#410 The Beach Boys, 'Wild Honey' (1967)

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In 1966, The Beach Boys released their magnum opus, one of the greatest records of all time, ‘Pet Sounds.’ The follow up, ‘Smile,’ drove Brian Wilson to the point of insanity. The band instead released a stripped down version, ‘Smiley Smile.’ ‘Wild Honey’ was the album that followed those records. How do you follow those records up? Well, you don’t. The band went back to basics on this album, leaving the Wrecking Crew behind and becoming a self-contained band once again. Brian Wilson took a backseat, sharing production duties with the whole band.

Brian requested that his younger brother, Carl, contribute more to the recording process, which saw him take on lead vocals on 4 tracks and sharing vocals on another 2. This was their soul record, their homage to Motown. The album features the classic songs, ‘Wild Honey’ & ‘Darlin,’ as well as a cover of Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Was Made To Love Her.’

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