Surfin' Safari
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Surfin' Safari is the debut studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on October 1, 1962 by Capitol Records. The official production credit went to Nick Venet, though it was Brian Wilson with his father Murry who contributed substantially to the album's production; Brian also wrote or co-wrote nine of its 12 tracks.<ref name="Leaf1990">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> The album reached number 32 in the US during a chart stay of 37 weeks.
The album was preceded by two singles: "[[Surfin'|SurfinTemplate:'-]]" and "Surfin' Safari", which charted at numbers 75 and 14, respectively. The success of "Surfin' Safari" helped secure a full album for the group while an additional single, "Ten Little Indians," was issued, charting at number 49.
Background
Production
Recording sessions for Surfin' Safari took place in Capitol's basement studios in the famous tower building in August.Template:Sfn During the sessions, Brian Wilson fought for, and won, the right to helm the production – though this fact was not acknowledged with an album liner notes production credit.Template:Sfn David Marks remembered, "Brian did everything. Played, did the arrangements, screwed up the lead sheets himself. He didn't need any help to do that. You listen to those first albums and they sound campy and corny but Brian was dead serious."Template:Sfn
Songs
Side one
"County Fair" was inspired by Gary Usher and Brian Wilson visiting a county fair in San Bernardino. The song was written in about ten minutes. "Ten Little Indians" saw the group trying to emulate the style of the song "Running Bear".<ref name="Leaf1990"/> "Little Miss America" features a doo-wop style,<ref name="AM2">Template:Cite web</ref> and according to biographer David Leaf, is about "the ideal southern California dream girl".<ref name="Leaf1990"/>
In "Chug-a-Lug", written by Brian and Usher, the lyrics refer to Usher, Marks, Carl, and Dennis, as well as a Larry. The latter was possibly Larry Lennear, a saxophonist who played and recorded with Brian at the time.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> "409" was written about Usher's obsession over hot-rods.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The car sound effects were recorded by Usher driving his car past the home of the Wilsons, who had set up a tape recorder outside using a 100-foot extension cord.<ref name="Leaf1990"/>
Side two
Brian stated that the song "[[Surfin'|SurfinTemplate:'-]]" was composed after Dennis told him "surfing’s getting really big. You guys ought to write a song about it."<ref name="Leaf1990"/> "Heads You Win, Tails I Lose" was written because of Usher and Brian Wilson's frequent use of coin flipping to decide things. The group wanted to make contemporary expressions into songs.<ref name="Leaf1990"/>
The instrumental "Moon Dawg", originally performed by the Gamblers, was considered the first surf record.<ref name="Leaf1990"/> The Beach Boys became the first group to cover the song, exposing it to a much wider audience.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> "The Shift" was presented as a "fashion statement" from Brian and Love.<ref name="Leaf1990"/>
Release and reception
Template:Music ratings The album was released through Capitol on October 1, 1962, and peaked at number 32.<ref name="Leaf1990"/> Lead single, "[[Surfin'|SurfinTemplate:'-]]", was later credited with creating the genre of California Sound, a music aesthetic primarily revolving around surfing, hot rod culture, and youthful innocence.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> "409" was similarly credited with starting the hot rod music craze of the 1960s,<ref name="HotRod">Template:Cite book</ref> According to Usher, Capitol chose "Ten Little Indians" as the second single due to thinking that surf music was a fad.<ref name="Leaf1990"/>
Richie Unterberger, in a retrospective review for AllMusic, felt that most of the songs on Surfin' Safari are substandard, but that as the album was recorded by the Beach Boys themselves rather than session musicians, it offered an opportunity to hear what the band sounded like in the studio.<ref name="allmusic">Template:AllMusic Allmusic review</ref> Template:Clear
Track listing
Template:Track listing Template:Track listing Template:Track listing Notes
- Mike Love was not originally credited for "Chug-A-Lug" and "409". His credits were awarded after a 1994 court case.<ref name="Doe">Template:Cite web</ref>
- Some reissue pressings omit "SurfinTemplate:'-" and "Cuckoo Clock", and move "Chug-A-Lug" to the beginning of side two.<ref name="Doe"/>
Personnel
Partial credits compiled from the original album liner notes plus additional information from David Leaf,<ref name="Leaf1990"/> Jon Stebbins,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and James Murphy.Template:Sfn
The Beach Boys
- Al Jardine – vocals and double bass on "SurfinTemplate:'-"
- Mike Love – vocals; saxophone on "Ten Little Indians"
- Brian Wilson – vocals; electric bass (except "SurfinTemplate:'-"), organ on “Cuckoo Clock”,<ref>Doe, Andrew G. & Tobler, John: "Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys: The Complete Guide to their Music", page 10. Omnibus Press, 2004.</ref> snare drum tapped with pencil on "Surfin'", additional production (uncredited)
- Carl Wilson – vocals; electric lead guitar (except "Surfin'"), acoustic guitar on "SurfinTemplate:'-"
- Dennis Wilson – vocals; drums (except "SurfinTemplate:'-")
- David Marks – vocals and rhythm guitar (except "SurfinTemplate:'-")
- Additional musicians and production staff
- Gary Usher – car sound effects on "409"
- Nick Venet – producer
- Murry Wilson – additional production (uncredited)
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 32 |