The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys Today!

The Beach Boys Today!, their eighth studio album, marked a major transition point for the band; notably Brian Wilson's sophisticated, orchestral approach. The tracks on the first half of Today! feature an electric guitar-rock oriented sound that contrasts the second half consisting of ballads, showing an increased mature lyrical depth that would foreshadow future efforts like Pet Sounds. The second side marks Wilson's continuing maturation as a recording artist; all the songs (sans comedy filler track "Bull Session") showcase creatively developed vocal & instrumental arrangements, complex Wall of Sound production, and lyrically introspective subject matter.

The Beach Boys Today! is one of the most acclaimed albums of the Beach Boys' career, making multiple 'Best of' lists. In 2012, the album was voted 271st on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time." In 2005, it was included in the musical reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

"Put simply, this is the Beach Boys at their mid-'60s prime. Ironically, the band's greatest evolutionary leap was spurred by its leader, Brian Wilson, who decided to drop out of the band's live performances after a December 1964 nervous breakdown to concentrate on honing the Beach Boys' studio sound. With Wilson's productions gaining a significant new depth and confidence (note the innovative modulations on 'Dance, Dance, Dance'), the first half of Today seems a logical, upbeat step forward from its predecessors. But it's the album's second act that steals the show, setting the stage for the triumph of Pet Sounds. Indeed, it's easy to imagine gorgeous, introspective tracks such as 'Please Let Me Wonder,' 'She Knows Me Too Well,' and 'In the Back of My Mind' intertwined with the best of Sounds." — Amazon.com

Features:
Single-layer SACD plays ONLY on a Super Audio Disc Player
Japanese pressing

 

1. Do You Wanna Dance?

2. Good To My Baby

3. Don’t Hurt My Little Sister

4. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)

5. Help Me, Ronda

6. Dance, Dance, Dance

7. Please Let Me Wonder

8. I’m So Young

9. Kiss Me, Baby

10. She Knows Me Too Well

11. In The Back Of My Mind

12. Bull Session With The ‘Big Daddy’

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