|
In 1961 Murray Wilson's teenage sons;Brian, Dennis and Carl along with cousin Mike Love and school friend Al Jardine released a single called Surfin', based on the latest craze to hit teenage California, the group were originally named The Pendletones, they soon became known as The Beach Boys.
Through-out the next decade, charts the world over were bombarded with hit after hit;
Surfin' USA, Help Me Rhonda, I Get Around, Fun, Fun, Fun, Surfer Girl, Little Deuce Coupe;
the list goes on and on. These songs, composed and produced by Brian Wilson and featuring the band's unique harmonies made The Beach Boys household names.
In the mid-sixties, Brian tired of the constant touring, the boys had always undertaken, and
decided to stay at home in the studio, he was eventually replaced on stage by Bruce Johnston.
To record new music, Brian surrounded himself with some of the best musicians in
the business and each Beach Boy album displayed the continuing maturity of Brian who was
now regularly referred to as 'a genius'. The pinacle of Brian's skills came with the Pet Sounds album which is widely regarded as one of the best albums ever recorded and the follow-up
single; Good Vibrations. The world expected nothing but greatness from The Beach Boys,
the next album promised to be groundbreaking. However, due to a number of reasons, among
them; Brian's increasing ill health and drug problems and the other Beach Boys's hostility to
the unusual music their leader had created in their absence, the album never saw the light of day and the Smile album became the stuff of legends.
As Brian began to shut himself away from the outside world, his fellow Beach Boys took
control of the recording duties, creating many great albums during the late sixties and
seventies(Friends, Sunflower, Surf's Up, Holland, The Beach Boys Love You) but none were commercial successes.
Throughout the eighties, Brian began to regain conrol of his life and began recording again, mostly for solo albums. The Beach Boys continued touring and regularly drawing huge crowds, however their studio albums became very weak. There were also some ill-advised collaborations(The Fat Boys, Status Quo and an album-full of country artists). The only positive during this era was the release of the chart-topping Kokomo single, minus Brian.
After the sad deaths of both Dennis and Carl Wilson, the band fell apart, creating three seperate touring parties; 'The Beach Boys' which features Mike and Bruce, Al Jardine's Friends & Family Beach Band featuring Al along with his sons and Brian's daughters, and Brian still tours as a solo artist.
One day maybe Al, Bruce, Mike and Brian will make up and enter the studio or step onstage
together, or maybe not. Whatever, there will always be the albums and the memories.
|
|
