SUMMER DAYS AND SUMMER NIGHTS – THE BEACH BOYS The Beach Boys’ previous album, “Today”, (#14 in this series, featured just four weeks ago) marked a significant change in style for the band, and also in Brian Wilson’s growth as a songwriter.

The band had almost literally exhausted the subject of surfing, and they almost did the same with car songs, so it was refreshing to hear the band tackle more personal matters on that album, but the label balked at the shift away from blatantly commercial material, and they were backed in their opinion by some of the bandmembers. As a means of compliance, Brian Wilson penned his next batch on a topic that could never be exhausted – songs about girls.

“Summer Days” lacked the ambition of “Today” and also its continuity, with weak points that seemed beneath the band’s newly discovered range. But the high points pointed to heights that previously could not have even been imagined. With “Summer Days”, Brian gave his critics at Capitol and in the band what they wanted, then set off on a path that would be completely his own. In many ways, then, this is the last ‘true’ Beach Boys album where the band, the label and the audience got exactly what they wanted. From this point forward, things would never be the same.

Featured tracks include;

1) The Girl from New York City

2) Amusement Parks U.S.A.

3) Then I Kissed Her

4) Salt Lake City

5) Girl Don’t Tell Me

6) Help Me, Rhonda

7) California Girls

8) Let Him Run Wild

9) You’re So Good to Me

10) Summer Means New Love

11) I’m Bugged at My Old Man

12) And Your Dreams Come True

13) (bonus) The Little Girl I Once Knew

14) (bonus) You’re So Good to Me – M. Ward

July 1965 - Billboard Charted #2