Dennis Wilson's songs "4th of July" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice to (Live Again)" were recorded in early 1971 but left off the record. According to Rieley, the absence of any Dennis songs on "Surf's Up" was for two reasons: to quell political infighting within the group concerning the album's share of Wilson-brother songs, and because Dennis wanted to save his songs for a solo album, projected for release in 1971. In December 1970, he released the single "Sound of Free" (credited to "Dennis Wilson & Rumbo"), but the album project was ultimately shelved.