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=== 1962β1967: Peak years === ==== ''Surfin' Safari'', ''Surfin' U.S.A.'', ''Surfer Girl'', and ''Little Deuce Coupe'' ==== [[File:Beach Boys 1963.jpg|thumb|right|The Beach Boys, in [[Pendleton Woolen Mills|Pendleton]] outfits, performing at a local high school, late 1962]] By this time the de facto manager of the Beach Boys, Murry landed the group's first paying gig (for which they earned $300) on New Year's Eve, 1961, at the [[Ritchie Valens]] Memorial Dance in [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]].{{sfn|Warner|1992|p=328}} In their early public appearances, the band wore heavy wool jacket-like shirts that local surfers favored{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|p=19}} before switching to their trademark striped shirts and white pants (a look that was taken directly from the [[Kingston Trio]]).{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=187}}{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=106}} All five members sang, with Brian playing bass, Dennis playing drums, Carl playing lead guitar, and Al Jardine playing rhythm guitar, while Mike Love was the main singer and occasionally played saxophone. In early 1962, Morgan requested that some of the members add vocals to a couple of instrumental tracks that he had recorded with other musicians. This led to the creation of the short-lived group Kenny & the Cadets, which Brian led under the pseudonym "Kenny". The other members were Carl, Jardine, and the Wilsons' mother Audree.<ref name="Kenny"/>{{refn|group=nb|The only songs the group recorded were two Morgan compositions "Barbie" and "What Is a Young Girl Made Of?"<ref name="Kenny">{{cite web|author-link=Richie Unterberger|last=Unterberger|first=Richie|title=Kenny & the Cadets|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kenny-the-cadets-mn0000070397|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=April 21, 2020|archive-date=June 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618221231/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kenny-the-cadets-mn0000070397|url-status=live}}</ref>}} In February, Jardine left the Beach Boys and was replaced by David Marks on rhythm guitar.{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=105}} A common misconception is that Jardine left to focus on [[dental school]]. In reality, Jardine did not even apply to dental school until 1964, and the reason he left in February 1962 was due to creative differences and his belief that the newly-formed group would not be a commercial success.{{sfn|Murphy|2015|p=151}} After being turned down by [[Dot Records|Dot]] and [[Liberty Records|Liberty]], the Beach Boys signed a seven-year contract with [[Capitol Records]].<ref name="photobucket13">{{cite magazine|url=http://i351.photobucket.com/albums/q476/marcus1970/hit%20parader%201966/HitParaderp6October1966.jpg|title=The Beach Boy Empire|last=Taylor|first=Derek|date=October 5, 1966|magazine=Hit Parader|page=13|author-link=Derek Taylor|access-date=June 29, 2013|archive-date=May 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525143421/http://i351.photobucket.com/albums/q476/marcus1970/hit%20parader%201966/HitParaderp6October1966.jpg|url-status=live}}</ref> This was at the urging of Capitol executive and staff producer [[Nick Venet]] who signed the group, seeing them as the "teenage gold" he had been scouting for.{{sfn|Hoskyns|2009|p=62}} On June 4, 1962, the Beach Boys debuted on Capitol with their second single, "Surfin' Safari" backed with "409". The release prompted national coverage in the June 9 issue of ''[[Billboard Magazine|Billboard]]'', which praised Love's lead vocal and said the song had potential.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=June 9, 1962 |title=Reviews of New Singles |magazine=Billboard Magazine |volume= 74 |issue= 23 |page=40 |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=sSkEAAAAMBAJ|page=4}} |access-date=April 27, 2013}}</ref> "Surfin' Safari" rose to number 14 and found airplay in New York and Phoenix, a surprise for the label.{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=105}} The Beach Boys' first album, ''[[Surfin' Safari]]'', was released in October 1962. It was different from other rock albums of the time in that it consisted almost entirely of original songs, primarily written by Brian with Mike Love and friend [[Gary Usher]].{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=105}} Another unusual feature of the Beach Boys was that, although they were marketed as "surf music", their repertoire bore little resemblance to the music of other surf bands, which was mainly instrumental and incorporated heavy use of [[spring reverb]]. For this reason, some of the Beach Boys' early local performances had young audience members throwing vegetables at the band, believing that the group were poseurs.<ref name="Emami">{{cite news |last1=Emami |first1=Gazelle |title=Surf Music Evolution: From The Beach Boys To Punk |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/surf-music-evolution_n_3322063 |work=[[HuffPost]] |date=December 6, 2017 |access-date=May 2, 2020 |archive-date=June 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619021802/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/surf-music-evolution_n_3322063 |url-status=live }}</ref> {{listen |filename=Surfin' USA.ogg |pos=left |title="Surfin' U.S.A." (1963) |description="[[Surfin' U.S.A. (song)|Surfin' U.S.A.]]" was a rewrite of [[Chuck Berry]]'s "[[Sweet Little Sixteen]]" with lyrics about surfing, later becoming one of the best known surf rock songs.{{sfn|Marcus|2013|p=95}} |}} In January 1963, the Beach Boys recorded their first top-ten single, "[[Surfin' U.S.A. (song)|Surfin' U.S.A.]]", which began their long run of highly successful recording efforts. It was during the sessions for this single that Brian made the production decision from that point on to use [[double tracking]] on the group's vocals, resulting in a deeper and more resonant sound.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=32}} The [[Surfin' U.S.A. (album)|album of the same name]] followed in March and reached number 2 on the ''Billboard'' charts.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=35}} Its success propelled the group into a nationwide spotlight, and was vital to launching surf music as a national craze,{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|p=71}} albeit the Beach Boys' vocal approach to the genre, not the original instrumental style pioneered by [[Dick Dale]].<ref name="Emami"/> Biographer Luis Sanchez highlights the "Surfin' U.S.A." single as a turning point for the band, "creat[ing] a direct passage to California life for a wide teenage audience ... [and] a distinct Southern California sensibility that exceeded its conception as such to advance right to the front of American consciousness".{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|pp=10, 13}} Jardine returned in spring 1963 so Brian could make fewer touring appearances. Issues between Marks, his parents, and manager/the Wilsons' father Murry led Marks to quit in October 1963. Throughout 1963, and for the next few years, Brian produced a variety of singles for outside artists. Among these were [[the Honeys]], a surfer trio that comprised sisters Diane and [[Marilyn Wilson|Marilyn Rovell]] with cousin Ginger Blake. Brian was convinced that they could be a successful female counterpart to the Beach Boys, and he produced a number of singles for them, although they could not replicate the Beach Boys' popularity.{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|pp=39β41, 44}} He also attended some of [[Phil Spector]]'s sessions at [[Gold Star Studios]].{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|p=50}} His creative and songwriting interests were revamped upon hearing [[the Ronettes]]' 1963 song "[[Be My Baby]]", which was produced by Spector. The first time he heard the song was while driving, and was so overwhelmed that he had to pull over to the side of the road and analyze the chorus.{{sfn|Wilson|Greenman|2016|p=73}} Later, he reflected: "I was unable to really think as a producer up until the time where I really got familiar with Phil Spector's work. That was when I started to design the experience to be a record rather than just a song."{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|p=47}} [[File:The Beach Boys 1962.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The Beach Boys in 1963; top to bottom: [[Brian Wilson]], [[Carl Wilson]], [[Dennis Wilson]], [[David Marks]], [[Mike Love]]]] ''[[Surfer Girl]]'' marked the first time the group used outside musicians on a substantial portion of an LP.{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=107}} Many of them were the musicians Spector used for his [[Wall of Sound]] productions.{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=111}} Only a month after ''Surfer Girl'''s release the group's fourth album ''[[Little Deuce Coupe]]'' was issued. To close 1963, the band released a standalone Christmas-themed single "[[Little Saint Nick]]", backed with an [[a cappella]] rendition of the [[Lord's Prayer|scriptural]] song "[[The Lord's Prayer (1935 song)|The Lord's Prayer]]". The A-side peaked at number 3 on the US ''Billboard'' Christmas chart.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=45}} ==== British Invasion, ''Shut Down Volume 2'', ''All Summer Long'', and ''Christmas Album'' ==== The surf music craze, along with the careers of nearly all surf acts, was slowly replaced by the [[British Invasion]].{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|pp=1313β1314}} Following a successful Australasian tour in January and February 1964, the Beach Boys returned home to face their new competition, [[the Beatles]]. Both groups shared the same record label in the US, and Capitol's support for the Beach Boys immediately began waning. Although it generated a top-five single in "[[Fun Fun Fun]]", the group's fifth album, ''[[Shut Down Volume 2]]'', became their first since ''Surfin' Safari'' not to reach the US top-ten. This caused Murry to fight for the band at the label more than before, often visiting their offices without warning to "twist executive arms".{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=50}} Carl said that Phil Spector "was Brian's favorite kind of rock; he liked [him] better than the early Beatles stuff. He loved the Beatles' later music when they evolved and started making intelligent, masterful music, but before that Phil was it."<ref name=HimesSurf/> According to Mike Love, Carl followed the Beatles closer than anyone else in the band, while Brian was the most "rattled" by the Beatles and felt tremendous pressure to "keep pace" with them.{{sfn|Love|2016|pp=88, 104, 184}} For Brian, the Beatles ultimately "eclipsed a lot [of what] we'd worked for ... [they] eclipsed the whole music world".{{sfn|Leaf|1978|p=52}}{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|p=70}}{{refn|group=nb|He remembered "flipping out [over the Beatles]. I couldn't understand how a group could be just yelled and screamed at. The music they made, '[[I Want to Hold Your Hand]]' for example, wasn't even that great a record, but the[ir fans] just screamed at it. ... It got us off our asses in the studio. [We] said 'look, don't worry about the Beatles, we'll cut our own stuff'."<ref>{{cite AV media|people=[[David Espar|Espar, David]], [[Robert Levi|Levi, Robert]] (Directors)|year=1995|title=Rock & Roll|medium=[[Miniseries]]}}</ref> He recalled that he and Love immediately felt threatened by the Beatles, believing that the Beach Boys could never match the excitement created by the Beatles as performers, and that this realization led him to concentrate his efforts on trying to outdo them in the recording studio.<ref name="MSLE">{{cite book |year=2002 |title=Mojo Special Limited Edition: 1000 Days That Shook the World (The Psychedelic Beatles β April 1, 1965 to December 26, 1967)|title-link=Mojo (magazine)#Special editions|location=London |publisher=Emap|page=4}}</ref>}} [[File:Sullivan Beach Boys.jpg|thumb|right|The band performing "[[I Get Around]]" on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' in September 1964 ]] Brian wrote his last surf song for nearly four years, "[[Don't Back Down]]", in April 1964.{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=51}} That month, during recording of the single "[[I Get Around]]", the band dismissed Murry as their manager. He remained in close contact with the group, offering unsolicited advice on their business decisions.{{sfn|Gaines|1986|pp=112β113}} When "I Get Around" was released in May, it would climb to number 1 in the US and Canada, their first single to do so (also reaching the top-ten in Sweden and the UK), proving that the Beach Boys could compete with contemporary British pop groups.{{sfn|Moskowitz|2015|p=42}} "I Get Around" and "Don't Back Down" both appeared on the band's sixth album ''[[All Summer Long (album)|All Summer Long]]'', released in July 1964 and reaching number 4 in the US. ''All Summer Long'' introduced exotic textures to the Beach Boys' sound exemplified by the [[piccolo]]s and [[xylophone]]s of [[All Summer Long (The Beach Boys song)|its title track]].{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=110}} The album was a swan-song to the surf and car music the Beach Boys built their commercial standing upon. Later albums took a different stylistic and lyrical path.{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|pp=72β73}} Before this, a live album, ''[[Beach Boys Concert]]'', was released in October to a four-week chart stay at number 1, containing a set list of previously recorded songs and covers that they had not yet recorded.{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|p=72}} [[File:The Beach Boys (1965).png|thumb|left|The Beach Boys in 1964; clockwise from top left: Mike Love, Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, [[Al Jardine]]]] In June 1964, Brian recorded the bulk of ''[[The Beach Boys' Christmas Album]]'' with a forty-one-piece studio orchestra in collaboration with [[The Four Freshmen|Four Freshmen]] arranger [[Dick Reynolds (musician)|Dick Reynolds]]. The album was a response to Phil Spector's ''[[A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector|A Christmas Gift for You]]'' (1963). Released in December, the Beach Boys' album was divided between five new, original Christmas-themed songs, and seven reinterpretations of traditional Christmas songs.{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|pp=59β60}} It would be regarded as one of the finest [[holiday album]]s of the rock era.{{sfn|Moskowitz|2015|p=42}} One single from the album, "[[The Man with All the Toys]]", was released, peaking at number 6 on the US ''Billboard'' Christmas chart.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=75}} On October 29, the Beach Boys performed for ''[[The T.A.M.I. Show]]'', a concert film intended to bring together a wide range of musicians for a one-off performance. The result was released to movie theaters one month later.{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|pp=30β31}} ====''Today!'', ''Summer Days'', and ''Party!''==== [[File:The Beach Boys 1964 Billboard.png|thumb|right|The band with caricatures in Paris, November 1964]] By the end of 1964, the stress of road travel, writing, and producing became too much for Brian. On December 23, while on a flight from Los Angeles to Houston, he suffered a [[panic attack]].{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|pp=63β64}} In January 1965, he announced his withdrawal from touring to concentrate entirely on songwriting and record production. For the last few days of 1964 and into early 1965, session musician and up-and-coming solo artist [[Glen Campbell]] agreed to temporarily serve as Brian's replacement in concert.{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=77, 79}} Carl took over as the band's musical director onstage.<ref name="Jarnow15" />{{refn|group=nb|Contracts at that time stipulated that promoters hire "Carl Wilson plus four other musicians".<ref name="Jarnow15" /> Additionally, in February, July, and October, Brian rejoined the live group for one-off occasions.<ref name=GIGS65>{{cite web|last1=Doe|first1=Andrew G. Doe|title=GIGS65|url=http://esquarterly.com/bellagio/gigs65.html|website=Bellagio 10452|publisher=Endless Summer Quarterly|access-date=June 15, 2018|archive-date=October 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006142154/http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/gigs65.html|url-status=live}}</ref>}} Now a full-time studio artist,{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=111}} Brian wanted to move the Beach Boys beyond their surf aesthetic, believing that their image was antiquated and distracting the public from his talents as a producer and songwriter.<ref>{{harvnb|Sanchez|2014|pp=91β93}}; {{harvnb|Kent|2009|p=27}}</ref> Musically, he said he began to "take the things I learned from Phil Spector and use more instruments whenever I could. I doubled up on basses and tripled up on keyboards, which made everything sound bigger and deeper."{{sfn|Wilson|Greenman|2016|p=88}} {{Quote box | quote = We needed to grow. Up to this point we had milked every idea dry [and did] every possible angle about surfing and [cars]. But we needed to grow artistically. | source = β Brian Wilson{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=54}}<ref name=HimesSurf /> | width = 25em | align = right }} Released in March 1965, ''[[The Beach Boys Today!]]'' marked the first time the group experimented with the "album-as-art" form. The tracks on side one feature an uptempo sound that contrasts side two, which consists mostly of emotional ballads.<ref name="Bolin2012" /> Music writer Scott Schinder referenced its "[[suite (music)|suite-like structure]]" as an early example of the [[Album Era|rock album format]] being used to make a cohesive artistic statement.{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=111}} Brian also established his new lyrical approach toward the autobiographical; journalist [[Nick Kent]] wrote that the subjects of Brian's songs "were suddenly no longer simple happy souls harmonizing their sun-kissed innocence and dying devotion to each other over a honey-coated backdrop of surf and sand. Instead, they'd become highly vulnerable, slightly neurotic and riddled with telling insecurities."{{sfn|Kent|2009|p=13}} In the book ''Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop'', [[Bob Stanley (musician)|Bob Stanley]] remarked that "Brian was aiming for [[Johnny Mercer]] but coming up [[indie rock|proto-indie]]."{{sfn|Stanley|2013|pp=219β220}} In 2012, the album was voted 271 on ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's list of the [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/the-beach-boys-the-beach-boys-today-20120524 |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Beach Boys, 'The Beach Boys Today' |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=May 31, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2012 |archive-date=October 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022163036/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/the-beach-boys-the-beach-boys-today-20120524 |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 1965, Campbell's own career success pulled him from touring with the group.{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=86}} [[Columbia Records]] staff producer [[Bruce Johnston]] was asked to locate a replacement for Campbell; having failed to find one, Johnston himself became a full-time member of the band on May 19, 1965. With Johnston's arrival, Brian now had a sixth voice he could work with in the band's vocal arrangements, with the June 4 vocal sessions for "[[California Girls]]" being Johnston's first recording session with the Beach Boys. "California Girls" was included on the band's next album ''[[Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)]]'' and eventually charted at number 3 in the US as the second single from the album, while the album itself went to number 2. The first single from ''Summer Days'' had been a reworked arrangement of "[[Help Me, Rhonda]]", which became the band's second number 1 US single in the spring of 1965.{{sfn|Schinder|2007|pp=111β112}} For contractual reasons, owing to his previous deal with Columbia Records, Johnston was not able to be credited or pictured on Beach Boys records until 1967.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cashmere |first1=Paul |title=Bruce Johnston Clocks Up 50 Years In The Beach Boys |url=http://www.noise11.com/news/bruce-johnston-clocks-up-50-years-in-the-beach-boys-20150823 |website=noise11.com |date=August 23, 2015 |access-date=December 22, 2019}}</ref> To appease Capitol's demands for a Beach Boys LP for the 1965 Christmas season, Brian conceived ''[[Beach Boys' Party!]]'', a live-in-the-studio album consisting mostly of acoustic covers of 1950s rock and R&B songs, in addition to covers of three Beatles songs, [[Bob Dylan]]'s "[[The Times They Are a-Changin' (song)|The Times They Are a-Changin']]", and idiosyncratic rerecordings of the group's earlier songs.{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|p=71}} The album was an early precursor of the "[[MTV Unplugged|unplugged]]" trend. It also included a cover of [[The Regents (doo-wop band)|the Regents]]' song "[[Barbara Ann]]", which unexpectedly reached number 2 when released as a single several weeks later.{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=113}} In November, the group released another top-twenty single, "[[The Little Girl I Once Knew]]". It was considered the band's most experimental statement thus far.{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|p=72}} The single continued Brian's ambitions for daring arrangements, featuring unexpected tempo changes and numerous false endings.{{sfn|Howard|2004|p=59}} With the exception of their 1963 and 1964 Christmas singles ("Little Saint Nick" and "The Man with All the Toys") it was the group's lowest charting single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 since "[[Ten Little Indians (The Beach Boys song)|Ten Little Indians]]" in 1962, peaking at number 20.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-beach-boys/chart-history/hsi/|title=The Beach Boys The Little Girl I Once Knew Chart History|magazine=Billboard|access-date=March 13, 2018|archive-date=November 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117203022/https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-beach-boys/chart-history/hsi/|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Luis Sanchez, in 1965, Bob Dylan was "rewriting the rules for pop success" with his music and image, and it was at this juncture that Wilson "led The Beach Boys into a transitional phase in an effort to win the pop terrain that had been thrown up for grabs".{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|p=76}} ==== ''Pet Sounds'' ==== [[File:Brian Wilson,1960s.jpg|thumb|207x207px|[[Brian Wilson]] in 1966]] Wilson collaborated with [[jingle]] writer [[Tony Asher]] for several of the songs on the album ''[[Pet Sounds]]'', a refinement of the themes and ideas that were introduced in ''Today!''.<ref name=Bolin2012>{{cite web |last1=Bolin |first1=Alice |title=The Beach Boys Are Still Looking at an Impossible Future |url=https://www.popmatters.com/feature/160169-when-i-grow-up-to-be-a-man/P1/ |work=[[PopMatters]] |date=July 8, 2012 |access-date=April 21, 2020 |archive-date=October 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018171858/http://www.popmatters.com/feature/160169-when-i-grow-up-to-be-a-man/P1/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In some ways, the music was a jarring departure from their earlier style.{{sfn|Kent|2009|pp=21β23}}{{sfn|Gaines|1986|p=149}} Jardine explained that "it took us quite a while to adjust to [the new material] because it wasn't music you could necessarily dance toβit was more like music you could make love to".{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=166}} In ''The Journal on the Art of Record Production'', Marshall Heiser writes that ''Pet Sounds'' "diverges from previous Beach Boys' efforts in several ways: its sound field has a greater sense of depth and 'warmth;' the songs employ even more inventive use of harmony and chord voicings; the prominent use of percussion is a key feature (as opposed to driving drum backbeats); whilst the orchestrations, at times, echo the quirkiness of '[[exotica]]' bandleader [[Les Baxter]], or the 'cool' of [[Burt Bacharach]], more so than Spector's teen fanfares".<ref name="ARP">{{cite journal |last1=Heiser |first1=Marshall |title=SMiLE: Brian Wilson's Musical Mosaic |journal=The Journal on the Art of Record Production |date=November 2012 |issue=7 |url=http://arpjournal.com/smile-brian-wilson%E2%80%99s-musical-mosaic/ |access-date=May 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415032648/http://arpjournal.com/smile-brian-wilson%E2%80%99s-musical-mosaic/ |archive-date=April 15, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[File:Cashbox27unse 40 0013.jpg|thumb|left|The Beach Boys (Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston), with [[Terry Melcher]] and engineer [[Chuck Britz]], during the ''[[Pet Sounds]]'' sessions, 1966]] For ''Pet Sounds'', Brian desired to make "a complete statement", similar to what he believed the Beatles had done with their newest album ''[[Rubber Soul]]'', released in December 1965.{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=44}} Brian was immediately enamored with the album, given the impression that it had no [[Filler (media)|filler tracks]], a feature that was mostly unheard of at a time when 45 rpm singles were considered more noteworthy than full-length LPs.{{sfn|Fusilli|2005|p=80}}{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=114}} He later said: "It didn't make me want to copy them but to be as good as them. I didn't want to do the same kind of music, but on the same level."<ref name=HimesSurf/> Thanks to mutual connections, Brian was introduced to the Beatles' former press officer [[Derek Taylor]], who was subsequently employed as the Beach Boys' publicist. Responding to Brian's request to reinvent the band's image, Taylor devised a promotion campaign with the tagline "[[Brian Wilson is a genius]]", a belief Taylor sincerely held.<ref>{{harvnb|Sanchez|2014|p=92}}; {{harvnb|Kent|2009|p=27|loc=Taylor's belief}}</ref> Taylor's prestige was crucial in offering a credible perspective to those on the outside, and his efforts are widely recognized as instrumental in the album's success in Britain.<ref>{{harvnb|Sanchez|2014|pp=91β93|loc="credible perspective"}}; {{harvnb|Kent|2009|p=27|loc=origins, "single most prestigious figure"}}; {{harvnb|Love|2016|p=146}}; {{harvnb|Gaines|1986|p=152|loc=British success}}</ref> {{Listen |pos=right |filename= The Beach Boys - God only knows.ogg |title="God Only Knows" (1966) |description= "[[God Only Knows]]" conditions its [[tonality]] between the keys of [[E major|E]] and [[A major]], which according to musicologist Stephen Downes, was innovative even in the context of the song's [[Baroque music|Baroque]] antecedents. It is often praised as one of the greatest songs ever written.{{sfn|Downes|2014|pp=36β38}} }} Released on May 16, 1966, ''Pet Sounds'' was widely influential and raised the band's prestige as an innovative rock group.{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|p=72}} Early reviews for the album in the US ranged from negative to tentatively positive, and its sales numbered approximately 500,000 units, a drop-off from the run of albums that immediately preceded it.{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=85}} It was assumed that Capitol considered ''Pet Sounds'' a risk, appealing more to an older demographic than the younger, female audience upon which the Beach Boys had built their commercial standing.{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=47}} Within two months, the label capitulated by releasing the group's first [[greatest hits]] compilation album, ''[[Best of the Beach Boys]]'', which was quickly certified gold by the [[RIAA]].{{sfn|Carlin|2006|pp=85β86}} By contrast, ''Pet Sounds'' met a highly favorable critical response in Britain, where it reached number 2 and remained among the top-ten positions for six months.{{sfn|Gillett|1984|p=329}} Responding to the hype, ''[[Melody Maker]]'' ran a feature in which many pop musicians were asked whether they believed that the album was truly revolutionary and [[progressive music|progressive]], or "as sickly as peanut butter". The author concluded that "the record's impact on artists and the men behind the artists has been considerable".{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=139}} ==== "Good Vibrations" and ''Smile'' ==== [[File:The Beach Boys September 16 1967 Billboard.png|thumb|The Beach Boys accepting a gold record sales certification for "[[Good Vibrations]]" at the [[Capitol Tower]], late 1966]] Throughout the summer of 1966, Brian concentrated on finishing the group's next single, "[[Good Vibrations]]".{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=5}} Instead of working on whole songs with clear large-scale syntactical structures, he limited himself to recording short interchangeable fragments (or "modules"). Through the method of [[tape splicing]], each fragment could then be assembled into a linear sequence, allowing any number of larger structures and divergent moods to be produced at a later time.<ref name="ARP"/> Coming at a time when pop singles were usually recorded in under two hours, it was one of the most complex pop productions ever undertaken, with sessions for the song stretching over several months in four major Hollywood studios. It was also the most expensive single ever recorded to that point, with production costs estimated to be in the tens of thousands.{{sfn|Harrison|1997|pp=41β46}} [[File:Van Dyke Parks 1967.png|thumb|upright|[[Van Dyke Parks]], Brian's lyricist and collaborator for the unfinished album ''[[Smile (The Beach Boys album)|Smile]]'']] In the midst of "Good Vibrations" sessions, Wilson invited session musician and songwriter [[Van Dyke Parks]] to collaborate as lyricist for the Beach Boys' next album project, soon titled ''[[Smile (The Beach Boys album)|Smile]]''. Parks agreed.{{sfn|Hoskyns|2009|p=129}}{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=114}} Wilson and Parks intended ''Smile'' to be a continuous suite of songs linked both thematically and musically, with the main songs linked together by small vocal pieces and instrumental segments that elaborated on the major songs' musical themes.{{sfn|Williams|2010|pp=94β98}} It was explicitly American in style and subject, a conscious reaction to the overwhelming British dominance of popular music at the time.{{sfn|Priore|2005|p=94}}{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=117}} Some of the music incorporated chanting, cowboy songs, explorations in Indian and Hawaiian music, jazz, classical [[tone poem]]s, cartoon sound effects, ''[[musique concrΓ¨te]]'', and yodeling.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Murphy|first1=Sean|title=The Once and Future King: 'SMiLE' and Brian Wilson's Very American Dream|url=https://www.popmatters.com/feature/161935-the-once-and-future-king-smile-and-brian-wilsons-very-american-dream/|website=Popmatters|access-date=July 17, 2014|date=August 28, 2012|archive-date=July 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728143335/http://www.popmatters.com/feature/161935-the-once-and-future-king-smile-and-brian-wilsons-very-american-dream/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'' writer [[Jules Siegel]] recalled that, on one October evening, Brian announced to his wife and friends that he was "writing a teenage symphony to God".{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|p=101}} Recording for ''Smile'' lasted about a year, from mid-1966 to mid-1967, and followed the same modular production approach as "Good Vibrations".{{sfn|Badman|2004|p=390}} Concurrently, Wilson planned many different multimedia side projects, such as a sound effects collage, a comedy album, and a "health food" album.<ref name="Nolan1971">{{cite magazine|last=Nolan|first=Tom|title=The Beach Boys: A California Saga|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=October 28, 1971|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-beach-boys-a-california-saga-19711028|issue=94|access-date=May 13, 2018|archive-date=July 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718092340/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-beach-boys-a-california-saga-19711028|url-status=dead}}</ref> Capitol did not support all these ideas, which led to the Beach Boys' desire to form their own label, [[Brother Records]]. According to biographer [[Steven Gaines]], Wilson employed his newfound "best friend" [[David Anderle]] as head of the label.{{sfn|Gaines|1986|p=164}} Throughout 1966, [[EMI]] flooded the UK market with Beach Boys albums not yet released there, including ''Beach Boys' Party!'', ''The Beach Boys Today!'' and ''Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)'',{{sfn|Savage|2015|p=476}} while ''Best of the Beach Boys'' was number 2 there for several weeks at the end of the year.<ref name="Mawer/OCC">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217020406/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/album_chart_history_1966.php|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/album_chart_history_1966.php|first=Sharon|last=Mawer|title=Album Chart History: 1966|publisher=[[Official Charts Company|The Official UK Charts Company]]|date=May 2007|archive-date=December 17, 2007|access-date=October 8, 2019}}</ref> Over the final quarter of 1966, the Beach Boys were the highest-selling album act in the UK, where for the first time in three years American artists broke the chart dominance of British acts.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Andrews |first1=Grame |date=March 4, 1967 |title=Americans Regain Rule in England |magazine=Billboard|volume=79 |issue=9 |pages=1, 10 |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=CykEAAAAMBAJ |page=1}} |access-date=April 27, 2013}}</ref> In 1971, ''[[New York (magazine)|Cue]]'' magazine wrote that, from mid-1966 to late-1967, the Beach Boys "were among the vanguard in practically every aspect of the counter culture".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Pet Sounds|magazine=Cue|date=1971|volume=40|issue=27|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=EwgwAQAAIAAJ}}}}</ref> {{Listen |pos=right |filename=Beach Boys - Good Vibrations.ogg |title="Good Vibrations" (1966) |description="[[Good Vibrations]]" was the Beach Boys' third single to top the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. It proliferated a wave of pop experimentation with its rush of riff changes, echo-chamber effects, and intricate harmonies.<ref>{{cite web|last1=John|first1=Bush|title=Review|url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/good-vibrations-mt0028092523|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=November 16, 2014|archive-date=January 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112102732/http://www.allmusic.com/song/good-vibrations-mt0028092523|url-status=live}}</ref> }} Released on October 10, 1966, "Good Vibrations" was the Beach Boys' third US number 1 single, reaching the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in December, and became their first number 1 in Britain.{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=155β156}} That month, the record was their first single certified gold by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]].{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|p=86}} It came to be widely acclaimed as one of the greatest masterpieces of rock music.{{sfn|Harrison|1997|p=34}} In December 1966, the Beach Boys were voted the top band in the world in the ''NME''{{'}}s annual readers' poll, ahead of the Beatles, [[the Walker Brothers]], [[the Rolling Stones]], and [[the Four Tops]].{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|pp=86β87}} Throughout the first half of 1967, the release date for ''Smile'' was repeatedly postponed as Brian continuously tinkered with the recordings, experimenting with different takes and mixes, and appeared unable or unwilling to supply finished versions of songs. Meanwhile, he began to suffer from delusions and paranoia, believing on one occasion that the would-be album track "[[The Elements: Fire|Fire]]" caused a building to burn down.{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=118}} On January 3, 1967, Carl Wilson refused to be drafted for military service, leading to indictment and criminal prosecution, which he challenged as a [[conscientious objector]].<ref name="CW">{{cite web |url=http://reasonabledoubt.org/index.php/criminallawblog/entry/january-3-1967-beach-boy-carl-wilson-becomes-draft-dodger-today-in-crime-history |title=January 3, 1967, Beach Boy Carl Wilson Becomes a Draft Dodger β Today in Crime History |last=Buchanan |first=Michael |date=January 2, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225084530/http://reasonabledoubt.org/index.php/criminallawblog/entry/january-3-1967-beach-boy-carl-wilson-becomes-draft-dodger-today-in-crime-history |archive-date=February 25, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The FBI arrested him in April,{{sfn|Sanchez|2014|p=100}} and it took several years for courts to resolve the matter.<ref name="MF1976">{{cite magazine|title=The Beach Boys|magazine=Music Favorites|volume=1|issue=2|date=1976}}</ref> After months of recording and media hype, ''Smile'' was shelved for personal, technical, and legal reasons.{{sfn|Matijas-Mecca|2017|pp=xiv, 60β63, 77β78}} A February 1967 lawsuit seeking $255,000 (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|255000|1967|end_year={{Inflation-year|US}}}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}) was launched against [[Capitol Records]] over neglected royalty payments. Within the lawsuit was an attempt to terminate the band's contract with Capitol before its November 1969 expiry.{{sfn|Badman|2004|pp=170, 178, 243}} Many of Wilson's associates, including Parks and Anderle, disassociated themselves from the group by April 1967.{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=120}} Brian later said: "Time can be spent in the studio to the point where you get so next to it, you don't know where you are with itβyou decide to just chuck it for a while."<ref name="An American Band">{{cite AV media | people = Leo, Malcolm (Director) | year=1985 | title =[[The Beach Boys: An American Band]]| medium =Documentary}}</ref> In the decades following ''Smile''{{'}}s non-release, it became the subject of intense speculation and mystique{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=118}}{{sfn|Harrison|1997|p=55}} and the most legendary unreleased album in pop music history.{{sfn|Bogdanov|Woodstra|Erlewine|2002|p=72}}{{sfn|Jones|2008|p=63}} Many of the album's advocates believe that had it been released, it would have altered the group's direction and cemented them at the vanguard of rock innovators.{{sfn|Schinder|2007|p=119}} In 2011, ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' magazine staff voted ''Smile'' the "greatest [[bootleg recording]] of all time".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Beach Boys' 'Smile' named as the greatest ever bootleg by Uncut|url=https://www.nme.com/news/the-beach-boys/59950|magazine=[[NME]]|access-date=December 12, 2014|date=October 21, 2011|archive-date=May 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506060911/http://www.nme.com/news/the-beach-boys/59950|url-status=live}}</ref>
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