Popular Music Essential Information & explanations, latest on
The_Beach_Boys.
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys were an enormously successful pop group of the 1960s, whose popularity has lasted into the twenty-first century. Originally formed in 1961 by brothers Carl, Dennis and Brian Wilson with cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine, the group's signature sound was close vocal harmony, strongly influenced by The Four Freshmen. David Marks appeared on their first five albums and was a member from 1962 to 1963.
At first their career was steered by the Wilsons' father Murry, who engineered their signing with Capitol Records. Their early material focused on the Californian youth lifestyle (e.g. "All Summer Long", "Fun, Fun, Fun"), cars ("Little Deuce Coupe") and, as often as not, Dennis's hobby of surfing (as heard on "Surfin'", "Surfin' Safari," and many others).
As the 1960s progressed the always introspective Brian began to withdraw from touring, concentrating on producing studio recordings of ever-increasing complexity. It was at this time that Bruce Johnston joined the group as a touring replacement for Brian. He later became an integral member. Brian's mastery of the recording studio culminated with Pet Sounds (1966), and a sequence of tracks (including "God Only Knows" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" on Pet Sounds, and "Good Vibrations", completed after Pet Sounds) whose meticulously layered and inventive instrumentation set a new standard for popular music, pushing The Beatles towards Sgt. Pepper. On top, the lyrics became intensely personal expressions of Brian's isolation from the world. The album is still widely regarded as a classic.
Seeking to improve upon Pet Sounds proved too much for Brian. A perfectionist in the studio, he suffered a nervous breakdown whilst working on Smile, not helped by his reliance on both prescription and illegal drugs. Some of the tracks were salvaged and re-recorded for Smiley Smile.
Despite Brian's deteriorating health the band continued to work, recording albums including Wild Honey, Friends, 20/20, and Sunflower, prior to a return to greatness on 1971's Surf's Up, the title track of which was an original work from the 1966 collaboration with cult songwriter Van Dyke Parks, who had started working with the band during the Smile sessions. Surf's Up touched on politics, ecology, and nostalgia, among other themes. 1973's Holland received mixed reviews as throughout the 1970s Brian became a recluse. After some psychiatric treatment and pressure from the other band members, Brian intermittantly wrote and toured with the band from 1976 to 1981, but the mental illness that haunted him remained a problem until the 1990s.
Dennis Wilson drowned in 1983, and Carl Wilson died in 1998 from lung cancer.
Currently, the group touring under the Beach Boys name consists of Mike Love and Bruce Johnston and supporting performers (often jokingly called The Jukebox). Brian Wilson tours under his own name with the Wondermints as supporting band, and Al Jardine tours with the Alan Jardine Family & Friends Beach Band, featuring his sons Matt and Adam, Brian's daughters Carnie and Wendy, and Carl's brother-in-law Billy Hinsche, among others. Due to a series of legal tussles in the mid-90's over band name ownership and Brian's critical acclaim as a solo touring artist, the original group no longer exists as a recording or touring unit.
The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
Primary Album Discography
- Surfin' Safari (1962)
- Surfin' U.S.A. (1963)
- Surfer Girl (1963)
- Little Deuce Coupe (1963)
- Shut Down Volume 2 (1964)
- All Summer Long (1964)
- The Beach Boys' Christmas Album (1964)
- Beach Boys Concert (1964)
- The Beach Boys Today! (1965)
- Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) (1965)
- Beach Boys' Party! (1966)
- Pet Sounds (1966)
- Smiley Smile (1967)
- Wild Honey (1967)
- Friends (1968)
- 20/20 (1969)
- Sunflower (1970)
- Live in London (1970)
- Surf's Up (1971)
- Carl and the Passions-"So Tough" (1972)
- Holland (1973)
- 15 Big Ones (1976)
- Love You (1977)
- M.I.U. Album (1978)
- L.A. (Light Album) (1979)
- Keepin' The Summer Alive (1980)
- The Beach Boys (1985)
- Still Cruisin` (1989)
- Summer In Paradise (1992)
- Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 (1996)
External links
The above article is adapted from from Wikipedia All Wikipedia article text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
The Beach Boys : The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio by Keith Badman
Wouldn't It Be Nice: Brian Wilson and the Making of the Beach Boys' <I>Pet Sounds</I> (The Vinyl Frontier series) by Charles L. Granata
Beaches, Boys, and Betrayal (Applegate, Katherine. Summer, 6.) by Katherine A. Applegate
Dennis Wilson: The Real Beach Boy by Jon Stebbins
Heroes and Villains: The True Story of the Beach Boys by Steven Gaines
Surf's Up! The Beach Boys on Record, 1961-1981 by Brad Elliott
The Nearest Far Away Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys, and the Southern California Experience by Timothy White
The Beach Boys Silver Anniversary by John Milward
Brian Wilson & the Beach Boys: How Deep Is the Ocean? by Paul Williams
The Beach Boys and the California Myth by David Leaf
Beach Boys : CD-ROM Sheet Music by William
Heroes and Villains: The True Story of the Beach Boys by Steven S. Gaines
The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds: The Greatest Album of the Twentieth Century by Kingsley Abbott
The Boy on the Beach by Niki Daly
The Beach Boys Anthology by Hal Leonard
Bibliographic Resources
Updates and comments at Essential Facts blog
Are you interested in Feng Shui?
Price Theory Resources
World Class Photographers
Some philosophical movements
Top PDF and eBook Downloads
|
|
Interesting Links
Sports
Kitchen Knowledge
Hollywood Icons
Flowers & gardening
Mythology
Philosophy
Politics
Retirement
Accounting & Finance
Automobiles
Marketing
Psychology
Country Music
Popular Music
Rock & Roll
Academic Subjects
Ancient Greeks
Art & Design
Biology
Biology & Biologists
California
Cats & Dogs
Ethics
Legal Topics
Linguistics
Logic
The Greats
Architectural Dates & Places
* Mathematics & Mathematicians
Medical Update d06
Investments
Transportation
Mathematics
Brilliant Mathematicians
Classic Authors
Fear No Exams
Nexus
Characters & countries
Computers + 2
Science & Computers
Quantum Theory
Home, Site-Map
|