Surfer Girl/Shut Down, Vol. 2 [EXTRA TRACKS] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

The Beach Boys

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 13, 2001)
• Original Release Date: May 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00005A1MU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #83,141 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Surfer Girl may have been the band's third album release, but it was the first to bear the imprimatur of founder and creative mainstay Brian Wilson as producer, and the difference is palpable from the confident opening tracks onward. That one-two combo, "Surfer Girl" and "Catch a Wave," also effectively serves as the blueprint for much of the Beach Boys' subsequent sound. On the former, Wilson's falsetto soars over a tender, yet musically sophisticated, ballad, while the latter features Mike Love's trademark twang urgently proselytizing SoCal surf, both over band harmonies that seemed to grow tighter and more adventurous with every cut. That artistic axis is revisited yet again on "Little Deuce Coupe" and "In My Room," the latter ballad showcasing Wilson's full artistic arsenal and giving an early glimpse into his introspective soul. The curiously titled "Shut Down, Part II" (a de facto sequel to an earlier hit EP) sought to further the band beyond its ironic sea-and-sun fetish (none but Dennis Wilson ever surfed) into the burgeoning hot-rod subculture as well. The results were understandably uneven, but the high points remain nothing short of spectacular, including the Love-propelled "Fun, Fun, Fun," Wilson's knowing nod to Phil Spector, "Don't Worry Baby," and the underrated "The Warmth of the Sun." Bonus cuts include the single mix of "Fun, Fun, Fun," a German-language version of "In My Room," and the previously unreleased, largely experimental "I Do" by Wilson and Love. Brian offers up a brief commentary on both albums in the notes, while David Leaf (author of the pioneering bio The Beach Boys and the California Myth) documents the music track-by-track. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description

Beach Boys Photos

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Cool Beach Boy Two-Fer, April 22, 2001

By	John Peterson "bigtimemusiclover" (Marinette, WI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here's another wonderful two-fer from the Beach Boys. Murray Wilson (Brian, Dennis, and Carl's father) was still the tyrant in the studio which may have slowed Brian's amazing development as a producer. Still, his songwriting was maturing very rapidly, while still keeping the "Fun Fun Fun" aspects commercial.

"Surfer Girl" is the stronger album of the two, with "In My Room" showing Brian's sanctuary away from the world even if Gary Usher wrote the lyrics. There's also the title cut, "Little Deuce Coupe", "Catch A Wave" (which Jan and Dean would steal the music for "Sidewalk Surfin"), and others. Marvelous.

"Shut Down Volume 2" has two of the finest songs to come out of the "60's, "Don't Worry Baby" and "The Warmth Of The Sun". "Fun Fun Fun" is pretty nifty, too.

The bonus tracks are cool, too. And a personal note to one of the reviewers; check out the last two tracks on the CD which both have intros that are NOT on the 1990 reissue. They're remixed better, too (in stereo and not mono). When the last song "I Do" is over, wait about 20 seconds and you'll get a nice little bonus of some acappella singing that also is not on the 1990 reissue.

If you have the 1990 reissue, check out the songwriting credits and compare them to this version. It's very enlightening.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brian's genius starts here, January 29, 2007

By	K. Lewis "thrasher" (OZ) - See all my reviews

The oldest Wilson's talent is already peeking through the clouds on Surfer Moon, Warmth Of The Sun, Keep An Eye On Summer. They are all worth the price of admission for this cd, it's worth sitting through the filler for these 3 masterpieces of surf angst.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two early classics full of surf and car songs, April 8, 2005

By	Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This twofer pairs the third and fifth albums recorded by the Beach Boys. Their fourth album, a themed collection of car songs, contains four songs (including the title track) previously released on earlier albums and was therefore put on a different twofer to avoid duplication on the same CD.

The first album here, Surfer girl, yielded the double-sided American hit featuring the title track and Little deuce coupe, plus a further American hit, In my room. The second album here, Shut down volume 2, yielded two further American hits, Fun fun fun (though the album version differs slightly from the single version, added as a bonus track to this twofer) and Don't worry baby. None of these songs charted in Britain, which was gripped by Beatle mania at the time. However, Brits eventually came to love the music of the Beach Boys and these songs are now regarded as classics on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Surfer girl album is the stronger of the two albums here, with seven of the twelve songs being surfing music, of which I particularly like the title track, Hawaii and Catch a wave. Shut down volume 2 starts strongly with the two American hits and contains another outstanding track (Warmth of the sun) and covers of Why do fools fall in love and Louie Louie It is a fine album in its own way but not quite as strong overall as Surger girl.

Three bonus tracks include the single version of Fun fun fun, a version of In my room recorded in German and a previously unreleased recording of a song, I do, that the Beach Boys wrote for the Castells.

If you enjoy the early music of the Beach Boys, you will find plenty to get excited about here.