The Beach Boys Today!
Occupation
- Vocals / Bass / Keyboards: Brian Wilson
- Vocals: Mike Love
- Vocal / Guitar: Carl Wilson
- Vocal / Guitar: Al Jardine
- Drums: Dennis Wilson
Gold Star Recording Studios, Hollywood, California
The Beach Boys Today! is the ninth studio album by the Beach Boys. It was published on 1 March 1965 and was released by Capitol Records.
Formation
1964 was a very successful year for the Beach Boys, at times, five were the band's albums at the same time on the charts. Television appearances, sold-out concerts and a European tour showed the popularity of the group. Towards the end of the year broke Brian Wilson together in an airplane. The rest of the tour had the other Beach Boys perform alone.
During this time, a high pressure to succeed put a Brian Wilson. He refused to undergo further tours with the group, but saw his task especially in the writing and producing new songs. Glen Campbell replaced him in the later performances of the band.
At the beginning of the year he began at the songs of The Beach Boys Today! to work. While the Beach Boys were on tour, he worked with the session musicians on the new songs. The entire production was directed by him, as always helped him Chuck Britz, his sound engineer. Eight songs of the album are compositions of Brian Wilson, the remaining three songs are cover versions, the album also contains an interview statement as the final track.
The album includes on page A typical Beach Boys rock songs and on the second side and predominantly melancholic ballads. Furthermore, this is the first album on which Brian Wilson written self-critical issues and tries to lyrical way to process his mental problems. Its development as a songwriter can be seen on this album. Many critics described the album as a first step on the way to Pet Sounds.
Success
The album was a great success, reaching number 4 on the U.S. Billboard charts and # 6 of the UK album charts. It was also the first album by the Beach Boys, which came in the German charts ( at number 14). In the U.S., it reached gold status. It is considered the first Beach Boys album that satisfied both the claims of the critics as well as those of the fans and the Beach Boys shows as a serious and sophisticated band.
Title list
Additional information about the songs
Do You Wanna Dance? 1958 was a hit by Bobby Freeman. The Beach Boys released a single version of her that came up at number 12 on the Billboard charts. The B-side Please Let Me Wonder reached No. 52
Do not Hurt My Little Sister was originally written for The Ronettes, Phil Spector changed the song into Things Are Changing (For the Better ). Brian Wilson should play the piano in the recording, but was offset by Spector. It was this is the only collaboration between Wilson and Spector. The Blossoms were playing the song later for a commercial.
When I Grow Up was released as a single and reached # 9 on the charts. In the UK it reached # 29 The song is about the process of aging and the associated fears and anxieties. For the first time Brian Wilson was speaking to his mental problems. With In the Back of My Mind is another self-critical song found on the album.
Help Me, Ronda was the second time that Al Jardine took over the lead vocals ( for the first time on Christmas Day from the last album ). The song was released in a newly recorded, shorter version with modified notation ( Rhonda ) as a single and is also on the successors Summer Days ( And Summer Nights! ) To find. This new version was a big hit for the band.
Dance, Dance, Dance reached number 8 in the U.S. singles chart.
I'm So Young was written by William H. Tyre and published by the doo-wop group The Students.
Bull Sessions With "Big Daddy" is an excerpt from an interview with Earl Leaf, whose nickname "Big Daddy" is. He worked for the California "Teen Set " magazine. The interview of origin of the extract, is about the European tour in the fall of 1964.