''Surfin' U.S.A.'' is the second album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released March 25, 1963 on

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

. It reached number 2 in the US during a chart stay of 78 weeks, eventually being certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

, and brought the group newfound national success. It was led by one single, its title track with the B-side " Shut Down". In the UK, the album was released in late 1965 and reached number 17. The majority of the album's recording commenced in the first week of 1963, three months after the release of ''

Surfin' Safari ''Surfin' Safari'' is the debut album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released October 1, 1962 on Capitol Records. The official production credit went to Nick Venet, though it was Brian Wilson with his father Murry who contributed ...

''. Like the group's debut album, production was credited ostensibly to Capitol's representative for Artists and Repertoire,

Nick Venet Nick Venet (born Nikolas Kostantinos Venetoulis, 3 December 1936 – 2 January 1998) was an American record producer, who began his career at age 19 with World Pacific Jazz. He is best known for signing The Beach Boys to Capitol Records and p ...

, although bandleader

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

was heavily involved in the album's composition. The album marks the beginning of his practice to doubletrack vocals, resulting in a fuller sound.

Background

In 1990, Brian Wilson reflected on ''Surfin' U.S.A.'' in liner notes which accompanied its first CD issue:

Reception

In a retrospective review, Richie Unterberger wrote: "The album as a whole is the best they would make, prior to the late '60s, as a band that played most of their instruments, rather than as a vehicle for Brian Wilson's ideas. The LP was a huge hit, vital to launching surf music as a national craze, and one of the few truly strong records to be recorded by a self-contained American rock band prior to the British Invasion." Author Luis Sanchez summarized the album's impact on culture and the image it established for the Beach Boys:

Track listing

Notes * Mike Love was not originally credited for any of the tracks on the album. His credits for "Farmer's Daughter", "Noble Surfer", and "Finders Keepers" were awarded after a 1994 court case. * Some later reissues of the album omit "Stoked" and "Surf Jam".

Charts

References

Citations Sources * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Surfin' U.S.A. 1963 albums Albums recorded at United Western Recorders Albums recorded at Capitol Studios Albums produced by Nick Venet The Beach Boys albums Capitol Records albums