The Beach Boys (American rock band)

~ Group

Wikipedia

The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by their vocal harmonies, adolescent-oriented lyrics, and musical ingenuity, they are one of the most influential acts of the rock era. They drew on the music of older pop vocal groups, 1950s rock and roll, and black R&B to create their unique sound. Under Brian's direction, they often incorporated classical or jazz elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways.

The Beach Boys formed as a garage band centered on Brian's songwriting and managed by the Wilsons' father, Murry. In 1963, the band enjoyed their first national hit with "Surfin' U.S.A.", beginning a string of top-ten singles that reflected a southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance, dubbed the "California sound". They were one of the few American rock bands to sustain their commercial standing during the British Invasion. Starting with 1965's The Beach Boys Today!, they abandoned beachgoing themes for more personal lyrics and ambitious orchestrations. In 1966, the Pet Sounds album and "Good Vibrations" single raised the group's prestige as rock innovators; both are now widely considered to be among the greatest and most influential works in popular music history. After scrapping the Smile album in 1967, Brian gradually ceded control of the group to his bandmates.

In the late 1960s, the group's commercial momentum faltered in the U.S., and they were widely dismissed by the early rock music press before rebranding themselves in the early 1970s. Carl took over as de facto leader until the mid-1970s, when the band responded to the growing success of their live shows and greatest hits compilations by transitioning into an oldies act. Dennis drowned in 1983 and Brian soon became estranged from the group. Following Carl's death from lung cancer in 1998, the band granted Love legal rights to tour under the group's name. In the early 2010s, the original members briefly reunited for the band's 50th anniversary tour. As of 2024, Brian and Jardine do not perform with Love's edition of the Beach Boys, but remain official members of the band.

The Beach Boys are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, selling over 100 million records worldwide. They helped legitimize popular music as a recognized art form and influenced the development of music genres and movements such as psychedelia, power pop, progressive rock, punk, alternative, and lo-fi. Between the 1960s and 2020s, the group had 37 songs reach the US Top 40 (the most by an American band), with four topping the Billboard Hot 100. In 2004, they were ranked number 12 on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest artists of all time. Many critics' polls have ranked Today!, Pet Sounds, Smiley Smile (1967), Sunflower (1970), and Surf's Up (1971) among the finest albums in history. The founding members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Other members during the band's history have been David Marks, Bruce Johnston, Blondie Chaplin, and Ricky Fataar.

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Discography

Album

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1962Surfin’ SafariThe Beach Boys310
1963Surfin’ USAThe Beach Boys412
1963Surfer GirlThe Beach Boys3.57
1963Little Deuce CoupeThe Beach Boys49
1964Shut Down, Volume 2The Beach Boys3.58
1964All Summer LongThe Beach Boys410
1964The Beach Boys’ Christmas AlbumThe Beach Boys315
1965The Beach Boys Today!The Beach Boys411
1965Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)The Beach Boys412
1965Beach Boys’ Party!The Beach Boys3.358
1966Pet SoundsThe Beach Boys4.3554
1967Smiley SmileThe Beach Boys3.5512
1967Wild HoneyThe Beach Boys44
1968FriendsThe Beach Boys3.654
196920/20The Beach Boys45
1970SunflowerThe Beach Boys3.88
1971Surf’s UpThe Beach Boys3.656
1972Carl and the Passions: “So Tough”The Beach Boys3.54
1973HollandThe Beach Boys3.659
197615 Big OnesThe Beach Boys24
1977Love YouThe Beach Boys33
1978M.I.U. AlbumThe Beach Boys2.55
1979L.A. (Light Album)The Beach Boys2.55
1980Keepin’ the Summer AliveThe Beach Boys33
1985The Beach BoysThe Beach Boys34
1989Still Cruisin’The Beach Boys2.652
1992Summer in ParadiseThe Beach Boys2.355
1996Stars & Stripes, Volume 1The Beach Boys1
2012That’s Why God Made the RadioThe Beach Boys34
2013Surfin' SafariThe Beach Boys2

Album + Compilation

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1966The Best of the Beach Boys, Volume 1The Beach Boys53
1966Best of the Beach BoysThe Beach Boys1
1967Best of the Beach Boys, Volume 2The Beach Boys52
1968Stack-o-TracksThe Beach Boys3
1970Bug-InThe Beach Boys1
1970The Beach BoysThe Beach Boys1
1970Good VibrationsThe Beach Boys2
1970Greatest HitsThe Beach Boys2
1971The Beach BoysThe Beach Boys1
1973High WaterThe Beach Boys1
1973Pop History Box SetThe Beatles / The Rolling Stones / The Beach Boys / The Lords / Small Faces21
1973Surfer Girl (compilation)The Beach Boys41
1974Endless SummerThe Beach Boys513
1974All-Time Greatest HitsThe Beach Boys1
1974The Beach Boys Best 40 Greatest HitsThe Beach Boys1
1974The Very Best of the Beach Boys: Anthology 1963-69The Beach Boys1
1975Spirit of AmericaThe Beach Boys3
1975Good Vibrations: The Best of the Beach BoysThe Beach Boys41
197620 Golden GreatsThe Beach Boys3
197666/69The Beach Boys1
197662/65The Beach Boys1
197720 Grössten HitsThe Beach Boys1
197820 Greatest HitsThe Beach Boys1
1981Ten Years of HarmonyThe Beach Boys3
1981The Beach Boys & Jan and DeanThe Beach Boys & Jan And Dean1
1981The Everly Brothers / The Beach Boys / Gladys Knight / Disco Tex (La grande storia del rock)The Everly Brothers / The Beach Boys / Gladys Knight / Disco Tex & His Sex-O-Lettes1
1982Sunshine DreamThe Beach Boys1
1983Beach Boys RaritiesThe Beach Boys1
1983For Collectors Only (Historic Early Recordings)The Beach Boys1
1983The Very Best OfThe Beach Boys1
1983The Very Best Of (Volume 2)The Beach Boys1
1984Surfer GirlThe Beach Boys3
1985The Beach Boys BestThe Beach Boys1
1986Made in U.S.A.The Beach Boys4.656
1986Beach BoysThe Beach Boys1
1986Golden HitsThe Beach Boys21
1986The Very Best of Beach BoysThe Beach Boys21
1986The Beach Boys Made in the U.S.A.The Beach Boys2
1988Greatest Hits: 20 All Time GreatsThe Beach Boys1
198816 SuperhitsThe Beach Boys1
1988Super HitsThe Beach Boys1
1988Surfin'The Beach Boys1
1988The Rock 'n' Roll Era: The Beach Boys: 1962-1967The Beach Boys1
1989Surfin’ USA / Surfer GirlThe Beach Boys1
1989Little Deuce Coupe and Other Classic Songs of Drivin' and Draggin'The Beach Boys1
1990Little Deuce Coupe / All Summer LongThe Beach Boys3
1990Summer DreamsThe Beach Boys3
1990Today! / Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)The Beach Boys3
1990All-Time Greatest HitsThe Beach Boys1
1990Beach Boys' Party! / Stack-o-TracksThe Beach Boys4
1990California Gold: The Very Best of the Beach BoysThe Beach Boys1
1990Christmas Songs (Christmas Songs)The Beach Boys1
1990Friends / 20/20The Beach Boys4
1990Fun Fun Fun: Beach Boys BestThe Beach Boys1
1990Greatest Surfing SongsThe Beach Boys1
1990Golden StarsThe Beach Boys1
1990Smiley Smile / Wild HoneyThe Beach Boys4
1990Surfer Girl / Shut Down, Volume 2The Beach Boys4
1990Surfin’ Safari / Surfin’ USAThe Beach Boys4
1990The Beach Boys CollectionThe Beach Boys1
1990The Beach BoysThe Beach Boys1
1990The Complete Beach Boys: 50 Greatest HitsThe Beach Boys2
1991Lost & Found: 1961–1962The Beach Boys2
1991The Absolute Best, Volume 2The Beach Boys2
199120 Golden HitsThe Beach Boys2
1991The Absolute Best, Volume 1The Beach Boys1
1991The Very Best of the Beach BoysThe Beach Boys2
1991The Spirit of the 60s: The Beach BoysThe Beach Boys1
1991The Beach Boys, Collection “Volumen II”The Beach Boys1
1991The Most of The Beach BoysThe Beach Boys1

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