Hey folks! Anyone here watch the last season of The Bear? I finished it this weekend and mannnnn I loved it. I know people have more mixed feelings about S3 and S4, but god they landed this thing on the tarmac so well. If you stepped away from the show for any reason, I'd recommend coming back just for S5.
Anyway...
WHERE WE'RE AT NOW
The Beach Boys! They were boys! Who sang about the beach! Previous updates give the play-by-play for each era of the band, so if you want specific thoughts, give them a read.
As of now, I'm about 35-40% through the script. The first 10 albums are mostly set, and now I'm working my way through Pet Sounds and the rest of the 60s.
ANOTHER PEEK AT THE SCRIPT
This week's peek is a bit later on, for their 8th album Beach Boys Today. (As always, this section and any others I show are subject to change.)
ALBUM 8. THE BEACH BOYS TODAY! (March 1965) ✅
Beach Boys Xmas also went gold and is considered a classic holiday album. Another win for the Beach Boys!
I wish I could say this incredible period for the Beach Boys continued, but whatever that period could’ve been ended in December 1964.
During a flight from LA to Houston, Brian Wilson suffered a terrible mental breakdown. He was able to play the show in Houston, but didn’t play for the rest of their tour. Glen Campbell stepped in to replace him.
But that’s not the end. In January 1965, Brian told the Beach Boys that he was done with touring. He said the group could have a wonderful future together, as long as they did their job and he did his. From then on, Brian’s work with the band was limited to songwriting and recording. No touring.
This marks an official split in what the Beach Boys were - a split that will have ramifications for the rest of their career. To replace Brian on the road, the Boys brought in Bruce Johnston.
Brian immediately got to work on a new album. This began the phase of Brian’s creative output called “I am immensely jealous of everything Phil Spector releases, and I want to one-up him if it’s the last thing I do.” Brian went into the studio in January 1965 with 25 members of the Wrecking Crew. And they brought in loads of new instruments - Timpani, harpsichord, vibraphone, French horn, English horn, accordion, tenor sax, bari sax. The only thing in short supply was recorded parts from the actual Beach Boys, though they did contribute of course.
In March 1965, we received The Beach Boys Today! So what is it like when Brian does his job? Really damn good. While this isn’t a concept album per se, it does have a concept behind it or at least a structure. The first half is full of the traditionally upbeat pop music the Boys were known for.
The album opens with Do You Wanna Dance, a Bobby Freeman cover with Dennis on lead vocals. It is massive, especially when the first chorus hits. Even considering how Brian was developing as a producer, this is a big step up production-wise from the past few albums. Dance Dance Dance is a bluesy rip roarer, with Carl Wilson as a co-writer for the first time.
Even with the typical cheery sound, the gang find time to weave in more thoughtful subject matter. When I Grow Up To Be A Man has the boys wondering how their lives will be different when they become proper adults. Help Me Rhonda is about a man trying to get with a one night stand after his wife leaves him. This is a good version of this song, but there is another version that will matter far more, and I’ll bring it up you know when it happens.
But don’t think this album is all smiles. The second half hits you with more somber, introspective songs. In The Back of My Mind depicts someone with a perfect life who suspects things will soon turn sour. Another song with Dennis on lead vocals, and man I’m really loving his voice.
Please Let Me Wonder has Brian choosing to fantasize about a girl he likes, instead of confirming if her feelings are mutual. I’m really starting to appreciate the little one off details Brian throws in - a vibraphone that plays twice, or an electric guitar that shows up once and bows out. It gives the feeling of Brian’s production being a space where friends and characters come in on a whim, a very welcoming space. This also was the first song Brian wrote while under the influence of the marijuana.
Considering the band was all fun cars girls surf just three years prior, this second half is a remarkable step up in musical maturity. Man the Beach Boys were three for three now with great albums! While it’s truly unfortunate the circumstances that led Brian permanently to the studio, I can’t complain about the work being done.
THE BEACH BOYS: AN AMERICAN BAND
Along with writing the script, I've been checking out some supplementary material around the band. Most people recommend the Endless Summer documentary as the best officially-sanctioned doc about the Boys, but there was also An American Band back in 1985. It's a straightforward run through the band's story from the early 60s up through Dennis's death in 1983, built out of interviews, concert footage, and old TV appearances, including bits from their various movie and TV cameos over the years.
The past performances really do the heavy lifting here - in fact, I'd say this is less documentary, and more theme park attraction of the band's past hits that just also happens to have Brian Wilson in a bed every time he's on screen. (This doc was made during his second stint with psychiatrist and real bad dickhead Eugene Landy.) If you want any insight into the band's drama or controversies, you won't find it here. It's still a fun watch if you want a ton of rare performance footage in one place, especially the early 60s stuff, but don't go in expecting an expose.
If you wanna watch it, it's available right on YouTube.
THE BEACH BOYS: AN AMERICAN FAMILY
Not to be confused with the previous doc with which it shares 5 of the same words in the same order, there was also the two-part ABC miniseries in 2000. Reviews of it these days aren't too hot, but I didn't hate it?
It's definitely clunky like a bunch of music biopics can be - the way it delivers references and historical tidbits can feel like they had to check things off a list. There are some wild scenes, like the one where Brian misses the birth of his child so he can play Shortenin' Bread. Which hey, I know he LOVED that song, but let's be real here. Also, Mike Love comes off pretty saintly throughout the whole thing. Unrelated, but John Stamos (a good buddy of Mike Love's) was one of the series' producers.
But as a dramatization of their lives from the start to the mid-70s comeback, it's not a terrible watch. Like the previous doc, it's on YouTube in all its "glory."
THE LEFTOVERS
I was thinking back on famous instances where the band's music had been used in movies and TV shows, and like a flash of lightning, I was reminded of when God Only Knows was used in the HBO show The Leftovers.
I'd describe it for you here, but A) it's really hard to explain without prior knowledge of the show, and B) it's really fricking gross! Like it will make you squeamish. I don't usually get unnerved by blood or gore in TV shows, and even I gag a little when I think of it. I guess that's a compliment for it though - it left me gagged!
Also while I'm talking about it, anyone here a fan of The Leftovers? Genuinely it's one of my favorite shows ever. It's about society after 3 percent of the populace get raptured, and how people move on (or don't!). First season is solid, second season is a dramatic step up, and third season is one of the best seasons of TV of all time.
This also has me thinking - what's your favorite time the Beach Boys' music was in a movie or TV show or media-type thing?
SEEING THE BAND LIVE
Last week, I'd asked whether or not the current Beach Boys live show (or Al Jardine's own tour with Brian's touring band) was worth seeing. Thanks to everyone who left their impressions from their time seeing the band. From what y'all said, it seems like they're okay live considering they're all up there in age. I'm still highkey shocked Mike Love is touring at this point. That man may indeed leave us while singing I Get Around.
And that's it for now! Appreciate you for reading this far. No new main-channel video this week, but I'll be posting later this week about upcoming videos. See ya then!