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The 1968 album Paul Weller crowns as an “underrated” masterpiece
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.
In short
- 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
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Friends merits serious reconsideration as a work whose genuine artistic accomplishment was unjustly overlooked owing to cultural timing rather than authentic inferiority. The album's sophisticated harmonic language, introspective songwriting, and carefully calibrated arrangements represent real innovation that shouldn't be diminished by the fact that contemporaries, oriented towards heavier rock aesthetics, failed to appreciate it. The fact that listeners decades later have found it worthy of appreciation suggests the initial critical dismissal was indeed mistaken.
The case against
Pet Sounds remains the more substantially accomplished work, and this reflects genuine artistic differences rather than mere historical prejudice or fashion. Its compositional invention, harmonic sophistication, and melodic brilliance demonstrably exceed Friends, and its influence on popular music production represents authentic creative achievement. Friends is a respectable album, but reserving masterpiece status for Pet Sounds appropriately honours meaningful differences in creative ambition and accomplishment rather than inflating secondary works through revisionist assessment.
Explained simply
The Beach Boys were an American band known for close vocal harmonies and songs shaped by Brian Wilson’s studio arrangements. By 1968, they had released a run of influential records, including Pet Sounds, but were also facing creative difficulties and falling sales.
Friends was their 14th studio album, made after the demanding sessions for Smiley Smile and released following the disappointing sales of Wild Honey. Its calm, gentle pop stood apart from the louder rock gaining attention at the time, and many listeners initially overlooked it.
The album has since found a stronger following among listeners and musicians. Paul Weller, who has often drawn on 1960s music, has praised it as an example of the Beach Boys’ work beyond their best-known records.