The Beach Boys First known as the Pendletones, this 1960’s group recognized primarily for their close harmonies and their reputation for surfing, cars and girls, later named themselves The Beach Boys and during their career recorded thirty-six U.S. Top 40 hits including four number one singles and many best-selling albums. Their early material focused on the Californian lifestyle and of having fun, fun, fun. When the group first formed in 1960 they comprised of singer-musician-composer Brian Wilson, his brothers, Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Alan Jardine and later David Marks and Bruce Johnston. They were known for their uniform which consisted of white pants and candy-striped button-down shirts, it became their signature look through the 1960’s. In the fall of 1961, Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, along with Al Jardine and Mike Love, recorded the song "Surfin'" on Candix Records. It was a hit on the west coast, and peaked at number 75 on the national pop charts. As time went on the influence of their father became a bone of contention and Brian fired his father amidst a violent row in the recording studio. When Murry died a few years later his sons did not attend his funeral. Their early inspirations of the group came from the Wilson’s father, Murry, and the close harmonies of The Four Freshmen. Other major influences in their music over the early years where Phil Spector and Burt Bacharach.
During the 1960’s The Beach Boys became major pop stars in the United States and in other countries around the world but their success was eclipsed with the emergence of The Beatles who became their biggest musical rivals. After The Beach Boys had established themselves as a musical phenomenon they then began to be artistically recognized when their chief composer, Brian Wilson, transformed them into a more innovative musical combo. During their years at the top of their profession the Beach Boys encountered many traumas. The death of both Dennis, in a drowning accident and Carl Wilson, from lung cancer in 1983 and 1998 respectively, the drug abuse and mental illness of Brian Wilson and continuing battles among the other group members. In 1964 Brian Wilson left the group and concentrated on producing and song writing and Glen Campbell replaced Wilson in the group. Wilson's musical efforts became more ambitious for the group and they began to rely more on session players to achieve his standards. Wilson's growing mastery of the recording studio and his increasingly sophisticated songs and complex arrangements would reach a creative peak with the acclaimed LP Pet Sounds. The tracks "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "God Only Knows," showcased Wilson's growing mastery as a composer, arranger and producer. Their albums meticulously layered harmonies and inventive instrumentation similar to that developed by Phil Spector and his ‘wall of sound.’ Paul McCartney has been quoted as saying that Pet Sounds is one of his all time favourite albums, with "God Only Knows" as his favorite song.
Brian Wilson went on to write “Good Vibrations," which he described as "a pocket symphony". The song became the Beach Boys' biggest hit to date and a US and UK number one single in 1966 and which many critics consider it to be one of the best rock singles of all time. Brian Wilson and his brothers, Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Alan Jardine, David Marks and Bruce Johnston were all inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. The Beach Boys have loaned their musical and vocal talents to other stars including Elton John’s ‘Don’t Let the Sun go Down on Me’ in 1974 and they have also performed the cover version of Stevie Wonder’s “I Was Made to Love Her’. In 1980, the Beach Boys played a Fourth of July concert on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. before a large crowd. This gig was repeated in the next two years, but was banned by Secretary of the Interior James Watt when he stated that rock concerts drew "an undesirable element." This drew howls of outrage from the many of the Beach Boys' American fans, who stated that the Beach Boys sound was a very desirable part of the American cultural fabric. First Lady Nancy Reagan apologized, and in 1984 the group appeared on the Mall again. In 1988, they unexpectedly scored their first number one hit in 22 years with the song "Kokomo", which was featured on the soundtrack of the hit movie ‘Cocktail’ starring Tom Cruise. It became their biggest-selling hit ever. Since the early 1980’s the group have encountered many legal battles over the rights to the group’s name and to songs written and composed both in a solo capacity and a joint capacity with Mike Love and Brian Wilson. In 1992 Mike Love sued Wilson to gain credit for his co-authorship of a number of important Beach Boys songs, including "California Girls", "Catch a Wave," "I Get Around," "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)," "Be True to Your School," "Help Me, Rhonda," "I Know There's an Answer," and numerous others, winning $13 million in 1994 for lost royalties. In interviews, Mike revealed that on some songs he wrote most of the lyrics, on others only a line or two. However, nowadays the Beach Boys continue to tour officially after Mike Love and Bruce Johnston leased the rights to the name from Brother Records. Love and Johnston most recently appeared on the Mall in 2005 for the Fourth of July concert. ABB |
