Review Summary: The album that shows the band finally getting it all right for the most part, making for their first truly excellent album.
At this point, I'm sure most fans of the band know them for such classics such as "Pet Sounds", "Sunflower", "Surf's Up", "The Beach Boys Today!", "Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)", among a few others that would forever cement them as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Though, that wasn't always the case. While the bands quality has definitely been very hit or miss after their last great album "Love You" what with Brian Wilson's contributions waning with time, their early part of their career is one of the most "just okay" eras of any rock band.
Their debut "Surfin' Safari" was inspired, but didn't really feel that finished thanks to the band just not sounding fully committed yet. "Surfin' U.S.A." was definitely better and had far superior composition that actually showed them more confident than ever before, but was still not great thanks to it's over reliance on instrumentals and lack of focus. "Surfer Girl" showed the band striking a much better balance in their material while showing them at their most mature, though the focus was still all over the place. "Little Deuce Coupe" had great originals, but the lack of lyrical variety and lack of a fully new album with previously released tracks made the album feel like a cop-out. "Shut Down Vol. 2" was far more original and focused, however, the material suffered greatly from some of the most half-baked filler the band has ever wrote during this time; though not without some high points, of course. In short, with the slight exception of "Surfer Girl", the band really struggled finding their footing.
Though, later in 1964, the same year as "Shut Down Vol. 2" released, that all ended with this: the bands first truly excellent album. "All Summer Long" takes everything great from all of their last records (mainly "Surfer Girl" and "Shut Down Vol. 2") and not only expands upon them, but also adds so much more life to the writing process as a whole; while also giving brand new life to the song "Hushabye", making for one of the best covers the band has ever done. The focus behind this album is higher than it has ever been in any of their previous albums, and you can tell the band is having fun with it. Mix that with clean and raw production, consistently memorable and fun material, confident and layered composition, and great pacing, and what you've got here is one of the most infectious and rewarding rock albums of the mid '60s that, with the exception of "Our Favorite Recording Sessions", has not one ounce of filler to be heard here.
--some may argue that "Do You Remember?" is, but I will always argue that it's one of the most inspired songs on the album, and its familiar chord progression is actually reminiscent of the '50s rock and roll that the song is about. And "Carl's Big Chance" shines thanks to Carls excellent guitar work and fantastic pacing--one of the best instrumentals the band has ever done, in my opinion.
This album is incredibly fun and diverse, though still very disciplined, as it's not only rockin' and infectious, but it can also be occasionally beautiful; all while coming together nearly perfectly. While that's all well and good, it is to be noted that the albums style is still very similar to the bands 3 previous albums ("Surfer Girl", "Little Deuce Coupe", and "Shut Down Vol. 2"). While that's defintely not a bad thing what with the style itself being iconic and lovable, anyone who was let down by any of those albums may come into this and listen to a little bit only to assume that it's "more of the same" and turn it off. Though, if you ask me, it really is their loss, because this album finally gets it all mostly right; making for a showcase of the band focusing on their material rather than their already great style, which, in my opinion, was definitely more important.
Though, that's not to say this album is free of any issues, because there is one big one that sticks out like a sore thumb. That is the awkward placement of the recording outtakes titled "Our Favorite Recording Sessions". While I'm not against the idea of the band including a bonus like this in their albums, putting it before the albums closer is, as stated, awkward. Because even though there's definitely a charm in hearing the band workshopping in the studio, it kind of seems like a barrier to go through before getting to the very underrated and awesome "Don't Back Down" that closes the album. This doesn't quite ruin the album, but it's definitely something I would have done differently. If I were the band, I would have put the recording outtakes at the end of the album instead of before the closer, because it kinda messes with the aforementioned great pacing. Thankfully, that's exactly what they did with their next non-christmas album "The Beach Boys Today!", so it's good to see them learn from this. But the point still stands.
Aside from that, that's really it in terms of any big flaws; and I'd argue that's not even that big of a flaw to begin with, because for everthing this album does right, it’s still lovable from beginning to end. While it’s not quite the band at their highest peak ever, it shows them not only approaching it, but doing so in commanding fashion. So get around in your little Honda and run away to the nearest record store (or just use Spotify or Apple Music like me) and check this one out, because it don’t back down from being even greater than the drive-in, making for one classic that isn’t enjoyed just all summer long, but instead, all year round, and for many more to come.
