The Beach Boys | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Beginning their career as the most popular surf band in the nation, the Beach Boys finally emerged by 1966 as Americas preeminent pop group, the only act able to challenge (for a brief time) the overarching success of the Beatles with both mainstream listeners and the critical community. From their 1961 debut with the regional hit "Surfin," the three Wilson brothers -- Brian, Dennis, and Carl -- plus cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine constructed the most intricate, gorgeous harmonies ever heard from a pop band. With Brians studio proficiency growing by leaps and bounds during the mid-60s, the Beach Boys also proved one of the best-produced groups of the 60s, exemplified by their 1966 peak with the Pet Sounds LP and the number one single "Good Vibrations." Though Brians escalating drug use and obsessive desire to trump the Beatles (by recording the perfect LP statement) eventually led to a nervous breakdown after he heard Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, the group soldiered on long into the 70s and 80s, with Brian only an inconsistent participant. The bands post-1966 material is often maligned (if its recognized at all), but the truth is the Beach Boys continued to make great music well into the 70s. Displayed best on 1970s Sunflower, each member revealed individual talents never fully developed during the mid-60s -- Carl became a solid, distinctive producer and Brians replacement as nominal bandleader, Mike continued to provide a visual focus as the frontman for live shows, and Dennis developed his own notable songwriting talents. Though legal wranglings and marginal oldies tours during the 90s often obscured what made the Beach Boys great, the bands unerring ability to surf the waves of commercial success and artistic development during the 60s made them Americas first, best rock band. The origins of the group lie in Hawthorne, California, a southern suburb of Los Angeles situated close to the Pacific coast. The three sons of a part-time song plugger and occasionally abusive father, Brian, Dennis, and Carl grew up a just few miles from the ocean -- though only Dennis had any interest in surfing itself. The three often harmonized together as youths, spurred on by Brians fascination with 50s vocal acts like the Four Freshmen and the Hi-Los. Their cousin Mike Love often joined in on the impromptu sessions, and the group gained a fifth with the addition of Brians high-school football teammate Al Jardine. His parents helped rent instruments (with Brian on bass, Carl on guitar, and Dennis on drums) and studio time to record "Surfin," a novelty number written by Brian and Mike. The single, initially released in 1961 on Candix and billed to "the Pendletones" (a musical paraphrase of the popular Pendleton shirt), prompted a little national chart action and gained the renamed Beach Boys a contract with Capitol. The groups negotiator with the label, the Wilsons father, Murray, also took over as manager for the band. Before the release of any material for Capitol, however, Jardine left the band to attend college in the Midwest. A friend of the Wilsons, David Marks, replaced him. Finally, in mid-1962 the Beach Boys released their major-label debut, Surfin Safari. The title track, a more accomplished novelty single than its predecessor, hit the Top 20 and helped launch the surf rock craze just beginning to blossom around Southern California (thanks to artists like Dick Dale, Jan & Dean, the Chantays, and dozens more). A similarly themed follow-up, Surfin U.S.A., hit the Top Ten in early 1963 before Jardine returned from school and resumed his place in the group. By that time, the Beach Boys had recorded their first two albums, a pair of 12-track collections that added a few novelty songs to the hits they were packaged around. Though Capitol policy required the group to work with a studio producer, Brian quickly took over the sessions and began expanding the groups range beyond simple surf rock. By the end of 1963, the Beach Boys had recorded three full LPs, hit the Top Ten as many times, and toured incessantly. Also, Brian began to grow as a producer, best documented on the third Beach Boys LP, Surfer Girl. Though surf songs still dominated the album, "Catch a Wave," the title track, and especially "In My Room" presented a giant leap in songwriting, production, and group harmony -- especially astonishing considering the band had been recording for barely two years. Brians intense scrutiny of Phil Spectors famous Wall of Sound productions was paying quick dividends and revealed his intuitive, unerring depths of musical knowledge. The following year, "I Get Around" became the first number one hit for the Beach Boys. Riding a crest of popularity, the late-1964 LP Beach Boys Concert spent four weeks at the top of the album charts, just one of five Beach Boys LPs simultaneously on the charts. The group also undertook promotional tours of Europe, but the pressures and time constraints proved too much for Brian. At the end of the year, he decided to quit the touring band and concentrate on studio productions. (Glen Campbell toured with the group briefly, then friend and colleague Bruce Johnston became Brians permanent replacement.) With the Beach Boys as his musical messengers to the world, Brian began working full-time in the studio, writing songs and enlisting the cream of Los Angeles session players to record instrumental backing tracks before Carl, Dennis, Mike, and Al returned to add vocals. The single "Help Me, Rhonda" became the Beach Boys second chart-topper in early 1965. On the groups seventh studio LP, The Beach Boys Today!, Brians production skills hit another level entirely. In the rock eras first flirtation with an extended album-length statement, side two of the record presented a series of downtempo ballads, arranged into a suite that stretched the groups lyrical concerns beyond youthful infatuation and into more adult notions of love. Two more LPs followed in 1965, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) and Beach Boys Party. The first featured "California Girls," one of the best fusions of Brians production mastery, infectious melodies, and gorgeous close harmonies (its still his personal favorite song). However, dragging down those few moments of brilliance were novelty tracks like "Amusement Parks USA," "Salt Lake City," and "Im Bugged at My Old Man" that appeared to be a step back from Today. When Capitol asked for a Beach Boys record to sell at Christmas, the live-in-the-studio vocal jam session Beach Boys Party resulted, and sold incredibly well after the single "Barbara Ann" became a surprise hit. In a larger sense though, both of these LPs were stopgaps as Brian prepared for production on what he hoped would be the Beach Boys most effective musical statement yet. In late 1965, the Beatles released Rubber Soul. Amazed at the high song quality and overall cohesiveness of the album, Brian began writing songs -- with help from lyricist Tony Asher -- and producing sessions for a song suite charting a young mans growth to emotional maturity. Though Capitol was resistant to an album with few obvious hits, the group spent more time working on the vocals and harmonies than any other previous project. The result, released in May 1966 as Pet Sounds, more than justified the effort. Its still one of the best-produced and most influential rock LPs ever released, the culmination of years of Brians perfectionist productions and songwriting. Critics praised Pet Sounds, but the new direction failed to impress American audiences. Though it reached the Top Ten, Pet Sounds missed a gold certificate (the first to do so since the groups debut LP). Conversely, worldwide reaction was not just positive but jubilant. In England, the album hit number two and earned the Beach Boys honors for best group in year-end polls by NME -- above even the Beatles, hardly slouches themselves with the releases of "Paperback Writer"/"Rain" and Revolver. The Beach Boys next single, "Good Vibrations," had originally been written for the Pet Sounds sessions, though Brian removed it from the song list to give himself more time for production. He resumed working on it after the completion of Pet Sounds, eventually devoting up to six months (and three different studios) to the single. Released in October 1966, "Good Vibrations" capped off the year as the groups third number one single and still stands as one of the best singles of all time. Throughout late 1966 and early 1967, Brian worked feverishly on the next Beach Boys LP -- a project named Dumb Angel, but later titled SMiLE, that promised to be as great an artistic leap beyond Pet Sounds as that album had been from Today. He drafted Van Dyke Parks, an eccentric lyricist and session man, as his songwriting partner, and recorded reams of tape containing increasingly fragmented tracks that grew ever more speculative as the months wore on. Already wary of Brians increasingly artistic leanings and drug experimentation, the other Beach Boys grew hostile when called in to the studio to add vocals for Parks lyrics like, "A blind class aristocracy/Back through the opera glass you see/The pit and the pendulum drawn/Columnaded ruins domino/Canvas the town and brush the backdrop" (from "Surfs Up"). A rift soon formed between the band and Brian; they felt his intake of marijuana and LSD had clouded his judgment, while he felt they were holding him back from the coming psychedelic era. As recording for SMiLE dragged on into spring 1967, Brian began working fewer hours. For the first time in the Beach Boys career, he appeared unsure of his direction. If SMiLE ever appeared salvageable, those hopes were dashed in May, when Brian officially canceled the project -- just a few weeks before the release of the Beatles Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. In August, the group finally released a new single, "Heroes and Villains." Very similar to the fragmentary style of "Good Vibrations," though a distinctly inferior follow-up, it missed the Top Ten. That fall, the group convened at Brians Bel Air mansion-turned-studio and recorded new versions of several SMiLE songs plus a few new recordings and re-emerged with Smiley Smile. Carl summed up the LP as "a bunt instead of a grand slam," and its near-complete lack of cohesiveness all but destroyed the groups reputation for forward-thinking pop. As the Beatles were ushering in the psychedelic age, the Beach Boys stalled with the all-important teen crowd, who quickly began to see the group as conservative, establishment throwbacks. The perfect chance to stem the tide, a headlining spot at the pioneering Monterey Pop Festival in summer 1967, was squandered. Though the Beach Boys regrouped quickly -- the back-to-basics Wild Honey LP appeared before the end of 1967 -- their hopes of becoming the worlds preeminent pop group with both hippies and critics had fizzled in a matter of months. All this incredible promise wasted made fans, critics, and radio programmers undeniably bitter toward future product. Predictably, both Wild Honey and 1968s Friends suffered with all three audiences. They survive as interesting records nevertheless; deliberately under-produced, with song fragments and recording-session detritus often left in the mix; the skeletal blue-eyed soul of Wild Honey and the laid-back orchestral pop of Friends made them favorites only after fans realized the Beach Boys were a radically different group in 1968 than in 1966. Sparked by the Top 20 hit "Do It Again" -- a song that saw the first shades of the group as an oldies act -- 1969s 20/20 did marginally better. Still, Capitol dropped the band soon after. One year later, the Beach Boys signed to Reprise. The first LP for Brother/Reprise was 1970s Sunflower, a surprisingly strong album featuring a return to the gorgeous harmonies of the mid-60s and many songs written by different members of the band. Surfs Up, titled after a reworked song originally intended for SMiLE, followed in 1971. Though frequently lovable, the wide range of material on Surfs Up displayed not a band but a conglomeration of individual interests. During sessions for the album, Dennis put his hand through a plate glass window and was unable to play drums. Early in 1972, the band hired drummer Ricky Fataar and guitarist Blondie Chaplin, two members of a South African rock band named the Flame (Carl had produced their self-titled debut for Brother Records the previous year). Carl and the Passions: So Tough, the first album released with Fataar and Chaplin in the band, descended into lame early-70s AOR. For the first time, a Beach Boys album retained nothing of their classic sound. Brians mental stability wavered from year to year, and he spent much time in his mansion with no wish to even contact the outside world. He occasionally contributed to the songwriting and session load, but was by no means a member of the band anymore (he rarely even appeared on album covers or promotional shots). Though its unclear why Reprise felt ready to take such a big risk, the label authorized a large recording budget for the next Beach Boys album. After shipping most of the groups family and entourage (plus an entire studio) over to Amsterdam, the Beach Boys re-emerged in 1973 with Holland. The LP scraped the bottom rungs of the Top 40, and the single "Sail on, Sailor" (with vocals by Chaplin) did receive some FM radio airplay. Still, Hollands muddy sound did nothing for the aging band, and it earned scathing reviews. Perhaps a bit gun-shy, the Beach Boys essentially retired from recording during the mid-70s. Instead, the band concentrated on grooming their live act, which quickly grew to become an incredible experience. It was a good move, considering the Beach Boys could lay claim to more hits than any other 60s rock act on the road. The Beach Boys in Concert, their third live album in total, appeared in 1973. Then, in mid-1974, Capitol Records went to the vaults and issued a repackaged hits collection, Endless Summer. Both band and label watched, dumbfounded, as the double LP hit number one, spent almost three years on the charts, and went gold. Endless Summer capitalized on a growing fascination with oldies rock that had made Sha Na Na, American Graffiti, and Happy Days big hits. Rolling Stone, never the most friendly magazine to the group, named the Beach Boys its Band of the Year at the end of the year. Another collection, Spirit of America, hit the Top Ten in 1974, and the Beach Boys were hustled into the studio to begin new recordings. Trumpeted by the barely true marketing campaign "Brians Back!," 1976s 15 Big Ones balanced a couple of 50s oldies with some justifiably exciting Brian Wilson oddities like "Had to Phone Ya." It also hit the Top Ten and went gold, despite many critical misgivings. Brian took a much more involved position for the following years The Beach Boys Love You (it was almost titled Brian Loves You and released as a solo album). In marked contrast to the fatalistic early-70s pop of "Til I Die" and others, Brian sounded positively jubilant on gruff proto-synth pop numbers like "Let Us Go on This Way" and "Mona." However idiosyncratic compared to what oldies fans expected of the Beach Boys, Love You was the groups best album in years. (A suite of beautiful, tender ballads on side two was quite reminiscent of 1965s Today.) After 1979s M.I.U. Album, the group signed a large contract with CBS that stipulated Brians involvement on each album. However, his brief return to the spotlight ended with two dismal efforts, L.A. (Light Album) and Keepin the Summer Alive. The Beach Boys began splintering by the end of the decade, with financial mismanagement by Mike Loves brothers Stan and Steve fostering tension between him and the Wilsons. By 1980, both Dennis and Carl had left the Beach Boys for solo careers. (Dennis had already released his first album, Pacific Ocean Blue, in 1977, and Carl released his eponymous debut in 1981.) Brian was removed from the group in 1982 after his weight ballooned to over 300 pounds, though the tragic drowning death of Dennis in 1983 helped bring the group back together. In 1985, the Beach Boys released a self-titled album that returned them to the Top 40 with "Getcha Back." It would be the last proper Beach Boys album of the 80s, however. Brian had been steadily improving in both mind and body during the mid-80s, though the rest of the group grew suspicious of his mentor, Dr. Eugene Landy. Landy was a dodgy psychiatrist who reportedly worked wonders with the easily impressionable Brian but also practically took over his life. He collaborated with Brian on the autobiography Wouldnt It Be Nice and wrote lyrics for Brians first solo album, 1988s Brian Wilson. Critics and fans enjoyed Wilsons return to the studio, but the charts were unforgiving, especially with attention focused on the Beach Boys once more. The single "Kokomo," from the soundtrack to Cocktail, hit number one in the U.S. late that year, prompting a haphazard collection named Still Cruisin. The group also sued Brian, more to force Landy out of the picture than anything, and Mike Love later sued Brian for songwriting royalties (Brian had frequently admitted Loves involvement on most of them). Despite the many quarrels, the Beach Boys kept touring during the early 90s, and Mike and Brian actually began writing songs together in 1995. Instead of a new album, though, the Beach Boys returned with Stars and Stripes, Vol. 1, a collection of remade hits with country stars singing lead and the group adding backing vocals. Also, a Brian Wilson documentary titled I Just Wasnt Made for These Times aired on the Disney Channel, with an accompanying soundtrack featuring spare renditions of Beach Boys classics by Brian himself. Just as the band appeared to be pulling together for a proper studio album, though, Carl died of cancer in 1998. Ten years after his first solo album, Brian became aware of his immense influence on the alternative rock community; he worked with biggest fans Sean OHagan (of the High Llamas) and Andy Paley on a series of recordings. Again, good intentions failed to carry through as the recordings were ditched in favor of another overly produced, mainstream-slanted work, Imagination. By early 1999, no less than three Beach Boys-connected units were touring the country -- a Brian Wilson solo tour, the "official" Beach Boys led by Mike Love, and the "Beach Boys Family" led by Al Jardine. In 2000, Capitol instituted a long-promised reissue campaign, focusing on the groups long out of print 70s LPs, and updated remastering of the 60s LPs followed soon after. Brian Wilson continued his solo career into the 2000s with a string of popular albums, including a live run-though of Pet Sounds (Pet Sounds Live) and, in 2004, a concert tour as well as a re-recording around SMiLE. The surviving members next united in 2006 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Pet Sounds. Two years later, however, Jardine was forced to settle a lawsuit brought by Love and Carl Wilsons estate over the use of the Beach Boys name in his touring band (which was renamed the Endless Summer Band). Regardless of legal actions and strained relations, all of the bands surviving members were on hand in June 2011 for a special announcement: forthcoming were new live dates, reissues (including the first-ever release of The Smile Sessions; it appeared at the end of 2011), new recordings, and a spate of planned releases for 2012 that would feature all of the surviving members of the band who contributed the most to their 60s prime: Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and even David Marks. The new recordings included a version of their 1968 hit "Do It Again" and, by June 2012, a full album, including 12 original songs produced by Wilson and given the title of its first single, Thats Why God Made the Radio; the album generated generally positive reviews and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. Just before their 50th anniversary tour ended, in late September, Love announced that additional tour dates for the rest of 2012 would not include Brian Wilson, Jardine, or Marks. The brief reunion was commemorated on the May 2013 live album The Beach Boys Live: The 50th Anniversary Tour. Later that year, Universal released The Big Beat 1963, a collection of all the bands unreleased recordings for Capitol from 1963. This was the first of many compilations designed to extend Universals copyright on the recordings; over the next few years, Keep an Eye on Summer: The Beach Boys Sessions 1964, Beach Boys Party! Uncovered and Unplugged, and 1967: Sunshine Tomorrow appeared. Additionally, a 50th anniversary reissue of Pet Sounds and a compilation of their earliest recordings called Becoming the Beach Boys: The Complete Hite & Dorinda Morgan Sessions arrived in 2016, as did the digital-only Graduation Day 1966: Live at the University of Michigan. The following year brought 1967: Sunshine Tomorrow, a double-disc collection of outtakes and rarities that also featured the first stereo mix of Wild Honey; it charted at 145 on Billboards album charts. At the end of 1967, a companion collection called 1967: Sunshine Tomorrow 2: The Studio Sessions appeared alongside 1967: Live Sunshine. In December of 2018, a few months after the release of The Beach Boys with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Capitol released three archival digital-only collections: 1968 Wake the World: The Friends Sessions, 1968, I Can Hear Music: The 20/20 Sessions, and On Tour: 1968. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 34 Title: Surfin’ Safari Released: 1962-10-01 Tracks: 12 Duration: 24:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Surfin’ Safari (02:06) 2 County Fair (02:17) 3 Ten Little Indians (01:29) 4 Chug‐a‐Lug (02:02) 5 Little Girl (You’re My Miss America) (02:06) 6 409 (02:00) 7 Surfin’ (02:12) 8 Heads You Win, Tails I Lose (02:20) 9 Summertime Blues (02:10) 10 Cuckoo Clock (02:11) 11 Moon Dawg (02:02) 12 The Shift (01:55) |
| Surfin’ Safari : Allmusic album Review : The Beach Boys debut album, recorded in an era in which little was expected of rock groups in the way of strong LP-length statements, is mostly thin and awkward in both the songwriting and production departments. The title track, their first true smash, is great, as is its flip side ("409"), which was not only a hit in its own right, but was the first vocal hot rod classic. "Surfin," their debut single (and small national hit), is also good, and one of the few Beach Boys tracks that could be said to have a garage-like quality. Unfortunately, most of the other cuts (most of which are group originals) are substandard ditties, as Brian Wilson had a way to go before honing his compositional genius. It does, however, afford a glimpse of the group as they sounded when they were a true band in the studio, before most of their parts were played by session musicians. Two of the better cuts, "The Shift" and the instrumental "Moon Dawg," have a grittier-than-usual surf rock base that would flower on 1963 hits like "Surfin U.S.A." [Surfin Safari/Surfin U.S.A, a Capitol two-fer CD, combines this and Surfin U.S.A. onto one disc, with the addition of three rare bonus cuts from the same era.] | ||
 | Album: 2 of 34 Title: Surfin’ USA Released: 1963-03-25 Tracks: 12 Duration: 24:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Surfin’ U.S.A. (02:28) 2 Farmer’s Daughter (01:52) 3 Misirlou (02:05) 4 Stoked (02:02) 5 Lonely Sea (02:24) 6 Shut Down (01:51) 7 Noble Surfer (01:54) 8 Honky Tonk (02:04) 9 Lana (01:43) 10 Surf Jam (02:14) 11 Lets Go Trippin (02:00) 12 Finders Keepers (01:43) |
| Surfin’ USA : Allmusic album Review : The real breakthrough, as Brian Wilson asserts himself in the studio as both songwriter and arranger on a set of material that was much stronger than Surfin Safari. Besides the hit title track and its popular drag-racing flip side ("Shut Down"), this has a lovely, heartbreaking ballad ("Lonely Sea") and a couple of strong Brian Wilson originals ("The Noble Surfer" and "Farmers Daughter"). There are also a surprisingly high quotient of instrumentals (five) that demonstrate that, before session musicians took over most of the parts, the Beach Boys could play respectably gutsy surf rock as a self-contained unit. Indeed, the album as a whole is the best they would make, prior to the late 60s, as a band that played most of their instruments, rather than as a vehicle for Brian Wilsons ideas. The LP was a huge hit, vital to launching surf music as a national craze, and one of the few truly strong records to be recorded by a self-contained American rock band prior to the British Invasion. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 34 Title: Surfer Girl Released: 1963-09-23 Tracks: 12 Duration: 25:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Surfer Girl (02:27) 2 Catch a Wave (02:10) 3 The Surfer Moon (02:15) 4 South Bay Surfer (01:48) 5 The Rocking Surfer (02:02) 6 Little Deuce Coupe (01:41) 7 In My Room (02:16) 8 Hawaii (02:02) 9 Surfer’s Rule (01:53) 10 Our Car Club (02:22) 11 Your Summer Dream (02:30) 12 Boogie Woodie (01:57) |
| Surfer Girl : Allmusic album Review : Capitol pushed the Beach Boys for too much material in too short a time for the group to maintain as much quality control as would have been desirable. Consequently, most of their pre-1965 albums contain a high degree of filler, and thus stack up poorly next to those of such contemporaries as the Beatles, who were able to maintain high standards on almost all of their tracks. Surfer Girl does have some great tunes, including the title song, the hot rod ditty "Little Deuce Coupe," and "Catch a Wave" (which could have been a substantial hit single on its own merits). Most significant of all is the gorgeous ballad "In My Room," which anticipated future Beach Boys releases both in its sophisticated production (strings, organ, dense harmonies) and its personal, solipsistic lyrics. The rest is surprisingly mediocre filler, especially as at this point they were restricting their lyrical themes to beach culture almost exclusively; "Your Summer Dream," with its unusual harmonies, is about the most interesting of the obscure tracks. If youre not a dedicated Beach Boys fan, though, you should pass, as you can find the first-rate tracks on best-of anthologies. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 34 Title: Little Deuce Coupe Released: 1963-10-21 Tracks: 12 Duration: 25:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Little Deuce Coupe (01:50) 2 Ballad of Ole’ Betsy (02:16) 3 Be True to Your School (02:08) 4 Car Crazy Cutie (02:51) 5 Cherry, Cherry Coupe (01:49) 6 409 (02:00) 7 Shut Down (01:50) 8 Spirit of America (02:22) 9 Our Car Club (02:19) 10 No‐Go Showboat (01:56) 11 A Young Man Is Gone (02:18) 12 Custom Machine (01:40) |
| Little Deuce Coupe : Allmusic album Review : Little Deuce Coupe was a concept album of sorts, in that most of the songs had something to do with cars and hot rod culture. Thats a pretty thin train of thought to sustain for most of a record. Whats worse, by the Beach Boys own standards of hot rod tunes, most of the tracks are pretty trite and unimaginative, rating among their worst early material. Not only that, the three best cuts -- "Little Deuce Coupe," "409," and "Shut Down" -- had already been issued on LP. The most noteworthy of the other tracks was the Top Ten hit "Be True to Your School," whose fine tune and arrangement are marred by sappy lyrics of faith and loyalty to ones high school. (The album version, oddly, is different from the superior single, which had the Honeys adding female cheerleader chants.) "Spirit of America" and "A Young Man Is Gone" (a James Dean tribute with Four Freshmen-style vocals) are moderately interesting numbers, but on the whole this is probably the worst early Beach Boys album, with the possible exception of Surfin Safari (and their 1964 Christmas LP, which doesnt really count). [Little Deuce Coupe/All Summer Long, a Capitol two-fer CD, combines this and Little Deuce Coupe onto one disc, adding the 45 version of "Be True to Your School," alternate takes of "Little Honda" and "Dont Back Down," and the previously unreleased "All Dressed Up for School."] | ||
 | Album: 5 of 34 Title: Shut Down, Volume 2 Released: 1964-03-23 Tracks: 12 Duration: 27:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Fun, Fun, Fun (02:05) 2 Don’t Worry Baby (02:48) 3 In the Parkin’ Lot (02:04) 4 “Cassius” Love vs. “Sonny” Wilson (03:31) 5 The Warmth of the Sun (02:53) 6 This Car of Mine (01:38) 7 Why Do Fools Fall in Love (02:01) 8 Pom Pom Play Girl (01:32) 9 Keep an Eye on Summer (02:23) 10 Shut Down, Part 2 (02:11) 11 Louie Louie (02:19) 12 Denny’s Drums (01:55) |
 | Album: 6 of 34 Title: All Summer Long Released: 1964-07-13 Tracks: 12 Duration: 25:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Get Around (02:13) 2 All Summer Long (02:08) 3 Hushabye (02:42) 4 Little Honda (01:52) 5 We’ll Run Away (02:02) 6 Carl’s Big Chance (02:27) 7 Wendy (02:17) 8 Do You Remember? (01:37) 9 Girls on the Beach (02:25) 10 Drive‐In (01:53) 11 Our Favorite Recording Sessions (01:59) 12 Don’t Back Down (01:43) |
| All Summer Long : Allmusic album Review : The best pre-1965 Beach Boys album featured their brilliant number one single "I Get Around," as well as other standout cuts in the beautifully sad "Wendy," "Little Honda" (one of their best hot rod tunes, covered by the Hondells for a hit), and their remake of the late-50s doo wop classic "Hushabye." The nostalgic "All Summer Long," another great production, seemed (whether intentionally or not) like a sort of farewell to the frivolous California beach culture that had supplied the lyrical grist for most of their music up to this point, with a longing, regretful chorus that was totally at odds with the bouncy arrangement. Other relatively little-known treasures are the sumptuous ballad "Girls on the Beach," with some of their best early harmonizing, and "Dont Back Down," with uncommonly anxious lyrics. You cant give an unqualified high rating, however, to an album that also contained such disposable filler as the "Our Favorite Recording Sessions" comedy bit and "Do You Remember?," a "lets-pay-tribute-to-rocks-early-days" number with a sh*t-eating grin wide enough to qualify as an oldies radio ID jingle. [Little Deuce Coupe/All Summer Long, a Capitol two-fer CD, combines this and Little Deuce Coupe onto one disc, adding the 45 version of "Be True to Your School," alternate takes of "Little Honda" and "Dont Back Down," and the previously unreleased "All Dressed Up for School."] | ||
 | Album: 7 of 34 Title: The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album Released: 1964-10 Tracks: 16 Duration: 35:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Little Saint Nick (02:00) 2 The Man With All the Toys (01:31) 3 Santa’s Beard (01:59) 4 Merry Christmas, Baby (02:26) 5 Christmas Day (01:50) 6 Frosty the Snowman (01:55) 7 We Three Kings of Orient Are (04:05) 8 Blue Christmas (03:11) 9 Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (02:21) 10 White Christmas (02:30) 11 I’ll Be Home for Christmas (02:44) 12 Auld Lang Syne (01:19) 13 Little Saint Nick (single version) (01:59) 14 The Lord’s Prayer (02:34) 15 Little Saint Nick (alternate take) (01:56) 16 Auld Lang Syne (alternate take) (01:19) |
| The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album : Allmusic album Review : Beach Boys Christmas Album features the Beach Boys performing a variety of holiday favorites. Most of the featured songs are well-known, some of the more popular being "Frosty the Snowman," "White Christmas," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," and "Ill Be Home for Christmas," among others. Furthermore, there are four songs composed by the Beach Boys -- "Little Saint Nick," "Man With All the Toys," "Santas Beard," and "Merry Christmas, Baby" -- which begin the album. This mix of favorites and originals makes this a balanced holiday album that should please both Beach Boys admirers and those unfamiliar with the group. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 34 Title: The Beach Boys Today! Released: 1965-03-08 Tracks: 12 Duration: 28:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Do You Wanna Dance? (02:21) 2 Good to My Baby (02:18) 3 Don’t Hurt My Little Sister (02:09) 4 When I Grow Up (to Be a Man) (02:04) 5 Help Me, Ronda (03:10) 6 Dance, Dance, Dance (02:03) 7 Please Let Me Wonder (02:48) 8 I’m So Young (02:32) 9 Kiss Me, Baby (02:37) 10 She Knows Me Too Well (02:30) 11 In the Back of My Mind (02:09) 12 Bull Session With the “Big Daddy” (02:13) |
| The Beach Boys Today! : Allmusic album Review : Brian Wilsons retirement from performing to concentrate on studio recording and production reaped immediate dividends with Today!, the first Beach Boys album that is strong almost from start to finish. "Dance, Dance, Dance" and "Do You Wanna Dance" were upbeat hits with Spector-influenced arrangements, but Wilson began to deal with more sophisticated themes on another smash 45, "When I Grow Up," on which these eternal teenagers looked forward to the advancing years with fear and uncertainty. Surf/hot rod/beach themes were permanently retired in favor of late-adolescent, early-adult romance on this album, which included such decent outings in this vein as "She Knows Me Too Well," "Kiss Me Baby," and "In the Back of My Mind." The true gem is "Please Let Me Wonder," one of the groups most delicate mid-60s works, with heartbreaking melodies and harmonies. Be aware that the version of "Help Me, Rhonda" found here is an inferior, earlier, and slower rendition; the familiar hit single take was included on their next album, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). [Today!/Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!), a Capitol two-fer CD, combines this and Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) onto one disc, adding alternate takes of "Dance, Dance, Dance," "Im So Young," and "Let Him Run Wild," as well as a previously unreleased studio version of "Graduation Day." Most significantly, it also adds the non-LP single from late 1965, "The Little Girl I Once Knew," which looked forward to Pet Sounds in its studio experimentation and lyrical themes.] | ||
 | Album: 9 of 34 Title: Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!) Released: 1965-07-05 Tracks: 10 Duration: 21:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Girl From New York City (01:56) 2 Then I Kissed Her (02:16) 3 Salt Lake City (02:02) 4 Girl Don’t Tell Me (02:21) 5 Help Me, Rhonda (02:47) 6 California Girls (02:37) 7 Let Him Run Wild (02:22) 8 You’re So Good to Me (02:16) 9 Summer Means New Love (02:01) 10 And Your Dream Comes True (01:05) |
 | Album: 10 of 34 Title: Beach Boys’ Party! Released: 1965-11-08 Tracks: 12 Duration: 31:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Hully Gully (02:23) 2 I Should Have Known Better (01:40) 3 Tell Me Why (01:41) 4 Papa‐Oom‐Mow‐Mow (02:14) 5 Mountain of Love (02:47) 6 You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away (02:58) 7 Devoted to You (02:17) 8 Alley Oop (02:55) 9 Theres No Other (Like My Baby) (03:05) 10 Medley: I Get Around / Little Deuce Coupe (03:12) 11 The Times They Are A‐Changin’ (02:39) 12 Barbara Ann (03:08) |
 | Album: 11 of 34 Title: Pet Sounds Released: 1966-05-16 Tracks: 13 Duration: 36:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Wouldn’t It Be Nice (02:24) 2 You Still Believe in Me (02:34) 3 That’s Not Me (02:30) 4 Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) (02:54) 5 I’m Waiting for the Day (03:06) 6 Let’s Go Away for Awhile (02:21) 7 Sloop John B (02:57) 8 God Only Knows (02:50) 9 I Know There’s an Answer (03:11) 10 Here Today (02:55) 11 I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times (03:15) 12 Pet Sounds (02:23) 13 Caroline, No (02:53) |
| Pet Sounds : Allmusic album Review : The best Beach Boys album, and one of the best of the 1960s. The group here reached a whole new level in terms of both composition and production, layering tracks upon tracks of vocals and instruments to create a richly symphonic sound. Conventional keyboards and guitars were combined with exotic touches of orchestrated strings, bicycle bells, buzzing organs, harpsichords, flutes, Theremin, Hawaiian-sounding string instruments, Coca-Cola cans, barking dogs, and more. It wouldnt have been a classic without great songs, and this has some of the groups most stunning melodies, as well as lyrical themes which evoke both the intensity of newly born love affairs and the disappointment of failed romance (add in some general statements about loss of innocence and modern-day confusion as well). The spiritual quality of the material is enhanced by some of the most gorgeous upper-register male vocals (especially by Brian and Carl Wilson) ever heard on a rock record. "Wouldnt It Be Nice," "God Only Knows," "Caroline No," and "Sloop John B" (the last of which wasnt originally intended to go on the album) are the well-known hits, but equally worthy are such cuts as "You Still Believe in Me," "Dont Talk," "I Know Theres an Answer," and "I Just Wasnt Made for These Times." Its often said that this is more of a Brian Wilson album than a Beach Boys recording (session musicians played most of the parts), but it should be noted that the harmonies are pure Beach Boys (and some of their best). Massively influential upon its release (although it was a relatively low seller compared to their previous LPs), it immediately vaulted the band into the top level of rock innovators among the intelligentsia, especially in Britain, where it was a much bigger hit. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 34 Title: The Best of the Beach Boys, Volume 1 Released: 1966-07-05 Tracks: 12 Duration: 27:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Surfin’ U.S.A. (02:28) 2 Catch a Wave (02:19) 3 Surfer Girl (02:27) 4 Little Deuce Coupe (01:49) 5 In My Room (02:13) 6 Little Honda (01:52) 7 Fun, Fun, Fun (02:19) 8 The Warmth of the Sun (02:53) 9 Louie, Louie (02:23) 10 Kiss Me, Baby (02:37) 11 Youre So Good to Me (02:13) 12 Wendy (02:21) |
 | Album: 13 of 34 Title: Best Of The Beach Boys Released: 1966-11-11 Tracks: 14 Duration: 32:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Surfin Safari (02:03) 2 Surfin U.S.A. (02:25) 3 Little Duece Coupe (01:36) 4 Fun, Fun, Fun (02:17) 5 I Get Around (02:10) 6 All Summer Long (02:05) 7 In My Room (02:10) 8 Do You Wanna Dance? (02:17) 9 Help Me, Rhonda (02:47) 10 California Girls (02:42) 11 Barbara Ann (02:10) 12 Youre So Good to Me (02:12) 13 Sloop John B (02:55) 14 God Only Knows (02:50) |
 | Album: 14 of 34 Title: Smiley Smile Released: 1967-09-05 Tracks: 11 Duration: 27:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Heroes and Villains (03:37) 2 Vegetables (02:08) 3 Fall Breaks and Back to Winter (Woody Woodpecker Symphony) (02:17) 4 She’s Goin’ Bald (02:16) 5 Little Pad (02:33) 6 Good Vibrations (03:37) 7 With Me Tonight (02:17) 8 Wind Chimes (02:38) 9 Gettin’ Hungry (02:30) 10 Wonderful (02:22) 11 Whistle In (01:04) |
| Smiley Smile : Allmusic album Review : After the much-discussed, uncompleted Smile project -- which was supposed to take the innovations of Pet Sounds to even grander heights -- collapsed, the Beach Boys released Smiley Smile in its place. (To clarify much confusion: Smiley Smile is an entirely different piece of work than Smile would have been, although some material that ended up on Smiley Smile would have most likely been used on Smile. Also, much of Smiley Smile was in fact recorded after the Smile sessions had ceased.) For fans expecting something along the lines of Sgt. Peppers (and there were many of them), Smiley Smile was a major disappointment, replacing psychedelic experimentation with spare, eccentric miniatures. Heard now, outside of such unrealistic expectations, its a rather nifty, if rather slight, effort thats plenty weird -- in fact, its often downright goofy -- despite Brian Wilsons retreat from both avant pop and active leadership of the group. "Wind Chimes," "Wonderful," "Vegetables," and much of the rest is low-key psychedelic quirkiness, with abundant fine harmonies and unusual arrangements. The standouts, nonetheless, were two then-recent hit singles in which Brian Wilsons ambitions were still intact: the inscrutable mini-opera "Heroes and Villains," and the number one hit "Good Vibrations," one of the few occasions where the group managed to be recklessly experimental and massively commercial at the same time. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 34 Title: Wild Honey Released: 1967-12-11 Tracks: 11 Duration: 24:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Wild Honey (02:38) 2 Aren’t You Glad (02:18) 3 I Was Made to Love Her (02:07) 4 Country Air (02:22) 5 A Thing or Two (02:42) 6 Darlin’ (02:13) 7 I’d Love Just Once to See You (01:50) 8 Here Comes the Night (02:43) 9 Let the Wind Blow (02:21) 10 How She Boogalooed It (01:58) 11 Mama Says (01:04) |
| Wild Honey : Allmusic album Review : After the Smile sessions shut down, the Beach Boys became much more of a band than they had been in the mid-60s. They began playing most of their own instruments on record for the first time since 1963, and Brian Wilson was no longer nearly as dominant a production mastermind. The problem was, as Wilson increasingly withdrew from a leadership role (and, subsequently, from the real world altogether), the Beach Boys were revealed as a group that, although capable of producing some fine and interesting music, were no longer innovators on the level of the Beatles and other figureheads. Wild Honey had a looser, funkier feel than any previous Beach Boys effort, at times approaching a kind of bleached-out white soul. The resulting music was often quite pleasant, for the great harmonies if nothing else, but the material and arrangements were quite simply thinner than they had been for a long time. The record does feature a nice Top 20 hit in "Darlin" (even if it was a rewrite of a song that had been composed four years earlier, and recorded by Sharon Marie). The small hit single "Wild Honey," with its seductive theremin lines, was also a highlight, and "Here Comes the Night" (a group original, not the Them hit) also had a lot of appeal. But much of the rest was pleasing but inessential. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 34 Title: Friends Released: 1968-06-10 Tracks: 12 Duration: 25:29 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Meant for You (00:40) 2 Friends (02:32) 3 Wake the World (01:31) 4 Be Here in the Mornin’ (02:18) 5 When a Man Needs a Woman (02:08) 6 Passing By (02:26) 7 Anna Lee, the Healer (01:54) 8 Little Bird (02:00) 9 Be Still (01:25) 10 Busy Doin’ Nothing (03:06) 11 Diamond Head (03:40) 12 Transcendental Meditation (01:48) |
| Friends : Allmusic album Review : Released when Cream and Jimi Hendrix were at their apex, the low-key pleasantries of Friends seemed downright irrelevant in mid-1968. Today it sounds better, but its certainly one of the groups more minor efforts, as the members started to divide the songwriting more or less evenly among themselves, rather than letting Brian Wilson provide most of the material. The title track was a charming, if innocuous, minor hit. The bossa nova "Busy Doin Nothin" was a subtly subversive piece of rock Muzak, though hindsight reveals a rather worrisome indolence in the lyrics, as penned by Wilson, who was starting to withdraw into his own world. The production and harmonies remained pleasantly idiosyncratic, but there was little substance at the heart of most of the songs. The irony was that Smile had collapsed, in part, because some of the Beach Boys felt that Wilsons increasingly avant-garde leanings would lose their pop audience; yet by the time of Friends, the Beach Boys had done a pretty good job of losing most of their audience by retreating to a less experimental, more group-based approach. [Friends/20/20, a Capitol two-fer CD, combines this and the follow-up 20/20 onto one disc, adding five bonus tracks also cut in the late 60s, highlighted by the minor hit "Break Away," Dennis Wilsons oddly spacy "Celebrate the News," and a cover of "Walk On By."] | ||
 | Album: 17 of 34 Title: 20/20 Released: 1969-02-03 Tracks: 12 Duration: 29:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Do It Again (02:25) 2 I Can Hear Music (02:37) 3 Bluebirds Over the Mountain (02:52) 4 Be With Me (03:10) 5 All I Want to Do (02:02) 6 The Nearest Faraway Place (02:41) 7 Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) (02:23) 8 I Went to Sleep (01:39) 9 Time to Get Alone (02:40) 10 Never Learn Not to Love (02:33) 11 Our Prayer (01:07) 12 Cabinessence (03:34) |
| 20/20 : Allmusic album Review : 20/20 was not a proper album, being compiled from singles and leftovers in order to fulfill contractual obligations to Capitol. Nonetheless, its one of their better post-Pet Sounds records, with a couple of good medium-sized late-60s hit singles, "Do It Again" and "I Can Hear Music," that were fun retro sort of exercises. "Time to Get Alone," with its unusually shifting, jazzy melody, was one of Brian Wilsons last outstanding compositions. "Never Learn Not to Love" is far more notorious, not for the music (which is average), but for the fact that it was, according to some sources, composed by Charles Manson (although the song is credited to Dennis Wilson). The highlights, however, were a couple of Smile-session-era tunes, especially "Cabinessence," a suite-like collaboration between Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks that gives some idea of the complex directions that were being explored during that ill-fated project. Therein lay the groups dilemma: as hard as they were trying to establish their identity as an integrated band in the late 60s, their new recordings were overshadowed by the bits and pieces of Smile that emerged at the time. [Friends/20/20, a Capitol two-fer CD, combines this and its predecessor Friends onto one disc, adding five bonus tracks also cut in the late 60s, highlighted by the minor hit "Break Away," Dennis Wilsons oddly spacy "Celebrate the News," and a cover of "Walk on By."] | ||
 | Album: 18 of 34 Title: Sunflower Released: 1970-08-31 Tracks: 12 Duration: 36:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Slip on Through (02:19) 2 This Whole World (01:58) 3 Add Some Music to Your Day (03:35) 4 Got to Know the Woman (02:43) 5 Deirdre (03:29) 6 It’s About Time (02:57) 7 Tears in the Morning (04:09) 8 All I Wanna Do (02:36) 9 Forever (02:41) 10 Our Sweet Love (02:40) 11 At My Window (02:32) 12 Cool, Cool Water (05:03) |
| Sunflower : Allmusic album Review : After Reprise rejected what was to be their debut album for the label, the Beach Boys re-entered the studio to begin work on what would become a largely different set of songs. The results signaled a creative rebirth for the band, a return to the beautiful harmonies and orchestral productions of their classic mid-60s material. Though the songwriting didnt quite reach the high quality of "California Girls" or "God Only Knows," Sunflower showed the Beach Boys truly working as a band, and doing so better than they ever had in the past (or would in the future). Many of the songs were co-compositions, and the undeniable songwriting and performance talents of Dennis Wilson and Bruce Johnston were finally allowed to flourish: Dennis contributed "Slip On Through," "Forever," and "Got to Know the Woman," while Bruce wrote "Deirdre" and "Tears in the Morning." After a succession of spare, unadorned lead vocals on rock-oriented albums like Wild Honey and 20/20, Sunflower returned the Beach Boys to gorgeous vocal harmonies on the tracks "Add Some Music to Your Day," "Cool, Cool Water," and "This Whole World." And the arrangements, tight and inventive, showed Brian Wilson once again back near the top of his game (though the production is credited to the entire band). Sunflower is also a remarkably cohesive album, something not seen from the Beach Boys since Pet Sounds. As with that album, Sunflower earned critical raves in Britain but was virtually ignored in America. [Sunflower was made available in 2000 as half of the two-fer collection Sunflower/Surfs Up.] | ||
 | Album: 19 of 34 Title: Surf’s Up Released: 1971-08-30 Tracks: 10 Duration: 33:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Don’t Go Near the Water (02:41) 2 Long Promised Road (03:32) 3 Take a Load Off Your Feet (02:31) 4 Disney Girls (1957) (04:10) 5 Student Demonstration Time (03:58) 6 Feel Flows (04:48) 7 Lookin’ at Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) (01:58) 8 A Day in the Life of a Tree (03:08) 9 ’Til I Die (02:37) 10 Surf’s Up (04:12) |
| Surf’s Up : Allmusic album Review : The Beach Boys post-1966 catalog is littered with LPs that barely scraped the charts upon release but matured into solid fan favorites despite -- and occasionally, because of -- their many and varied eccentricities. Surfs Up could well be the definitive example, beginning with the cloying "Dont Go Near the Water" and ending a bare half-hour later with the baroque majesty of the title track (originally written in 1966). The album is a virtual laundry list of each uncommon intricacy that made the Beach Boys forgotten decade such a bittersweet thrill -- the fluffy yet endearing pop (od)ditties of Brian Wilson, quasi-mystical white-boy soul from brother Carl, and the downright laughable songwriting on tracks charting Mike Loves devotion to Buddhism and Al Jardines social/environmental concerns. Those songs are enjoyable enough, but the last three tracks are what make Surfs Up such a masterpiece. The first, "A Day in the Life of a Tree," is simultaneously one of Brians most deeply touching and bizarre compositions; he is the narrator and object of the song (though not the vocalist; co-writer Jack Rieley lends a hand), lamenting his long life amid the pollution and grime of a city park while the somber tones of a pipe organ build atmosphere. The second, "Til I Die," isnt the love song the title suggests; its a haunting, fatalistic piece of pop surrealism that appeared to signal Brians retirement from active life. The album closer, "Surfs Up," is a masterpiece of baroque psychedelia, probably the most compelling track from the SMiLE period. Carl gives a soulful performance despite the surreal wordplay, and Brians coda is one of the most stirring moments in his catalog. Wrapped up in a mess of contradictions, Surfs Up defined the Beach Boys tumultuous career better than any other album. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 34 Title: Carl and the Passions: “So Tough” Released: 1972-05-15 Tracks: 8 Duration: 34:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone (03:31) 2 Here She Comes (05:13) 3 He Come Down (04:43) 4 Marcella (03:55) 5 Hold on Dear Brother (04:48) 6 Make It Good (02:39) 7 All This Is That (04:04) 8 Cuddle Up (05:29) |
| Carl and the Passions: “So Tough” : Allmusic album Review : With the addition of drummer Ricky Fataar and guitarist Blondie Chaplin to the lineup, the Beach Boys entered a period of surprisingly earthy arrangements, obviously based on what theyd been hearing on cooler outlets like FM radio and AOR. Kicking off with the rough Carl Wilson rocker "You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone," Carl and the Passions - So Tough cycles through all manner of roots-based rock; Fataar and Chaplin lead the band through a bluesy number ("Here She Comes") and a country song complete with steel guitar ("Hold On Dear Brother"), while Mike Love exercises his spiritual side on the gospel-inspired "He Came Down." The songwriting was neither as solid as 1970s Sunflower nor as idiosyncratic as 1971s Surfs Up though, and the few fans left from the 60s were undoubtedly turned off -- if not by the weak songs, then certainly by the muddy sound. Still, there are a few moments of beauty: Brians "Marcella" is a mid-tempo gem, and side two ends with three excellent ballads, "All This Is That," "Make It Good," and "Cuddle Up" (the latter two featuring heart-wrenching performances by Dennis). [Carl and the Passions - So Tough was made available in 2000 as half of the two-fer compilation Carl and the Passions - So Tough/Holland.] | ||
 | Album: 21 of 34 Title: Holland Released: 1973-01-08 Tracks: 9 Duration: 36:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Sail on Sailor (03:15) 2 Steamboat (04:29) 3 California Saga: Big Sur (03:55) 4 California Saga: The Beaks of Eagles (02:48) 5 California Saga: California (03:59) 6 The Trader (05:01) 7 Leaving This Town (05:36) 8 Only With You (02:56) 9 Funky Pretty (04:07) |
| Holland : Allmusic album Review : The surprisingly weak result of a concerted effort by both band and label to push the Beach Boys back into the Top 40 (they succeeded, barely), Holland continued the muddy sound of Carl and the Passions - So Tough. The highlights here -- Carls "The Trader," Brians "Sail on, Sailor" and "Funky Pretty" -- are marginally better than their immediate predecessors, though "Leavin This Town" (from recent addition Blondie Chaplin) is rather tiresome. Also, Al Jardine and Mike Loves three-part "California Saga" shows the effects of their environmentalist spirituality left to bake in the sun a few minutes too long (though the conclusion, "California," is a solid return to the harmony-laden sun-and-surf 60s). "Only with You" is yet another tender ballad given an excellent reading by Carl. [Holland was made available in 2000 on the two-fer compilation Carl and the Passions - So Tough/Holland.] | ||
 | Album: 22 of 34 Title: 15 Big Ones Released: 1976-06-28 Tracks: 15 Duration: 38:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rock and Roll Music (02:29) 2 It’s OK (02:13) 3 Had to Phone Ya (01:45) 4 Chapel of Love (02:35) 5 Everyone’s in Love With You (02:44) 6 Talk to Me (02:15) 7 That Same Song (02:16) 8 T.M. Song (01:35) 9 Palisades Park (02:25) 10 Susie Cincinnati (02:58) 11 A Casual Look (02:45) 12 Blueberry Hill (03:03) 13 Back Home (02:50) 14 In the Still of the Night (I’ll Remember) (03:03) 15 Just Once in My Life (03:42) |
| 15 Big Ones : Allmusic album Review : Thanks to the surprising success of the compilation Endless Summer, the Beach Boys entered the studio in 1975 for the first time in almost three years. The album that followed, 15 Big Ones, balanced covers of rock and doo wop standards with seven new Beach Boys songs (including five Brian Wilson compositions). Most of the covers are mistakes, part of a misguided attempt by the aging Beach Boys to recapture the energy of their youth. The "contemporary" production techniques and overly polished sound do nothing for these oldies, and effectively sap them of any energy they might once have had. And the choices -- including Chuck Berrys "Rock and Roll Music," the Dixie Cups "Chapel of Love," Fats Dominos "Blueberry Hill," Freddy Cannons "Palisades Park" -- are simply too well known to be reworked effectively, by anyone. The only one that succeeds is the closer, the lesser-known Righteous Brothers hit "Just Once in My Life," given an emotional reading by Carl and Brian. Of the band originals, the good-time standard "Its OK" and the quirky, endearing "Had to Phone Ya" are excellent, reminiscent of Brians odd pop songs on late-60s albums like Friends and 20/20. Most of the other originals are quite inferior though, including the silly history-of-music salute "That Same Song," Al Jardines "Susie Cincinnati," and the meditation primer "T M Song." [In 2000, 15 Big Ones was made available on the two-fer compilation 15 Big Ones/Love You.] | ||
 | Album: 23 of 34 Title: Love You Released: 1977-04-11 Tracks: 14 Duration: 34:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Let Us Go On This Way (02:00) 2 Roller Skating Child (02:18) 3 Mona (02:08) 4 Johnny Carson (02:48) 5 Good Time (02:51) 6 Honkin’ Down the Highway (02:38) 7 Ding Dang (00:55) 8 Solar System (02:49) 9 The Night Was So Young (02:15) 10 I’ll Bet He’s Nice (02:36) 11 Let’s Put Our Hearts Together (02:14) 12 I Wanna Pick You Up (02:41) 13 Airplane (03:05) 14 Love Is a Woman (02:53) |
 | Album: 24 of 34 Title: M.I.U. Album Released: 1978-10-02 Tracks: 12 Duration: 32:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Shes Got Rhythm (02:29) 2 Come Go With Me (02:07) 3 Hey Little Tomboy (02:27) 4 Kona Coast (02:33) 5 Peggy Sue (02:16) 6 Wontcha Come Out Tonight (02:29) 7 Sweet Sunday Kind of Love (02:43) 8 Belles of Paris (02:29) 9 Pitter Patter (03:15) 10 My Diane (02:37) 11 Matchpoint of Our Love (03:32) 12 Winds of Change (03:16) |
| M.I.U. Album : Allmusic album Review : Recorded at the Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa, M.I.U. Album was the first album to carry Alan Jardines name as producer. (Notoriously unsteady at the time, Brian Wilson was listed as executive producer.) Unfortunately, the mainstream late-70s production techniques are predictable and frequently cloying. M.I.U. Album also included several of the worst Beach Boys songs ever to make it to vinyl -- up to that point, of course. Though a few of them are partially saved by great harmony vocals, "Belles of Paris," "Winds of Change," and "Match Point of Our Love" (the latter complete with embarrassing tennis metaphors) are close to unlistenable. Still, the groups covers of rock & roll standards ("Come Go With Me," "Wontcha Come Out Tonight") work better than they did on 1975s 15 Big Ones. Of the originals, "Shes Got Rhythm" and "Hey Little Tomboy" are oddly entertaining, and a few tracks ("Kona Coast," "Pitter Patter") enable the group to exercise some gorgeous vocal harmonies. Compared with what had come before, M.I.U. Album was a pathetic attempt at music making; compared with what was to come however, this was a highlight. | ||
 | Album: 25 of 34 Title: L.A. (Light Album) Released: 1979-03-19 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Good Timin’ (02:12) 2 Lady Lynda (03:59) 3 Full Sail (02:56) 4 Angel Come Home (03:37) 5 Love Surrounds Me (03:39) 6 Sumahama (04:08) 7 Here Comes the Night (10:52) 8 Baby Blue (03:25) 9 Goin South (03:18) 10 Shortenin Bread (02:47) |
 | Album: 26 of 34 Title: Keepin the Summer Alive Released: 1980-03-24 Tracks: 10 Duration: 33:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Keepin’ the Summer Alive (03:43) 2 Oh Darlin’ (03:55) 3 Some of Your Love (02:37) 4 Livin’ With a Heartache (04:06) 5 School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell) (02:54) 6 Goin’ On (03:04) 7 Sunshine (02:53) 8 When Girls Get Together (03:33) 9 Santa Ana Winds (03:16) 10 Endless Harmony (03:06) |
| Keepin' the Summer Alive : Allmusic album Review : By the end of the 70s, the Beach Boys were turning into a novelty act with their live shows and spewing forth easily forgettable records. One would have hoped that with the emergence of a new decade the group would have adapted a fresh outlook and returned to its former levels of creativity. They did adapt a new way of looking at things, but it just wasnt the right one. Keepin the Summer Alive isnt just a low point of the bands career, it is the low point. Ripe with mindless throwaways and lifeless filler, Keepin the Summer Alive is the sound of a group earnestly trying to hang on to the last fibers of popularity it accumulated during the mid-70s. A mindless, predictable rendition of "School Days" does nothing to pick things up and is easily forgettable, as is most of the record. The two exceptions to the rule reside in the title track and the closing "Endless Harmony." "Endless" could have been a hauntingly beautiful piece had they not tacked on the last minute of the song, where they decided it was a good idea to thank America for letting them tour her majestic plains. Its hard to believe this album was recorded by the same group that gave the world such brilliance almost 15 years prior with Pet Sounds. Avoid this one at all costs -- unless you are looking to increase your ironic-quotient index. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 34 Title: The Beach Boys Released: 1985-06-10 Tracks: 12 Duration: 40:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Getcha Back (03:02) 2 Its Gettin Late (03:27) 3 Crack at Your Love (03:39) 4 Maybe I Dont Know (03:54) 5 She Believes in Love Again (03:33) 6 California Calling (02:52) 7 Passing Friend (04:59) 8 Im So Lonely (02:52) 9 Where I Belong (02:58) 10 I Do Love You (04:20) 11 Its Just a Matter of Time (02:22) 12 Male Ego (02:32) |
| The Beach Boys : Allmusic album Review : The Beach Boys first all-new studio album in five years (and last for seven years) is a concerted attempt to regain old glories, which it did to an extent, selling better than any record since 15 Big Ones (1976) and spinning off the Top 40 single "Getcha Back" and the chart entry "Its Gettin Late." But despite the production sheen provided by Steve Levine (of Culture Club fame), this is another competent but uninspired effort. [In 2000, The Beach Boys was made available on the two-fer compilation Keepin the Summer Alive/The Beach Boys 85.] | ||
 | Album: 28 of 34 Title: Still Cruisin’ Released: 1989-08-28 Tracks: 10 Duration: 33:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Still Cruisin’ (03:35) 2 Somewhere Near Japan (04:50) 3 Island Girl (03:49) 4 In My Car (03:22) 5 Kokomo (03:36) 6 Wipe Out (04:01) 7 Make It Big (03:11) 8 I Get Around (02:13) 9 Wouldn’t It Be Nice (02:24) 10 California Girls (02:37) |
| Still Cruisin’ : Allmusic album Review : The Beach Boys success with soundtracks, notably their number one 1988 hit with "Kokomo" from Cocktail (but also the title track "Still Cruisin" from Lethal Weapon 2), provided the rationale for this hodgepodge of oldies and one-off singles. Their new savior, producer Terry Melcher, helps them sound like a professional 60s cover band. Meanwhile, except for one lone contribution, a solid "In My Car," Brian Wilson had quietly disappeared to a solo career. | ||
 | Album: 29 of 34 Title: Summer in Paradise Released: 1992-08-03 Tracks: 12 Duration: 41:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Hot Fun in the Summertime (03:31) 2 Surfin (03:46) 3 Summer of Love (02:50) 4 Island Fever (03:11) 5 Still Surfin (04:04) 6 Slow Summer Dancin (One Summer Night) (03:23) 7 Strange Things Happen (03:17) 8 Remember "Walking in the Sand" (03:31) 9 Lahaina Aloha (03:46) 10 Under the Boardwalk (03:28) 11 Summer in Paradise (03:27) 12 Forever (02:58) |
| Summer in Paradise : Allmusic album Review : What would the Beach Boys be like if Brian Wilson were banned and lead singer Mike Love ruled the roost? Like this -- writing bad new songs, recording bad covers of old songs -- a pointless parody of themselves. | ||
 | Album: 30 of 34 Title: Stars & Stripes, Volume 1 Released: 1996 Tracks: 12 Duration: 37:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Dont Worry Baby (03:18) 2 Little Deuce Coupe (02:52) 3 409 (02:22) 4 Long Tall Texan (04:03) 5 I Get Around (02:30) 6 Be True to Your School (03:20) 7 Fun, Fun, Fun (02:22) 8 Help Me Rhonda (03:11) 9 The Warmth of the Sun (03:20) 10 Sloop John B. (03:46) 11 I Can Hear Music (03:16) 12 Caroline, No (03:21) |
 | Album: 31 of 34 Title: Golden Surf Released: 1996 Tracks: 10 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Surfin Safari (?) 2 Surfer Girl (?) 3 Luau (?) 4 Wipe Out (?) 5 Surfers Stomp (?) 6 Surf City (?) 7 Dead Mans Curve (?) 8 Ride The Wild Surf (?) 9 Little Deuce Coupe (?) 10 Sidewalk Surfin (?) |
 | Album: 32 of 34 Title: That’s Why God Made the Radio Released: 2012-06-01 Tracks: 12 Duration: 38:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Think About the Days (01:27) 2 That’s Why God Made the Radio (03:18) 3 Isn’t It Time (03:45) 4 Spring Vacation (03:06) 5 The Private Life of Bill and Sue (04:17) 6 Shelter (03:02) 7 Daybreak Over the Ocean (04:20) 8 Beaches in Mind (02:38) 9 Strange World (03:03) 10 From There to Back Again (03:23) 11 Pacific Coast Highway (01:47) 12 Summer’s Gone (04:41) |
| That’s Why God Made the Radio : Allmusic album Review : Plans for the Beach Boys 50th anniversary tour came together surprisingly quickly, but nothing prepared fans for a full studio album just six months after their official reunion. Further surprises included apparently cordial relations between all surviving members, Brian Wilson in the producers booth, the presence of 12 original songs on the album, and the complete absence of any attempt to cash in on fond memories of "Kokomo" or Endless Summer or "Do It Again" or "Help Me, Rhonda" -- depending on which generation the band might want to court. Thats Why God Made the Radio is as good as it gets for those who love their Beach Boys. It includes frequently gorgeous charts from Wilson and just a little sweetening to the songs (musically with help from Wilsons regular band and arranger Paul Mertens, lyrically with help from Joe Thomas and Jim Peterik). The album is a record of two halves -- or sides, in case the band was thinking back to famous side-by-side classics like 1965s Today! The first half is mostly upbeat, with highlights "Isnt It Time" and the title track evoking pleasant curios from late-60s LPs like Wild Honey or Friends. The second half is largely reflective, with songs that reveal the bands feelings about time passing and life ending (much more than any other material in their entire careers). Granted, no latter-day Beach Boys record comes without missteps, but fortunately there are only two. "Spring Vacation" is embarrassingly chummy, with the lines "As for the past, its all behind us/Happier now, look where life finds us/Singing our songs is enough reason/Harmony boys is what we believe in/Some said it wouldnt last/All we can say is were still having a blast." Meanwhile, the downright odd "Private Life of Bill and Sue" takes a fictional couple into the reality-show realm for a misguided cultural critique. For those worried about either Love or Wilson dominating the proceedings, its clear to see that not only Wilson gets his moment in the sun. For Mike Love, its "Daybreak Over the Ocean," which could have come off as an update of "Kokomo"s tropical motif (with Mike crooning a little too close to your ear), but is thankfully treated very lightly. For Al Jardine, its "From There to Back Again," easily the most beautiful song on the album, a Side 2 ballad epic that Wilson frames impeccably around Jardines voice, aging but still sweet. (It ranks as one of their best ballads since the 60s.) These may not be the songs that will ever light up their live sets, but together they form what is easily the best Beach Boys record in 35 years -- and a surprisingly cohesive, reflective, listenable one at that. | ||
 | Album: 33 of 34 Title: 1967 : Sunshine Tomorrow : The Studio Sessions Released: 2017-12-29 Tracks: 29 Duration: 1:13:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Heroes and Villains (a cappella) (03:38) 2 Vegetables (Track and Background Vocals) (02:24) 3 Shes Going Bald (Track and Background Vocals) (02:15) 4 Little Pad (a cappella) (02:18) 5 With Me Tonight (session Highlight) (03:12) 6 Wind Chimes (Track and Background Vocals) (02:40) 7 Getting Hungry (Track and Background Vocals) (02:32) 8 Whistle In (Track and Background Vocals) (01:19) 9 Arent You Glad (Stereo single mix) (02:16) 10 I Was Made to Love Her (Track and Background Vocals) (01:21) 11 Country Air (Track and Background Vocals) (02:29) 12 Darlin (Track and Background Vocals) (02:14) 13 Id Love Just Once to See You (Track and Background Vocals) (02:34) 14 Here Comes the Night (a cappella) (02:35) 15 Let the Wind Blow (a cappella) (02:26) 16 How She Boogalooed It (Track and Stereo Last Verse) (03:22) 17 Lonely Days (session Highlight and Track) (03:14) 18 Time to Get Alone (Backing Track) (03:15) 19 Cool Cool Water (alternate mix) (02:10) 20 Cant Wait Too Long (alternative mix with Tag) (02:38) 21 Tune L (session) (03:44) 22 Good News (outtake) (01:12) 23 Surfin ("Leid in Hawaii" / studio Backing Track) (01:26) 24 Heroes and Villains ("Leid in Hawaii" / studio version) (02:45) 25 With a Little Help From My Friends (session Highlight and Track with Background Vocals) (03:19) 26 Barbara Ann ("Leid in Hawaii" / studio Backing Track) (01:56) 27 California Girls (Lei’d in Hawaii studio version) (02:29) 28 God Only Knows ("Leid in Hawaii" / studio Stereo mix) (02:45) 29 Surfer Girl ("Leid in Hawaii" / studio Stereo mix - alternate take) (02:46) |
 | Album: 34 of 34 Title: The Beach Boys With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Released: 2018-06-08 Tracks: 17 Duration: 53:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 California Suite (01:32) 2 California Girls (02:45) 3 Wouldn’t It Be Nice (03:13) 4 Fun, Fun, Fun (02:23) 5 Don’t Worry Baby (02:50) 6 God Only Knows (03:12) 7 Sloop John B (03:43) 8 Heroes and Villains (04:07) 9 Disney Girls (04:36) 10 Here Today (03:07) 11 In My Room (02:32) 12 Kokomo (03:50) 13 The Warmth of the Sun (03:15) 14 Darlin’ (02:18) 15 Help Me Rhonda (03:00) 16 You Still Believe in Me (03:11) 17 Good Vibrations (04:19) |