ENDLESS SUMMER (1974) is an outstanding collection of songs
by The Beach Boys pre-dating 1966’s PET SOUNDS.
This collection was released by The Beach Boys’ old label Capitol
Records, while they were under contract with Reprise Records. This album spent 155 weeks on the Billboard
album chart. It peaked at No 1 and sold
over 3 million copies in the United States.
The songs are from the 60’s but the animated artwork accompanying the
album shows The Beach Boys as they looked in the 70’s. My parents had this on cassette and it hooked
me pretty quick!
‘Surfin’ Safari’ is one of four songs penned by the duo of
Brian Wilson and Mike Love. It starts
the album out on a lighthearted note: “Early in the morning we’ll be startin’
out/Some honeys will be coming along/We’re loading up our woody/With our boards
inside/And headin’ out singing our song/Come on (surfin’) baby, wait and see
(surfin’ safari)/Yes, I’m gonna (surfin’) take you surfin’ (surfin’ safari)
with me”. ‘Surfer Girl’ is one of twelve
songs on this compilation that is credited to Brian Wilson alone. This sleepy ballad finds a guy thinking out
loud: “Little surfer, little one/Made my heart come all undone/Do you love me,
do you surfer girl?/Surfer girl, my little surfer girl/I have watched you on
the shore/Standing by the ocean’s roar/Do you love me, do you surfer
girl?/Surfer girl, surfer girl”.
‘Catch a Wave’ is an upbeat song that praises surfing and
its longevity: “Not just a fad cause it’s been going on so long/All the surfers
going strong/They said it wouldn’t last too long/They’ll eat their words with a
fork and spoon/And watch ‘em they’ll hit the road and all be surfin’ soon/And
when they catch a wave, they’ll be sittin’ on top of the world”. ‘The Warmth of the Sun’ is a tender song of
heartbreak: “The love of my life she left me one day/I cried when she said ‘I
don’t feel the same way’/Still I have the warmth of the sun within me tonight”.
Brian Wilson wrote the lyrics to ‘Surfin’ U.S.A.’ which is
one of the funnest rock and roll songs ever.
The music is borrowed from Chuck Berry’s ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’. Here are some of the words to the Beach Boys
song: “We’ll all be planning out a route/We’re gonna take real soon/We’re
waxing down our surfboards/We can’t wait for June/We’ll all be gone for the
summer/We’re on safari to stay/Tell the teacher we’re surfin’/Surfin’
U.S.A.” ‘Be True to your School’
encourages loyalty: “I got a letterman’s sweater/With a letter in front/I got
for football and track/I’m proud to wear it now/When I cruise around/The other
parts of the town/I got a decal in back/So be true to your school/Just like you
would to your girl or guy/Be true to your school now/Let your colors fly”.
‘Little Deuce Coupe’ is one of two songs written by Brian
Wilson and Roger Christian. It is a
groovy rock and roll song that has a guy bragging about his wheels: “She’s got
a competition clutch with the four on the floor/And she purrs like a kitten
till the lake pipes roar/And if that ain’t enough to make you flip your
lid/There’s one more thing, I got the pink slip daddy/And comin’ off the line
when the light turns green/Well, she blows ‘em outta the water like you never
seen”. ‘In My Room’ was penned by Brian
Wilson and Gary Usher. It is a pretty
song that has a message just as relevant for teenagers today: “There’s a world
where I can go/And tell my secrets to/In my room (2X)/In this world I lock
out/All my worries and my fears/In my room (2X)/Do my dreaming and my scheming,
lie awake and pray/Do my crying and my sighing, laugh at yesterday”.
‘Shut Down’ is a danceable song about a car race: “It
happened on the strip where the road is wide/Two cool shorts standin’ side by
side/Yeah, my fuel injected stingray and a four-thirteen/A revin’ up our
engines and it sounds real mean/Tach it up, tach it up/Buddy gonna shut you
down”. ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’, is, well, a
catchy song about having fun: “Well, she got her daddy’s car/And she cruised
through the hamburger stand now/Seems she forgot all about the library/Like she
told her old man now/And with the radio blasting/Goes cruising just as fast as
she can now/And she’ll have fun, fun, fun/Till her daddy takes the T-bird
away”.
‘I Get Around’ has an adventurous spirit about it: “We
always take my car cause it’s never been beat/And we’ve never missed yet with
the girls we meet/None of the guys go steady cause it wouldn’t be right/To
leave their best girl home now on Saturday night/I get around/Get around,
round, I get around/From town to town”.
‘The Girls on the Beach’ is a slow number that is every teenage boys
fantasy: “On the beach you’ll find them there/In the sun and salty air/The
girls on the beach/Are all within reach/If you know what to do/How we love to
lie around/Girls with tans of golden brown/The girls on the beach/Are all
within reach/And one waits there for you”.
‘Wendy’ finds a guy heartbroken: “Wendy, Wendy, what went
wrong?/Oh so wrong/We went together for so long/I never thought a guy could
cry/’Til you made it with another guy/Wendy, Wendy, left me alone/Hurts so
bad/Wendy, Wendy, don’t lose your head/Lose your head/Wendy, don’t believe a
word he says”. ‘Let him run Wild’ is one
of the most experimental tracks both musically and vocally. Lyrically, it offers advice to a gal: “When I
watched you walk with him/Tears filled my eyes/And when I heard you talk with
him/I couldn’t stand his lies/And now before he tries it/I hope you realize it
girl/Let him run wild, he don’t care baby”.
‘Don’t Worry Baby’ is a mellow song that contains these
intimate words: “Oh, what she does to me/When she makes love to me/And she
says/Don’t worry baby (3X)/Everything will turn out alright”. ‘California Girls’ is one of my favourite
mainstream songs of all time. It’s a
great party song: “Well, east coast girls are hip/I really dig those styles
they wear/And the southern girls with the way they talk/They knock me out when
I’m down there/The mid-west farmers daughters really make you feel alright/And
the northern girls with the way they kiss/They keep their boyfriends warm at
night/I wish they all could be California (2X)/I wish they all could be
California girls”.
‘Girl Don’t Tell Me’ is a song of disappointment: “Hi little
girl, it’s me/Don’t you know who I am?/I met you last summer/When I came up to
stay with my Gran/I’m the guy/Who left you with tears in his eyes/You didn’t
answer my letters/So I figured it was just a lie”. ‘Help Me, Rhonda’ is a bouncy rock and roll
song that utilizes tambourine and harmonica.
It finds a guy looking for a rebound relationship: “She was gonna be my
wife/And I was gonna be her man/But she let another guy come between us/And it
ruined our plan/Well, Rhonda you caught my eye/And I can give you lotsa reasons
why/You gotta help me Rhonda/Help me get her out of my heart”.
‘You’re so good to Me’ paints a picture of every guy’s dream
girl: “You take my hand/And you understand/When I get in a bad mood/You’re so
good to me/And I love it, love it.../And every night/You hold me so tight/When
I kiss you goodbye/You’re so good to me/And I love it, love it”. ‘All Summer Long’ is a cheery song about
puppy love: “Sittin’ in my car outside your house/’Member when you spilled coke
all over your blouse/T-shirts, cut-offs, and a pair of thongs/We’ve been having
fun all summer long.../I can’t see enough of you”.
When Capitol Records released this album on CD in 1987 they
included 1966’s ‘Good Vibrations’ as the last track. This quirky song that uses the theremin was
The Beach Boys third U.S. No 1 single.
It is about sexual infatuation: “I, I love the colorful clothes she
wears/And the way the sunlight plays upon her hair/I hear the sound of a gentle
word/On the wind that lifts her perfume through the air/I’m pickin’ up good
vibrations/She’s giving me excitations/Good, good, good/Good vibrations”.
ENDLESS SUMMER is an absolutely terrific collection of songs
representing the early years of America’s favourite band. This album is a lot of fun to listen to! It puts you in mind of a time when things
were simpler and innocent. This
collection still serves as a good way to introduce younger audiences to these
musical heroes. I’m rating it 98%. For more info visit: www.beachboys.com and www.capitolrecords.com.