The Beach Boys are known as one of the most influential pop groups ever, and are especially renowned for their masterpiece album Pet Sounds, which is often considered the greatest pop album of all time. Led by Brian Wilson, they initially had success extolling the virtues of California, surfing and sunshine with obviously commercial pop songs. But Wilson went on to develop ambitious artistic ideas and took the art of pop music to a new level, where their only peers were the Beatles. In fact, both bands were huge admirers of each other.
First winning a contract with Capitol Records in 1962, The Beach Boys' fourth single "Surfin' USA" got to No.3 in the pop charts and even made an impression in Britain. Its success enabled them to have a string of Top 10 singles, including their first No.1 with 1964's "I Get Around", and "Help Me Rhonda", which topped the charts in 1965. They were major pop stars, but Brian Wilson was inspired by the artistic advancements of the Beatles' Rubber Soul and wanted to try more ambitious music.
Despite concerns from other group members, most notably Mike Love, Wilson pursued his ideas in the studio. He hired the best LA session musicians because he wasn't confident that the other Beach Boys could perform his music, and recorded Pet Sounds. Featuring unconventional instruments, sophisticated production and the Beach Boys' now-trademark vocal harmonies, classic songs like "Wouldn't it be Nice", "Sloop John B" and "God Only Knows" weren't well-received at the time. It only reached No.10 in the charts, but many musicians found it inspiring, including Paul McCartney who claimed it was his favourite album and inspired Sgt. Pepper. Wilson was disappointed that it wasn't widely appreciated at the time, but it has since gone on to be acknowledged as one of the greatest pop albums ever.
Shortly after Pet Sounds, Wilson recorded the complex "Good Vibrations" as part of a new challenging suite of songs named SMiLE. However, the band and the label were not happy with these developments, which were less commercially successful than their previous surf-pop output. SMiLE was abandoned, and Wilson, who had been struggling with drugs and mental health problems for a short while, went into a decline. Other members of the band stepped up to take more control of songwriting.
Subsequent albums, such as Wild Honey, Sunflower and Surf's Up, were minor successes which are now thought of very highly. A 1974 compilation of early material, Endless Summer, went to No.1 and brought a resurgence in popularity, and Wilson made a brief return to songwriting duties for 15 Big Ones. But as the 70s ended and the 80s began, the Beach Boys began to be regarded as a touring 'oldies' band. Brian Wilson retreated again, and Dennis Wilson died in 1983. In 1988, they had a surprise No.1 hit with "Kokomo". Brian Wilson resurrected SMiLE in 2004, re-recording it as a solo venture. It was a massive critical success, with many reviewers considering it an appropriately special follow-up to Pet Sounds, even if it was nearly 40 years late.
