Surfin' U.S.A.

The second studio album came out on Capitol on 25 March 1963 and reached number 2 in the US over a 78-week chart stay, and was later certified gold. Recording began in the first week of 1963, three months after Surfin' Safari. Production was credited to Capitol's Nick Venet, although Brian Wilson was heavily involved, and from these sessions on he double-tracked the group's vocals for a fuller sound. It is the only Beach Boys album with no contribution from Al Jardine. Its one single was the title track with Shut Down on the B-side. In Britain it came out in late 1965 and reached number 17.

Wilson wrote in the liner notes of the first CD issue that Surfin' Safari had been practice for him and that this album showcased the group's voices. Richie Unterberger judged it the best they made before the late 1960s as a band playing most of its own instruments, and said it was vital in launching surf music as a national craze.