Surfin' USA review

The second album from The Beach Boys. Their first album was a decent but ultimately unmemorable effort. Back with another round of harmonies and surfing, can they top it?

Tracks:

1. Surfin' USA: 8/10 it's certainly not deep or ground breaking, so just take it for what is: Enthusiastically produced, good natured fun with the harmonies most groups only dream about.

2. Farmer's Daughter: 7/10 the lyrics don't go anywhere but it's lovely to listen to.

3. Misirlou: 7/10 this gets extra points for being another version of the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. It's a fairly relaxed instrumental but showcases some impressive guitar playing.

4. Stoked: 6/10 another guitar instrumental. Perfectly inoffensive but I can't pretend this is particularly interesting.

5. Lonely Sea: 8/10 a lovely song with brilliant harmonising and more depth than most of the other Beach Boys songs so far.

6. Shut Down: 6/10 full of glee and charm, it may not be deep or interesting but it's very hard to resist.

7. Noble Surfer: 7/10 more inoffensive fun.

8. Honky Tonk: 6/10 another well played but forgettable instrumental. Maybe it's better to avoid all these forgettable instrumentals?

9. Lana: 7/10 a surprisingly enjoyable piece of formula.

10. Surf Jam: 8/10 considerably better than the other instrumentals, this one prevents you from zoning out.

11. Let's Go Trippin': 8/10 ditto.

12. Finders Keepers: 7/10 it doesn't do anything new, but it provides a good time and sometimes that's the most important thing.

Best song: Lonely Sea
Worst song: Honky Tonk

Final summary: Consider my expectations exceeded. This is far better than the first album and has a rare sense of glee and joy running through every note. It's undemanding and simplistic, but in a good way and it's never really much more than a good time. Don't forget about the musical skill and excellent vocals though.

Final rating: 8/10