The Beach Boys Surfin' Safari

The Beach Boys' first album, released Oct. 1, 1962, features the band's debut single ("Surfin'"), the follow-up ("Surfin' Safari"), and inspired performances throughout, even if some material sounds too green to compete with the band's best work. In the early '60s, record companies considered the pop album something that featured a hit single, filled out with covers and lesser originals, with little care going into the final product. However, Brian Wilson's abilities to craft superior harmonies and write songs were already in evidence, as he cowrote a majority of the tracks with either fellow Beach Boy Mike Love or musician/producer Gary Usher. While Love handles most of the lead vocals, Dennis Wilson takes a gorgeous turn at Herb Alpert's "Little Girl (You're My Miss America)," Brian nearly suggests future glory with the relatively slight "Cuckoo Clock," and Carl Wilson gives his all to Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues." Despite the limitations of the studio and the group's inexperience, the energy here makes this an early classic from a seminal American rock 'n' roll band.