55 years ago today Capital Records on the recommendation of one of their executives Nick Venet signed The Beach Boys to a 7 year contract. The southern California groups songs at the time focused on the California lifestyle, has there been a better promoter of California than The Beach Boys?  They would have an album ready by November “Surfin’ Sufari”and that title song from that album would become their first hit reaching #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Beach Boys were off and running.

The Beach Boys have had 36 Top 40 hits and 4 number ones.  Their classic album -on everyone’s shortlist of greatest albums of all time is of course Brian Wilson’s masterpiece “Pet Sounds.”

The original Beach Boys that appeared on the first album- Brian Wilson and his brothers Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love,  Al Jardine and David Marks. 55 years later The Beach Boys continue on in one form or another. I don’t know if that is something to admire or if the fact they continued playing county fairs etc is pathetic. What else could Mike Love do?  I know he considers himself up there with McCartney, Jagger and such but he’s lucky he had a cousin named Brian. They two have feuded for decades- or mostly Love has feuded. Jealousy no doubt.