Surfboards, hot rods and polka-dot bikinis are props for the iconic California band of the 1960s: the Beach Boys. Forming a group that was soon recognized as "the only band able to challenge the Beatles," brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, Mike...more Surfboards, hot rods and polka-dot bikinis are props for the iconic California band of the 1960s: the Beach Boys. Forming a group that was soon recognized as "the only band able to challenge the Beatles," brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine fused vocal harmonies to catchy surf tunes and created a good-times soundtrack for carefree kids of the '60s with monster hits like "Surfer Girl" and "Barbara Ann." By the end of '64, Brian, highly creative but bedeviled by various excesses, focused more on composing and producing the band's recordings, and the band released Pet Sounds in 1966, an offering often dubbed the greatest rock 'n' roll album ever. Both enjoying and limited by the popular perception as teen-crowd musicians, the Beach Boys continued to ride a wave of success in the '70s and '80s, but the innovative Pet Sounds and earlier surf rock hits were the high notes in their history. Although Brian's mental health was the Achilles heel of the band, it was his brothers who made the surprise exits: Dennis drowned in 1983 and Carl succumbed to cancer in '98....less |
