So, no. Not all of the Beach Boys albums were pix of them in bare feet and Pendletons, on the beach, perched next to a Woodie, and holding a surfboard.
That said, most of them were pretty darn boring. Surfin Safari’s a pretty representative effort:
The Surf's Up cover is quite a departure for them. In fact, here’s what the band was looking like in 1971, on tour for their new album:
The album was supposed to be a real departure as well. When the album came out, the band was bordering on irrelevancy. Their new manager, Jack Reily, attempted to make them more relevant, resulting in songs like "Student Demonstration Time," and the environmentally conscious “Don't Go Near the Water” and "A Day in the Life of a Tree.”
Reily was also behind the cover art, supposedly finding the painting in a thrift shop. It’s actually a copy of a fairly well-know sculpture called End of the Trail. The original was in plaster, and created back in 1915, by one James Earl Fraser. Fraser’s other main claim to fame was designing the Buffalo nickel.
Somebody on Wikipedia waxed quite poetic about the meaning of it all: “This lone figure on his weary horse is one of the most recognized symbols of the American West. Here, it almost certainly also symbolizes the last great effort by an immensely talented group struggling to deliver one last testament to their greatness. The title Surf's Up juxtaposed with what appears to be an exhausted and thirsty warrior adds an ironic quality to a title that only ten years before would have carried no hint of irony whatsoever.”
Band member Carl Wilson had a little different interpretation, claiming that the Indian was chosen because his grandfather believed there was a spiritual Indian “guide” who watched over the Wilson boys.
The only other cover these guys did that I have any feelings for whatsoever:
The same image was used in an album by Crazy Horse:
No parodies of this album, but no shortage of schlocky images:
Oh, and it's also the title of a bad movie as well:
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