# The 1968 album Paul Weller crowns as an “underrated” masterpiece

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-1968-album-paul-weller-crowns-as-an-underrated-masterpiece/
- Published: 2026-08-06T08:05:43+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-25T03:33:28+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/paul-weller-1968-most-overlooked-masterpiece/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Paul Weller praises Beach Boys' 1968 album Friends as underrated
- He rates it above the more famous Pet Sounds
- Friends flopped in 1968 but is now critically reappraised

## Summary

Paul Weller has named the Beach Boys' 1968 album Friends as an "underrated" masterpiece, praising songs such as "Anna Lee, the Healer" and "Little Bird" over the group's more celebrated Pet Sounds. The Jam and Style Council frontman, long known for drawing inspiration from 1960s music, made the comments while listing his must-have records, deliberately passing over the more obvious choice to spotlight a lesser-known gem. His remarks help explain the enduring appeal of an album that was largely overlooked on its original release.

Friends was the Beach Boys' 14th studio album, arriving at a turbulent time for the band, both creatively and commercially. It followed the troubled Smiley Smile sessions and the poor sales of Wild Honey, and its gentle, easy-going pop was released just as the music press was gravitating towards heavier, politically charged rock in the wake of Hendrix and Cream, leading many to dismiss the record as out of step with the times. Bandmate Bruce Johnston later described it as "a feather floating through a wall of noise," and while it was commercially snubbed on release, Friends has since gained retrospective acclaim and is now regarded as one of the group's most cherished works.

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