Album #226: The Beach Boys - Surf's Up

By The Beach Boys (1971)

=> Surf's Up on 1001albumsgenerator

Usually I try to write out my thoughts while listening to the album. Sort of 'raw, live to tape', in the hope that it'll capture something unique or interesting to my particular perspective in this, my public music listening journal. Not today, not with this album - it slid by. Maybe that was the intention - it's cautiously interesting and psychedelic or at least adventurous, but there's never any real commitment to it. Like they know the weight and legacy of the Beach Boys name and have to do something MORE, but where previously they felt like they set a standard, now they're following The Beatles or The Rolling Stones or The Who or whoever is moulding something from the past in to something more interesting. And the spark isn't there any more.

Perhaps that's me projecting though. I'm basically a quarter of the way through, and I'm at this weird crossroads. Stuff I used to listen to feels too safe, but the stuff I'm getting daily isn't all that interesting either. Maybe I don't really like music any more? Maybe I'm not all that interested? But on a whim, as I write this, I've put on Philophobia by Arab Strap, and reminded myself that the point isn't a list of 1001 albums that you absolutely must like, but a list of albums you must hear. I've heard Surf's Up by the Beach Boys now. You don't have to. But you can.

Rating

⭐⭐

=> 🏡 Home
=> 📻 More albums
=> 🙋 About this project