The Beach Boys
By Catherine Lewis
Surf Rock
History of the Beach Boys
They were influenced by Jazz based groups, 1950's Rock and Roll, and Doo-Wop. Brian Wilson and his brothers grew up listening to their father Murry Wilson play the piano, harmonies of vocal groups and Brian would teach his family how to sing back up vocals. For his birthday Brian got a tape recorder and used it to record his mother and brother singing harmonies while he played piano, and his neighbor played guitar. Soon enough Brian and Carl would listen to radio shows to pick out rhythms and the structure of the songs. Then, Brian called Al Jardine and Mike Love to come and practice with him in his bedroom and the band began to form and find their sound.
Brian Wilson led the band to experiment with many different sounds, and finally they decided that Brian Wilson's creative ambitions and sophisticated songwriting abilities dominated the group's musical direction. Brian while leading the band struggled due to he suffered from substance abuse and mental health issues and the group struggled to remain in the spotlight.
What Propelled them to Fame?
The group had over eighty songs chart worldwide, thirty-six of them United States Top 40 hits. They reached number 4 on the Billboard Top 100 Charts. Eventually, around 1980 Dennis drowned and Carl died from lung cancer. Mike Love and Bruce Johnson continued to tour in the early 2000s while others pursued solo careers. They were one of the world's best selling bands of all times, and are listed at number 12 on Rolling Stones magazine's 2004 list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time."
Top Songs and Albums
Songs
"God Only Knows""I Get Around"
"Wouldn't it be Nice"
"California Girls"
"Surfin'"
"Don't Worry Baby"
"Help me, Rhonda"
Albums
Pet Sounds
Surfin' USA
Sunflower
Endless Summer
Smile
Characteristics of Surf Rock
- has lyrics that relate to the beach/summer
-has an earthy/beach sound
-a lot of harmonies
-creative freedom
"Surfin" SHMRG Chart
H- electric guitar, drums, keyboard, back up vocals, clapping, and bass
M- Main Vocals
R- fast, in 4
G- Soft- Medium- Soft
hill
intro- verse 1- chorus- verse 2- chorus- interlude-chorus- outro
Surf Rock
Works Cited
"The Beach Boys Biography". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
"The Beach Boys Overview". John Bush. AllMusic. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
"The Beach Boys Pet Sounds." Platendraaier. N.p., 15 Oct. 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
"The Beach Boys." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.