Latest news with #surfrock
Washington Post
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
The Pixies aren't taking any of this for granted
Even after all these years, a Pixies song sounds like a Pixies song. That's the case with 'I Hear You Mary,' a haunting ballad on last year's 'The Night the Zombies Came,' which has loud-quiet-loud dynamics, a surf rock riff and left-field lyrics both corporeal and violent. 'Forevermore here among the broken tombs,' bandleader Black Francis sings on the song, which was co-written by guitarist Joey Santiago. 'How long has it been since I trod this ruddy soil?'
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nostalgia wave: 10 of the greatest hits by The Beach Boys
This week, Brian Wilson — singer, songwriter, music producer, and one of the main creative forces behind the iconic 20th Century band The Beach Boys — died at the age of 82. Wilson leaves behind an incredible legacy of hit singles and artistically ambitious solo projects, and as a creator who pushed the boundaries of what pop music could sound like. Wilson wrote many of The Beach Boys' most recognizable hits. While the band had dozens of amazing songs, we wanted to pay homage to Mr. Wilson and the band by ranking our Top 10 favorites. These are, of course, highly subjective. This 1973 track has a very different sound than most associate with The Beach Boys, with more of a bluesy, folk-rock delivery that was more of a time in the 1970s than the upbeat surf-rock that the Boys had popularized a decade earlier. It's still a great swaying summer song. It was not a huge single success for the band, but it's deserving of more consideration as something different, yet still excellent. This 1966 Beach Boys track is actually a Bahamian folk song dating to at least the early 1900s, given a jangly, surf-rock coating. The song is about a boat trip to Nassau, a fight that happened overnight, and the sailor's desperate to leave, leading to even more fights and arrests. If you've ever been on a bad trip with friends or family, you have to relate to the lyrics, 'This is the worst trip I've ever been on.' It's one of those songs that sounds upbeat, but the lyrics are actually super depressing, and I love that dichotomy. This 1964 song is quintessential Beach Boys — super catchy hooks, lyrics about being young and irresponsible, and just messing around having a great time. It is highly referential of the works of Chuck Berry and other early black rock 'n' roll artists, but is still undeniably Beach Boys. One of the Beach Boys' signature ballads, 'Don't Worry Baby' gives us Brian Wilson singing his heart out on lead vocals, and a plaintive, haunting melody perfect for a slow dance or a tear-soaked reminiscence. It is the band at, arguably, its finest musically — certainly up to that point in its career. It's only so low because, in my opinion, The Beach Boys are not really a ballad band, they're all about the bangers. One of the band's signature songs, this ode to horny youth was apparently inspired by Brian Wilson's first acid trip. That symphonic introduction and the bopping B-3 organ line, plus the backing harmonies — which verge on clashing with the lead vocal line — give this song a wholly unique sound that borders on haunting. It's only so low because there have been so many covers, including the one by David Lee Roth in the 1980s, that nearly match or exceed the laid-back energy of the original. A highly controversial pick for the middle of the pack. If you were an original Beach Boys fan, you probably consider 1988's 'Kokomo' to border on heresy. But if you're a Gen X-er or later, chances are you probably love the song. While Brian Wilson was not involved in this song at all, it features the essential Beach Boys DNA — beachy vibes, great harmonies, lyrics about having a good time, infectious hooks — but with a distinctly updated musical vibe. Released with the Tom Cruise movie Cocktail, it was a huge smash at the time, and continues to be wildly popular…unless you were alive in the 1960s. Released in 1964, 'I Get Around' would become The Beach Boys' first No. 1 single in the United States, and it remains one of the band's very best songs. While many songs in the Beach Boys' catalogue incorporate similar topics, vibes, or energy, this one is the group operating at the top of its beach-rock game. Those harmonies! The unrelenting chorus! That stellar bridge! Tell me you aren't bopping in your chair listening to this right now. The lead single of the critically important Pet Sounds album, 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' ushered in a more grown-up and adventurous sound for The Beach Boys, while simultaneously giving us one of the band's more innocent/naive lyrics, about young lovers excited about what life would be like once they were married. (Suckers!) Recording for the single was apparently grueling, as Brian Wilson pushed the band members to achieve the sound he was going for — but it was worth it. This song remains hugely influential in pop music, and is a huge step up for the band in terms of its musicality. This 1963 track from the group was, actually, a cover of Chuck Berry's 'Sweet Little Sixteen,' featuring new surf-related lyrics by Brian Wilson. Done without Chuck Berry's permission, so that's…complicated. It became the Boys' first Top 10 hit, and is one of the songs most identified with the band — and for the surf-rock genre generally. Even if you've personally never been surfing, you probably love this song. This 1966 song is iconic for so many reasons. It is simultaneously of that time — the 1966 'flower power' movement that would give us the Hippies and counter-culture in general — and yet it sounds almost alien, with that theremin line cutting through the laid-back chorus. It was instantly a hit single and was intended to be part of the much-discussed Smile album, which never came to fruition. No other group could record this song. Only The Beach Boys. It was nominated for a Grammy, which — by the way — the Beach Boys never won, not a single one. Completely contradicting the earlier point that The Beach Boys are about fun, upbeat songs, our No. 1 spot has to go to a song that is neither of those things, Brian Wilson's magnum opus, 'God Only Knows.' Released in 1966 along with 'Wouldn't It Be Nice?' it is a staggering work of pop music; if it were released in 2024, listeners would still be astonished by the musicality and originality of the song. It is beautiful. It is delicate. It is evocative. It is joyous. It is melancholy. It sounds corny to say that a pop song contains multitudes, but if any pop song does, it's this one. Renowned songwriters, including Paul McCartney, have said it is their favorite song of all time, and in 2021, Rolling Stone listed it as No. 11 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. It is exquisite. Looking for more summery sounds? Check out the Best "Summer" Song episode of the Great Pop Culture Debate podcast:
Wall Street Journal
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, My Endless Inspiration
I had called my friend Gary Griffin to shoot the breeze, as I'd been doing a couple of times every week. This was in the early 1990s; Gary was the keyboard player for surf rockers Jan and Dean, and I had just started to tour with them singing backup. He was at home in Panorama City, Calif., and I was in Chicago. He was out in his recording studio. 'My friend Brian's here,' Gary said.
The Guardian
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Endless summer: how Brian Wilson soundtracked California
In July 1963, Jan and Dean's Surf City spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first surf rock song to top the charts. Co-written by Brian Wilson, the tune describes a halcyon place where there's always a party brewing and the romantic odds are in the narrator's favor – two girls for every boy! In this rock'n'roll era just before the Beatles shook up the US, surf culture had gone mainstream via films (the Annette Funicello-Frankie Avalon vehicle Beach Party) and music (the ferocious guitarist Dick Dale, quirky hits like the Surfaris' Wipe Out). Wilson's own Beach Boys were arguably the driving force behind this movement, having debuted in late 1961 with Surfin', a single that doubled as an early mission statement: 'Surfin' is the only life, the only way for me.' The fresh-faced band members struck wholesome poses in magazine ads, wearing matching plaid shirts while standing in a line clutching a surfboard, as they sang pristine, intricate harmonies that radiated warmth. By summer 1963, the Beach Boys' second album, Surfin' USA, was perched at number four on the album charts. The title track had been a top five hit several months before, thanks to hip-swiveling riffs, references to hip fashion and shout-outs to various California locales (eg, Redondo Beach, La Jolla). For Wilson and the Beach Boys, the Golden state was the place to be for anyone who wanted to be cool. But California wasn't exclusionary: in Surfin' USA, the lyrics note that everybody's there in the water, meaning if you show up, you belong too. Wilson favored bucolic imagery in many of his songs, imagining California as a mythical place full of fancy cars (Little Deuce Coupe; the drag race chronicle Shut Down) with the best-looking women (California Girls) and tastiest surf reports (Catch a Wave). These lyrics captured charming – and innocent – scenes that resembled colorful postcards mailed to the rest of the world: joyriding to the beach, spending the day surfing and dreaming of romance. But Wilson's songs also praised California for its consistency; the state represented a respite from turbulent politics and shifting cultural norms. That's not to say Wilson ignored the outside world. But The Warmth of the Sun, which was written and recorded in the wake of the 1963 assassination of John F Kennedy, doesn't touch on the tragedy; instead, it's a breakup song where the heartbroken protagonist finds a silver lining by turning to sunshine. In dark times, the sun is never far away; it's always guaranteed to rise again or provide comfort. In ways big and small, Wilson established California as a place of possibility, where songs often possessed twinges of melancholy, but never lost their optimism. Surfer Girl nodded to When You Wish Upon a Star from Disney's Pinocchio – a fitting reference for lyrics that wonder wistfully if the titular character will reciprocate a crush – while Wilson associated In My Room with teaching his brothers Carl and Dennis how to harmonize growing up. The title character of Noble Surfer survives oceanic uncertainty and triumphs over nature, a resilient and heroic figure on the water. Perhaps even more, Wilson viewed California as a place of sonic possibility. He produced the Beach Boys' third album, 1963's Surfer Girl, incorporating instrumentation from session icons the Wrecking Crew or flourishes like a trilling harp on Catch a Wave. And his magnum opus, Pet Sounds, while not explicitly about California, built on Phil Spector's lush, Los Angeles-recorded creations and created a blueprint for the kaleidoscopic pop productions, including the Beach Boys' own 1968 LP Friends. Even as Wilson increasingly navigated mental health challenges and struggles with drugs and alcohol, he kept his beachy early days as a touchstone, a nostalgic place he'd revisit in song. Within the dewy California Feelin', written in the early 1970s, he notes: 'Sunlight chased my cares away / The sun dances through the morning sky.' Decades later, he released the solo album That Lucky Old Sun, a 'concept album' that's 'about LA, and life in LA and the different kind of moods of LA. Call it the Heartbeat of LA'. Wilson said. One of the most poignant songs on the album was Southern California, with a chorus that stresses that anything is possible: 'In Southern California / Dreams wake up for you / And when you wake up here / You wake up everywhere.' Fittingly, the lyrics describe an idyllic day: a lazy, sunny day by the ocean capped by a cinematic night that resembles a romantic movie. But in the first verse, Wilson reminisces about something far more personal: hearing Surfin' on the radio, and how that reminded him of singing with his brothers, his dream coming true. Wilson last toured with the Beach Boys in 2012 and retired from the road as a solo act in 2022. And while his musical influence is heard on a global scale – among other things, the Elephant 6 collective from Athens, Georgia, and the New York City punks the Ramones cite the band as an influence – the Beach Boys' sound had an enormous impact closer to home. Think the gauzy California love letters of Best Coast; ambitious pop of Fleetwood Mac; surf-rock of Wavves; and the melodic chamber-pop of the Wondermints, the group that backed Wilson for years. Countless hip-hop artists have sampled the Beach Boys, while Beyoncé interpolated Good Vibrations on Cowboy Carter's Ya Ya, and the French duo Air sampled Do It Again for Remember on Moon Safari. On a broader scale, Wilson's songs have permeated pop culture in comedy and drama films (Happy Feet, Good Morning, Vietnam, The Big Chill) and TV shows (The Bear, WandaVision, Ted Lasso). On a TV show like Full House, Wilson and the Beach Boys became synonymous with an idealized version of sunny California. Fittingly, the Surf City Wilson once wrote about in 1963 now literally exists – Huntington Beach, California, officially became known as Surf City USA in 2006 – and the Beach Boys still tour consistently, keeping Wilson's California chronicles alive. 'Together, we gave the world the American dream of optimism, joy, and a sense of freedom,' the band wrote on Facebook upon Wilson's death. 'Music that made people feel good, made them believe in summer and endless possibilities.'
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
From a Birmingham council estate to Beach Boys tour manager
A former tour manager for the Beach Boys has said the legendary frontman Brian Wilson would want to be remembered for his 82-year-old Californian singer's death was announced by his family on Wednesday, saying they were Tomes, who worked with the band on and off over 45 years, remembered a pinch-me moment when he first joined them on tour."I fly out of Northfield [in Birmingham] and I'm in South Africa, I'm standing watching the Beach Boys. I'm crying, because I'm like, wow, how did this happen?" he said. "It's quite surreal - I'm 25 years old, I'm a kid from a council estate in Northfield, and I'm a tour manager." The Beach Boys were one of the USA's biggest bands of the 1960s, who introduced surf-rock to worldwide audience with songs like I Get Around, Surfin' USA and Good group was formed by Wilson with his younger brothers Carl and Dennis, cousin Mike Love and friend Al has paid tribute to Wilson as a "humble musical giant" with "huge musical intellect".Mr Tomes, who had already worked with Alvin Stardust and Lulu before joining the Beach Boys on tour, described Wilson as "amazing" and his music as "timeless"."Brian was a very complex character. 'Genius' has been used a lot which is absolutely true," he said. "He always came back to music and that's the important thing." Speaking of the group's friendly rivalry with The Beatles, Mr Tomes said Wilson had initially abandoned his Smile album in the 1960s when he heard Sgt Pepper, "because he said it wasn't good enough".Eventually publishing it 45 years later, Wilson said he put the album on the shelf as it was "too far ahead of our time". 'Best song ever written' Sir Paul McCartney has written that he was "privileged to be around Wilson's "bright shining light for a little while".Mr Tomes said: "Brian was in awe of The Beatles and I remember at one of the gigs for the Smile album Paul McCartney was there and he said he believed that God Only Knows was the best song ever written... and he's probably right."Now a publicist, Mr Tomes described his memories of the band as "so special" and added he had kept in touch with them over the the sadness around Wilson's death, he said the "music lives on". Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
