Pet Sounds and the unfinished Smile loom large over The Beach Boys\u2019 album catalog in the 60s. Their early LPs showed off musical and vocal brilliance but didn\u2019t push the lyrical envelope. By the end of the decade, Brian Wilson\u2019s struggles caused a transition period, one where the other members of the group started to find themselves as creators. Sitting almost in the middle of all that is Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) Released 60 years ago this month, it found the band just about ready to max out their potential, only to be held back by commercial concerns and their own lyrical limitations.<\/p>\n
Constructive \u2018Summer\u2019<\/p>\n
It\u2019s kind of startling to realize that Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) was the ninth studio album released by The Beach Boys. Consider that their debut album had been released less than three years earlier. Based on that, you can understand why they sometimes struggled to put together filler-free LPs.<\/p>\n
Of course, at the time, the LP played second fiddle to the single in the pop music hierarchy. In that respect, The Beach Boys were only following the trend when they churned out LPs. By 1965, they had settled on their preferred strategy. While most of the band toured, Brian Wilson stayed at home and composed. That way, the album would be ready to record immediately upon their return.<\/p>\n
In some cases, he\u2019d get the process started by recording tracks with the Wrecking Crew musicians who were always at the ready in LA. By 1965, Brian was advancing by leaps and bounds in terms of his compositional, production, and arrangement skills. Those ace players helped him bring all that to fruition.<\/p>\n
Between Two Eras<\/p>\n
Lyrics were another story. Never fully comfortable penning his own words, he\u2019d often collaborate with Mike Love. While Love certainly had a knack for a pithy turn of phrase, he often settled for the same teen-friendly themes that the band had been exploring since their earliest days. Capitol Records also pushed them to keep things light and simple.<\/p>\n