The record is also listed in the musical reference book "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". In 2014, John Wetton named "Surf's Up" his favorite prog album of all-time, elaborating: "The summer of '71 had so many musical milestones ... but "Surf's Up" was a revelation. I was in Family, a major player in the first wave of British progressive bands, but this collection from the iconic California surf-pop band shifted my parameters, blurring all the boundaries of my musical vocabulary. ... And the cover? Mega prog!" , it is listed as the 699th-highest rated album of all time on Acclaimed Music.