Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

Source: Hymnology

Most of the Pendletones (wearing the Pendleton style of wool shirt above) were three brothers who lived in a household in Hawthorne, California, in which the Four Freshman were often heard on the phonograph. On 15 September 1961 Brian Wilson recorded the Pendletones first home demos with a tape recorder given to him on his sixteenth birthday, those 'Surfin'' and 'Luau'. Recordings were repeated the next day before renting studio time in Hollywood for more professional demos which Murry Wilson (father) took to Candix Records. The Pendletones recorded those for Candix on October 3 [MusicBrainz], but upon their issue on 27 November 1961 the group discovered that its name had been changed to the Beach Boys by Candix promotions man, Russ Regan. The original Candix issue is 331. It saw pressing on X Records 301 on 8 December, as Candix 301 in January of 1962 [Smiley Smile/et al]. I'd not carve that in stone, though, as I've gleaned it of considerable discussion on the internet about these early recordings, and I'm fallible.

The original members of the Pendletones, now labeled the Beach Boys by surprise, were Al Jordine (b '42/rhythm guitar), Mike Love (b '41/vocals) and the three Wilson brothers: Brian (b '42/bass guitar), Carl (b '46/guitar) and Dennis (b '44/drums). Brian was the ramrod of the operation which specific intent was surf rock. Yet for all for the surfing songs in the Beach Boys' repertoire, Dennis was the only in the group who surfed. Another topic in their repertoire that made the Beach Boys a rock band was the automobile. In folk music it was the train that got the glory, whereas if there's a song about a car it's probably rock. There's a rock band called the Cars as well, formed in 1976. Yet another favorite topic in rock music is California girls, neglect of which the Beach Boys couldn't be accused.

When it comes to rocks making a splash, 'Surfin' made grain waves in Feb at #75 on Billboard. But 'Surfin' Safari' produced a boulder wave at #14 the same month. The Beach Boys released their first album, 'Surfin' Safari', in 1962, getting their feet so wet that they had no choice but surf.

It was 'Surfin' USA' at #3 in March of 1963, followed by the hot rod title, 'Little Deuce Coupe':

The Beach Boys were a main line of defense when the British invaded America in the sixties, forcing both the civilian and military populations to absorb the UK's two main waves of assault in 1964, the Beatles in February and the Rolling Stones in June. The United States was yet a relatively innocent war-free nation when the Beach Boys' 'I Get Around' charted in May of 1964 at #1. But it was the battle of 'Help Me, Rhonda' at #1 in April of '65 which created a front the Brits couldn't penetrate, they forced to retreat before an imaginary goddess of war. Yet it was 1966 that the suspicious Brits really learned to not mess with the Beach Boys. First it was the concept album, 'Pet Sounds'. Then it was the psyop of 'Good Vibrations' that reached #1 in October of 1966. Many Brits refused fight after that, easing hostile relations at juke boxes all around the UK. It was also 1966 that the Beach Boys founded Brother Records to release 'Smiley Smile' in 1967. With Brian's expertise in recording ever since his first tape recorder, the Beach Boys became known for the technological finish of their releases. Brian had ceased touring in 1965 to focus on recording and composing, thanks in part to which the Brits were never able to gain the surrender of the United States. Someone had to do it, the British relentless in airwave bombings.

In April 1968 Dennis Wilson picked up a couple of hitchhikers through whom he met Charles Manson, the killer, and his family. Manson and Dennis diddled about with music enough for Wilson's 'Never Learn Not to Love' (Capitol 2360/Nov '68) to be a reworking of Manson's 'Cease to Exist' (also on the album, '20/20', released in Feb '69). But there soon came the havoc of Manson up to no good, which came to a whooping by Dennis, after which Manson and his family were lost as soon as possible, eventually to prison upon the Tate murders by the Manson Family in August of 1969.

In 1973 the Beach Boys released their gold album, 'The Beach Boys in Concert'. They were still riding high waves deep into the eighties, 'Kokomo' reaching Billboard's #1 spot as late as Sep 1988. 'Still Cruisin' found #9 in August of 1989.

The Beach Boys have maintained a strong audience ever since, a band no one wants to see disappear into history, yet performing to this day. Recent issues in the new millennium include their 29th studio album in 2012, 'That's Why God Made Radio', and 'Live – The 50th Anniversary Tour' in 2013.

Dennis Wilson had died by drowning in Marina del Ray, CA, on December 28, 1983. Carl died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on Feb 6 of 1998. Past members of the Beach Boys include Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar in the early seventies, and David Marks who goes back with the Wilsons to their school days and is the fifth member of the group as of this writing.