The Beach Boys Today!

Okay album.

Beachy! Nice afternoon at the cottage album.

Like most others, I’m listening to The Beach Boys the day after news of Brian Wilson’s passing broke. In a world where genius is thrown around a lot, Brian Wilson truly was and I would argue that he was the 20th century’s greatest songwriter and the way he crafted his songs was way ahead of his time. Regarding today’s album, this one is fairly standard Beach Boys fare, but the seeds of Pet Sounds can be found here. It’s hard to be objective given the day, but I think this is likely a 7/10 that I’m pushing to 9/10 due to the day.

Like it 3/5

rip :(

No such thing as coincidence and all the better for it.

01) Do You Wanna Dance? - 9,0 02) Good to My Baby - 8,5 03) Don't Hurt My Little Sister - 7,5 04) When I Grow Up (To Be a Man) - 7,5 05) Help Me, Rhonda - 9,0 06) Dance, Dance, Dance - 7,5 07) Please Let Me Wonder - 7,0 08) I'm So Young - 8,0 09) Kiss Me, Baby - 7,0 10) She Knows Me Too Well - 8,0 11) In the Back of My Mind - 7,0 12) Bull Session with the "Big Daddy" - 1,0 TOTAL: 7,25 (73/100) Current ranking: 311/576 RIP Brian Wilson

Sunny and cute, as you would expect from the boys of the beach.

It feels a little heretical to admit I’ve never really gotten The Beach Boys. I wouldn’t say I actively dislike them, but outside of specific settings, it’s hard to feel much more than an ambivalent “yep, that’s The Beach Boys.” This album popped up today because Brian Wilson died. With that context, it made the lyrics about youthfulness and the casual chatter at the very end feel more poignant than they would otherwise. I’m glad today he was able to preserve a snapshot of that shining part of his life. Even so, sorry - I’m not feeling more than a 3.

RIP Brian Wilson, composer of teenage symphonies to god.

Pretty solid

Far from their best work.

Well, I would say that this is the CRAZIEST coincidence in all of the album project, but I checked the 1001 Albums subreddit and everyone else got either a Beach Boys album or Brian Wilson Presents Smile, so forget that. I guess we're doing an intentional tribute. I can't blame the website runner though. Brian Wilson will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most innovative minds in all of music. His production, lyricism, and musical visions have produced some of the greatest songs and albums in music history. I mean, the man was largely responsible for Pet Sounds. If that's not legacy, I don't know what is. And you know what? Many of the things that have led the Beach Boys to go down in history as one of the greatest bands of all time have their beginnings rooted in the band's 8th studio album, The Beach Boys Today! These guys weren't just singing about surfing and girls and surfing girls anymore. Well, they were still kind of singing about girls for some songs, but in a more refined way. I will say that this one of those albums with a noticeably better second half than the first half. The first half has good songs, sure, but the second half has "Please Let Me Wonder" so it wins. Amazing song. Maybe not as much of a masterpiece as something like "God Only Knows" or "Good Vibrations," but not many songs are, so a song as good as this will suffice. Of course, the things that make the Beach Boys so unique are still here. The vocals harmonies are as wonderful as ever. The instrumentation here is rich and I love it. One thing that really makes the best Beach Boys songs stick out is that they simultaneously feel melancholic and optimistic. I don't know how it's possible, but it is. Let's finish this review, shall we? Admittedly, by just about every metric possible, The Beach Boys Today! is the weakest of the three Beach Boys albums on the list. However, when the other two on the list are Pet Sounds and Surf's Up, that doesn't really say much, does it? The Beach Boys Today! is still a strong showing that doesn't overstay its welcome at all and shows off the talents that will soon go on to become the stuff of legends. I don't think I need to say much more. With their endlessly pleasing vocal harmonies, fleshed-out songwriting, and Brian Wilson's insane musical prowess, it's no wonder that the Beach Boys are considered one of the greatest bands of all time and that Brian's legacy has endured as strongly as it has. Light 4/5. R.I.P. Brian Wilson.

Harmonius

Not giving that guy any stars

RIP Brian Wilson

We're all getting Beach Boys today (although we aren't all getting Beach Boys Today today). Yes, it's very good stuff, a lovely little mid-point between the fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun sun boys and the serious artists that the Beatles convinced them to become (citation needed). The better known songs - When I Grow Up and the peerless Help Me Rhonda - do quite a lot of the heavy lifting really, but overall, it's very good stuff.

I think we need to have a full and frank discussion around the fact that the American Cultural Hegemony has made the world believe the Beach Boys are a great band, when, under real observation, they are creepy and formulaic shit.

The harmonies are next level as expected, it's a fun little listen.

Rest in peace, Brian Wilson

Enjoyable, like dance dance dance a lot. RIP big man

Despite being born in the nineties, the Beach Boys music has always been a comfort to me. I vividly recall standing in the train station waiting to go and visit my now-fiancée at uni and stressing about the journey, so putting on my headphones and listening to Do You Wanna Dance and it perked me right up. The music, the harmonies, and most importantly the fun heard throughout this album is dazzling. I’m really quite upset about the death of Brian Wilson.

Perhaps it’s because Brian Wilson died the day before I got this album, but I think I’m giving it a higher score than I usually might. There isn’t as much experimental stuff as there was on their following album, but it’s here in small doses if you look for it. Beautiful vocal harmonies, good production and instrumentation, arrangement was a little wonky, but I enjoyed it. a lot. 4/5

Sorry Brian but I just don’t get the appeal

Good album. But when you’re looking down the barrel of Pet Sounds, it just doesn’t compare.

Not my favorite beach boys album but it was fine

I knew Do You Wanna Dance by the Ramones is a cover, but I’d never heard the original. What a delight. Solid album. When I Grow Up (To Be a Man) is an interesting track with the use of all the less conventional instruments throughout.

seminal work, proto Pet Sounds, I get it. However. It is no longer the 60s.

Don’t Hurt My Little Sister is elite tbh

2/10 needs Problem Child.

RIP Brian Wilson. Nothing quite hits nostalgia like the sound of The Beach Boys. & the underlying melancholy (expect for their beach bops) have always really struck me.

This album has literally none of my favourite songs. Pet Sounds is an all time great, but even All Summer Long, Smiley Smile, Surfer Girl, Surfin' Safari etc. have more for me. If I am in the mood for the Beach Boys, it won't be this album I put on.

Until I was in my 20s all I knew about The Beach Boys was from cameos in bad movies, the "golden oldies" station and "Kokomo." I bought "Pet Sounds" after seeing it referenced for the 500th time by either a critic or musician as an example of a perfect album. After listening I agreed. This is my second Beach Boys or Beach Boys adjacent album after Dennis Wilson "Pacific Ocean Blue." While I thought that was interesting musically it was not at the level of The Beach Boys best. This album is not at the level of "Pet Sounds" either but it is closer especially the second half. I had never heard "She knows me too well" and have heard the Ramones version of "Do you wanna dance?" more than The Beach Boys version. While the latter song is very much in the vein of the music I heard by the band on the "Golden Oldies" station the former is a much more modern song for the time and sounds like a song from "Pet Sounds" or a Beatles album. This album isn't a 5 but it is a solid 4 and I will listen again.

Pop pioneers

Nice chilled out easy listening album. Fairly standard but still good. RIP Brian 6/10

I love The Beach Boys. Their music seemed simple, yet was so well done. Their vocals and harmonies were incredible. The diversity within the songs with tempo and chord changes just don’t happen today. 5

Each song very good, but as an album there is no light and shade. Every song sounds similar and as an album becomes tiresome to listen too.

Small slices of juicy pop hits. It's upbeat & unashamed

Sounds like it was recorded in a call centre

RIP BW

You can definitely hear the new directions and the experimentation going on in this album that would really be there subsequently on Pet Sounds. It’s interesting to hear Brian Wilson’s processes. The Beach Boys is one of those bands where it would be fun to go through the discography and enjoy the journey

Yeah yeah I know Brian Wilson is a genius but I just don’t dig The Beach Boys. Have tried many times to get converted and maybe I will one day, not Today!

This was a pleasant surprise. No surf songs. Spectoresque in its production at times. But as the 1001 book says "...containing what is easily the worst track in this entire book ..", at least in the modern era we can block a track. Definitely an album I'll come back to. RIP Brian.

Some great harmonies but overall not that special

I like the Beach Boys and their sound but only one real familiar song. Decent but not overly memorable.

As much as the label seemed to haunt him, Brian Wilson was a genius. For the second day in a row, we're listening to a 22-year-old at the height of his powers. I have always found Beach Boys songs, especially the later work, to possess an almost mystic longing. It sounds like pop - but it's deeper than pop. No skips on this album, dazzling arrangements, and I really enjoyed the early cut of Help Me, Rhonda (more stripped down and uke-forward than the smash hit single version released later in 1965). I feel like I can hear shades of Pet Sounds building in the background on the second half.

This makes me feel like I’m going to the soda fountain to share a milkshake with two straws. This put me in such a great mood for the day

So easily recognizable, a very distinct and iconic sound they developed. Not something I’m reaching for though

To me a 5/5 album because every song put a smile on my face despite my wanting to cry. Their songs are just fun and so uniquely them. You’d recognize a beach boys song anywhere but it’s not boring.

I'd be happy if it was Beach Boys day every day on this site... pure bliss. I didn't know many of the songs on this album aside from Dance, Dance, Dance and Help me Rhonda. Favorite song: Do You Wanna Dance?

Niet slecht, niet goed.

Beach boys erg lekker

I definitely enjoyed this one more than I expected.

Lovely

An amazing album. I’d never listened to this one all the way through, so while I’m surprised that Pet Sounds wasn’t the chosen Beach Boys album, I was happy with it nonetheless! RIP Brian Wilson

Probably my bad but I listened to Pet Sounds right after.

In The Back Of My Mind was a beautiful way to close the album, who is "Big Daddy"???/

I wish there was a 10 minute song on this album :/

A lot I could write here but I don't feel like it this morning, instead I am just going to listen to this album again and feel grateful for the transcendent qualities of pop music!!! Fav song: I'm So Young

Pretty good! It's the first time I've listened to a full record from The Beach Boys, and I got what I expected. I enjoyed the vocals in this record. I feel like the instruments were sparse; it made the vocals shine more. My only ick on this record was the lyrics. Some of the songs felt kind of cringy in the present day. Favourite Track(s): Dance, Dance, Dance, Please Let Me Wonder Least Favourite Track(s): Don't Hurt My Little Sister

Bah c est les beach boys. Donc c'est bien mais pas asser récent je trouve.

I thought the second half of this album was better than the first. Although the first few songs really capture the beach boys "sound" at first listen they felt a little shallow and would probably get better the more you heard them like most pop music. The second half I thought showed the real creativity of these guys with so many layers of sound.

Well, I guess I finally have to admit, I just don’t get the Beach Boys. The only reason I’m going to give this another listen or two is because I’m desperately trying to understand what I’m missing. Alright, three listens and it’s growing on me for sure, but still not sure it lives up to the hype I’ve heard surrounding Brian Wilson and the band.

Ironic that this shows up in the rotation on the day of Brian Wilson’s death. RIP. They perfected the surf genre. A few fun hits, but definitely not their best. There’s definitely better from them out there.

Timely since the last of The Beach Boys passed away yesterday. It definitely sounds like the 60s. Recognized a few of the songs, but the style is just too dated for me.

If rock n roll was dialed down to a Zero. Still fun and poppy, but almost bizarre after listening to more hard rock and metal.

Obv this is no pet sounds but I love how you can hear how good they were and would become even with this silly beach and surf pop Musique

Maybe not something to listen to in the background

Always enjoy listening to The Beach Boys! Lot's of great songs.

Ikke dårlig, men litt trasig

Good old pop stuff, like pretty good. The songs all had a similar theme of romantic love, so that was a bit bland. It was really nice tho, like I feel like going to the beach in a open top Chevy or something.

Pretty fun listen.

Glad o peppande musik går aldrig ur tiden, inkl detta! Mysigt men inget jag riktigt kommer sätta på aktivt.

Fint med detta album denna dag. Inte deras största hits men bra vibes!

Fun walk down memory lane

Cool album

Album that was a bit more thematic than previous and one step closer to Pet Sounds - RIP Brian Wilson

I don't think I like The Beach Boys very much. Their voices sort of annoy me idk. Their songs are fine, but I won't ever go out of my way to listen to them.

Cheesy

Still like Help me Rhonda, but otherwise this just makes me feel full cringe. Musically impressive, sure, but Jesus

Crank up the reverb and roll out the vocal harmonies. Good timing on this one (RIP Brian Wilson). Couple of familiar tracks, and even the tracks I haven't heard are unmistakeably The Beach Boys. Like em or hate them, undeniably influential group that always evoke a specific place in Americana for me.

Never got into tir Beach Boys bar the odd track. This was at best mostly OK. Otherwise rhy harmonies are excruciating. Ain't no CSNY. Worst was She Knows Me Too Well. At least it was short! Sorry Brian.

Honestly, some of my favourite beach boys songs so I can't rate this below a 4. That being said, not all of them hold up. 100% nostalgia and sunshine fueled rating

This doesn't do much for me. That's probably a controversial opinion, but it sounds like a lot of potentially fun upbeat pop songs that just aren't exciting to listen to. They all feel restrained and I'm not sure if that is because they're trying to accentuate the signature harmony vocals or because the arrangements are so big. It's like they copied Phil spectres approach. Apparently the second half is more introspective ballads, but I've had it on 3 times (I was convinced I must have missed something) and all I remember is the weird bit at the end where they seem to be talking about who is their favourite record executive. Very weird.

Never listened to a lot of Beach Boys. Ok, but i probably was expecting more.

very classic beach boys - who are not always my fave - but this is just light and 60s and summery.

Somewhere in the 3-4 range. Didn’t know any of these songs but very enjoyable all throughout.

Sneaky of Brian Wilson to die yesterday, presumably to get me to give a higher score

Een bop!

Zo’nnnn goede vibe

Goated - RIP Brian Wilson

Nothing sounds more aged or outdated to me than The Beach Boys. Their overdone barbershop quartet style is just something so of the past with seemingly little relevance to the now. That’s probably incredibly factually incorrect but that’s just my ears take on this.

It's quite spooky that I get my first Beach Boys album the day after the death of Brian Wilson ... (edit: not spooky at all.. someone flicked a switch and it seems everyone got a Brian Wilson album. A nice touch) ....And what a great producer and studio technician he was. And he wrote some great songs too. Good Vibrations and God Only Knows are brilliant, absolute classic songs. You can include Wouldn't it be Nice, Surfin' Safari, I Get Around in that list. Sadly none of them are on this album. I don't want to diss the guy when he's not yet cold, but if you throw enough mud at a wall then some of it is going to stick. And this is an album of unsticky mud. Beautifully produced mud and, for the early 60s, a great wall of sound, but it's virtually the same song for the whole album. It was a pleasant listen though. But 29 minutes and 12 songs was just about the limit. RIP Brian

R.I.P. Brian Wilson! Pet Sounds is my favourite album ever, which gives any of their other albums a lot to live up to. I love "Help Me, Rhonda," and the rest of the album is fun but flimsy.

TikTok would have loved this if it existed back in the 60’s. Short and sweet and very fun, also rip that member who died :(

You know your average sounding beach boys album, like nothing surprising just good vibes and stuff. Nothing absolutely groundbreaking like that later albums and songs but set a good benchmark for the future.

They created Psych rock

Nowhere near as good as Pet Sounds but still not bad

I really do enjoy this. Something about the Beach Boys that just makes me smile. Nothing too earth shattering on this record per say, but it is a fun one

I've never listened to this album before. What can I say, it's amazing. Help Me Rhonda is so, so good. The cover of Do You Wanna Dance is amazing. It might be bias from BWs death, but I really enjoyed this. There was so much skill in putting this together. A great bridge album into Pet Sounds.

😭rip Brian I feel the first full album where you see Brian’s influence and creativity start to really come full bloom. Fuck You Mike Love

Very early rock, nothing special.

A pleasant album, definitely, I wonder if it's one of the first examples of this kind of singing style. But as well as that, it's not really too exciting, it's just a bunch of meh songs.

Rip Bangers

An interesting album, as this seems like a bridge between the old surfer type music and the new pet sounds. There are subtle musical innovations at play here that will influence the Beatles 'Rubber Soul' and other experimentations. And of course, all the work of the great musical Genius, Brian Wilson RIP

Sounds decent

A perfect middle point between early and middle Beach Boys, with the predictable structures of their early years filled in with superb harmonies.

I’ve always loved the surf, sun, and hot rod themes of the beach boys music. (As an aside, I firmly believe that Jan and Dean are the superior group as far as that genre goes) This Beach Boys record is a stark contrast to their earlier work though, and I found in interesting to listen to. I already knew and liked the song “Help Me, Rhonda” but I’m not sure I’d ever heard any other tracks on this record. I found the first half of this album to be a lot more enjoyable than the second. For some reason, in my mind, the Beach Boys shouldn’t be singing sad, downtempo ballads. Not to say the second half is bad in any sort of technical sense, it’s incredibly well written, recorded, and produced. Nevertheless, the first six songs are really a top tier selection, and I would gladly pick up a copy of this record just to listen to side A. Side A:5* Side B:3* So we’ll meet in the middle at 4*

In the mid-to-late 19th century, naturalists who had accepted Darwin’s concepts of evolution and the origination of species had begun to turn these ideas onto humankind, as we are wont to do. If more complex life forms arise from competition and natural selection among simpler organisms, where did we come from? While primates were generally accepted as the ancestors, there were competing schools of thought on how we got here. Darwin himself believed our humanlike ancestors came “out of Africa”, while German scientist-philosopher (things were different back then) Ernst Haeckel adamantly argued his “out of Asia” hypothesis. To settle this argument set off a paleontological scavenger hunt across all continents that continues to this day for the “missing link”—fossil evidence of an intermediate species between something like a chimpanzee and us, the bipedal, hairless, taxpaying, hot sauce-eating descendant. As we have since found out, there are several “missing links”—missing links between the missing links—and the concept kind of falls apart when evolution happens in a fractious, inefficient ratchet rather than an elegant and linear process as Darwin envisioned. There are many other scenarios, however, where one might look at something incredibly complex and sophisticated and compare it to the rather simple thing you’re told it came from, and wonder how it is we got here. One such case is the evolution of The Beach Boys from singers about surfing, cars and girls to the architects of ‘Pet Sounds’, one of the unique, iconic, unclassifiable pop records the world had ever seen at the time of its release. But in this case, the evolution does follow a fairly linear trajectory, and the missing link is ‘The Beach Boys Today!’. When this album opens, we get three songs that are fairly upbeat and straightforward, one about dancing and another about my baby, very much in line with their earlier work. The third is a little more thematically varied but sonically similar. These songs do, to their credit, have some very nice vocal harmonies. The fourth song on the album, “When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)”, is the first sign that we’re going off book a bit. To begin, it just *sounds* different - there’s not really a verse-chorus-verse structure and the chord progression is strange. Lyrically, the narrator contemplates his future—will I be a good husband? Will my kids think I’m cool? Will still like joking and having fun? Will I be proud of the life I’ve led? It won’t last forever… All the while, the background vocals keep time as they count off the years: sixteen, seventeen… thirty, thirty-one… This is a track that could never have conceivably been part of any prior Beach Boys record. It’s far too interesting, musically and lyrically. Next is “Help Me, Rhonda”, one of their most popular songs, and “Dance Dance Dance”, another track cut from the cloth of their earlier catalog. “Help Me Rhonda” is a good song but I’m mostly going to skip it because I want to talk about the second side of this album. In the latter six tracks of ‘The Beach Boys Today!’, the mood and sound is entirely different. Rather than a simple guitar-bass-drums setup, we’re met with beautiful Phil Spector-esque arrangements that are lush and layered and rich and have essentially an entire orchestra of session players credited in the album liner notes. Rather than puppy love songs about sun-drenched affection, the lovers in these songs are paranoid, jealous, and quarrelsome (“Please Let Me Wonder”, “Kiss Me Baby”, “She Knows Me Too Well”, “In the Back of My Mind”). There is a level of self-awareness of maturity that’s leaps and bounds beyond anything they had released before. All of this over sublimely beautiful, intricate compositions that show the evolution of Brian Wilson’s creative genius. The last song (as in, actual song, not counting the yap session final track) “In the Back of My Mind” is possibly the strangest and most remarkable song on the album—fitting that it ends this collection of songs that shows their evolution from beach rock to ‘Pet Sounds’. Like a pristine fossil captured in amber, ‘The Beach Boys Today!’ is the missing link that shows us how the miraculous evolution from “Fun Fun Fun” to “God Only Knows” came to be. Rest in peace Brian Wilson.

I think what a lot of reviewers are missing is the sheer importance of some of these albums. Sure, Sgt Pepper's is probably not at the top of anyone's ranking based on sheer sound – but its monumental impact on popular culture and the Western World in the 60s has to move it up the ladder. Any boomer (or, for that matter, any learned music hobbyist) can attest to this influence, and that the 60s were generally a time of hugely influential releases in the world of music. Many of those releases came from an inner circle of competing rock-pop groups, including, of course, the Beach Boys. Listen to any pop/rock album released before 1965 and you'll realise how much the Beach Boys flipped the script, beginning with The Beach Boys Today! and culminating in Pet Sounds and the Good Vibrations the following year. The "Wall Of Sound" technique pioneered by Phil Spector doesn't work in every setting (see Let It Be, 1970), but dang it, it works here. Do You Wanna Dance? is an excellent opening track that brings out this almost overwhelmingly joyous atmosphere, using brash multilayered vocals, dramatic low-pitch percussion, and sounds ranging from baritone to ultra-high in frequency. It's a euphoric assault on the senses, and it seeps into most tracks on side 1. Dance Dance Dance combines this with classic rock'n'roll basslines and guitar, leading to a Beatlesque track that's the main highlight of the album. Help Me Rhonda is a slightly less polished, but still great, alternative take of the song that would later become the band's second #1 single. Great melodies in some of these side 1 tracks. But the negative reviews aren't entirely off the mark. The Beach Boys' lyrics, prior to 1966, are pretty straightforward, simple lyrics about a young guy falling in love (with either a girl or the art of dancing). One reviewer claimed every song is about sexual assault or rape – I made sure to check, and exactly zero lyrics allude to either one. But I still wouldn't call it poetry. The songs are a little similar, especially on side 2 when instrumental variation kind of gets thrown out the window. And extending a 26-minute album to 28 minutes with the musically barren Bull Sessions With "Big Daddy" is a bizarre choice for a band as popular as the Beach Boys. In addition, the musicianship and singing is quite clumsy, as is the production. Kiss Me Baby includes two very odd fake fadeouts that I have to imagine are production errors. It really makes these guys look unprofessional, something that the punk movement would embrace the following decade. 3/5 Key tracks: Do You Wanna Dance?, Help Me Rhonda, Dance Dance Dance

Classic sound from a classic band the day after Brian Wilson died. No one could do harmonies and layers the way they could. They set a standard that many use as reference.

It had been one day since Brian Wilson's death when the algorithm cruelly served this up. 1 star to the algorithm.

listening to this the day after brian wilson passed. a strange feeling, ill say. the lyrics really irk me out in most songs, but these harmonies are really pretty. it lacks the certain punch that i thought pet sounds and surfs up had, but that guy actually was something special.

Style over substance on this one - lyrics aren’t anything super memorable, but the harmonies and “CA vibe” elevate it to a 4

The harmonies hit as always!

Timely! Some of my favorites on here

Fun vibes but not my everyday listening

Not a huge beach boys fan but damn Brian Wilson just died this week and this is pretty solid.

I feel like if I got this album anyone other day I would have given it a high 3, but I don't know. I was never really a Beach Boys fan, but after Brian's death it kind of recontextualizes this sound. It has this strange mix of nostalgia and melancholy and some really great harmonies. RIP Brian Wilson Mid 4.

Of course this pops up on my list the day after Brian Wilson passes. I've tried to like The Beach Boys but it's like nails on a chalkboard. Not for me.

Den samme sang igen og igen men den er god. Deres valg af instrumenter er ret originale og holder det fra at blive kedeligt

RIP Brian! Ikke alle sange her var lige gode, men de var alle sammen ca 2 minutter lange så det går sgu nok. Fed produktion, deres stemmer gør nogen vilde ting

Beach Boys.

One or two big hits. A couple lesser hits and and a handful of songs I have never heard. Now help me Ronda is stuck in my head, help. 8/10

#610. Beach Boy dies, next day "random" generator tells me to listen to Beach Boys. Coincidence or conspiracy? Whatever. Still cheesy as hell either way. 2/5: meh

Tarpeeksi beach boysia jo

This is a precursor to the greatness of Pet Sounds, especially on side 2. In fact I think you could Please Let Me Wonder on that album without it feeling out of place. Brian's arrangements are starting to show a maturity that wasn't there in previous Beach Boys releases. A very strong four. RIP Brian.

Chad. 4.5

you can start to see the transition from singing about surfing and cars to more weighty topics. more experimentation.

Gapping the bridge between the surfer stuff and the non surfer stuff.

A sign of things to come?

excellent

Not as familiar with this one as Pet Sounds or Smile or Surf’s Up - but The Beach Boys - and especially Brian Wilson - are brilliant here too.

quite chilled, like it based on the mood

Oh damn, RIP Brian Wilson. Of all the days to get this album, it's the day after he passes away.

I mean, every song is a banger. 10/10 no notes

Не лучший альбом, но это бич бойс, фирмачи, сразу хочется улыбнуться и даже в пасмурный день почувствовать дуновение калифорнийского ветра

First track Do You Wanna Dance sounds familiar! Chorus I've heard before and the verses have the naivety and voicing of a Blink song.. Otherwise sounds like Beach Boys - surfer rock/rock n roll with the characteristic multi-vocal parts and harmonies All tracks in the first half seem pretty solid but nothing jumping out at me. Back half is too ballad heavy, not a big fan. In The Back Of My Mind has some interesting elements - brass, slightly psychedelic Best track - Do You Wanna Dance 3 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1001 Albums- # 59 The Beach Boys EVERYDAY! 🏖️☀️🎹 Is it just a coincidence that I received this album to listen/review today… R.I.P Brian Wilson 1942-2025 To dedicated fans and admirers of this iconic band, we all know their music extends well beyond the one note beach tunes they are commercially known for, which this album provides a gateway to delving within. The Beach Boys Today! is a pivotal album in the band’s catalog, marking a significant shift in their musical direction and laying the groundwork for their later masterpieces. The album is notably divided into two contrasting halves: the first side features upbeat, rock-oriented tracks, while the second delves into introspective ballads. This division not only showcases the band’s versatility but also reflects Brian Wilson’s growing ambition to craft cohesive artistic statements. 🎧 Classic Track: Help Me Rhonda 🎧 Deep Cut Gem: Kiss Me Baby 🎧 Personal Favorite: She Knows Me Too Well 🎧 Memorable Standout: Please Let me Wonder Brian Wilson’s production on Today! is a precursor to the lush arrangements of Pet Sounds. The album incorporates unconventional instruments like harpsichords, vibraphones, and orchestral strings, creating a rich sonic tapestry . This innovative approach to pop music was groundbreaking at the time and influenced the development of baroque pop. Prior to this release, The Beach Boys were largely seen as the kings of California surf-pop: catchy tunes about surfing, girls, and hot rods. But this album represents the first major shift toward introspection, complex arrangements, and emotional depth. Brian Wilson, influenced by Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound,” was experimenting heavily in the studio: layered vocals: Multi-tracked harmonies, often 5-6 vocal parts deep, unusual instruments; Harpsichords, timpani, reverb-heavy guitars, orchestral strings and complex chords and modulation, unorthodox for pop music of the time. 🖼️ Album Artwork: Handsome fellas minus Asshole Mike Love Lyrically is where the album really shines in hindsight. Unlike the band’s earlier records, which mostly focused on fun and freedom, Today! explores: Adolescence and growing pains, Romantic vulnerability, Self-doubt and insecurity. Wilson begins to infuse personal anxieties into the music, a rare move in mid-60s pop and a direct precursor to the emotional honesty of Pet Sounds.

Really nice. Would definitely listen again. The deep cuts are great

Very fun and beachy

RIP Brian Wilson

Good music in a 28 minute package

It's the Beach Boys, they're always great. Harmonies are one of my favourite things in music. You can sense the musical growth here from their earliest stuff.

Classic! 3/5

Easy to listen to, with the well known songs When I Grow Up, Help Me, Rhonda, and Dance, Dance, Dance. The rest of the album is good, but kind of sounds the same at times. Looking back 60 years it is hard to truly appreciate how influential the Beach Boys were. RIP Brian Wilson.

Eh

I don’t like The Beach Boys one bit. It’s like The Dude’s dislike of the Eagles. I understand why people like them and appreciate their impact on music, but don’t like them.

A good bit of fun, plenty of charm. I really like the vocals and harmonies, instantly recognisable and iconic It does sound a bit dated in some ways but I'll let them off with that, not much from the 60s that doesn't sound dated nowadays. It's probably quite easy to underestimate how ahead of their time the Beach Boys were in the way they wrote their songs. The lyrics are a bit crap but ah well, I never pay too close attention to them anyway I listened to the mono version on Spotify which is definitely the best one. The production is so cavernous on the remaster and stereo version, it doesn't suit the style of music at all. The kind of thing you'd hear on an early Melvins or Swans album Highlights: She Knows Me Too Well

Very applicable listen the day after Brian Wilson's passing. Top notch.

A couple of OK songs, but otherwise rather dull 4/10

Boy oh boy is this a lot of the Beach Boys. Seminal work in a lot of ways, paved the way for a lot of modern music. But my god am I not feeling it.

Ir was cool to background music while having a nap, not ironically. Then listened again in the car and really liked it, especially the baroque yet subtle instrumentation.

I can really appreciate The Beach Boys. The vocals and melodies are undeniably beautiful. I really liked Please Let Me Wonder. I'm not sure how much range they have as a group, I can quickly get tired of the croony vibe, but sometimes it's necessary on a particularly contemplative walk to the sea.

Crazy that this album came up today considering that Brian Wilson passed away yesterday. Feels like the right time to listen to the Beach Boys. They have a really iconic sound. A bit dated, but I'll never complain when someone throws them on.

Not my favorite from them but very well arranged and put together musically, a little repetitive in the songs and style.

I did not like this album. Songs sounded repetitive. I was excited to get this album because I haven’t listened to them since my younger days. Disappointed!

Pretty good. A little samey but obviously unique to them. Never been anyone else like them and no ones even tried. Help me Rhonda is an all timer

I love how this album covers a transition in the Beach Boys sound.

Great Beach boys album but missing some of the experimentation as a pet sounds.

Not sure if coincidence this one came up, solid enough too pop for me

These songs are classics for a reason.

A couple of gems from a bygone era. Great album for when you’re in the mood for this sort of crooning. High: Help Me Ronda Low: Don’t Hurt My Little Sister (seriously what the fuck?)

not quite iconic, but historically significant nonetheless.

OK, but a bit dated.

It's a good Beach Boys album. It popped on the list a couple of days after Brian Wilson passed away. RIP, Brian. It's a very enjoyable album, but I'm not a huge fan. It's worth a listen.

Very good.

Not sure fit this was planned or not but this popped up as my album of the day -the day after Brian Wilson passed away. What an absolute legend, he will be missed.

How am I not surprised that this popped up literally the day after Brian Wilson died? A perfectly fine Beach Boys album. There are better.

Really enjoyed this album. It’s interesting to listen to these now and reflect on how many cover songs were involved in the music business in the 1960s.

A timely choice what with the recent death of Brian Wilson. Gotta love the Beach Boys.

Old schoo;. Not all songs are good. Not favorite BB album.

I find it hard to rate The Beach Boys albums because they’re also good. I didn’t really appreciate them when they first came out. I thought they were just you know a light beach band. But as I’ve grown and listen to them more most of these songs are pretty amazing. And I think they’ve really stood the test of time.

Oldie goldie - fint genhør men ikke noget jeg gider i store mængder.

Despite the glow from press, and the classic song, Help Me Rhonda, the album is not a classic. Many of the lyrics don’t hold up well (misogyny throughout) and the arrangements redundant. On the plus side, the harmonies and vocals remain very solid.

RIP Brian Wilson, and thank you.

What a mood. These guys like the women but they have some questionable thought processes sometimes.

Ok, the bboys are trying to leave their surfer roots behind and grow, but aren’t quite there yet.

“Do You Wanna Dance?” is such an incredible song and an amazing way to open an album. It’s such a sad song, but the sadness is all subtext. Lyrically it’s a teeny bopper asking a girl to the hop and musically it’s upbeat, but something about The Beach Boys’s treatment of it just breaks my heart. The Ramones and I don’t often see eye-to-eye but they were onto something when they covered this song. I’ve also always loved “Help Me Rhonda” because I sang it in chorus class when I was in elementary school. That’s the only song on the album that’s more than three minutes long, and the album clocks in at 28 minutes total, which I fully support for all pop music. I gave Pet Sounds - the album that all music critics never stop hyping - four stars, but I think I may give this album the same. It doesn’t have anything to equal the three all time great songs that Pet Sounds does but as a complete album I may prefer this. RIP Brian Wilson. Sensitive artists like you and I just aren’t made for this world, much less these times.

1. Happy music, like to kiss a girl and be a main couple. Un aumento weird de volumen en cada coro. Cool solo. Sooo surf rock. 2. Super skippable, nothing fancy. 3. Boring af. 4. Kinda mid too, enjoyable si le doy más escuchas, creo. 5.Zzzzz 6. Ratico de euforia, not great. 7. ZZZZZZ 8. Cuter, chévere pa oír de BGM. 9. Gay af. 10. She knows me, ajá, not great either. Pero un nice lick ahí con notas más bajas. A little nicer than las otras. - So far me parece que todas las canciones son casi exactamente iguales. No me gusta el tipo de música that much pues. Todo es subjetivo, obviously. - 11. In The Back of My Mind. Cute, softer, entretenida, hasta ahí. 12. Diálogo. Nada que ver, maybe fue genial en su tiempo, pero not my thing. Le daré un 2 de 5 en mi opinión.

wow. had never heard this one before. Thoroughly impressed. Pet Sounds is still the better album, but I was surprised by this album.

RIP Brian WIlson. Respect to you. The compositions and vocals elevate this far above the sappy subject matter of the tunes. Important to the history of Rock music, but it lacks edge, the second half is especially soft. Catchy as hell though, and so many of these songs are memorable 60 years on. The distinctive vocals are also important. Not my favorite style, fascinating to listen to nonetheless. I want to give it a higher rating than a 3 but side two loses me.

Got this 2 days after Brian Wilson passed. One of the best to ever do it.

6/12/25. Good songs, just a bit forgettable to me. Especially compared to the Beach Boys' later work which is more progressive. Still enjoyed the harmonies.

RIP Brian Wilson but wow this is not Pet Sounds. A very long 28 minutes. The first side was the same song on repeat and although the ballads on side two were much more satisfying the lyrics torpedoed any good will they garnered. Great band, terrible record.

Can't be a coincidence that I get this today when Brian Wilson died yesterday. And I guess it's not - seems everyone got Beach Boys or Brian Wilson today. Ok here's my stance on The Beach Boys - I feel like after their first album they were trying to be like a California version of the Beatles. I'm sure back in the early to mid 60s that was something that a lot of people liked. Listening to it now it's so sappy and saccharine. Pet Sounds is a good album, though overrated, and I like a few other Beach Boys songs here and there but wouldn't ever feel like throwing on a record of theirs. This album I kind of lump in with the rest of their music. It's fine. There's some interesting things going on but when it's over in the short and sweet 29 minutes I'm definitely ready to move on to something else. 2.5/5 will round up since Brian Wilson just died.

Yawn

Good vibes

RIP Brian :( This album showed his maturing as a songwriter with Side 2 4.5

There are 4-5 really great Beach Boys songs on here and 7-8 totally OK filler songs. Other than it being a pivot point for Brian Wilson's song writing where he started to write about things other than surfing, girls, and cars, there is nothing special about this album. Something I've realized since I've had a few Beach Boys albums here is that I really enjoy their greatest hits and everything I didn't grow up with leaves me pretty cold even after multiple listens.

It's OK but I don't love that the sound is kinda repetitive

Brian Wilson died yesterday and today I get a Beach Boys album. It's a lot like when I got Phil Spector's Christmas album on Christmas Day. Seems a bit too coincidental. Speaking of Phil Spector...you can hire his influence on many of these songs with the "Wall of Sound" behind the Beach Boys. The instrumentation is a song of its own. The hits most people know are here: Do You Wanna Dance, When I Grow Up, Help Me Rhonda and Dance Dance Dance. There was a lot of concern here about the ability to dance, apparently. The album tracks are also really strong here. It's difficult to pinpoint one Beach Boys album that must be heard from early in their career. There needs to be a Beach Boys album and this one feels like a good representation of where the Beach Boys were and where they were going before Pet Sounds. Really great album.

On kyllä suht ärsyttävää renkutusta. Ainakin tähän hetkeen. Kappaleet on samanlaisia liian sokerisia. Liian positiivisia. Parhaat: Do You Wanna Dance?

Ok, but not for me

The first track on this album sucks all of the life and soul out of Bobby Freeman's 'Do You Wanna Dance?'. The rest of the album is so milquetoast that it can't escape that abyss. Help me, Rhonda!

Zoals vrijwel altijd wanneer er oude rock 'n roll voorbij komt waan ik me meteen in McDonalds Best, met die Amerikaanse auto die aan het plafond hangt, die grote pop van Marilyn Monroe met opwaaiende jurk en de jukebox bij de afhaalbalie. Was het maar zo'n feest. Dit album doorstaat de tand des tijds eigenlijk amper tot niet. Het is dat het zo zoetsappig is en slechts een krap half uurtje duurt, maar jongens wat klinkt dit oud. En simpel ook. De tweede helft wordt het tempo ook nog iets teruggeschroefd en daardoor begin ik ondanks de korte speeltijd toch wel uit te kijken naar het einde. Ik maak er een nipte een voldoende van voor De Strand Knapen.

It's fine. The Beach Boys aren't my thing, and I don't think I'll ever willingly come back to them. But their vocal harmonies are nice.

not bad but not memorable

This one caught me out. I’m not a fan of The Beach Boys despite having had several goes at trying to get into Pet Sounds. This earlier recording was actually relatively more musically simplistic, but I thought this worked in the album’s favour, since they’re not exactly songs of great philosophy or depth. Light and frothy and, although still too full of sunshine for this morbid Brit, this was an unexpectedly pleasant listen.

Peak Brian Wilson

Really shining example of great harmonies these guys always possessed. RIP Brian Wilson. No major songs that stuck out but classic early 60s sound. 7/10.

Parece que no hay grandes canciones en este disco, pero era el día adecuado para recordar a Brian Wilson. Aquí me parece que aún no está su sonido "surfero".

2nd album. 2.5 stars. I'm sure there will be many many worse albums which might bump this up, but pretty much all of the songs sound the same. And many are about the same thing- horny kids who feel they're too young to fuck (or at least have to write songs to pretend they aren't fucking)

IM so young the album, was actually not the bad I enjoyed the vocals but it was just a bit 1960s the songs were catchy but not amazing or something I would listen to often

never listened to a full beach boys album, made me nostalgic for something i never experienced lol

Ohhh this is such a fun album, love it. Mind you is it a coincidence that the singer for this one like just died yesterday? Wacky doo

The songs felt pretty similar to each other, and there weren't clear bangers like in Pet Sounds. Makes sense, as they definitely cooked between the time this one and Pet Sounds came out

Первая песня мне понравилась, насчет остальных не уверена 🤔. В принципе звучание группы мне нравится, но нужно больше времени чтоб послушать альбом полностью, пока поставлю 5, ТК мне нравится слушать

Un álbum para escuchar en carretera

I mean, it’s good and full of melodies and harmonies and so forth, but my problem is I usually don’t like The Beach Boys. Ok, but let me qualify that - I don’t really care for the surfing, summer music sorta stuff that garnered them such fame, but I think Pet Sounds is amazing. I mean, the guys can sing, but most of the songs on this album sound the same!

Not my favourite BB album, 2 good hits lots of teenage filler songs which didn’t age terribly well.

⭐️⭐️/5 Look….I'm gonna be honest and say it, I’ve never been a Beach Boys fan. Every song sounds exactly the same and I just can’t be that hyped and harmonized for an entire album. Had to stop listening halfway through.

It was ok, but not really my cup of tea.

Very good. Sounds like early Beatles

I feel bad even thinking this, but I really didn't enjoy most of the tracks on here. I appreciate that the Beach Boys are revered and loved, but this was too lightweight for me.

Definitely an easy listen, a little too cotton candy for me

ay :( brian wilson :(

Mostly very good

2.8 First half better

This isn't meant for my generation. Boomer music.

Classic, upbeat, super enjoyable. Best song: do you wanna dance, worst song: when I grow up

This was what I pulled the day after Brian Wilson's passing. Appropriate, I suppose. It is not their most Iconic album by a long shot but it is still The Beach Boys and you would have to be pretty cynical not to enjoy it.

Not as good as Pet Sounds but still some great easy listening from the 60s.

Previše zastareo zvuk za mene. Nije loše ali meni se baš nešto ne sviđa.

Siendo totalmente sincero no me gusto pero para nada, parece un coro infantil de navidad, supongo que para la época era el hit del verano, pero siendo yo ahora no conecte nada

Decent album. I liked the interview at the end. Kinda brought a fun element to the whole thing. Major complaint comes from all the songs kinda sounding the same, which the sound is fine, but wish there was some variation in the sound a little bit.

Ojalá ser un beach voy pero en Madrid no hay playa. Me ha gustado, gracias a este álbum he descubierto que I Dont wanna dance de los Ramones, es una versión de una canción de este disco

I do not have strong feelings about this album

I really tried to like this album more considering it's known as one of beach boys best, but repeating side-a of the album was exhausting and boring. I think it's a stepping stone in the right direction but still long way off from what beach boys are capable of.

Classic beach boys

Not my cup of tea, but it was a pleasant listen

A very enjoyable listen, an album filled with short songs. From ballads to faster more energetic tracks, this album definitely has the classic Beach Boys sound, even without their surf rock style. Might not be the best in their catalogue (for me at least) but still very much worth listening, would listen to it again.

Not quiet my taste

Amazing album, not quite Pet Sounds but great, yet unfortunate timing with the passing of Brian Wilson.

An interesting album. Initially it seems very poppy until the broader instrumental canvas appears. And it is pop - proto-chamber pop. I'm not sure (on a few listens) whether the two sides approach really works, as the first side is probably too saccharine, and the second side too sentimental. A dry run for Pet Sounds obviously - all the ingredients are here but just not fully developed!

Too early…

Whole album felt like the same song. Maybe it’s just not one of their bangers. Brian Wilson passed away the other day, and I feel it besmirches his name, but 3/5 for this album, for me.

Good

10/10 great wonderful album R.I.P Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson just died yesterday, I love Help Me Rhonda. Most of the other songs don't really stand out as far as something someone 'HAS TO HEAR BEFORE THEY DIE'. The next few years of Beach Boys has some bangers so I'm not sure why to include this one. It's like the adolescent middle between Surfin USA and Pet Sounds

Positive - only 28 minutes long Negative - Sounds its age

Interesting harmonies and a couple of neat studio tricks. Otherwise exactly what you’d picture from a beach boys record

Cheesy but nostalgic whether I like it or not.

Decent listen. Not nearly as good as Pet Sounds!

I cant

Beach boys für eine halbe Stunde ohne viel Abwechslung. Muss man bock drauf haben. Wahrscheinlich ok aber grad nix für mich 2/5

Nice and full of classics!

Not my favorite beach boys album.

Ok

Ok

Ok

Great album. Love the harmonies and sound

A fun, more thematic album from the Beach Boys that is energetic up front and softer on the back end. I like the ballad structure on the backside of the album. It contains some great vocal harmonies between the group that adds to the sentimental feelings of this album. Fave Songs: Do You Wanna Dance?; Good To My Baby; Dance, Dance, Dance; Please Let Me Wonder; I'm So Young; Kiss Me, Baby; She Knows Me To Well Worst Song: When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)

Not to my personal taste but I enjoyed it because it gave me summer vibes and the feeling of being transported to 60s.

Love this album, I used to listen to a lot of the beach boys when I was a kid but never really listened to this album or any of the songs on it. I forgot how fun they are as a band to listen to. There's really nothing groundbreaking or distinctive sounding about this album compared to their other earlier works, but that's okay in my mind. The Beach Boys found a formula for making hits, with a talky, kind of nasally lead singer accompanied by a harmonizing chorus, over some catchy, simple and easy going instrumentals. It just works, and it doesn't really get old.

Still can't believe how great their harmony was for a pop band. Really enjoyed it from start to finish.

I had to read about the significance of this album and the new direction it represented for the Beach Boys. It reminds me of my childhood - not always in a pleasant way. Easy listening of the highest order.

Beautiful harmonies

Noch kein pet sounds, aber schon überraschend vielschichtig und weit weg von schlichter Strand-Mucke. 7/10

No skips. Favorite: “Help Me, Rhonda” R.I.P. Brian Wilson.

Great. Some songs I didn't know already.

I enjoy The Beach Boys but this doesn’t seem like one of their best albums. Still, the classic beachy sound still comes through!

3.0 rym

Ikke dette heller.

I don't think I like the Beach Boys

Good harmonies but hasn't aged well.adolescent lyrics written by men in their mid twenties

While my very fave song by The Beach Boys wasn't on this album, this was a very good album. RIP Brian Wilson

I love the Beach Boys, but this album didn't quite scratch the itch. I felt the audio quality wasn't great and it just didn't *hit* the way I expected it to. Also, for this to be my album, the day after Brian Wilson died. Quite a coincidence?

Light, happy music. Good for Cali

Eg

Great album, this band are so wonderful I smile when I listen to them. The production shines through but they have better albums so 3 from me.

Absolute garbage. Also, throwing a beach boys album at me the day after Brian Wilson died is hardly “random.”

Legendary album by the goats. Easy listening for sure! 8.8/10

Lovely pop music, but it feels like listening to early Beatles – you know better was coming soon.

First Beach Boys album and it’s just like classic 60s/70s.

Rust zacht, Brian.

Brian Wilson died yesterday. Growing up in the 80s in the mid-Atlantic, The Beach Boys were music from another time and another world. They seemed so removed from my modern life, representing a sun-soaked naivety that was outdated and vaguely embarrassing. As I got older, the rot at the core of their saccharine exterior became better known: the drug abuse, the alcoholism, the weird connection to Charles Manson. Other than the big hits, I've never stopped to open The Beach Boys time capsule. I am not a big fan of their sound. Their lyrics on this album reflect a dated perspective. Their songs are about high school and "chicks." It's all a little creepy. It's of it's time. They were a defining band. It's ok in the background, to create an atmosphere, but this album didn't do much for me.

Repeat listen

This album is cool because it's (in my opinion) the first time in the BBoys' discography that you can see the mask slipping off Brian Wilson. Classic Beachies harmonies, weird Wilson melodies, creepy misogyny lyrics. What more could you ask for in '65. I ask for more now. If I had to bet this is not the only Beach Boys album on this list. They certainly deserve one, but this one is not it. Fave song: Please Let Me Wonder. something beautifully sad from them for a change. Two stars for Wilson doing a public musical genius mental health breakdown.

This was an apropos album following the death of Brian Wilson. The Beach Boys were one of the sounds of my childhood, and not long after I finished art school I rediscovered Pet Sounds. You can hear Brian getting there with this record. The songwriting is magical and the arrangements are huge. There is an obvious Phil Spector Wall of Sound influence on this record. It is an album that truly put The Beach Boys in the category of artists, not just a rock & roll and surf band. Highlights for me are "Do You Wanna Dance", "When I Grow Up To Be a Man", "Help Me, Rhonda", and "Dance, Dance, Dance".

Lyrics are questionable, composition is great

Enjoyed this album on first listen, definitely need to do more beach boys. Great production and harmonies.

Sometimes I feel like The Beach Boys were the 60’s version of N’sync. Especially their early stuff, as it can be kind of juvenile and corny. But there’s no denying that it’s revolutionary. People had just never heard anything like that before with those harmonies. And it is good, and catchy. When you’re looking for that signature Beach Boys sound, there’s just nothing quite like it.

Great

Pretty good! I enjoyed the upbeat first half of the album more than the second half.

I like a good number of BB songs but I didn't know most of these. The album kicks off with a cover, and includes an inferior version of "Help Me, Rhonda". "Dance Dance Dance" sounds like every other song they ever did. I like them, but this album doesn't sound any differently than any that came before or after, other than maybe it's not about cars and surfing. Entertaining, the band is legendary & influential, but this album is not a standout to me. 3 stars.

Dreamy 60s pop, never quite connected with the beach boys, this album didnt really change that 3.5*

Excellent Boy Band album

At first, it felt surreal to receive this album today, following Brian Wilson's passing. But after a quick check of the r/1001AlbumsGenerator subreddit, I realized that this was a special occasion. The generous host of this site, who goes by the Reddit username SidledsGunnar, decided to treat everyone to either a Beach Boys album or Brian Wilson Presents Smile if they haven't gotten all of those already. This will be the last Brian Wilson-related work I need to cover for my journey. Without further ado... By 1965, the Beach Boys had been moving away from songs about cars or surfing and into more complex arrangements, spurred on by Brian's desire for musical perfection amidst a growing jealousy towards Phil Spector and the Beatles. In the case of The Beach Boys Today!, most of the songs featured more orchestral instrumentation and a greater number of ballads in the second half, while lyrically exploring more vulnerabilities, insecurities, and mature perspectives on relationships. From the anxiety of coming adulthood on "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" to the one-night stand of "Help Me, Rhonda", to the attempt at repairing the relationship on "Kiss Me, Baby", to the unfound suspicions that the narrator's relationship will dissipate someday on "In the Back of My Mind", there's a profound emotional range that this album covers from an admittedly simple scope. Pair that lyricism with well-produced compositions that utilize more unconventional instrumentation for rock music at the same time, such as the harpsichord on "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" or the wide range of percussion on "Dance, Dance, Dance", and the experience feels a lot more elevated. My only complaint is that the Beach Boys were still confined to their doo-wop beginnings and needed to go that extra step. These notions extend to both covers of "Do You Wanna Dance" and "I'm So Young" that feel indebted to previous renditions, as well as closing the album on the spoof interview "Bull Session with the 'Big Daddy'", which came off as the boys goofing around with each other. Overall, The Beach Boys Today! is a solid record that helped set the tone for what would come a few records later with Pet Sounds. It was a pleasant listen. Rest in Power, Brian.

Not my favorite of their albums but it's not bad. It's enjoyable party type songs that are a fun listen. I probably won't listen to this again but it was nice and reminds me of going to the water park when I was a kid. They would always play the Beach Boys.

Yep it’s exactly what you would expect. Seems to me this album generator is not completely random considering this popped up the morning after Brian Wilson’s death. I guess I’ll give it 4 stars but wasn’t that awesome. But killed a lot of the other threes I have given.

I always liked how the Beach boys blend doo-wop music and the early infancy of pop music. A good album if you want to listen to some Beach Boys.

A nice album. I think with TBB I need to listen multiple times to get the vibe, because on the first listen I just hear the very cheesey lyrics of the time lol

Booooo

it just makes me want to listen to Pet Sounds instead

Three things I’ll never understand: astrophysics, mandarin, and how on earth people compare the Beach Boys with the Beatles. I must be missing something here because for years I’ve listened to various beach boys albums with the hopes of finally understanding why the beach boys are held in the regard that they are. All of their songs from the 60s sound the exact same to me — yada yada dancing yada yada vacation destination yada yada young girls. I find their music formulaic and thus repetitive. I assume it must be something with the technical side of the music and seeing as I can’t play an instrument to save my life, it goes over my head. But alas, Brian Wilson died yesterday so rest in peace, I hope one day the beach boys finally click for me. 6.0/10

Rip Brian, sorry bro this just isn’t that bless

7/10 I think the overwhelming feeling I have when listening to this is awe at the absolutely stunning vocal harmonies that are just all over the album. They elevate some good little pop songs into something much more special. It’s a bit of a mixed bag and definitely an album that works on vinyl more than other mediums as it’s very much an album of two sides. I think the cover tracks do stick out a bit. Listened to in context with the rest of their work, I’d say the quality of this could be a little overlooked. It’s no Pet Sounds, Friends, Surf’s Up or Smile, but what is? Assessed on its own terms, it’s a solid effort. I feel like the lyrics are maybe one aspect that lets things down as they’re fairly ‘lyrics by numbers’. Brian’s work is often elevated when collaborating with a separate lyricist to refine his lyrical intentions. I do love some of the choices Brian makes with his compositions though. He doesn’t always pick the more obvious chord changes and I love that. Best one we’ve had so far to me. Do You Wanna Dance? - Neat little pop song opener. It’s a cover, but the harmonies are a nice addition. Good to My Baby - Bit of a filler track for me. Nice enough, but nothing standout. Don’t Hurt My Little Sister - Fairly routine early Beach Boys fare, but lovely harmonies. I absolutely love the pre-chorus. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) - Interesting twist on more classic Beach Boys love songs with the less standard instrumentation. Has beautiful moments. Help Me Rhonda - A brilliant, brilliant pop song. Great momentum and the harmonies are so lush. Dance, Dance, Dance - Another great pop song. Please Let Me Wonder - Quite an introspective ballad. Brian is starting to open his soul and it’s a sign of what’s to come. I’m So Young - Another cover. Nice enough, and elevated by the vocal arrangements. Kiss Me, Baby - That moment when the group vocals come in… Ooof So good. A little bit too on the nose as a ballad, but still lovely. She Knows Me Too Well - This is a proto ‘Don’t Worry Baby’. Lovely, but a little basic from a structural point of view. In The Back Of My Mind - There’s something Beatlesy about this. Some of the background percussion is also _very_ Pet Sounds. Nice little introspective closer. Bull Session With “Big Daddy” - They must have had time to fill. Pointless.

I miss you Brian Wilson

Ok. Nowhere near as good as Pet Sounds, Side A’s 2 but Side B’s a bit better