The Beach Boys: The Beach Boys Today! - 1965

As I have said earlier, just before The Beach Boys started blathering on about vegetables and wind chimes, they were releasing classic pop songs like the wonderful When I Grow Up (To Be A Man), Help Me, Rhonda with its great bass line and harmonies and Dance, Dance, Dance. 

Give me this material over those supposed works of “genius” any day of the week. Here is where the genius lay in many ways, in classic two-three minute perfect pop songs. The Wilson brothers were still so (comparatively) young, it is often overlooked. 

The harmonies on Do You Wanna Dance and Good To My Baby are just so uplifting and supposed “filler” songs like Don't Hurt My Little Sister, I'm So Young and the beautiful, sensitive She Knows Me Too Well are more than just afterthoughts. 

Yes, they couldn’t just keep putting out material like this and I guess they had to experiment with other styles eventually, but taken for what it is, this was just so good. Just as I enjoy listening to Beatles For Sale I enjoy this. These innocent albums had a real appeal, and still do. 

Just listen to Please Let Me Wonder, echoes of Don’t Worry Baby I know, but still such a pleasure to listen to. Regarding the mono or stereo choice, give me the stereo versions most of the time. Not that the mono is without good points too. It certainly has a full, balanced sound I own both and listen to both. 

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