I didn't much like the Beach Boys early on - great music and harmonies, if a little happy-clappy, but the lyrics seemed shallow to a serious member of the Folk Song Army like me. But I heard Good Vibrations on the radio once and was hooked immediately. Pop harmony had very much grown up. The lyrics were now incidental. I have written on this topic half a dozen times, so you can look it up under "vibrations" in the search bar if you care that much.
But today I was thinking about it and thought I'd send it along.
2 comments:
It amazes me that The Beach Boys were able to keep going for fifty years, when every other "beach" act had pretty much folded by 1965. And they did it without fundamentally altering their approach : rich harmonies, songs about love, nature, and simple pleasures. I never paid them much attention growing up, but in my old age I have come to appreciate their craftsmanship. Good vibrations indeed.
The Political Beats podcasts on The Beach Boys are great.
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