Beach Boys Hang Ten in Hotel Lobby

It’s been nine and a half years since the Beach Boys started out, singing “Surfin’ Safari” in Southern California, on New Year’s Eve, 1961. At New York’s Carnegie Hall, On February 24, 1971, they ended the second of two encores, after a two-hour performance, with . . . “Surfin’ Safari”. In the interim, they’ve seen and learned, a lot, about themselves and about rock'n’roll. They no longer care only about girls,-surfing and cars. They’ve seen, not only groups and performers, but entire musical genres, come and go. Like Elvis, and no other white rock performers, they’ve seen it all from the top.

After nine years and twenty-three albums (though five were “best oE’ anthologies) for Capitol,, the Beach Boys finally launched their own label, Brother, last year. The first release, their * own Sufi flower, was greeted with rave reviews and excellent sales, all things being considered.-The-second, The Flame, a South African r‘n’b group, was met with somewhat less pleasure.