After the demise of the Smile sessions and the varying levels of commercial and critical success of the albums that followed, Brian Wilson shrank behind the rest of the band members, letting De Facto Front Man Mike Love lead the group in a less ambitious, more commercially viable direction. Then in the wake of their most poorly received album ever, they hired a new manager who encouraged Brian to take back his role as band leader. He was reluctant, but his brother, Carl, who shared his artistic leanings, took the role. The result was Surf’s Up, considered by many to be a return to greatness.

While Surf’s Up has neither the do-no-wrong pop of Pet Sounds or the symphony-sized ambitions of Smile, it finds a happy place in the middle. The opener, Don’t Go Near The Water, is deceptively simple, with section changes left over from the Smile sessions. And while this ambitious streak doesn’t touch every song (most of which are simple pop tunes), the group’s expanded sonic palette adds a bold touch, from the phased guitars in Disney Girls (1957) to the fuzz guitar on the blues-rocker Student Demonstration Time.

Once the shining light of quality in the group, Brian Wilson’s name is on the writer credits for only the last three songs, they’re bona fide highlights. A Day In The Life Of A Tree is a droning, playful affair that’s no doubt a result of his consistent drug use, but ‘Til I Die and Surf’s Up (from Smile, but to that point unreleased) are both classic Wilson–perfectly written, excellently arranged, and impeccably sung.

All in all, it doesn’t leave as big of an impression as Pet Sounds or Smile, but let’s be fair–those are rare albums, even for a band of the Beach Boys’ stature. However, Surf’s Up is a good addition for someone who has discovered the post-surf rock pop perfection of the Beach Boys and just wants more.