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The “beautiful” 1965 album Lindsey Buckingham wants everyone to hear
Lindsey Buckingham has singled out the second side of The Beach Boys' 1965 album "The Beach Boys Today!" as an underappreciated body of work that deserves wider recognition, crediting it as a crucial stepping stone towards Brian Wilson's later masterpieces. The Fleetwood Mac guitarist, known for his own meticulous, perfectionist approach to studio craft, has long looked to Wilson as a formative influence, tracing that admiration back to earlier Beach Boys songs such as "Surfer Girl" and "In My Room".
Buckingham described side two of the album as "one ballad after another" and among the great sides in rock, singling out tracks including "Please Let Me Wonder", "Kiss Me Baby", "She Knows Me Too Well" and "In the Back of My Mind" for foreshadowing the emotional vulnerability Wilson would later explore fully on "Pet Sounds" and the unfinished "Smile" project. He highlighted "Please Let Me Wonder" in particular, noting a candid studio moment where Wilson can be heard saying "I love you" to his wife on the microphone, calling it evidence that Wilson's introspective songwriting had already taken shape well before his most celebrated records.
In short
- Buckingham praises "Beach Boys Today!" side two as underrated.
- He says it foreshadows Brian Wilson's "Pet Sounds" era vulnerability.
- Highlights "Please Let Me Wonder" and its intimate studio moment.
Explained simply
The Beach Boys were an American band led creatively by songwriter and producer Brian Wilson. Their early hits were known for bright harmonies and songs about youth, but Wilson increasingly used the studio to explore more personal feelings and more layered arrangements.
The Beach Boys Today! was released in 1965, as the band’s sound was changing. Its second side is made up largely of ballads, including “Please Let Me Wonder” and “Kiss Me Baby”, and offers a glimpse of the intimate style Wilson developed further on later Beach Boys records.
Lindsey Buckingham is a singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for Fleetwood Mac, whose studio-focused work has been influenced by Wilson. The album matters to listeners tracing how Wilson’s songwriting and production developed before records such as Pet Sounds.