Surf's Up! The Beach Boys on Record, 1961-1981 [Paperback]

Brad Elliott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2003

Surf's Up! The Beach Boys On Record 1961-1981 is the complete guide to the first 20 years of records by The Beach Boys, recognized today as one of the most influential groups in popular music.

This 520-page volume catalogs all the recordings with which The Beach Boys were involved during their first 20 years, both as a group and individually. The book includes a 385-entry chronological discography; details of songs and albums, including vocal, musician and engineering credits; an extensive discussion of unreleased material (studio outtakes, unrecorded songs, notable concert performances, radio and television appearances, etc.); a listing of DJ and promotional records; information on records by relatives and friends; week-by-week chart activity of the group's records from Billboard magazine; a 10,000-entry general index; several specialized indices; 107 photographs; and much more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An exhausting, exhilarating 500 pages of information about everything anybody connected with the group ever put down on vinyl. -- Goldmine

An impressive work of studious research that reveals far more about the band than mere details. -- Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle

Beach Boys fans should check this out. Elliott supplies more than enough information about every recording they ever made, anywhere! -- CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries

The research is pretty much flawless. Elliott tells you more than you'll ever need to know. Great illustrations, too. -- Steve Simels, Stereo Review

About the Author

Brad Elliott is acknowledged as one of the leading experts on The Beach Boys and their records. He has assisted with numerous compilations and reissues of the group’s music, consulted on several video documentaries about the group, and written or contributed to articles appearing in a variety of music periodicals. Among his recent work are the liner notes for the group's Endless Harmony Soundtrack (1998) and Ultimate Christmas (1998) albums, as well as three volumes of their Greatest Hits.

Product Details

• Paperback: 520 pages
• Publisher: Surf's Up Books; 1st Ed. edition (November 2003)
• ISBN-10: 0972768610
• ISBN-13: 978-0972768610
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,537,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive Beach Boys reference manual, April 6, 2000

By 

Christian Lipski "xianrex" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Surf's Up!: The Beach Boys on Record, 1961-1981 (Hardcover)

Every recording done by the Beach Boys, their friends and relations through 1981 is documented in this textbook. Cross-referenced by song, title, performer, this work includes session logs, chart positions, bootleg information, and enough background material to make a fan's head swim.

Who recorded "Had To Phone Ya" first - The Beach Boys or Spring? Who sang lead on "Sail On Sailor"? What songs were recorded for "SMiLE" but never released? The answers are all here.

Brad Elliott knows the works of the Beach Boys inside and out. This book is not for the casual "sun n fun" fan, but for the dedicated Beach Boys scholar. A must-have that is well worth the price.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Buy it if you are a collector, November 19, 2005

By 

Oz (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surf's Up! The Beach Boys on Record, 1961-1981 (Paperback)

I recommend this book for all collector's of Beach Boy music. It is very scholarly and well-researched.

It is full of facts about the various discs, even foreign discs and rare records. There is no price-guide - which may be a problem for some readers. But if you are after a guide that lists every record that you can buy then this is the one for you.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Available again!, April 6, 2004

By 

Surf's Up Books (Pampa, TX, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Surf's Up!: The Beach Boys on Record, 1961-1981 (Rock & Roll Remembrances) (Hardcover)

Beach Boys fans and collectors, take note: Brad Elliott's "Surf's Up!" is no longer out of print. It's available again, reprinted in paperback by Surf's Up Books. The new printing, which includes everything found in previous editions, is available from Amazon.com. Search on the book's new ISBN - 0972768610 - to locate the listing.