way. A really good and solidly awesome tune about being down on one’s luck.

9. Summertime Blues is a memorable and catchy song with some pleasant Rock and Roll progressions throughout. This sounds much more like The Rolling Stones than one can imagine. The music and structure of it all are absolutely sweet and fantastic to listen to. It’s lyrically about working away in the summer and hoping things would be better, and feeling down about it. A neat little song, all the same. Upbeat and simple for all its problems, this is really divine music. A really classy and interesting tune throughout.

10. Cuckoo Clock begins with a drum roll and launches into a sweet and awesome song about young love and the prospects of being in love, and being distracted by a cuckoo clock in the process. Deeper and darker emotions are present throughout that sound absolutely joyful to listen to, in any case. A very lively song with a cheesy and retro-sounding organ solo. Very different from the music at the time of writing. This sounds very lovely all the same, and is a truly pleasant listen. Ingenius by The Beach Boys.

11. Moon Dawg begins with a fantastic snare drum solo and launches into an ascending and groovy tune with warped-sounding harmonies. Imitations of a dog barking and a clean, clear guitar solo are on this instrumental. Great to hear that The Beach Boys could indeed create some amazing sounds and fresh music early on. The guitar playing is super sweet and enjoyable, too. A killer song to listen to. This sounds different and a little warped throughout. Nice to hear something rather different.

12. The Shift is the final song on this album. It begins with a kick drum beat and some nice guitar playing, before launching into a nice tune about a lady of one’s fancy. All in all, this tune is just as consistently amazing as what came before it all. The music and sounds are really fantastic and lovably enjoyable overall. The Beach Boys sing enjoyably and pleasantly throughout. The second half of the song has a sweet and tasty guitar solo that is absolutely gold and top. A seriously great song to listen to. The album finishes with a final fade out.

This is a legendary album that, warts and all, introduces global audiences to The Beach Boys. Sure, these guys never reached the fame level of The Beatles or The Rolling Stones. However, having said that, in some ways, this music shines brighter overall. This album, alongside some other key releases in the early 1960s, kick-started the Surf Rock craze, which was prevalent in that era. A fine listen that is totally worth your time. Should you listen to this album? Do give it a try, although fans of heavier music styles will want to explore elsewhere instead.

Fine and fantastic.

9/10

Best tracks: Surfin’ Safari, Surfin’.