Surf music, and hot rods...

1962 saw the release of the first Beach Boys album, but within a couple of years the wagon was gettin' pretty loaded up. Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher put out singles as Bruce and Terry, but they also called themselves The Rip Chords for this one. "Three Window Coupe" b/w "Hot Rod USA".

1964 also found Jan & Dean on the charts with "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena" and "Ride the Wild Surf".

"Ride the Wild Surf" was backed with one of my favourite all-time titles. "The Anaheim, Azusa and Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review and Timing Association".

1965 found the Beach Boys recording "Help Me Rhonda" while Freddy Cannon had a hit with "Action".

"...Oh, baby come on!"

The ultimate Beach Boy tune is at the top of this article, but "Sloop John B" came out the same year as "Good Vibrations"...1966. I'll never forget seeing the Beach Boys live one stormy night in August, they started playing "Good Vibrations" and the clouds parted, the moon shone through and the night turned wamr and wonderful.

Johnny Rivers jumped on the bandwagon in 1975 with his version of "Help Me Rhonda" with help from Brian Wilson.

The Beach Boys tried all sorts of things to maintain their popularity, from this 'disco' version of "Here Comes the Night"(1979)...

to joining with Little Richard on this Bruce & Terry written track "Happy Endings"(1987)...

to the hit by committee "Kokomo" written by Mike Love (he probably provided the atlas for place names) Terry Melcher, John Phillips and Scott MacKenzie (1988).

While Brian Wilson went on his own bizarre path, creating marvelous music all along the way. 1987's "Love and Mercy" and...

from 1988 "Too Much Sugar" b/w "He Couldn't Get His Poor Old Body To Move" (written with Lindsey Buckingham!)