In the age when The Beatles reigned supreme, and the British Invasion was at its peak, few bands legitimately represented the American side of the equation. And just a few years before that, hardly anyone would have guessed that five young men from Hawthorne, California, who spent their formative years gathered around the family piano attempting to mimic The Four Seasons, would rise to challenge The Beatles and leave a legacy nearly as influential.
Led by the reclusive, but brilliant Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys would burst onto the scene in 1961 with “Surfin’.” The next few years saw the group capture the imagination of the public, with their clean-cut, hook-laden approach to songwriting. For many, California would always be the sun-filled golden paradise that Brian Wilson, his brothers Dennis and Carl, cousin Mike Love and friends Al Jardine and, later, Bruce Johnston so warmly described.
By the mid 1960s, Brian Wilson was ready to branch out musically, having done so in incremental steps up through the group’s first several release. The full realization of Wilson’s musical ambitions came in 1966, with the release of Pet Sounds. Recognized as one of the greatest albums of all time, Pet Sounds forever cemented the legacy of The Beach Boys as one of America’s greatest bands.
The ensuing years were not as successful; Wilson suffered a mental breakdown and never again would lead the group he had dominated creatively through its formative years. It fell to Carl Wilson and Mike Love to continue on. Under new leadership, the group would go on to a very successful career as a touring act and release such underrated gems as Sunflower and Holland. While the quality of the Beach Boys’ studio work declined greatly over the course of the ‘70s, every member of the band had the opportunity to demonstrate they were an integral part of the success of the group.
Eventually consigned to being an “oldies” group, the Beach Boys fell off the charts, only occasionally managing to call attention to themselves (think “Kokomo”). The deaths of Dennis and Carl Wilson, and the departure of Brian Wilson left a gaping hole in the group that could never truly be filled, although Mike Love continues on under the banner of The Beach Boys to this day.
One need only hear the French horn opening to “God Only Knows,” or the heavenly harmonies of “In My Room,” to realize the importance of The Beach Boys, and their impact on rock and roll. As long as people turn on a radio, The Beach Boys will be there singing out of it.
Beginning on June 1st, and running every day through the remainder of the month, The Daily Vault will publish reviews spanning the entire career of The Beach Boys; including the majority of their studio albums as well as several compilations and live records and the occasional solo project.
Founded in January 1997, the Daily Vault has featured more than 6,000 reviews of more than 2,800 artists from all across the musical spectrum, written by a volunteer staff from around the world. Previous Artist Of The Month retrospectives have spotlighted the work of artists from Tori Amos to Frank Zappa, including the Beatles, Depeche Mode, Garth Brooks, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Yes and many others. Themed retrospectives have included punk, hip-hop, classic soul, classic jazz, Broadway musicals, Christian Contemporary Music, live albums and modern prog.
