On Wednesday 11th June 2025, Brian Wilson's family announced that he had sadly passed away. In this blog post, we look back on his legacy through some of The Beach Boys' most famous records.
How The Beach Boys Rose To Fame:
The Beach Boys started as a small garage band, consisting of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, using Brian Wilson's song writing, and managed by their father. They had their first top ten hit with Surfin' USA in 1963, and are still renowned today for the Californian beach sound which only they seemed to be able to perfectly capture.
What Kept The Beach Boys Famous?
The Beach Boys kept creating unique music which appealed to the vast majority of the general public. Their albums were a staple in any record, CD or cassette collection, and many describe their early music as the soundtrack to their summer.
In 1966, they released the album 'Pet Sounds', with the single 'Good Vibrations' which, again, rose high in the charts, and changed the public's view of the group from a summery band, to innovators of rock. This fluctuation and growth from the group made them famous across multiple generations and still enjoyed today.
Who Wrote The Majority Of The Songs?
An integral part of the band, Brian Wilson was the main songwriter for the group. Between 1961 and the late 1990s, Brian Wilson wrote the majority of the lyrics for the band. He also produced some of their later albums, including 'Pet Sounds', 'Beach Boys Party' and 'Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)'. While Wilson was the predominant songwriter for the band, he heavily collaborated with other band members, which is shown through the way the vocals blend together seamlessly.
What Is Considered To Be The Greatest Beach Boys Song?
While the Beach Boys had many hits, there are two that seem to come out on top.
Good Vibrations - released in 1966, with the B side of 'lets go away for a while. Loved for it's complexity, this song also brought the phrase 'good vibes' out of niche slang and into mainstream use. This is a phrase still commonly in use today, and we have The Beach Boys to thank for that.
God Only Knows - again, released in 1966, with 'Wouldn't It Be Nice', this love song is often said to be one of the greatest songs of all time. This has been documented as the favourite song of many acclaimed artists, including Paul McCartney.
Here at Atlas Records, we see a great number of Beach Boys albums in a week. Listening to their music still perfectly preserved in analogue form brings a smile, and a feeling of summer to the office.
