Album of the day (#5546): Surf's Up by The Beach Boys

BestEverAlbums — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:00:22 GMT

Author: BestEverAlbums

Posted: 02/24/2026 21:00

Today's album of the day

Surf's Up by The Beach Boys (View album | Buy this album)

Year: 1971.
Country:
Discography rank: 3 (out of 76 albums on BEA)
Year rank: 26
Decade rank: 169
Overall rank: 758
Average rating: 79/100 (from 564 votes).

Tracks:
1. Don't Go Near The Water
2. Long Promised Road
3. Take A Load Off Your Feet
4. Disney Girls (1957)
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

indicates a top-rated track.

Top voted comments:

"This album is a bit of a missed opportunity. Some of The Beach Boys' best songs are on this album, and some of most fantastic ballads as well.

"Surf's Up" is the best song and the brainchild of Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks and one of the best songs from the SMiLE sessions, "Long Promised Road", my personal favorite "Feel Flows" and the criminally short "'Til I Die". But songs like "Student Demonstration Time" hinders the album by not keeping with this soft and somber tone.

"Take a Load Off Your Feet, Pete" sounds like it'd be more in place with Sunflower than with this album. It also took a while to get used to Rieley's vocals of "A Day in the Life of a Tree", but now I see it as kind of haunting.

It was also a mistake not to put in some of Dennis' songs on the album, cause his songs during these session are fantastic, especially "(Wouldn't It Be Nice) To Live Again", calling in mind their hit Pet Sounds song, which including a more somber and morbid subject matter.

It's ballads are the high point and worth a listen.

Best Tracks: Surf's Up, Feel Flow, Long Promised Road, 'Til I Die, Disney Girls (1957)

Worst Tracks: Student Demonstration Time"
- pranafilms (Rating: 80/100)
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"After the collaborative optimism of Sunflower bombed commercially, The Beach Boys created Surf’s Up; a more disjointed and darker effort. Surf’s Up may be frustratingly inconsistent, but the best songs are so amazing that anyone interested in Brian Wilson’s work will need to hear it."
- TheHutts (Rating: 80/100)
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About album of the day: The BestEverAlbums.com album of the day is the album appearing most prominently in member charts in the previous 24 hours. If an album, or artist, has previously been selected within a x day period, the next highest album is picked instead (and so on) to ensure a bit of variety. A full history of album of the day can be viewed here.

Best Ever Albums

Album of the day (#5546): Surf's Up by The Beach Boys